>> ^MaxWilder:
>> ^CaptainPlanet420:
... extremist Hussein boy ...

You want to see ignorance, look in a mirror. In three words you have displayed political hyperbole and two different forms of racial bigotry.


He's extremist, we all know his ties, his middle name is Hussein, and he is a boy in terms of leading experience. You lose.

>> ^CaptainPlanet420:
... extremist Hussein boy ...


You want to see ignorance, look in a mirror. In three words you have displayed political hyperbole and two different forms of racial bigotry.

We used to have a good, stable, strong global currency a few years ago.

It was called the US dollar.

Now, it's crumbling, and people are wanting to dump their reserves in favor of another one.

Which one should they pick? The Euro is the most likely choice, but from what I read the EU is expecting the value of the Euro to drop now too.

Now is a good time to talk about whether or not we should establish a global currency, since a lot of countries want to change the makeup of the currency reserves they have.

I take it Glenn and deedub are opposed. Personally, I don't have any particular aversion to the idea, though I'd go through any proposed plans to ditch the dollar with a fine-toothed comb, as would every economist in the world.

Personally, I don't see how global free trade doesn't lead inevitably to global trade regulation, global courts, global banks, and eventually a global legislature and executive.

I think much is made about the use of the phrase "new world order", as if the three words are capitalized, and refer to a specific, secret plan that all nations' leaders are working towards.

To that I say hogwash.

Big businesses have big sway in this free-market world though. If they all agree it's a good idea, nothing you or I say will stop it.

>> ^Arg:
How, exactly, is he wrong sir gm?
Take there, their and they're as an example. If we were to spell them phonetically then they would all be the same. Now try to make sense of the following sentence:
"There over there with there children."
Translate: "They're over there with their children."
So spelling, and punctuation, add more information to the meaning of the words than merely how they are pronounced.


Yes, but he's not entirely just pointing out differences like this. The their/they're/there examples are providing clarification in the written word over three words that sound identical (Which is pretty silly to begin with), so they have a place.

But really, the words HE shows are pretty silly in that anyone trying to learn the language can't learn some conventions and stick to them because there's a host of exceptions to every one.

"Etymology is at least as important to meaning as pronunciation." There is something in that, as the spelling of some words can give you an idea of their origin and, as such, sometimes clarify the meaning of the word... so yes.

But... his examples? Not so much.

Great speech.. too bad there were too many words in it. The McJesus crew can only handle two to three word catch phrases. Beyond that they lose their attention span.

That was absolutely phenomenal. I tear up with national pride every time. Watched it live with little interest falling asleep and about to go to bed the other night when all of a sudden- WHOA!!!

This is my first time hearing the British announcers and their repetitious "USA cannot come back," and that makes the 0.08 second win even more glorious. If anyone was unaware, before the race the French team was announcing to the media how they were going to smash the USA.

I have three words for them: In. Your. Face. Nyeh!

This is such a beautiful song. I think the band is alright, but this song is absolutely great.

"Those three words/are said too much/they're not enough" is a simple, but beautiful line.

You only need to read three words from his survey to know the kind of depraved person the Snipe is - "I love anime"

I can only imagine the disgusting acts he gets up to at those absurd conventions those types go to. The evidence is right here in this photo of him with his latest girlfriend after a long session. That's not a goatee, it's pubic hair stuck to his chin with you know what from all the BJs given to pathetic man-children obsessed with pokemon while dressed in his Sailor Moon costume.

More evidence? He posted this image to his blog without a second thought. First off, it's an anthropomorphised Wii console which is bad enough. But if you can stomach looking in closer detail, you can see that someone has actually drawn the Wii's pudenda. They have done this and thought "I am proud of my work and want to share it with the public on the internet". The Snipe has obviously agreed with this pervert and subjected the entire Sift community with this horrific creation. I can just see the Snipe rubbing himself raw on what he believes to be his Wii's Mons Veneris, the sick sick bastard.

>> ^ant:
What if the food, ordered by the other guy, sucks?


Three words: Filet-O-Fish!

In reply to this comment by dystopianfuturetoday:
Awesome Smibbo! I like this Smibbo much better. All that worrying about feelings just holds you back. Let it all out! Kick my ass! Our discussion has finally begun.

well thanks




Your opinion similarly reminds me of that of a young adult. I didn't mention it earlier as I thought it might anger you.
not in the least.

Then what holy hell are we arguing about. We Agree!!! (:
not quite, I disagree that "our" American culture affects everyone - no exceptions - across the board with racism per se, although institutionalized racism obviously still exists and affects people all the time. Believe it or not, one can be insulated enough that racism - institutionalized or personal does not affect one's life overall. American Culture is so incredibly vast and full of subsects and counter-sects that to broad-brush it like you have is to declare all offshoots and counter-sects as unaffective which denies the reason most of them exist in the first place. Not only that but to deny the importance and possibility of overwriting that counter-culture and subculture can have is to dismiss them.

I'm not a psychologist, so I probably wouldn't be the best person to ask."

if you recognize your inadequacy in declaring my own prejudices, then how in holy hell can you be so bold as to declare racism as de facto in all people no matter what? kinda setting yourself up as judge and jury, no?

