Have you ever heard the saying "only in America"? It's a saying the rest of the world adopted over the years. How do you think this (incorrect according to you) saying came about to be adopted by people the world over? Are they all wrong?Wabbit wrote:You said you didn't accept the premise the US wasn't any better or worse than anyplace else. You were not focused solely on school killings, so neither was I. By the way, are you saying there are alot of school killings in Iraq and North Korea that I'm unaware of?
The Amish killing was a nut that decided to kill school children. It happens. http://www.mosnews.com/mn-files/school.shtml, two years old, but it still shows that school sieges happen.
Also, I believe over the past few years, there have been 3 incidents in Canada of school shootings. Seems to be an up-and-coming fad.
I was talking about the population of the entire US. Not one Amish town. As an example, it would not be accurate to compare the behavior of a Nation of 500 million people with the behavior of people in a Nation of 10 million. The proportions are different. That's the point I was making, which it appears you missed entirely.S@M wrote:2nd edit - as for population density - what was the population of that Armish town? I dont know but expect it was not a factor in this event. another strawman arguement
Just another normal day in America
Funny, same thing I thought about you.Law wrote:Your patriotism is blinding you. If you think the amount of shit that goes on in the US is no worse than any other country then you're just ignorant.
People that stand around and point out how much better they have it in their country are blind to their own faults. If you honestly believe that nothing tragic or bad happens in Canada you're missing IQ points.
I've also heard pollocks are stupid, french people are dirty, canadians live in igloos and say "ey" every other word, Italian women look like hairy gorillas, all english people have bad teeth, all irish are drunks, all germans like schiza films, jews are cheap...Law wrote:Have you ever heard the saying "only in America"? It's a saying the rest of the world adopted over the years. How do you think this (incorrect according to you) saying came about to be adopted by people the world over? Are they all wrong?
I guess that's all true too?
Who's standing around pointing out how much better they have it in their country? Not me.Wabbit wrote:Funny, same thing I thought about you.Law wrote:Your patriotism is blinding you. If you think the amount of shit that goes on in the US is no worse than any other country then you're just ignorant.
People that stand around and point out how much better they have it in their country are blind to their own faults. If you honestly believe that nothing tragic or bad happens in Canada you're missing IQ points.
Did I ever say nothing tragic happens in other countries? No I didn't.
I'm asking why it happens on such a greater scale in America.
Could be, but I doubt any of them are based on the abundance of facts that one has to qualify the statement 'only in America'.Wabbit wrote:I've also heard pollocks are stupid, french people are dirty, canadians live in igloos and say "ey" every other word, Italian women look like hairy gorillas, all english people have bad teeth, all irish are drunks, all germans like schiza films, jews are cheap...Law wrote:Have you ever heard the saying "only in America"? It's a saying the rest of the world adopted over the years. How do you think this (incorrect according to you) saying came about to be adopted by people the world over? Are they all wrong?
I guess that's all true too?
Based on population size, density, and socio-economic levels, I don't think it does happen on a much greater scale.Law wrote:I'm asking why it happens on such a greater scale in America.
There's plenty wrong with America. I just don't think, proportionally speaking, that there's so much more wrong with American than any place else in the world.
As I said before...I think you're going to hear about more bad things (not just school shootings) than other places...more people, more media coverage, more interest in the tragic.
Btw, the "only in america" statement is a cheap generalization. I'm not getting hit with the only in america label for some shit that goes down in the texas panhandle or the state of washington. Stop trying to make out like everyone in american believes exactly the same thing in every situation.Law wrote:Could be, but I doubt any of them are based on the abundance of facts that one has to qualify the statement 'only in America'.
"Only in America" means, funnily enough, only in America.Wabbit wrote:When you use the term "only in america" and believe it--you are.Law wrote:I'm not.Wabbit wrote:Stop trying to make out like everyone in american believes exactly the same thing in every situation.
