Just another normal day in America

[MKJ]

America isn't the "land of the free". It's the "land of the free market".

quote of the fucking week

[losCHUNK]

Lets look at Assaults (per capita)

USA: 7.5 per 1000
UK: 7.4 per 1000
Canada: 7.1 per 1000

thats assaults not murder ?

which would include every alcohol fueled pub brawl

and i didnt look at the quoted link for to long, i did notice that america was still higher than most of the leading countries though

and the reason why theres more suicides is because you god loving freaks think suicide is a mortal sin

[Underpants?]

understand what I'm saying, Tool
there is no better alternative PERIOD.
Name one (feasible one, don't say something retarded like "Norway LOL"), you silly dick

In terms of "there is no better alternative"...you are clueless.

And it has nothing to do with Norway.

Yeah I steered the conversation off course a bit with those comments. I'm not clueless. I speak from a mainly fiscal viewpoint--the only other county that competes (and sometimes eclipses) the US trademark generosity in sharing trade secrets to better another country's GDP or blindly hand out aid to distressed neighbors is Japan, and from all appearances, they have no desire to take the lead in the diplomatic side of things whatsoever (heh, deficits aside ).
God damn here comes the rhetoric you predicted, but I think it's a valid point. Without the arms embargos and disarmament treaties lead by the US over the last century, would peaceful nations such as Norway and Denmark be yet unharnessed by some cunting dictator?

[+JuggerNaut+]

I challenge anyone on this board to live in Denmark for two weeks just to see the difference.

lol you wouldn't need to tell me twice.

[Tormentius]

When you talk about free will you forget about God's plan. You can't have both.

The "master plan" is dogma invented by people in robes...something the whackjobs can argue about all they like.

If you look at the roots of Christianity (not the roots of the church), it was about a guy (call him a teacher, priest, son of god, whatever) that wandered around and talked about being decent to our fellow human beings and doing the best we can with the life we have. All the rest of the shit piled on top of that are merely the opinions of different (mostly fundamentalist) people since then and the odd rules they invented while creating a structured political organization out of something that is fundamentally simple.

[Wabbit]

Copenhagen has been rated (yes I know in shitty polls) as having the "happiest people in the world"...whatever that means. But I'll tell you this....every single person that comes to this country is immediately struck by how relaxed and friendly people are.

I'd be willing to bet that's true. I have no idea why it would be true but I bet it is.

A friend I grew up with lived here until she was 18, then went into the air force...she never moved back. Last time she came to visit her family, she said she has never seen so many angry, rude people in her life. I can't wait to move to a less populated state. The north east is just too intense.

[Tsakali_]

Copenhagen has been rated (yes I know in shitty polls) as having the "happiest people in the world"...whatever that means. But I'll tell you this....every single person that comes to this country is immediately struck by how relaxed and friendly people are.

I'd be willing to bet that's true. I have no idea why it would be true but I bet it is.

A friend I grew up with lived here until she was 18, then went into the air force...she never moved back. Last time she came to visit her family, she said she has never seen so many angry, rude people in her life. I can't wait to move to a less populated state. The north east is just too intense.

ignorance plagues the less populated states, I've heard horror stories in such environments. If you value human interaction with substance don't make that mistake

[shaft]

State lawmaker suggests arming teachers, principals

http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/10/05 ... topstories

[S@M]

^ vicious circle where guns are used to solve gun related problems :/

[GONNAFISTYA]

Yeah I steered the conversation off course a bit with those comments. I'm not clueless. I speak from a mainly fiscal viewpoint--the only other county that competes (and sometimes eclipses) the US trademark generosity in sharing trade secrets to better another country's GDP or blindly hand out aid to distressed neighbors is Japan, and from all appearances, they have no desire to take the lead in the diplomatic side of things whatsoever (heh, deficits aside ).
God damn here comes the rhetoric you predicted, but I think it's a valid point. Without the arms embargos and disarmament treaties lead by the US over the last century, would peaceful nations such as Norway and Denmark be yet unharnessed by some cunting dictator?

Dude I completely agree with you in regards to the generosity and good will of the US. I also completely agree that Denmark would be another part of Germany if WW2 hadn't ended.

But...that's the real rub isn't it?

The main reason (for me at least) that people are so willing (and yes it's fun) to bash America is the simple fact that your country has stood for all that is good...and bad...in global politicawhatchamacallit and essentially brags about it. For most people that is already a put off. But the kicker here is that, for the most part, America is a hypocrite on the world stage.

Look at the big picture: America is supposed to be the leader, the shining example of what a society can do when it's not oppressed by some dickhead with a God complex (current dickhead in the White House notwithstanding) in its basic tenents that people are the power of a country/society...not the government. I agree completely and would be willing - like any American - to die to protect those ideals.

But when your government is clearly not the "leader" or the "shining example" it claims itself to be then that just puts people off even more. I don't have to give many examples (illegal wars, the wiretapping, the geneva convention "rollback", Gitmo...the list is long).

I think at this point is where resentment might peek in. Because it's not jealousy...as Americans love to believe. It's resentment that a fat, lazy slob with bad table manners and a shit stain on his pants is walking around town telling everyone how to live their lives.

Don't get me wrong...I happen to believe that a western society with a full free market that generates lifestyles we love and enjoy today is the best way of life (for me). But I don't believe my ideas are the only ones...something your countrymen need to learn as it relates to your foriegn policy and the backwards way you treat your citizens.

So yeah....when the idiot bully gets his head kicked in...everyone usually cheers.

[GONNAFISTYA]

Copenhagen has been rated (yes I know in shitty polls) as having the "happiest people in the world"...whatever that means. But I'll tell you this....every single person that comes to this country is immediately struck by how relaxed and friendly people are.

I'd be willing to bet that's true. I have no idea why it would be true but I bet it is.

