2012-12-29, 01:58 | Link #25482 | ||||||
Moving in circles
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 49
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Rape victim's condition worsens Quote:
In other news: China orders children to visit elderly parents Quote:
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And, lastly, a thought-provoking opinion piece: In a crisis, humanists seem absent Quote:
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2012-12-29, 02:07 | Link #25483 | ||
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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India suffers from alot of developemental problems probably due to the diversity of tribes and culture throughout the entire country. Until there is a leader able to reach out to all of them and come to a consensus, the country will have problems building itself into a safer and more equal place. Quote:
The humanists see the need not to for such an act, hence their absence.
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2012-12-29, 02:23 | Link #25484 | |
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
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After Jackson, EPA faces decisions on U.S. fracking boom
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8BR02X20121228 Tale of two cities: Chicago murder rate spikes, New York falls http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8BR0LV20121228 Quote:
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2012-12-29, 03:49 | Link #25485 | |
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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So, what... They want to turn it into a freaking religion? They want to be the godless clergy? And the other guys also want them to turn into that, to be vindicated? Of course, I find the article itself suspect in the way it frames things. It's asking what the atheists' spiritual leaders are doing. I can't help but think there's a problem there. |
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2012-12-29, 10:30 | Link #25486 | |
廉頗
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Massachusetts
Age: 34
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As I get older I get less and less inclined to defend atheism or, more specifically, agnosticism. I have no problem with people choosing to be religious and I am really only an agnostic because I can't 'force' myself to believe in any world religion which seems false to me. But a guy like this, who clearly seems to be taking aim at an extremely disparate group of people, with little in common other than their lack of belief in organized religion, draws my ire a bit. I don't want to be part of some group called 'humanists' just because I lack belief in a religion. This isn't a facet of my person that is central enough to make me part of some kind of organization. I feel it's more than enough, for me; speaking to both my religious and non-religious friends about the absolute atrocity this massacre represents. I don't need some group to represent that thought and belief. Exactly. |
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2012-12-29, 11:11 | Link #25487 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: 28° 37', North ; 77° 13', East
Age: 33
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I'm an Indian, and to be quite honest, I'm not sure what to think about all of this ( apart from the obvious disgust and shock when I heard about this). Not sure where the problem really is or how to fix it. Not sure if all of the violence and demand for capital punishment will do good. ( There were widespread protests throughout the country for more stringent laws, but also for things like asking the Delhi CM to resign, which turned quite violent ) . Not sure if all the top-down corruption, and apathy to violence and poverty will ever change. It's like our whole society is.. rotting, there's no other word for it. The way our culture treats women is nothing short of appalling, just the other day I was having a conversation with my landlord (a student from Delhi University, apparently one of the best institutions in the country), about how it's important for women in his family to stay at home to take care of kids, and how its (I quote) impossible for a woman to take care of her looks, be good at sports, and be intelligent. This attitude permeates into our society really deeply : here are a couple of related articles anyone who's interested in the story: http://www.times24.in/tehelka-sting-...es-will-go-on/ http://www.firstpost.com/living/from...ed-269957.html : From a Tehelka article (which seems to have been taken down from their website) titled : The Rapes will Go On http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/de...b-s-son-310259 : This is an article on a statement made by the son of the President of India (who has conveniently become an MP), about how the protesting women are 'painted and dented'. |
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2012-12-29, 11:27 | Link #25488 | |
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
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That said, there are some esteemed figures for atheists (various philosophers). I personally wouldn't include guys like Dawkins among them (too angry). Nothing worse then an atheist with a chip on their shoulder. |
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2012-12-29, 11:38 | Link #25489 | |
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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A lot of atheists don't actually give a damn about the matter. They (we) just don't believe in God and go about our day without thinking about it, let alone hunting down worthwhile representatives. But maybe it's different in the US where the climate's more hostile. |
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2012-12-29, 11:53 | Link #25490 | |
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
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2012-12-29, 12:00 | Link #25491 |
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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I'd say most people aren't that structured to start with.
