Oh, you reminded me of something. That I despise people who blindly accept anything told to them because they just don't want to turn their brains on. They don't ever think if something's wrong or right, because somebody tells them something is right, they just think it's right. Because why burden your mind with thinking? And I'm not talking about stupid RPGs right now, about where do all the evil in the political and social systems begins. Like communists, like Nazis, people were told this is right and because nobody dared to question them, they reigned for a long time. Most people have to be told something is wrong to realize it. That's why democracy will never work... because in real democracy (not press-o-cracy, where press tells you which two candidates stand a chance in an election) people would just burn out of all the THINKING they would have to do to actually make a free, independent choice.

I agree 100%. I'm different from most of ya'll in the sense that I live in the deep south, I'm a fundamentalist Christian, and my political views... you could say some strange monster mix of conservative/libertarian. However, the biggest thing that hacks me off is, like you said, the masses of sheeple that don't have an opinion for themselves. I disagree with a great majority of what Obama has done, but I hate some of his blind supporters more than him, Nancy Pelosi, and Hillary Clinton combined. Half of them didn't know what they wanted (politically, of course... a lot simply voted because he was half black). Now, if you voted for Obama because you actually looked at the issues, sure, that's fine, I really don't care anymore... we disagree, and I honestly doubt arguing will settle it. It just hacks me off that illiterate pieces of garbage who haven't voted their entire lives register for the first time to vote for a candidate simply because he's black.

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And THAT'S why I'm a transhumanist. Don't bother saving humanity. Just try to make it better until it's no longer recognizably human.

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You're forgetting something there. The reason why thousands registered to vote wasn't just for a black president...there were even more who registered to vote *against* a "muslim" president or some other nonsense.

You can get anyone to do anything with a little bit of fear, a little bit of pride, and a whole lot of misinformation. That's why I say fuck xenophobia and fuck patriotism, the only thing worthwhile in this world is what you develop yourself. (Of course that's the mindset of a dictator, so really Mark's right, evil finds a way).

Oh and transhumanism won't save us unless we can evolve ourselves to live in a toxic waste dump. I mean that would be awesome and all, but I don't really want to have to grow a carapace and extra limbs for that to happen.

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Rationalizing the irrational since 2005.

I find the lack of faith you all have disturbing. People cheer up!

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Xie wants YOU to check Wulfang brainchild RIGHT NOW. SO click on this text

The point of this thread is to deal with angst instead of just suddenly punching your boss in the face like you've always wanted to. I mean, the punching can occur anyway, but at least you've thought it through first.

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Rationalizing the irrational since 2005.

Your exactly correct. Some of the people I have to live with... lol. I mean, I find myself pretty conservative, but some people are just bigots who jump over the line and write it again. I'd say Obama is 10 times closer to Atheist than Muslim; Reverend Wright wasn't teaching a single Biblical principle (looking at the Westboro baptist church as well... don't even get me started. Ruining the image for the rest of us... jeez), and Obama seems to hide a relationship with God (if he even has one), yet has claimed to be a Christian. That's a question I'd really like to ask him in person; "Do you have a relationship with God?"

But yeah... we really can't fix humanity. America is just gonna be the next of thousands of cycles of hard work, wealth, extravagance, and then a large fall of a nation. Much like the Romans, British, Greeks, Persians... most every empire that has existed. I think the two major questions are when will we fall and how hard will be fall.

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I dislike certain individuals, mindsets, and topics on these forums, and I now rant about it most fumingly.

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^Ignored again.

Okay. It is cool.

it's hard to get your whole program through when half the people in the parlement vote against everything you say. Even if they would also benefit from it, they vote against it to be able to say, look, obama didn't do the things he promised. Furthermore, I hate the republican party trying to blame everything (economic crisis,the difference between rich&poor, the oilspill, war in Afganistan/Iraq...) on obama. Are they that dumb, or just so short-sighted? 8 years of complete political dissaray, leeching the poor to make the rich richer, fueling wars that didn't need to be fought and neglecting any problems the people have. That isn't easily fixed, it's easier to destroy something than to build it back up. Also, the absolute lies being spread about Obama himself is just complete bull, is he a muslim? is he really an american? is he having an affaire? is he a communist? osama-obama, THAT CAN'T BE COINSIDENCE!!

