People are not predators and prey. A species that hunts its own kind is monstrous. Lions don’t eat other lions. Neither wolves, or tigers or any other mammal predators hunt and eat their own. To sort people into predators and prey is flawed on a fundamental Epstein-style level. Such people exist, and the vast majority of humans consider them abominations. As they should.
Good argument I’ll gladly and openly discuss further. You state that the main reason is ignorance and people can be educated out of it. My counter claim is that much of that ignorance is either willful, or a product of the lack in intelligence of those people. If a person, having access to the education currently provided in modern states, is still ignorant, then that is a choice or a result of lack of intelligence. Every school child today is taught Socrates’ cave analogy, but most dismiss it as a story without realizing it applies to their world view. Who hears the story and starts questioning? Those who are naturally question-Askers, which is one characteristic of intelligence. As you say, and I agree, they follow the default, the reason being, the default is easy, and most people want easy. They want to outsource difficult tasks to institutions, that is easy for them. Of course it is also easier to survive by not questioning.
I agree 100%, and as a European I am disgusted by the political elites here and have been since the Iraq War when I marched in protest against their obvious violations of international law. But the so called democracies of Europe are in many ways plutocracies beholden to the plutocracy of the US. I’ve voted, protested, written in the papers and been part of organizations, yet my opinions are by the majority considered radical and unrealistic. But at least in Europe, people like me are not put behind bars.
Yeah, and Pakistan and Indonesia have done what exactly? The Saudis have sanctioned and oil embargoed the US? Egypt has forced aid through the Gaza border? Turkey has seized American military bases? Right? Right? No.
Everyone is complicit. More or less every nation would rather have peace and comfortable political discussions, rather than stand up against the world hegemon. Some tried, Libya, Iraq, Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran. Find me one country that has opposed the US in this? And before you say Spain, let me note that they haven’t even kicked out their ambassador. What do you want from Europe that no other country is willing to do?
Yeah, I mean, yeah, but… the problem with anarchism isn’t that it’s stupid, it’s that people are stupid. Most anarchists are smart and see the world through their perspective, which is, people are empathetic, rational, and interested in nuance and complexity. Unfortunately, a large number of the populace is not that smart, nor that interested. Anarchist societies don’t exist or if they do, they don’t last, because the premise is wisdom, which so many people lack, that they would rather have a king, than deal with the complexities of being one’s own master.
Iran has currently rejected two cease fire proposals. Who’s got who bent over an oil barrel here?
That’s a nice soft target there. Would be a shame if something, oh iran bombed one already.
Everyone who got Rick rolled will click on it. The view number will double from 1.5 billion currently to +3 billion views and YouTube will crash. All will celebrate the annual rick roll day henceforth, causing Never gonna give you up to become the most played song of all time ever with hundreds of billions of views in the year 2100. Trust me, never gonna lie.
You’re right, the democratization point is utter bullshit, my bad, missed that one.
As for the other points, as I alluded to, there are caveats for many of them. On the other hand, the soviet union modernized a country that was partly a feudalist state into a superpower. While the ideology and methods are unsympathetic, many of its results were beneficial, for example health care, which though imperfect, was universal and free, unlike the US for example. Education was also free and of high quality overall, marred of course with indoctrination and ideological blinders, but still good.
Saying the USSR was all good or all bad is a naive and unnuanced analysis of 80 years of history. Compare it to tsarist Russia incredible leaps were made. Compare it to USA they outperformed them on some metrics, and underperformed on others.
You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar.
I don’t believe this! As a fumgrian living as a would be dead camoose off Mt. Kabul, I am overjizzed that AI is reading all my pornhub comments.
None of what is said here is untrue.
It just leaves out the dictatorship, the gulags, the holodomor, the torture, personality cult, the propaganda, the wars of aggression, political oppression at home and abroad etc etc.
Yeah forget about sending those squatters back to Europe. We don’t fucking want them.
Totally. Been a gamer for 30+ years, and none of the new stuff holds my interest. Also, my hardware being less than a full time mortgage, means most new games run poorly. So, old stuff it is.
I read the book
Couldn’t even get the image right. Atlas bore not the earth, but the sky.
Norway has BankAxept I believe. Fully homegrown, works just like visa.
Dear Andrew. You need to fill your head with stuff cause you’re unable to sit in the silence of your own mind since it’s shouting what an utter failure you are at being a decent person. You’ve hurt so many people, and deep down you know that ain’t right. It’s called cognitive dissonance. I want to hope you can become a whole person someday, but frankly you don’t deserve that. Honestly I can’t see you as anything other than a drain on society.
Eh, the original from the 90s is a more solid game. The game is good is some ways, but flawed in many. First of all the dumbing down. In 90s version you recruit soldiers for money, then check their stats and make them snipers, grenadiers, shock troops or even suicide bombers depending on their skills. 2012 version, you get a bunch of gamified units that have set upgrade paths.
90s version you build and attack multiple bases, administrate a world wide war with great wins and painful losses. In 2012, you pretty much have to win each scenario or the game becomes unwinnable.
Old version, more units, lose one or two, the fight goes on. New version, two dead soldiers will make many fights unwinnable. Old, all aliens are on map at start. New, aliens spawn suddenly in illogical positions and often put your troops in impossible situations that you would never have wandered into if the enemy was on the field and not suddenly appeared out of thin air.
Old, no limits to equipment, give every man 2 grenades and 2 smoke grenades, no worries. New, only Carl can carry smoke grenades, because the game wants to force strategic choices.
I could go on, but long story short, yes new xcom was good, but it really was a dumber version of the original, which had small flaws, but is still an amazing game. New xcom I would just not want to play again.
Don’t underestimate L’oreal industries…