In everyday life, there's no need for ideology beyond that presented in this video. That and a dash of "I want more money" is enough for a lot of people, atheists or not. |
2012-12-29, 12:50 | Link #25492 | |
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
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The average apolitical person will have such beliefs, but he is only apolitical because he doesn't care to think about them too much, or argue with others about it. But those beliefs do shape his or her behaviour. There are very few people who lack a "world view" or "ideology" which informs them about how the world works (or is supposed to work). These "world views" are often taken from either a religion or some kind of secular ideology. |
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2012-12-29, 12:55 | Link #25493 | |
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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2012-12-29, 13:11 | Link #25496 | |
Not Enough Sleep
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: R'lyeh
Age: 48
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2. hire more outsiders to train the new police force. Don't let the old farts anywhere near the new recruits to pass on their institutional knowledge. 3. Start replacing the judges. 4. pass real laws on Rape with real punishments. 5. The most important and probably hardest, start a grassroots movement to change the mindset and culture in India regarding women. It will takes years, decade and maybe even 1 or 2 generations.
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2012-12-29, 13:46 | Link #25497 | ||
Moving in circles
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 49
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I was drawn to the article because it reminded me of something I read a long time ago, about one of the biggest problems of secularism: the difficulty it faces in replacing or displacing the rituals of the past, rituals that are most often associated with religion. These are not just limited to the rituals of the major religions, but also to folk rituals that communities have used to mark major events: birth, marriage, sickness and death. Even the agricultural rituals of planting and harvest are usually rooted in religion. I find it telling that in times of great distress, communities instinctively fall back on these rituals to find solace and the strength to carry on. And this is what I feel is often lacking in the secular view of the world, the relative difficulty it has in reaching people on a deeper, heartfelt and perhaps primeval level. I felt that this was what the author was trying to reflect in his opinion piece. It's interesting to me that it would draw such completely opposite reactions. |
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2012-12-29, 13:57 | Link #25498 |
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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I don't know. France is a lot more secular than the US, and we don't have that kind of controversy. When tragedy strikes, a lot of people show up to express their condolences. Statistically, a lot of them must be unbelievers, but that's never what this is about. Nobody feels the need to say what religion they are, or to represent anything. (Except the politicians, who represent the Republic, and a desire to appear on TV and attract voters.)
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2012-12-29, 17:28 | Link #25499 | |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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1. A train station policeman wielded his Enfield against the terrorists' AK47s (YES, A BOLT ACTION AGAINST AN AUTOMATIC) so he could buy time for as many passengers to escape as possible. 2. A police chief rallied his men and personally led a storming against the terrorists at the hotel, but died due to being issued a small caliber bulletproof vest, which was no match for the heavy-hitting 7.62 round. 3. A policeman of his roadblock team who stopped the only survivor of the massacre grabbed onto the latter's gun to prevent it from hitting his colleagues, and got ventilated. His colleagues beat the terrorist up with their wooden sticks. 4. A NSG (India's GSG-9) commando was the last man standing of his fireteam while his teammates were injured and had to be evacuated. He chased the terrorists up the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel to mark their location for other teams and got killed in the subsequent firefight. The policemen do have the spirit, but they are undertrained and under-armed, even the NSG - they did floor-to-floor combat with the terrorists when they should have swarmed the building with as many personnel as possible, securing all exits (floor-to-floor is meant for low-intensity engagements where shots are not yet fired). Plus their helicopters are out of order during the attack and they have to run from their base with their equipment to their target location. The body armour incident with the police chief is the most embarrassing because apparently the body armour was only for small caliber or low-velocity arms. Ultimately, the policemen need to be paid enough to keep the thought of money out of their head - that should be a good start to stifle corruption, the biggest, if not greatest threat to a functioning police force.
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2012-12-29, 17:45 | Link #25500 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
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@SaintessHeart
Too bad none of those actions you listed have anything to do with the sexism rampant in Indian culture. That country is proof that increasing wealth and education do not eliminate traditional attitudes, and needs a total cultural change for women to achieve anything resembling equality, because right now women in India are seen as having negative value (not just relative to men, but actual negative value since the bride's family has to pay the groom's for marriage ). There's a total lack of any appreciation for females.
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