Guns, Guns, Guns.
POSTED BY: FREMDFIRMA
UPDATED: Monday, June 30, 2025 05:56
VIEWED: 46757
PAGE 34 of 44
Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
BYTEMITE=the voice of reason on this thread IMO.
And that's just plain scary, it is...
Also, while my view of the world comes from the sewers of our society, as mentioned those sewers ARE part of that society, and I am fully aware of the wider world that encompasses them, which is obvious in my deep seated NEED, almost compulsion, to protect those persons and sections unsullied by it.
But that point about worldview acceptance brings to mind a phenomenae I first considered back in the mid-80s after hearing Andrew Vachss's speech on Lifestyle-Violent Juveniles, the notion of dismissing a teens viewpoint of the world - from their perspective as a mental aberration or illness, I thought then, and still do, that at least SOME part of that was due to the filters adults build up against those things, especially the myriad of petty injustices, that make them invisible to the adult in question.
So then it occured to me that instead of dismissing the kids worldview and considering them mentally disturbed for having it, might be we should take a good hard look at whether or not the fact supported the view they were expressing, and maybe do something about it instead of flaming them for daring to point out the things we blind ourselves to!
That was actually kind of what set off Becca before I chased her away for following the idiotic advice of her local girl posse - she discovered that all those lies she was told about how the world was, and found out that yes, there really WERE people who didn't have enough to eat, and was horrified by this - I can only hope that she's found some other route to help them, cause she really did mean it, but prior to that point she had accepted her parents assertions that it was a myth, you see ?
I get really snippy about that whole No-Such-Thing attitude cause when I first took on the Hellcamps, and as a side issue, abuse within Religion, that is exactly what the first stone wall I ran into was.
Also, alternate perspective is amazingly useful, case in point that Don't-Tase-Me-Bro thread where despite it being in plain sight, not one person noticed the Taser being pointed right in that kids face at eye level, till it was pointed out to them - multiple viewpoints on a topic are very damned useful, and I am all for it, which is why I get irritated when folks dismiss out of hand or intentionally shovel a load of crap.
Think of it as looking at an object from a building - the more windows you can look through the better your concept of the object is, and the greater your irritation becomes at some jackass smearing mud on them to block your view.
Worth noting, mind you - is that the folks I hold up as examplars of the best of human behavior are all people who happen to be far more tolerant and accepting than I figure I would ever be capable of, more compassionate, too - or at least having compassion that doesn't manifest itself in violence.
-Frem
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1 + 1 = 2
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DUZ XaT SEM RiT TQ YQ? - Jubal Early
http://www.nooalf.com
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Oh, that whole "don't tase me, bro" divided up this forum's population into two groups for me... assholes, and everyone else.
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Hey there Frem,
You make some interesting points in your comments regarding the recent massacre and the gun control issue. I do wish to comment and discuss intelligently, I feel that the time you took to expound on the issues deserves as much, but because of the holidays my attention has been somewhat divided.
I feel this way because it is my contention that you wrote your piece with your fellow Browncoats in mind. By the way, I appreciate your efforts.
SGG
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BYTE: It's a sad truth that men are more violent than women in (nearly) every culture across the globe. (One exception is the matriarchal community in western China.) It's not that men are uniformly violent, because the most violent man in one culture may equate to the most pacifist women in another. And, of course, there is a huge overlap in ANY culture.... many men are less violent than many women. But within a single culture, on the average, men are responsible for more violent acts than women. If I had to guess an evolutionary reason for that, it's because men are on the whole more expendable. The rate-limiting step of reproduction is pregnancy, childbirth and early childhood. You just can't make that go faster... children can (FINALLLY!) be put down to walk sometimes at the age of 1. Of course, if you need to book, you're gonna pick up the kidling and run.
Men, OTOH.... their contribution is briefer and less specific. During pregnancy, birth, and early child-raising they may bring needed game, but they bring it to the tribe, not to the family. (Hunting is a cooperative effort which requires the cooperation of other hunters, not women and children). Once animal husbandry became part of the culture, men became virtually unnecessary (IMHO).
I have a theory about reproductive strategies (harem species, seasonally monogamous, life-bonded etc) and its effect on the male. In species where males have virtually no role in childrearing, males numbers tend to be limited. "Excess" males.... males beyond the number needed for mating... are a drain on local resources. Since there is no harm (to the species) in driving off these males, you will often find fierce male-male aggression for dominance, with the losers being pushed to the hinterlands. (So much for the male fantasy of being a harem-master! More likely, they will wind up on the outside looking in, in pathetic bachelor groups sadly roaming the wasteland!) You will also find large differences between males and females (larger antlers or tusks, protective pads of fat, larger size etc) as males have been shaped by evolutionary pressure of male-male aggression.
Anyway, it's an interesting topic and maybe someday I'll be able to make sense of it all.
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I have a different theory, as might be expected, but, that's fine, this is something we've disagreed about before. Men as a generally violent gender is just an interpretation/explanation that I can't really accept - for one thing there's not nearly the amount of sexual dimorphism in our species as there is in others - so I tend to look for something else going on.
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WAIT! You arent being consistent!
You were suppoze to refute 1 + 1 = 2 with sumthing like '...neanderthals on this board still clinging to their disproven, stale arithmatic.'
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DUZ XaT SEM RiT TQ YQ? - Jubal Early
http://www.nooalf.com
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Two plus two is five for very high values of two.
Two plus two is ten in base four.
(Entirely consistent math that demonstrates how unoriginal I am, having used the same math previously)
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Quote:Wow, too much holiday cheer because that almost made sense.
Originally posted by BYMITE:
Two plus two is five for very high values of two.
Or, maybe I need remedial math classes...
Wait- BYTE, did you write for "Eureka"?
Chrisisall, wearing a frilly Mal thing on his head, and ready to shoot unarmed, full-body armoured Jeeps
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Quote:Oh, I know for a fact that humans aren't harem species, and that men aren't like stags or elephant seals. I tend to think of humans as something like birds... baby birds as demanding as they are, both parents need to feed the chicks. So their males, and our males, share similar traits. But male birds are still more expendable than females. It's the males who display while the females stay hidden. It's the males who defend territory. So there are some gender differences.... not huge, but there.
I have a different theory, as might be expected, but, that's fine, this is something we've disagreed about before. Men as a generally violent gender is just an interpretation/explanation that I can't really accept - for one thing there's not nearly the amount of sexual dimorphism in our species as there is in others - so I tend to look for something else going on.
Also, in competitive individualistic cultures males DO have an advantage. I think that's why men tend to react with individual violence to perceived danger pretty much adding to the total level of violence, while women try to reduce violence overall. Again, something of a generalization.
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