A gunman threatens University of Chicago

[Legacy User]

More hysterical hyperbole.

[COR-TEN]

More hysterical hyperbole.

Nah, you're just a dumbfuck adolescent with your head in the sand.

[zeke5123]

There is a certain cowardice to the whole: terrorists ARE THE BIGGEST THREAT EVAHHHH crowd.

[Havoc]

There is a certain cowardice to the whole: terrorists ARE THE BIGGEST THREAT EVAHHHH crowd.

Straw man.

[Havoc]

More hysterical hyperbole.

Those are examples of culture change.

[Legacy User]

It takes a certain kind of sadistic coward to demean the humanity of those who care about self-preservation first (the number one duty of any organism) and a certain kind of masochist to listen to it without wanting to tell them to fuck off.

[zeke5123]

It takes a certain kind of sadistic coward to demean the humanity of those who care about self-preservation first (the number one duty of any organism) and a certain kind of masochist to listen to it without wanting to tell them to fuck off.

Wrong. You care about self-preservation A more than self-preservation B.

We live in a world with scarce resources. You gotta pick your poison.

[zeke5123]

More hysterical hyperbole.

Those are examples of culture change.

Brought about by cowardly fear mongering overstating a small threat.

[zeke5123]

There is a certain cowardice to the whole: terrorists ARE THE BIGGEST THREAT EVAHHHH crowd.

Straw man.

Ehh... Words like existential threat were thrown around. Comparisons to fucking imperial japan/Nazi Germany were used. I might be engaging in some hyperbole, but not that much.

If you want to see straw men, go back and read your posts...

[Legacy User]

I consider culture to refer to the mores and arts of a community. When I was in middle school, class was canceled one day because of a bomb threat. It is unclear to me how the cancelation of school or the need for the TSA is a signal that American culture has changed fundamentally or even much at all. We still love freedom. We still eat like shit.

I'd say PCism is a bigger cultural shift than the fucking TSA.

Sounds hysterical to me.

[Havoc]

There is a certain cowardice to the whole: terrorists ARE THE BIGGEST THREAT EVAHHHH crowd.

Straw man.

Ehh... Words like existential threat were thrown around. Comparisons to fucking imperial japan/Nazi Germany were used. I might be engaging in some hyperbole, but not that much.

If you want to see straw men, go back and read your posts...

Dan did not say Islamic jihad is equal to japan/nazi germany. Dan knows we are dealing with a completely different animal. You reacted to something Dan did not say.

I misunderstood you at one time regarding your utilitarian views. I'm not sure who's fault that was.

[zeke5123]

I consider culture to refer to the mores and arts of a community. When I was in middle school, class was canceled one day because of a bomb threat. It is unclear to me how the cancelation of school or the need for the TSA is a signal that American culture has changed fundamentally or even much at all. We still love freedom. We still eat like shit.

I'd say PCism is a bigger cultural shift than the fucking TSA.

Sounds hysterical to me.

There really is no need for TSA. TSA routinely fails most security tests. Private security has shown not to be any worse and generally cheaper and quicker (from the data I saw). I don't know why we can't just impose strict liability on airports, let insurance price it out, and let airports choose what security measures are appropriate.

[Havoc]

I consider culture to refer to the mores and arts of a community. When I was in middle school, class was canceled one day because of a bomb threat. It is unclear to me how the cancelation of school or the need for the TSA is a signal that American culture has changed fundamentally or even much at all. We still love freedom. We still eat like shit.

I'd say PCism is a bigger cultural shift than the fucking TSA.

Sounds hysterical to me.

Art reflects thought. The thought behind art is the real issue in culture.

There was nothing in those posts regarding the overall impact of what those specific examples of change mean. Those statements from Dan and I were statements of fact (if you have a similar definition of culture). Nothing more, nothing less. If you don't want to call it culture, they are still examples of change in our country... change in how people think, feel, and act (even if only temporary).

mo·res
ˈmôrāz/
noun
the essential or characteristic customs and conventions of a community.
"an offense against social mores"
synonyms: customs, conventions, ways, way of life, traditions, practices, habits;

https://www.google.com/search?q=g&rlz=1CAACAC_enUS670US670&oq=g&aqs=chrome..69i57.898j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=culture+definition

I'm merely using the following as examples to talk about culture...

