If the rules were gone tomorrow

POSTED BY: Fremdfirma
UPDATED: Thursday, July 23, 2009 06:14
VIEWED: 5649
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AGENTROUKA

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 4:08 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Fremdfirma:
I really do think you've badly mistaken my methods and intentions, AgentR, and if it came across like that to you it surely wasn't by design.

Hmm. I guess I did utterly neglect the option that it might not have been by design. Maybe take it as a compliment?

Quote:

Another thing worth a mental thrashing over is why chaos leads to violence in human society - figuring out the exact why would be of benefit to it's prevention not only along future paths, but here and now in cases of civil disorder or natural disaster.

Something we can still do here, mind you, instead of arguing.

Good idea.

My vague guess would be that it's generally dependent upon the circumstances. In general, I think, it's often a case of escalation, uncertainty mixing with adrenaline. Maybe opportunistic behavior meets with resistance, maybe rational responses are drowned out by fear.

I was once in a near stampede during a very badly organized public new year's party. It was a huge crowd jammed into a narrow corridor with two exits at the same end. People started shoving, people were squeezed together painfully. A friend who was with me, generally as gentle as a lamb, ended up forcing her way through the crowd so we could get out. I did TRY to stay calm, but whenever someone shoved me, I felt rage.

So I think large amounts of stress can lead to aggression and violence even in normally gentle people.

It would be interesting to see a study comparing situations where escalation occured with situations that stayed calm and safe!

AGENTROUKA

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 4:11 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
And I was actually more offended about the comments about the woods. Bizarre, but when you like a particular past time, you rush to defend it. I don't think anyone meant anything by it now.

Sorry if I offended you! I didn't mean to, but I hadn't read the woods part as enjoying a hobby in the context you mentioned it, and more like a retreat from crowds.

My mistake.

BYTEMITE

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 4:32 PM

It was both, I kind of get out into the woods NOW to avoid crowds. It's not so much I'm afraid of the crowds I encounter day to day, I'm just comfortable on my own or in smallish groups. I feel like I can be myself more.

So heading out into the woods is my natural response when things get stressful in general, and would be in this case.

I don't know if anyone could tell, but my tone when I was talking about getting a gun and all the raping and killing was intended to be ironic. I think that stuff would be going on in a really bad breakdown, and it would bother me, but I'm not really afraid it would happen to ME. Which is why I was so cavalier about the idea.

The gun thing would really be more for cougars and bears. I'm only 5'5 and look edible. Normally I don't need a gun in the mountains because I'm usually not up there more than a week at a time backpacking, but I've run across cougars before, and if I spend longer up there, I'd want something to scare them off.

AGENTROUKA

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 4:37 PM

D'oh.

I'm starting to get a real complex about my inability to detect sarcasm. It's gettng sad.

BYTEMITE

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 4:42 PM

It's okay. I didn't really make it clear. When I was writing that, I was thinking it in my "Kaylee-voice" so to speak, but it occurs to me that might not have come across the internet as "bubbly naive" as intended, but rather "Omigosh gonna die!"

WULFENSTAR

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 5:08 PM

I think the question is, if there were no LAWS. Societies will always have "rules" to follow. Things which a culture or group find acceptable, or not.

The problem is, right now, our "laws" are just meant to line the pockets of those in "power".

Anyone else notice the upswing in "enforcement" of driving laws, as the recession bites down?

RUE

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 5:32 PM

"You need to let go of your fear, doll, before it consumes you."

We tried the 'no rules' thing in a very minor way - it was called deregulation. Remember how that worked out ? It wasn't very long ago, you know.

Granted, a lot of rules\ laws are stupid. And I have no problem with the idea of eliminating many and reworking the rest. But some are very necessary to YOUR daily existance.

***************************************************************

There's something about the title of your post that makes me want steak. At Outback.

CUDA77

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 6:48 AM

I'd speed more and I'd marry both my girlfriends. That's really about it.

FREMDFIRMA

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 6:20 PM

You know what the penalty for Bigamy is, right ?
Twice the bitchin!

AgentR

Quote:
I'm starting to get a real complex about my inability to detect sarcasm. It's gettng sad.

Well, one could start with the automatic and completely justified assumption that anything said by Me, Kwicko, Chrisisall or SixStringJack says is just dripping with sarcasm and snark, cause we're like that, yanno...

And you can *always* tell when I really am gloating about something, cause I have a special icon for it.

As for rules, I think a good case for the rules being perfunctory would be the american highway system - your chances of getting caught are low enough that most people obey the rules simply cause it wouldn't WORK no other way, rather than in fear of punishment.

-F

KWICKO

Thursday, July 23, 2009 1:39 AM

Quote:

The changes in systematic self-defense that people would have to make in their lives are more than minor, to account for the things we DO take advantage of now (law, law enforcement, judicial system) and that this is what people focus on is also not paranoid but normal.

I have to question this. I in no way expect the police to act as any kind of "defense" for me. At best, they're there for clean-up after the fact; at worst, they're in my way. As for "taking advantage of law enforcement", I'd call that a laughable concept to anyone who's every lived in a bad neighborhood. The one time I *did* call the cops, it was a "shots fired" call, because there was a drive-by outside my house. I told them on the phone how many shots (11, 9mm semi-auto), who they were fired at, and what I saw of the shooter. FOUR AND A HALF HOURS LATER a lone police cruiser actually drove by. Didn't bother to stop, but did slow down a bit.

Wow, did I ever feel safe knowing they were on the case...

Mike

Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day...
Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.

If it wasn't for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college...

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