2011-08-13, 19:22 | Link #15761 | |
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
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I don't think Europe is any more collectivist then the United States. I think we're just as devoid of community spirit as anywhere in America. We're not drones controlled by government bureaucrats. In Eastern Europe you might get a collectivist mentality ("all must die to defend Mother Russia etc.") but Western Europe is pretty firmly liberal and capitalist, but tempered by some socialist institutions. There are no 2 places in the world closer in ideals then the United States and Europe. We are all "westerners". So if something is done one way in Europe, and it works well, the US should feel no compunction about copying it. Certainly we feel no regrets about copying succesful American ideas. Of course there's always misunderstandings. Americans think Europeans are communist drones, and Europeans think Americans are stupid fat tourists. Both stereotypes are pretty wrong. Like all people, most Americans and Europeans are pretty similiar. I think Americans have a bit more can-do pep, but... @M-14, is it a more elegant and universal design then the AK-47? |
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2011-08-13, 20:29 | Link #15762 | |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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We call them HDB flats, after the government agency that built it.
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2011-08-13, 20:48 | Link #15763 | |||||
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: classified
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The problem is, communism/socialism also started there. Quote:
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I'm not talking "bubba" style vigilantism, I'm talking government encouraged programs such as the US CMP, and volunteer police/militia units (under government control/coordination) to help in extreme circumstances such as the riots in England. I should note that the CMP is a progressive organization created by Theodore Roosevelt under the Militia Act of 1903. Quote:
We know you're not Marxists...you're Fabians. And who are you kidding, we Americans live on Cheeseburgers, French Fries, Pizza, and ice cream...our national beverage is basically syrup mixed with water (soda pop)...we are fat tourists...only the stupid part is marginally incorrect. Quote:
The Modern M14 known as the SOCOM 16: Spoiler for NICE BIG PICTURE OF IT.:
The Modern AK-74: Spoiler for AK-74:
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2011-08-13, 22:36 | Link #15766 | |
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
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2011-08-14, 03:22 | Link #15768 | ||
Disabled By Request
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However, the author of this article is painting humanity in too much of a negative light. Just because the moment a man supposedly gets shot in Tottenham as a consequence of police brutality and people start vandalizing the entire city doesn't mean the rest of humanity is just as rotten. Granted, these kinds of things do happen, but riots in Italy, US, France, as far as I recall, have never been spurred by unconfirmed information. It's true that people are dissatisfied and disillusioned, but it doesn't mean everyone else is the same way. What this man is doing is generalizing all peoples involved in the riots, but there are people suffering in similar ways who did not take part in the riots, and people who weren't neccessarily in a bad position in life also took place just because they could. I mean really, an Olympic ambassador's got a hell of a lot going for her but she still took part. Also, considering this man is thinking all humans would loot, rape, or kill given the opportunity, he should again take a good hard look at what's been happening in Japan. PLENTY of opportunities for all three of those things, but none has been exploited. Either the Japanese are REALLY good at covering things up or they really are as genuinely altruistic as they appear, and I've got my money on the latter. That being said, this is just another article written for the sake of sensationalism whose purpose is, as always, gaining as big an audience as they can with bad news. After all, bad news is the biggest catch these days. When someone is angry, feed their anger, the love it. On a side note, I don't agree on this man's take on national welfare and it not being a right everyone should benefit from. I've argued before healthcare is a basic human right, and it gives people the chance and motivation to do something. This author's blaming the fact that the government is too appeasing and the kids are taking it for granted. That might partly be true, but I've been on benefits for a month and I can tell you, it's not a pretty way of living either way. He's blaming the right people, but for the wrong reasons. |
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2011-08-14, 03:52 | Link #15769 | |
Banned
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Hamburg
Age: 54
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Norway has one of the lowest homicide rates in the world (0.6 murders per year in 100.000 inhabitants, in which is one of the reasons why they had difficulties reacting to the madman in time). Compare that to gun-toting America, which has 5 murders per year in 100.000 inhabitants, almost 9 times as much. Sorry man, we're not planning to burn down the house just because we might be feeling cold. Mirroring the US cesspool where every nutcase can buy firearms at every corner is the last thing we'd want to do in Europe, trust me. |
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2011-08-14, 05:34 | Link #15770 | ||
He Without a Title
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: The land of tempura
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Also, the USA has similar happenings as well like the shooting of congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords a few months back. You could argue that the US should pass gun legislation to prevent the general public from having weapons like it happens in most of Europe. I personally don't think that's right though.
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2011-08-14, 06:17 | Link #15772 |
Gamilas Falls
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 46
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Actually that was our parents and grandparents. Modern textbooks really don't go into in all that much in terms of good or bad.
Most ideology against communism and socialism is driven by the Baby Boomers and their parents. These were the people that lived and fought the Cold War, so their ideas are hard set by several decades of stand offs, incidents, espianoge, and "police actions" with the Soviets and their allies. While their ideology is not really taught at school, it is provided via the mass media of the age, entertainment, and parental ideology that is transfered to their children as they grow up.