I would imagine that many North Korean people live in fear resulting from thought (what they know). This is part of the culture there.

It was a shit culture for blacks in the Jim Crow KKK South. The fear, terror, and injustice was part of that culture. So was the lack of opportunity. But behind all of it were thoughts. Behind those thoughts were beliefs, for example, beliefs like blacks were inherently flawed and inferior. All were part of that culture.

Question for you:

Were the variables the same regarding the bomb threat that 1 day school was closed when you were a kid?

[Legacy User]

At least Zeke and I can agree about the security theatre that is TSA.

BTW that's on Bush.

[Havoc]

I consider culture to refer to the mores and arts of a community.

More on culture...

1cultureplay
noun cul·ture \ˈkəl-chər\
Simple Definition of culture
Popularity: Top 1% of lookups
: the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time
: a particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, etc.
: a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization (such as a business)
[/b]

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture


The term "the culture war" is referring to the battle in the arena of ideas.

[Legacy User]

I consider culture to refer to the mores and arts of a community. When I was in middle school, class was canceled one day because of a bomb threat. It is unclear to me how the cancelation of school or the need for the TSA is a signal that American culture has changed fundamentally or even much at all. We still love freedom. We still eat like shit.

I'd say PCism is a bigger cultural shift than the fucking TSA.

Sounds hysterical to me.

Art reflects thought. The thought behind art is the real issue in culture.

There was nothing in those posts regarding the overall impact of what those specific examples of change mean. Those statements from Dan and I were statements of fact (if you have a similar definition of culture). Nothing more, nothing less. If you don't want to call it culture, they are still examples of change in our country... change in how people think, feel, and act (even if only temporary).

mo·res
ˈmôrāz/
noun
the essential or characteristic customs and conventions of a community.
"an offense against social mores"
synonyms: customs, conventions, ways, way of life, traditions, practices, habits;

https://www.google.com/search?q=g&rlz=1CAACAC_enUS670US670&oq=g&aqs=chrome..69i57.898j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=culture+definition

I'm merely using the following as examples to talk about culture...

I would imagine that many North Korean people live in fear resulting from thought (what they know). This is part of the culture there.

It was a shit culture for blacks in the Jim Crow KKK South. The fear, terror, and injustice was part of that culture. So was the lack of opportunity. But behind all of it were thoughts. Behind those thoughts were beliefs, for example, beliefs like blacks were inherently flawed and inferior. All were part of that culture.

Question for you:

Were the variables the same regarding the bomb threat that 1 day school was closed when you were a kid?

I think "culture change" is just too strong. To me it implies a fundamental shift in values and world view and don't see that. Yet. We've been living with the threat of terrorism for a long time.

[Havoc]

I consider culture to refer to the mores and arts of a community. When I was in middle school, class was canceled one day because of a bomb threat. It is unclear to me how the cancelation of school or the need for the TSA is a signal that American culture has changed fundamentally or even much at all. We still love freedom. We still eat like shit.

I'd say PCism is a bigger cultural shift than the fucking TSA.

Sounds hysterical to me.

Art reflects thought. The thought behind art is the real issue in culture.

There was nothing in those posts regarding the overall impact of what those specific examples of change mean. Those statements from Dan and I were statements of fact (if you have a similar definition of culture). Nothing more, nothing less. If you don't want to call it culture, they are still examples of change in our country... change in how people think, feel, and act (even if only temporary).

mo·res
ˈmôrāz/
noun
the essential or characteristic customs and conventions of a community.
"an offense against social mores"
synonyms: customs, conventions, ways, way of life, traditions, practices, habits;

https://www.google.com/search?q=g&rlz=1CAACAC_enUS670US670&oq=g&aqs=chrome..69i57.898j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=culture+definition

I'm merely using the following as examples to talk about culture...

I would imagine that many North Korean people live in fear resulting from thought (what they know). This is part of the culture there.

It was a shit culture for blacks in the Jim Crow KKK South. The fear, terror, and injustice was part of that culture. So was the lack of opportunity. But behind all of it were thoughts. Behind those thoughts were beliefs, for example, beliefs like blacks were inherently flawed and inferior. All were part of that culture.

Question for you:

Were the variables the same regarding the bomb threat that 1 day school was closed when you were a kid?

I think "culture change" is just too strong. To me it implies a fundamental shift in values and world view and don't see that. Yet. We've been living with the threat of terrorism for a long time.

