Laughing at Saddam
POSTED BY: Hero
UPDATED: Monday, January 5, 2026 21:57
VIEWED: 10444
PAGE 14 of 17
Quote:Got it in one, Rue.
Originally posted by rue:
And frankly, I see it as another one of your diversions when your argument falls apart.
Uh huh Chrisisall
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Quote:
Originally posted by citizen:
[B Fact is you are essentially implying that 'Human Behaviour defines Human beings' when in fact as anyone willing to apply even basic logic should be able to see, Human Beings define Human behaviour.
Amazing. You don't even bother to read what I said before coming up with this complete reversal of my position. Human beings determine what it is to be human by setting general rules and guidelines. There are some of these rules and guidelines that are universal. Violate these universal rules and guidelines to a certain degree and you no longer qualify as a human, or a human being. So I'm pretty much saying that, Yes, human beings, by consensus, define human behavior, and what it means to be a human being.
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You don't get to define what is and what is not Human behaviour, Human behaviour is what Human beings do, even if it is, for want of a better term, evil.
But you just stated, right up above, that "Human Beings define Human behaviour." Now they don't? Make up your damn mind.
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In fact dehumanising your enemy, even with good reason, is the first biggest and arguably most crucial step to becoming a monster yourself.
I dehumanize Saddam, not because he's my enemy, but because of his actions, which don't meet the human test.
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Think about it, would you get a pang of guilt if you butchered a chicken?
I've shot, butchered, and eaten game. I feel mixed sadness, elation, and thankfulness towards the animal.
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...I have a few further questions, like who was the fourth Marks brother?)
As far as I know, there is no fourth "Marks" brother. The fourth Marx brother was either Gummo or Zeppo, depending on how you sort them. Gummo was the fourth by birth, but Zeppo worked more with the other three.
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It may be uncomfortable to think that someone who is essentially the same as you or I could do terrible things...
Not really, 'cause I don't consider Saddam the same as myself. If you want to, go right ahead.
"Keep the Shiny side up"
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Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
I see it as another one of your diversions when your argument falls apart.
The argument that Saddam was a murderous, immoral, psychotic thug who doesn't qualify as human and deserves no respect, and in fact should be marginalized and forgotten as soon as possible? I haven't seen anyone explain why he should be considered human, respected, or remembered.
"Keep the Shiny side up"
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Quote:Okay, so I give a summation of what you're saying, you accuse me of misrepresenting what you said, then say "yes that's what I said". Make up your damn mind
Originally posted by Geezer:
So I'm pretty much saying that, Yes, human beings, by consensus, define human behavior, and what it means to be a human being.
.Quote:Oh dear, I did assume this was obvious, evidently not. Humans, like any other living creature, don't get to decide by committee what Human behaviour is. By "Human beings define Human behaviour" I VERY obviously meant that Human beings define 'human behaviour' by behaving. If a human being does something, that's something humans do. It really is very very simple.
But you just stated, right up above, that "Human Beings define Human behaviour." Now they don't? Make up your damn mind.
Simple logic is something Humans don't usually have a problem with.
Quote:Uhuh.
I dehumanize Saddam, not because he's my enemy, but because of his actions, which don't meet the human test.
Quote:Ahh, so you do have a God complex.
As far as I know, there is no fourth "Marks" brother. The fourth Marx brother was either Gummo or Zeppo, depending on how you sort them. Gummo was the fourth by birth, but Zeppo worked more with the other three.
Quote:Well you being incapable of understanding genetics is hardly my concern.
Not really, 'cause I don't consider Saddam the same as myself. If you want to, go right ahead.
No apology for openly lying about my statements then? Humans apologise when they've wronged another, don't they?
More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Finn mac Cumhal:
The people in my office are probably better informed on these matters then yours, but in any regard you asked why no one responded to a post in which your principle argument was a blatant misconception on the nature of secular regimes in the Middle East. When I explain your misconception to you, you simply ignore it, and that probably explains, more then anything else, why you ‘have no clue’ about why we are fighting this war. You got that whole “Iraq is the only secular regime” crap from the media, I imagine or from some punditry. That’s an ideological viewpoint that is not consistent with a factual understanding of Middle East politics. If you’re going to base your understanding of this war on misconceptions like that, then you really have to expect that you will have a less then adequate grasp of the politics of this war.
Wow.... that's pretty insulting. You really think highly of yourself. I don't think I feel like debating this issue with you any further. This is simply a matter of you and people you associate with being smarter than everyone else and your opinion is always right.
I think you're arrogant and crass and pig headed. Warmongering people like you are the reason nobody is going to feel sorry for us here when America isn't top dog anymore.
You sir, are an embarrassment.
"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack
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Quote:
Originally posted by citizen:
Humans, like any other living creature, don't get to decide by committee what Human behaviour is.
Ah. This, then, is the root of our disagreement. I think humans, by consensus, do get to decide what human behavior is.
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Ahh, so you do have a God complex.
No. I just know how to use Google. You should try it some time. And perhaps learn how "Marx" is spelled in relation to Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo.
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Well you being incapable of understanding genetics is hardly my concern.
Finally, an answer (in a roundabout way). You consider Saddam as human as you because he has the same genetics. See, that wasn't hard, was it?
"Keep the Shiny side up"
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Just off on another tangent.
Do you consider Mel Brooks a bad man because he made fun of Hitler, who was dead at the time, in The Producers?
"Keep the Shiny side up"
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Slick,
I don't quite know where to begin.
Hussein is beyond anything we can do to him. Even his memory is out of our hands. Depending on how far out in time you go, history will remember him as a side-note at best - who was it the US attacked, again ? - until more pressing problems make even the entire Iraq debacle insignificant. (And we are facing problems that will overwhelm the problem of Iraq, unless, of course, we blow ourselves up first.)
So you're drawing a line in the sand that will be blown away - is already being blown away as we converse.
The reason to think of him as human - a despicable, hateful human - isn't for his sake, it's for yours. To not feel empathy at the death of another is to be a reduced human being and to bring yourself closer to being Hussein.
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Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
The reason to think of him as human - a despicable, hateful human - isn't for his sake, it's for yours. To not feel empathy at the death of another is to be a reduced human being and to bring yourself closer to being Hussein.
Wow Rue... I think that may be the most intelligent post I've seen in here in a long time.
Maybe we don't disagree on as much as we thought we did.
"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack
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Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Wow.... that's pretty insulting. You really think highly of yourself. I don't think I feel like debating this issue with you any further. This is simply a matter of you and people you associate with being smarter than everyone else and your opinion is always right.
I think you're arrogant and crass and pig headed. Warmongering people like you are the reason nobody is going to feel sorry for us here when America isn't top dog anymore.
You sir, are an embarrassment.
Come on, tell me what you really think!Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.
Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.
-- Cicero
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