Furthermore, having healthcare has nothing to do with being communists .It's not because extreme communism was tried and failed, that it didn't have some decent ideas. Do you really want to go through life being a complete selfish bastard? Do you really want to be terrified that if you become sick, you might go bankrupt, lose your house, job and not be able to take care of your family?

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On that note, why the hell do the yanks fear ANY kind of socialism in ANY form? Where the hell did this irrational hate stem from? MacArthur and his witch-hunts? The Cold War, that wasn't a fucking war at all? Soviet "enemies" when they were the allies most responsible for the dismantlement of freaking Nazi Germany?

Seriously. You want to see how socialism and democracy can work? Look up fucking Pierre Trudeau and God Damn Tommy Douglas.

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The One Free Man.

Run. Think. Shoot. Live.

1 - This may just be because I'm from California, but I don't know anybody that likes being called a 'yank'
2 - Its not all Americans, just the conservative ones - that is, almost all Republicans.

The Cold War can be justified by the fact that a lot of terrible things happened to Russians while under socialism. Ultra-conservatives use this to make people think that the terrible things happened because of socialism. A lot of people don't get that correlation ≠ causation. Add to that the fact that Nazi means 'national socialist', and they have a lot of stuff to brainwash people with.

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To be fair, the American political identity has always been one of individualism. It's something that's been drilled into our consciousness and is as big a part of our culture as democratic practices. While I myself subscribe to the political system of Technocracy, I understand that the majority of my countrymen are pretty much assured that the existing federalist republican system is the only one that could work for America.

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Well, that came out of nowhere.

Lol?

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"Sometimes the first duty of intelligent men is the restatement of the obvious."
– George Orwell

I'm gonna rant a sec about something that has been pissing me off lately: Movies.

1. Comic Book Movies. Now I am all for them, if they are done right. But no instead we have these retards writing them that know NOTHING about the comics, or the people in them. So either you get a movie that doesn't make sense, or a movie that has nothing to do with the comics, but is just made to rake in the cash (I'm looking at you Wolverine.) I am really hoping that something comes along that isn't complete trash.

2. Movie Remakes. I mean come on. Stop ruining my childhood because none of you "writers" can come up with anything original. I can understand remaking movies that are 40 or 50 years old. But other than that no. They should be off limits. They ruined Halloween, and Nightmare on Elm Street to name a few. And then I read that they are remaking Hellraiser ( Its not even that old people), they are trying to "reboot" Labyrinth, and Wizard of Oz, and all my childhood favorites. It has to stop.

3.Sequels many years later. I think this one is self explanatory. Just because the originals were semi successful doesn't mean you have to make a new one with the now old as crap actors. Examples: Tron 2, Wall Street 2, and now I read a Top Gun 2. I think these movies should be boycotted. Just because you want to make money doesn't mean you have to be shoving this vile crap down our throats.


This is it for now, but I may come back and add more later.

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Cleopatra: 100 NE Priest Icecrown
Watergirl: 100 Gnome Mage Icecrown
Azshera 100 NE Doomkin Icecrown
Juggalette 100 Worgen Hunter Icecrown

1. Some are good, some not.

2. I agree. They do it so much that they have two use different words for what they are doing. Reimagination, reboot, remake, etc.