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2011-08-14, 13:05 | Link #15773 | |
blinded by blood
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So don't let nutcases buy firearms. Simple as that. To be honest I don't think America uses gun control correctly. They ban a lot of silly and stupid things, making guns that "look" scary illegal, while not actually doing anything useful like keep shady folks from buying guns from Bubba's Pawn Shop. I don't live or die by the Second Amendment here. I used to own guns, back when I lived in Oklahoma, and a gun even saved me from a bad situation once. Had I not had the gun, I probably would have gotten cut up or stabbed pretty bad. But there are things that are more important to me than being allowed to own guns. Still, it doesn't seem right that I have to choose between giving up/suspending my feelings on gun ownership vs. giving up/suspending my feelings on wanting legal gay marriage. Meh.
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2011-08-14, 14:52 | Link #15774 | ||||||
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: classified
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That clash of culture and race causes considerable violence with or without guns. In fact, the most violent areas of the US are the ones with the most Quote:
Also, has there ever been a shooting of the magnitude in Oslo here in the US? No. Why? Because unless it is in NYC, Mass, or some other place with strict gun-control laws, the perp would get killed. Quote:
Back in the 1840s that was who comprised the Bourgeoise. Today, the middle class are mostly Proletarians that have excelled and achieved. The problem today is the aristocracy. As H.G. Wells so accurately pointed out in Chapter 4 of his book The New World Order Marx was a dreamer who wanted to go back to the Feudal era. Karl should have known that in the Feudal era the aristocracy was the problem, it was they who were oppressing the masses. His wishing to return to that kind of a society just proves one thing about Marx. In short, Marx was a retrogressive idiot. Quote:
Are you implying that you Europeans are to barbaric to handle guns? Quote:
China has the harshest gun laws in the world and they just had a mass shooting a few years ago. You all need to lay off the Koolaid. Quote:
They do have minor differences in theory, but in practice they are nearly identical Communism is a farce, it is not achievable. While socialism is what is put into practice it--as Benito Mussolini correctly observed--degenerates into despotism via corporatism. In Marixst theory, government is supposed to "fade away." In practice it becomes more totalitarian as it attempts to keep from collapsing due to the burden of the entitlement systems and the shrinking number of private businesses. As government takes over more and more control of the market, the problem continues to grow until austerity measures have to be put into place. That means doing away with entitlement programs, and causing civil unrest. That in turn gives the government the moral imperitive to clamp down on society and implement a totalitarian system. The above sequence is EXACTLY what the Nazis did to achieve power in the 1930s. The Russian example is similar. Lenin encountered total collapse of the Russian economy during the early 1920s which is why he had to implement his State-Capitalist system. That in turn caused unrest among the die-hard communists, who Stalin liquidated after he took over and used the malcontents as an excuse to create his own totalitarian state. Maybe if you'd actually do some research about socialism and Marxism you'd learn what those terms mean and how they have actually worked in real life rather than on paper.
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Last edited by GundamFan0083; 2011-08-14 at 15:37. |
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2011-08-14, 14:52 | Link #15775 | |
I disagree with you all.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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2011-08-14, 15:05 | Link #15776 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: classified
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Norway only has about 4.5 million people in it.
The State of Colorado has over 5 million people in it. The crime rates of Norway and Colorado are comparable. The Norway crime rate for 2009 is 3 murders per 100,000 people. The Colorado crime rate for 2009 is 3.5 murders per 100,000 people. Norway's gun laws are far stricter than Colorado's. Proving that gun control has absolutely no effect on crime whatsoever. Now, if we compare a state with a much higher population, like say California. The murder rate for 2009 is 5.3 per 100,000, and California has far stricter gun-laws than does Colorado. And Lousiana is the worst state at 11.0 murders per 100,000 people. If we're going to compare stats, let's do it with some measure of comparability.
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2011-08-14, 15:16 | Link #15777 | |
Not Enough Sleep
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: R'lyeh
Age: 48
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2011-08-14, 15:26 | Link #15779 |
Komrades of Kitamura Kou
Join Date: Jul 2004
Age: 39
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I'd believe that it's a misconception to say that murder (or even its success rate) is intrinsically tied to gun availability. Honestly, anyone who really wants to go out and off someone WILL find a way and WILL find a tool for the job. Killing isn't exclusive to a gun.
And really, murder rates are more a reflection of a society's moral values and responsibilities than it's guns per person ratio. You could have each person own an armory and have murder rates in the decimal points. Murderers are a product of society, not it's weapons.
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2011-08-14, 15:32 | Link #15780 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: classified
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I just noticed that chart didn't list the District of Columbia, so I googled around to find the murder per 100,000 of DC.
Holy Hell! http://www.borderstan.com/01/dcs-dec...her-than-1964/ It's at 23.3 murders per 100,000, and that's down from 78.3!! Their population is only around 600,000! However, it is interesting to note that the article points to gang-violence as the leading cause of the murder rate there. I can see that as being another major factor.
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current affairs, discussion, international |
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