any responsible, sober gun owner understands their gun is a tool, not a form of in-your-face identity politics
anyone who has a need to display their gun as a point of public pride, to me, is someone who has confidence and discretion issues i don't really want to deal with
a reason to deny someone a job? no
a reason to feel uncomfortable around the person? sure. and then to choose another equally qualified job candidate who doesn't make you feel so uncomfortable? sure
you have a right to be as immodest and vulgar about your identity politics as you want
but you don't have a right to demand that the straights and squares not be uncomfortable around you, exactly at the same time as you purposefully seek to make the straights and squares as uncomfortable as you can
make your choice about what you display to the world in life, and then live with the consequences. you have no right to complain about how you are judged, when you purposefully elicit those judgments with your public displays of pride in things which, perhaps, you shouldn't be so proud of
a gun is an ugly tool whose responsible usage is always grim and sober. don't look at a gun hater for this assessment, look to a responsible gun owner for this assessment
so i seriously wonder about the mindset of someone who finds great joy in celebrating their public image with a tool of carnage. maybe i don't want to work with such a person if another more discrete and modest and confident potential employee's resume is sitting right next to yours
you are advocating for forcing people to do things, rather than reasoning with them
so, just like before: your post is idiotic. you're an idiot. you don't force people to do anything. well, you can, but then you are an evil force in this world
and i just love how you redefine the works of two of the greatest modern proponents of nonviolent change as "forcing" people to do anything
of course all progress starts as minority opinions, and then moves to the main stream. my point is you can't rush this or impose it. it needs to happen at a natural pace
i don't think gandhi or martin luther king would say "i know progress, and i'm going to force it on you," right?
progress occurs in general society. progress does not occur in a special class, that then imposes its idea of "progress" on the supposedly unenlightened commoners. this idea of progress is elitist, and doomed to fail by provoking mistrust and a backlash
the cost of involving the general pubic is that progress is slow and messy. the gain is that progress is genuine and true, society-wide
because the real problem is not slowing down progress, the real problem is that plenty of people assume they have a superior idea about what progress is, and they are often wrong. if such people are an empowered elite, they can destroy a country with bad ideas about what progress is. only the court of public opinion matters on the question of progress. real progress is baby steps, and stumbles. it is about picking what seems to be the best new idea, then modifying it, feedback. progress is not some obvious linear clean highway to the future that can be engaged at 100 mph. progress only looks like this in historical hindsight. if you meet someone with a clear idea of what progress should be, without any doubt about them at all, you have encountered a dangerous idiot who doesn't know what real progress is
change in society has a certain steady rate. too fast, and you'll embrace bad ideas and destroy the country. too slow, and you'll stagnate and more nimble societies will pass you by. the trouble is achieving a balance. but this is the essential problem of life: balance. progress not too fast. progress not too slow
society is composed of many people not least of which are families. families, unlike people without kids, represent the future of the country. as such, i would assert to you that the needs and rights of families outweighs your concerns. simply because your concerns have no future, since you have no kids
there is arguing about idealistic concepts in a vacuum of real world needs and wants
then there is the brutal reality of the situation
and the brutal reality of the situation is that without the breeders you obviously have contempt for, there is no future. you have to make peace with that fact, because it obviously goes against your way of thinking, yet is a fact which trumps your arguments: since you have no kids, your way of thinking has no future, and therefore deserves to be discounted. not logically discounted. naturally discounted. we aren't abstract thoughts in a cloud. we are biological vessels with expiration dates. this cold hard brutal fact represents a fundamental need of society that must be accommodated, or the society simply has no future
what do you value in life? well, without kids, those values will not survive in this world, and therefore have no future: brutal, but truthful
i know my opinion will not be popular on a site of asocial nerds, but i firmly believe that those who have children deserve more accommodation in society, simply because they are shouldering society's future. while others choose to be parasites and live off the benefits of society, without contributing to its future by having kids
yes, i am saying you are a second class citizen if you have the financial capacity to have kids, but choose not to. you don't even need the biological capacity: you can adopt. you don't need a heterosexual orientation: loving gay couples make great parents to tens of thousands of kids in this country