How you derive that "only in America" equals me believing that everyone in America believes exactly the same thing in every situation is beyond me. Or do you think the saying is meant to be interpreted literally?
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Nightshade
- Posts: 17020
- Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2000 8:00 am
I'm quite sure that if there was a god, his/her mind (so to speak) would work in ways that I couldn't possibly fathom. The point is, he/she knows how WE work, and as such knows that allowing such things as the Amish shootings, famine, cancer, AIDS, George Bush, and tv shows like Full House is basically shitting all over us. To what end? To make us demonstrate faith? What a fucking stupid way to do it. I'd much more easily accept the existence of a benevolent god if he wasn't allowing circumstance to fuck so many innocent people up the ass with a barbed wire dildo. If god's mind is so fantastically wonderful, he'd have a way to test our faith that didn't suck so much ass.Wabbit wrote:Honestly? I stopped trying to understand it. There was a point, don't remember when it was, that I knew I would never--not ever--understand why truely horrible, inhumane and unjust things happen on this planet--to people, to animals, to the environment. Incomprensible fear, pain, and needless suffering...Nightshade wrote:If there actually was a kind, loving, omnipotent, loving god, there's no fucking way some psycho would be allowed to line up little girls, tie them up and shoot the at point blank range.
I know you'll disagree and I have no problem with that, but you'll never convince me that there's a god. There's no reason for shit like this to happen, no larger lesson to be learned, and no reason for a benevolent deity to allow it.
At that point, I figured that God must not think like I do. That there must be something else involved that I have no knowledge of.... I no longer accept most religion based premises, i.e., God is a benevolent, just and kind-hearted old dude in the clouds. Nor do I think God is standing there waiting for people to make mistakes so he can smite them. There has to be something else.
My own personal conclusion is that things that I find "meaning" in don't mean the samething to God. Since we're operating with a different level of knowledge, I'm coming to different conclusions than God is. It's the only thing that makes any sense to me.
No, it's from when you hear of something horriffic happening, like 3 school shootings in 1 week, 9 times out of 10 it's in the US.Wabbit wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong then... Something stupid, ignorant, unjust, immoral or violent happens and you would shake your head, look over at your buddy and say "only in america." Am I far off?
It quite possibly could be as simple as that, I'm not discounting that theory at all.Wabbit wrote:Population counts:
Australia - 20,090,437
United States - 295,734,134
Canada - 32,647,990
England - 60,441,457
How about Law, I jack two hundred seventy-five million people into your country, in addition to what's already there, and let's see what kind of global sayings arise.
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure."Nightshade wrote:...
You and I have a few differences in basic beliefs. This just isn't a good place to really discuss it.
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Tormentius
- Posts: 4108
- Joined: Sat Dec 14, 2002 8:00 am
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Nightshade
- Posts: 17020
- Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2000 8:00 am
I have to agree with Law, I think the usa does have some significant issues that are not generalisable to other countries. if wabbit cant see that, then its nice an patriotic, but its not very open minded.
Im not saying other places dont have problems, just that killings of this nature are not seen as a routine - outside usa.
Im not saying other places dont have problems, just that killings of this nature are not seen as a routine - outside usa.
"Liberty, what crimes are committed in your name."
here's an interesting website, it puts usa at #25 for murders on a per capita basis
http://www.nationmaster.com/country/us- ... /cri-crime
it also puts
france 40
Aust 43
Canada 44
UK 46
in terms of totals, usa has the highest levels of crime, but on a per capita basis ranks lower, however is still higher than most "similar" countries
edit: USA is ranked 168th for population density - 29.77 people per square kilometer...
http://www.nationmaster.com/country/us- ... /cri-crime
it also puts
france 40
Aust 43
Canada 44
UK 46
in terms of totals, usa has the highest levels of crime, but on a per capita basis ranks lower, however is still higher than most "similar" countries
edit: USA is ranked 168th for population density - 29.77 people per square kilometer...