I am not saying those examples show a fundamental shift in values and world view.

Those are examples of culture being affected.

Regarding the bomb threat at your school...

Even Alan Dershowitz understands why we should have bigger concerns when bomb threats are tied to larger plots. He spoke about this on cnn last night.

Is it a distraction (red herring) to bring up the bomb threat at your school when you were a kid? There are always going to be domestic issues.

Islamic jihad ideology came into our country from the outside. Jihadists have come into our country from the outside. More jihadists are trying to get here. They have recruited americans already living here.

[zeke5123]

The real threat is AI. Read up on it. AI might be the answer to the Fermi paradox (though the Fermi paradox might be weak evidence against AI risk).

[Legacy User]

If there's no culture clash, then by logical extension the left can have no objection at all to the idea of assimilation as a precondition to immigration.

And if there was no culture clash, you wouldn't even need to assimilate because you would already understand the culture.

But we know that's not how it is, don't we?

[COR-TEN]

Islamic jihad ideology came into our country from the outside. Jihadists have come into our country from the outside. More jihadists are trying to get here. They have recruited americans already living here.

Racist white supremacy came into our country from the outside. White supremacists are recruiting american followers everyday. They are raising them in households in the US. White supremacists advocate killing blacks and people of color/ segregate society and have divisive ideology. See Charleston S. Carolina. 9 people killed compared to 14 in San Bernardino. Just look at the Southern Poverty Law Center statistics on hate crimes in America. We already have a culture clash and it has nothing to do with religion.

I believe in a certain degree of assimilation when immigrating to a different country/ culture. I call it respect for the society that accepts you. I also believe there has to be respect for those that immigrate.

[955876]

In a lot of cases these are not our fathers immigrants.

People used to come to this country and cry when they saw the Statue of Liberty because they were so happy to finally get here as well as what it represented. They came here to be an American and proudly associate as such whether they were Italian, Irish, etc.

A good number of the people coming here now are more likely to be offended by Lady Liberty and wish to change what this country is.

Big difference.

[Havoc]

Islamic jihad ideology came into our country from the outside. Jihadists have come into our country from the outside. More jihadists are trying to get here. They have recruited americans already living here.

Racist white supremacy came into our country from the outside. White supremacists are recruiting american followers everyday. They are raising them in households in the US. White supremacists advocate killing blacks and people of color/ segregate society and have divisive ideology. See Charleston S. Carolina. 9 people killed compared to 14 in San Bernardino. Just look at the Southern Poverty Law Center statistics on hate crimes in America. We already have a culture clash and it has nothing to do with religion.

Red herring.

Racism was part of the country from the beginning. Slavery and Jim Crow laws were defeated and the Constitution was amended.

[Havoc]

If you want to reject the greatest happiness principle as the ultimate standard of right and wrong, please tell us why we should do so.

Happiness is amoral.

It is not a standard of right and wrong.

Why?

Need an argument.

Kant (deontologists) agrees with you. Plato, Aristotle (the eudaemonists), Bentham, and Mill (the utilitarians) do not.

Start here: happiness is that at which all action ultimately aims. This looks to have happiness as the measure of the worth of actions.

Moral standards determine whether things are amoral or not in the first place. Against what standard are you measuring happiness and calling it amoral?

It's simplistic and inadequate to explain the complexities of human beings. Not only that, it can be harmful as my hypothetical pointed out (the 90% believe the 10% are inherently inferior). Happiness is part of the puzzle but it is not the puzzle meaning if the puzzle consists of only one piece then it is not a puzzle at all but more like looking at a piece of green construction paper. Simple vs complex.

Happiness is more of a byproduct or a result...

Happiness is a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources.

https://www.google.com/search?q=g&rlz=1CAACAC_enUS670US670&oq=g&aqs=chrome..69i57.366j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=happiness


Tom is getting flack from his manager at work. Tom believes others are not getting as much criticism. Tom believes it is due to his race. His fellow employees like Tom on a personal level, but they can see his performance is lacking and that is the reason for the criticism from the manager. There is another of Tom's race working there who is highly respected by the manager and his fellow employees due to the quantity and quality of his work meeting company standards. Tom is not happy....

One possible solution for Tom's unhappiness at work is for all his fellow employees and the manager to change their views (belief) agreeing with Tom's views (belief) resulting in the manager no longer criticizing Tom.