in modern american society, where parents are expected to work two jobs just to keep from losing the house, outsourcing some of that internet filtering effort is a perfectly valid request. and furthermore, the request will be listened to, since families have the balance of power here, as they should, since without them, there is no future for the country
if you are asking why and how this balance of power is obtained, the answer is simple: without kids, your point of view simply dies. i am not making an idealistic argument. i am referring to brutal truth: for all of your vaunted ideals and high complex abstract thoughts, you are nothing more than a crude biological vessel, and you have an expiration date. and you should give some thought as to your replacement. or otherwise, your thoughts will surely die. ugly, but true. if you have not made the effort to replace your soon to be dust vessel, that's a failure on your part. for now you are simply a point of view without a future, because you have no kids. and so your thinking is not logically discounted, but naturally discounted
the wants and desires of adults with children, to me, are more valid and more worthy of consideration, than the selfish needs and wants of those who can't be bothered to have children, out of whatever pathetic social defect that renders you unable to contribute to a family
the often unmentioned corollary is that right makes might
"right" meaning the set of cultural and legal values that maximizes human productivity and happiness
whatever that set of values is, grows in power, and imposes on weaker societies. weaker because they have a less fit set of values, where the people are less happy, and/ or less productive. until those societies adapt some of the superior values of the mightier society. perhaps resulting in a hybrid society even more fit than the original mightier society. such that now the imposed upon society is now the new mightier society
how has the usa come from nothing in 250 years and come to dominate societies thousands of years older than it? because it is founded on a superior set of values: it is mighty, because it is more "right." and so we see societies around the world adapt democracy, and other values the usa holds dear. less fit societies, say societies that don't value women's rights, will be less happy and less productive, until they adapt universal suffrage
now as the usa fades in the world, a hybrid society that absorbed some of what the usa discovered must show the world an even more right, and therefore mightier, way to model society
yes, the greatest force imposes on the weaker forces in this world. but everyone just seems to be depressed by that thought and leaves it at that. but they should proceed onto the follow up thought: what makes the greatest force?
answer that question well, and you can grow mightier than the mightiest
homo sapiens is a social animal. all social animals have social hierarchy and authority. authority is natural and inevitable in any social group, of people or animals
i'm sorry reality destroys your strange, bizarre fantasy life
the slippery slope is not real. it really isn't. it's a fear, a hysteria, on your part, not on the part of reality
for example: you should stop commenting here on slashdot. because some hackers also comment on slashdot. therefore, since some commentors on slashdot are also hackers, then you have an association that proves that compared to the general population, commenting on slashdot gives you a higher probabilty that you will hack a computer system. ergo: commenting on slashdot is an unstoppable slide to hacking computer systems
what i just wrote is absurdity. it is also the same absurdity that you wrote about meth and marijuana above. to believe this absurdity is to announce that you are a hysterical twit. stop being a hysterical twit: understand why anyone who tries to sell you on the idea of the slippery slope is an abusive demagogue or a fear-addled moron. really
hey, asshole: you responded to my top level comment. you don't have to talk to me if you don't reply to my comments. do us both a favor and please avoid my comments from now on. thanks
exactly. we're moving from a world of he said/ she said with no proof either way, to a world of: "there it is on video your honor". a much better world
until the day that movie-quality special effects become the domain of every 13 year old. then video can't be trusted anymore. then we're really screwed
authority is unnecessary in a world where people exercise responsibility as much as they demand freedom. true freedom does not exist in a place where people take no responsibility
therefore it is the essential tragedy of our existence that authority is necessary, with all the evils that authority brings, because too many of us are just irresponsible. responsibility must be offered. if it isn't offered, it must be imposed. because lack of personal responsibility is pretty much the root of all evil. authority is just a response to that vacuum
Slashdot Mirror
i'm talking about handguns, you're talking about rifles
which, in a way, is my fault for not clearly enunciating
so, if everywhere you saw "gun" you read "handgun" instead of "hunting rifle", do you have any argument with what i said?