A friend I grew up with lived here until she was 18, then went into the air force...she never moved back. Last time she came to visit her family, she said she has never seen so many angry, rude people in her life. I can't wait to move to a less populated state. The north east is just too intense.

I'd like to point out that Copenhagen is fairly crowded...yet nobody is a vile cunt on the streets.

I have to say it but if you stay within the US border I don't know if moving to a less populated area/state will help.

[S@M]

another good post gfy! but im not cheering, although I think your observations are probably correct in broad terms - current usa president has created a lot of international animosity.

however, no one outside possibly some extremist states is going to go "yay" over another school shooting. There are some real problems in a society that kills its young like that and I still think that blaming population density is more than naieve, its defeatist in some way as well.

[GONNAFISTYA]

When you talk about free will you forget about God's plan. You can't have both.

The "master plan" is dogma invented by people in robes...something the whackjobs can argue about all they like.

If you look at the roots of Christianity (not the roots of the church), it was about a guy (call him a teacher, priest, son of god, whatever) that wandered around and talked about being decent to our fellow human beings and doing the best we can with the life we have. All the rest of the shit piled on top of that are merely the opinions of different (mostly fundamentalist) people since then and the odd rules they invented while creating a structured political organization out of something that is fundamentally simple.

I happen to think that free will is also dogmatic in that it releases God from responsibilty from irrational things that can't be explained in a rational manner.

Example:

- God loves you and protects you from harm.
- But God killed Mrs.Smith with a garden rake to the head when she was drunk that night. Why didn't God protect her when she needed protecting?
- Through her free will she ignored God's guidance and got drunk and fell on the rake
- But why wasn't God protecting her?
- God works in mysterious ways.

Gimme a break.

[S@M]

who said love protects from harm?
who says god has a responsibility to protect?
that would make god just a big fuzzy teadybear - people may like the idea of god making them safe, rich, successful etc but who says thats what hes on about and if hes not, then he cant exist?

edit - debating the character of god - kinda mind boggling.

[Wabbit]

...I still think that blaming population density is more than naieve, its defeatist in some way as well.

Is English a second language for you? Seriously. Or is it maybe a reading comprehension problem?

I never blamed population density for school shootings. The only point I was trying to make is that you're going to hear about more shit happening amongst and between 295 million people versus 20 million people. Just because of shear numbers there is going to be more deaths, more births, more shootings, more everything. Does that not make sense to anyone????

[GONNAFISTYA]

who said love protects from harm?
who says god has a responsibility to protect?
that would make god just a big fuzzy teadybear - people may like the idea of god making them safe, rich, successful etc but who says thats what hes on about and if hes not, then he cant exist?

edit - debating the character of god - kinda mind boggling.

I'm simply saying that the concept of God giving people free will is a cop out by the same fags in robes that came up with the "master plan".... so neither arguement is valid when trying to determine the reason why God would allow things like school shootings to happen.

If anyone brings God into the equation - regardless of motives or even the concept of a God that is aware of us - then God is ultimately responsible for what happens.

[MKJ]

uh, thats why man invented the percentage, isnt it?

[S@M]

edit: response to wabbit

not really, not because comprehension is a problem, but because population density is not a big deal in usa, your hanging on to that idea cos you got nothing else to offer the discussion - fair enough for you, but no one is buying the theory

[Tormentius]

I happen to think that free will is also dogmatic in that it releases God from responsibilty from irrational things that can't be explained in a rational manner.

If God exists then, IMO, its not his duty to play Superman and save people from other's choices, their own choices, or the simple way the world works. A lot of people seem to have the idea that if a God exists he somehow owes humanity something or should protect people and control events at every turn.

You're still using examples that the average religious person would use though and not focusing on the fact we agree that the church and it's dogma are bs. The difference is that I think the core of that belief, stripped of all the opinions over the centuries, is fundamentally good and does me no harm to follow.

[GONNAFISTYA]

If God exists then, IMO, its not his duty to play Superman and save people from other's choices, their own choices, or the simple way the world works. A lot of people seem to have the idea that if a God exists he somehow owes humanity something or should protect people and control events at every turn.

You're still using examples that the average religious person would use though and not focusing on the fact we agree that the church and it's dogma are bs. The difference is that I think the core of that belief, stripped of all the opinions over the centuries, is fundamentally good and does me no harm to follow.

Fair enough.

I don't believe in God. So...if we have a God that exists and has no reason for being...then what's God's purpose? Why does he exist? And why should I either believe in him or praise him?

If's all fair and good to believe in a God...but you do need a reason for believing. Simply saying "because" is not using God's gift of reason and intelligence.

[S@M]

if he is god, why does he need a purpose to exist?
why could god not simply "be"?
why would it not be us who need to question why we exist instead of asking why god exists?
actually asking why god exists might be a good question - just not sure it could be possible to answer unless god asked teh question, then answered it - but why would god ask himself a question if he knew the answer

[Foo]

ROFL, this thread caught aids

[Tormentius]

if he is god, why does he need a purpose to exist?
why could god not simply "be"?
why would it not be us who need to question why we exist instead of asking why god exists?
actually asking why god exists might be a good question - just not sure it could be possible to answer unless god asked teh question, then answered it - but why would god ask himself a question if he knew the answer

Well said.

[S@M]

ROFL, this thread caught aids

feline hiv

[hax103]

You're saying that the US is a better place to live because they have less suicide? And you're dismissing murder rates as not being a true measure of societal problems. Jesus fucking

LOL. I said that the USA is not significantly WORSE as a society than the other western countries. I also say it just depends on which statistics you want to cite on any particular day. If you pick Murder, then one country comes out all messed up but if you pick Suicide, another country will appear pretty crappy.

Read my damn post before replying!!!