Another possible solution to Tom's unhappiness is for Tom to change his views (belief) and come to understand that it is nothing personal or racial and only about his lagging performance compared to others. This change in belief would (or could) result in a change of action (more effort).

(true story and one I was a part of back in the day except his name was not Tom). I was not the manager in case you are wondering.

One point of this story is to demonstrate Tom's unhappiness was rooted in his belief which blinded him to what was really going on around him. Another point is there was more than one possible solution to Tom's unhappiness which were polar opposites.


I'm not saying pursuing what we enjoy is not part of the equation for living. Choosing a vocation that holds one's interest is important. When we are doing what we are, we are ourselves and we are strong. Someone can call it "right" if they want but I would argue it is only "right" in the sense that a good fit for one's natural interests is important for fulfillment and enjoyment of one's vocation.

When choosing a spouse, happiness is part of the equation, but only a part. I could get into the many pitfalls of happiness as the measuring stick like physically abused women who wrongly believe the beatings are their fault. "If I was a better girlfriend/wife I would not get beaten and I would be happy." That is a dramatic example. I could come up with many subtle ones.

If You Pursue Happiness, You May Find Loneliness

A number of researchers have found that the pursuit of happiness might sometimes be a fool’s errand. Being happy can lead you to ignore potentially dangerous consequences of your choices, to be more gullible, and to think in more simplistic and stereotyped terms. And an active desire to make yourself happy can lead you to be disappointed with your real life. Iris Mauss is a social psychologist at U.C. Berkeley who studies the possible negative consequences of seeking happiness. In earlier research, she found that people who place a great value on being happy actually have more mental health problems, including, sadly enough, depression.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sex-murder-and-the-meaning-life/201211/if-you-pursue-happiness-you-may-find-loneliness

[Legacy User]

It is always amazing how a thread can twist and turn.

A stupid African-American college student threatened those close to me...did you think I would parse him into a separate category than that white, conservative wing-nut who shot a veteran who served in Iraq and a police officer at that Colorado Planned Parenthood?

No fellas...stupid is stupid. Thing is, some will always defend their brand of stupid...in fact...they will defend their provincial, backward views to the point of defending murderers. An eye for an eye is NOT American Exceptionalism.

"There will always be those who mean to do us harm. To stop them, we risk awakening the same evil within ourselves. Our first instinct is to seek revenge when those we love are taken from us. But that's not who we are..."

Unfortunately that is neither from the wisdom of any Steelerfury poster or from any 2016 Presidential candidate...especially those who espouse the desire to commit war crimes because they are too feeble minded to propose something better. So the words of a screenwriter from a recent science fiction movie reflects what was once good in this country. Our spirit is long gone, replaced by petty tribalisms based on color, religion, bullying and zip code.

[Havoc]

Al Jazeera America == Fox. A few good reporters fighting through the biases of their owner. I equate Fox's Murdoch with the Qatari government after his British News Corp minions despicably hacked the phones of British citizens for stories or blackmail, most notably the families of British soldiers who gave their lives in Iraq. Illegal taps by journals okayed by Murdoch's right hand (wo)man. WTF?

A similar statement could be made about CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, and CBS although I don't know if I would put any of them in the category of Al Jazeera.

[Legacy User]

MSNBC may be the equivalent of Pravda, essentially parroting the administration and accusing people who disagree of evils such as racism and disloyalty.

The problem with Fox is not that it is conservative, only the op-ed shows, but that it is establishment Republican i.e. Karl Rove. It is also heavily Saudi owned especially that jackass Prince Alaweed.

CNN is just fucking brain dead stupid, a perfect network to play at the airport with the sound off when a football game isn't happening.

Here's something you won't hear on CNN or MSNBC. Because it doesn't fit the narrative.

http://www.breitbart.com/london/2015/12 ... p-existed/

[Havoc]

Man Who Allegedly Attacked Ohio Restaurant With Machete Was Known to FBI, Sources Say

The suspect, identified as Mohamed Barry, 30, according to Franklin County Coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz, was in a law enforcement database which includes names potentially related to terrorism, sources said. Being in the database would have flagged him if he came in contact with local authorities.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/inside-machete-wielding-mans-terrifying-attack-ohio-restaurant/story?id=36889413