any responsible, sober gun owner understands their gun is a tool, not a form of in-your-face identity politics
anyone who has a need to display their gun as a point of public pride, to me, is someone who has confidence and discretion issues i don't really want to deal with
a reason to deny someone a job? no
a reason to feel uncomfortable around the person? sure. and then to choose another equally qualified job candidate who doesn't make you feel so uncomfortable? sure
you have a right to be as immodest and vulgar about your identity politics as you want
but you don't have a right to demand that the straights and squares not be uncomfortable around you, exactly at the same time as you purposefully seek to make the straights and squares as uncomfortable as you can
make your choice about what you display to the world in life, and then live with the consequences. you have no right to complain about how you are judged, when you purposefully elicit those judgments with your public displays of pride in things which, perhaps, you shouldn't be so proud of
a gun is an ugly tool whose responsible usage is always grim and sober. don't look at a gun hater for this assessment, look to a responsible gun owner for this assessment
so i seriously wonder about the mindset of someone who finds great joy in celebrating their public image with a tool of carnage. maybe i don't want to work with such a person if another more discrete and modest and confident potential employee's resume is sitting right next to yours
care for cancer is not healthcare waste, einstein. you can't think of any SYSTEMIC wastes of cash?
you are advocating for forcing people to do things, rather than reasoning with them
so, just like before: your post is idiotic. you're an idiot. you don't force people to do anything. well, you can, but then you are an evil force in this world
and i just love how you redefine the works of two of the greatest modern proponents of nonviolent change as "forcing" people to do anything
idiotic!
your point is idiotic
of course all progress starts as minority opinions, and then moves to the main stream. my point is you can't rush this or impose it. it needs to happen at a natural pace
i don't think gandhi or martin luther king would say "i know progress, and i'm going to force it on you," right?
so high that it slows down progress"?
progress occurs in general society. progress does not occur in a special class, that then imposes its idea of "progress" on the supposedly unenlightened commoners. this idea of progress is elitist, and doomed to fail by provoking mistrust and a backlash
the cost of involving the general pubic is that progress is slow and messy. the gain is that progress is genuine and true, society-wide
because the real problem is not slowing down progress, the real problem is that plenty of people assume they have a superior idea about what progress is, and they are often wrong. if such people are an empowered elite, they can destroy a country with bad ideas about what progress is. only the court of public opinion matters on the question of progress. real progress is baby steps, and stumbles. it is about picking what seems to be the best new idea, then modifying it, feedback. progress is not some obvious linear clean highway to the future that can be engaged at 100 mph. progress only looks like this in historical hindsight. if you meet someone with a clear idea of what progress should be, without any doubt about them at all, you have encountered a dangerous idiot who doesn't know what real progress is
change in society has a certain steady rate. too fast, and you'll embrace bad ideas and destroy the country. too slow, and you'll stagnate and more nimble societies will pass you by. the trouble is achieving a balance. but this is the essential problem of life: balance. progress not too fast. progress not too slow
yeah, save a few bucks: what the fuck do you think is wrong with that goal? do you know how financially wasteful our healthcare system is?
maybe we can use this to pinpoint where you assholes waste so much cash
is that why you whine about it?
shhh
stop cramping my style
that science is evil?
society is composed of many people not least of which are families. families, unlike people without kids, represent the future of the country. as such, i would assert to you that the needs and rights of families outweighs your concerns. simply because your concerns have no future, since you have no kids
there is arguing about idealistic concepts in a vacuum of real world needs and wants
then there is the brutal reality of the situation
and the brutal reality of the situation is that without the breeders you obviously have contempt for, there is no future. you have to make peace with that fact, because it obviously goes against your way of thinking, yet is a fact which trumps your arguments: since you have no kids, your way of thinking has no future, and therefore deserves to be discounted. not logically discounted. naturally discounted. we aren't abstract thoughts in a cloud. we are biological vessels with expiration dates. this cold hard brutal fact represents a fundamental need of society that must be accommodated, or the society simply has no future
what do you value in life? well, without kids, those values will not survive in this world, and therefore have no future: brutal, but truthful
i know my opinion will not be popular on a site of asocial nerds, but i firmly believe that those who have children deserve more accommodation in society, simply because they are shouldering society's future. while others choose to be parasites and live off the benefits of society, without contributing to its future by having kids