3. Depends on the movie I guess.

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"Sometimes the first duty of intelligent men is the restatement of the obvious."
– George Orwell

I think the reason so many Americans don't want socialism is because, well, capitalism has worked for what Americans want. With capitalism, people can spend as extravagantly as they wish, have fewer taxes, and choose what to pay for. While being more socialist has it's benefits, such as nationalized healthcare and welfare programs, a the people above the poverty line don't want to pay for those below it, because, well, A lot of the people below the poverty line (not ALL, but a good number) are lazy crackheads who would rather spend welfare checks on marijuana and Ramen noodles than supporting their family, getting a job, getting an education, etc. Like Omacron said earlier; if half the people in the world were to die, it'd be a lot easier. Unfortunately, in America, this generation has been floating on top of the tidal wave of wealth from the economic flow from WWII, along with minimal losses. People aren't used to having to work except for a few who keep that work ethic.

With Europe, however, reconstruction after the war took a long time, and in some places continues. The people in Europe, I believe have a strong work ethic, are willing to bear a burden, and are much more responsible than the average American. Because of this, Socialism works across the pond. The people in welfare aren't going to wallow in misery and marijuana smoke, they're going to find a new job and get out of it.

Whenever your looking at political systems, it's much like a car. You can't say "Socialism works, and Capitalism doesn't" and you can't say "Democracy works, and Communism doesn't". Any political system can work; all of it is based on society and their reactions to it. What works best for the current society is what will help that nation succeed. In America, I honestly believe sticking to capitalism will show some of the careless people below the poverty line how important it is to be able to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps; if you don't, you'll either die or live in squalor. I don't think that nationalized healthcare will help us in the long run, unless society itself had a major change of opinion, because it will reinforce the lazy people under welfare to continue their ways because they will always have help. After a while, America is going to need money to be able to support all these projects. That can only come from a steep tax rise not only on major companies and the obscenely rich, but it's going to have to be increased on anyone above the poverty line. Eventually, America will fall from debt. My only wonder is if we'll be able to pick ourselves back up.

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Every ideology has its advantages and its weaknesses. I personally believe that any governmental system can work, as long as the people under it want it to, and the people running it are not total assholes.

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^Ignored again.

Okay. It is cool.

I think the jury is in on Communism though.

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"Sometimes the first duty of intelligent men is the restatement of the obvious."
– George Orwell

This is another think that is pretty annoying, whenever people don't have anything to say, they try to discredit an example who's intent was obvious and meant simply for clarification, rather than proof, so that the reader can understand the writer's line of thought. Comments like this throw off other readers and derail the discussion, arguing about a single specific example/analogy that has no meaning in the original argument other than ease for the reader, and eventually lead to mass confusion for both the reader and writer.

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People who disagree with their own criteria when it is used against them. It's like... make up your mind already.

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"Sometimes the first duty of intelligent men is the restatement of the obvious."
– George Orwell

People who can't seem to get the main idea of a post... The example was not proof, it was clarification. It was a point almost universally accepted that was being clarified through use of an analogy.

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For the love of God...if you think America played a bigger role than the Commonwealth and USSR...

You can go to hell.

Battle of Britain and Battle of Stalingrad say hi. If either of them lost there, the chances of Allied forces winning the war would be next to none.

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The One Free Man.

Run. Think. Shoot. Live.

Best not to give assholes ideas...

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^Ignored again.

Okay. It is cool.

Yes, yes, XXX side did everything and YYY did nothing.

No, I'm just tired of Americans boasting about their supposed military superiority. It's old. It's overblown. It's stupid.

I hate a lot of American things. Your political system was thrown together by a bunch of uneducated dolts. Your limited 2 parties, who mirror each other in mindless mud-slinging, is incredibly inferior to other democracies that have multiple parties. Your senate is equally ineffectual, and holds too much power. A strong federal government is necessary in maintaining democracy. Your military thinks it can police the world and force your inferior form of democracy on war-torn nations. Your CIA is almost as bad the Soviet Era KGB, with its constant meddling in Middle-east, South American, and Eastern European affairs. Your gun laws are retarded. Your military budget is retarded. And most of all, your food is retarded.

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The One Free Man.

Run. Think. Shoot. Live.