yes, i am saying you are a second class citizen if you have the financial capacity to have kids, but choose not to. you don't even need the biological capacity: you can adopt. you don't need a heterosexual orientation: loving gay couples make great parents to tens of thousands of kids in this country
in modern american society, where parents are expected to work two jobs just to keep from losing the house, outsourcing some of that internet filtering effort is a perfectly valid request. and furthermore, the request will be listened to, since families have the balance of power here, as they should, since without them, there is no future for the country
if you are asking why and how this balance of power is obtained, the answer is simple: without kids, your point of view simply dies. i am not making an idealistic argument. i am referring to brutal truth: for all of your vaunted ideals and high complex abstract thoughts, you are nothing more than a crude biological vessel, and you have an expiration date. and you should give some thought as to your replacement. or otherwise, your thoughts will surely die. ugly, but true. if you have not made the effort to replace your soon to be dust vessel, that's a failure on your part. for now you are simply a point of view without a future, because you have no kids. and so your thinking is not logically discounted, but naturally discounted
the wants and desires of adults with children, to me, are more valid and more worthy of consideration, than the selfish needs and wants of those who can't be bothered to have children, out of whatever pathetic social defect that renders you unable to contribute to a family
i can return the favor
grasp your chest, point at the sky, and profess your love to a woman a child or a country
there, you've died gallantly
you're an idiot and i'm wasting my time
idiot: a country is as strong as its values. better values, mightier country
lol
shut up namor. you're just jealous
might does make right
the often unmentioned corollary is that right makes might
"right" meaning the set of cultural and legal values that maximizes human productivity and happiness
whatever that set of values is, grows in power, and imposes on weaker societies. weaker because they have a less fit set of values, where the people are less happy, and/ or less productive. until those societies adapt some of the superior values of the mightier society. perhaps resulting in a hybrid society even more fit than the original mightier society. such that now the imposed upon society is now the new mightier society
how has the usa come from nothing in 250 years and come to dominate societies thousands of years older than it? because it is founded on a superior set of values: it is mighty, because it is more "right." and so we see societies around the world adapt democracy, and other values the usa holds dear. less fit societies, say societies that don't value women's rights, will be less happy and less productive, until they adapt universal suffrage
now as the usa fades in the world, a hybrid society that absorbed some of what the usa discovered must show the world an even more right, and therefore mightier, way to model society
yes, the greatest force imposes on the weaker forces in this world. but everyone just seems to be depressed by that thought and leaves it at that. but they should proceed onto the follow up thought: what makes the greatest force?
answer that question well, and you can grow mightier than the mightiest
memetic evolution at its finest
oh shit!
you figured out the truth!
you've blown my cover!
i don't know how to write a sonnet
shit, i'm screwed
homo sapiens is a social animal. all social animals have social hierarchy and authority. authority is natural and inevitable in any social group, of people or animals
i'm sorry reality destroys your strange, bizarre fantasy life
you need to stop responding to my comments, asshole
(of course, you will reply, you can't help being the asshole that is you)
the slippery slope is not real. it really isn't. it's a fear, a hysteria, on your part, not on the part of reality
for example: you should stop commenting here on slashdot. because some hackers also comment on slashdot. therefore, since some commentors on slashdot are also hackers, then you have an association that proves that compared to the general population, commenting on slashdot gives you a higher probabilty that you will hack a computer system. ergo: commenting on slashdot is an unstoppable slide to hacking computer systems
what i just wrote is absurdity. it is also the same absurdity that you wrote about meth and marijuana above. to believe this absurdity is to announce that you are a hysterical twit. stop being a hysterical twit: understand why anyone who tries to sell you on the idea of the slippery slope is an abusive demagogue or a fear-addled moron. really
hey, asshole: you responded to my top level comment. you don't have to talk to me if you don't reply to my comments. do us both a favor and please avoid my comments from now on. thanks
i'm saving this comment and putting it in your permanent file ;-)
exactly. we're moving from a world of he said/ she said with no proof either way, to a world of: "there it is on video your honor". a much better world
until the day that movie-quality special effects become the domain of every 13 year old. then video can't be trusted anymore. then we're really screwed
authority is unnecessary in a world where people exercise responsibility as much as they demand freedom. true freedom does not exist in a place where people take no responsibility
therefore it is the essential tragedy of our existence that authority is necessary, with all the evils that authority brings, because too many of us are just irresponsible. responsibility must be offered. if it isn't offered, it must be imposed. because lack of personal responsibility is pretty much the root of all evil. authority is just a response to that vacuum