Specifically? no. Generally? Abso-fricken-lutely, I can judge you as part of the larger multi-cultural society of which I am a part.

if our culture is multi-cultural, then how do you suppose your statment - that everyone within it is ______? Isn't painting all Americans as "a little bit racist" a tad ethnicist? Or do you believe the whole of humanity carries certain psychological issues that could be labelled "racist" by basic nature? In which case, why bother to have such an incendiary term like "racism" fit the bill? Aren't you really talking about the tendancy to categorize, label and/or compartmentalize? those are human traits that show in every culture (albeit in different ways) but not the same thing as "racism". Racism is a specific kind of compartmentalization, labelling and categorization with negative prejudices accompanying, but it is not the same thing as any one of those three. It isthe result of the three that deems a trait negative or positive for a human tendancy. Not the similarity with which it is shown throughout cultures. Again, we are disagreeing semantics but in online communication I believe semantics are far more important than in face-to-face communication where we have the luxery of facial expression, body language, inference, and quick corellation of terminology to keep us on the same page.

Prejudice doesn't discriminate (no pun intended) against willing or unwilling.

Ah but it does! Willing prejudice is making a conscious choice of how to arrange one's priorites and adjust one's actions based on the prejudices chosen. If I willingly choose to be careful of blue-eyed men because I decide they are dangerous, then I exercise prejudicial behavior which is willfully done. Unwilling, however, is not chosen... I can choose to avoid blue-eyed men or I can choose to ride above my fear of them based on my past experiences by reasoning with myself. If it is a concious decision I may not be perfect in my behavior, butI will act differently than if I had unconciously made the choice to avoid them. WIthout willpower, behavior can control a person, with willpower, behavior can be altered.

You are clearly obsessed with how other people perceive you.
I am concious of how other people perceive me, of course and I care, rather than take the faux humble attitude (oh so punk) that I don't care. I care and I don't pretend otherwise but that doesn't mean I'm obsessed. Whose experience would you prefer me to talk about when making analogies? Sorry but that's a bit of a pet peeve of mine: you use your own experiences when discussing an aspect of humanity and are then branded "self-obsessed"
And if you really want the truth of the matter so far as I can impart over the internet, the fact is IF I'm "obsessed" with how people perceive me it is because it has been my life's experience to be reminded on a constant basis of how the world perceives me. I have been called "freak" and "mutant" (among other not so kind terms) since I can remember. When one cannot walk through a grocery store at 3am without someone staring with barely concealed pity or disgust in their eyes, one tends to become aware of the fact that one is clearly viewed in very strict terms by the rest of humanity.

MY OPINION IS MEANINGLESS!
if i thought your opinion was truly meaningless i wouldn' be wasting my time talking to you. i believe every opinion, like every human, has meaning.

Me, me, me, me, me, me, me! When you sing you begin with Do Re Mi, the first three words just happen to be, Mi Mi Mi..... How many I's and Me's do you count in that paragraph?
if you'd rather talk about yourself, by all means, no one is stopping you. i'm sure i'd love to learn more about you. as i said before, who the hell else am i going to talk about? the subject is people, culture, humanity all of which i am a member of and my experience is no less valid than anyone elses.

I don't buy it, you've expended way to much time and energy to not care.
i meant i wouldn't care normaly cuz you issued wshat i think of as a throwaway platitude that seems self-congratilatory and usually i don't bother with those except i think you actually believe it to the extent of defending it with aplomb and intelligence.


There is always violent backlash at every major cultural change. Think of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, Western Expansion, Suffrage, Civil Rights, etc, etc........ It's painful, but seems to be part of the process.
its also defeatist... catch more flies, and all that


-your turn

Awesome Smibbo! I like this Smibbo much better. All that worrying about feelings just holds you back. Let it all out! Kick my ass! Our discussion has finally begun.

Yes, you remind me of myself when I was in my twenties.

Your opinion similarly reminds me of that of a young adult. I didn't mention it earlier as I thought it might anger you.

Ever read Pop Psych?

No, is it a good read?

I didn't say anything about being free from the influence of culture. THat was part of my argument with you.

Then what holy hell are we arguing about. We Agree!!! (:

Tell me, would you have said the same things to me originally if you had known I was raised by an adoptive family of minority status here in the US?

Yes.

Would you have told me that I was "a little bit racist" then?

Yes.

And if I had asked you "well then HOW am I racist and WHO am I racist against?" what would you have said?

"It's different for everybody, so I couldn't say without knowing more about you. I would probably start with the parts of culture you like most and least. I'm not a psychologist, so I probably wouldn't be the best person to ask."

I would hope you would have needed more information about me before you coulkd truthfully answer.

Yes, I typed that just above before reading this.

But because you see a picture of a white child on my avatar you assume you can dictate my prejudices? My bigotry?

Specifically? no. Generally? Abso-fricken-lutely, I can judge you as part of the larger multi-cultural society of which I am a part.

Think about that.

Done

Point being, unified in America or not, culture is a vast enterprise that evolves and changes

I'm with you so far.....

..but more importantly encompasses much more than the mainstream that is shoved in our faces 24/7.

Well... yes.... but culture encompasses EVERYTHING, and that is apropos of......?

Yes, subculture and subsects of average culture. Which culture have I been influenced by? Which culture have I subscribed to myself willingly and unwillingly?

Prejudice doesn't discriminate (no pun intended) against willing or unwilling.

If there's anyone who knows the truth of the statment "my assumptions don't define you" it's me.

You are clearly obsessed with how other people perceive you. You are the last person still discussing this thread with me, and all of your arguments are based around how others (namely me) perceive you. If your assumptions about my assumptions are correct, then you've got nothing to worry about. And, if your assumptions are wrong about my assumptions, then you've got nothing to worry about because who fricken cares? I'm a random smart-ass on the internet, 10 years your junior. MY OPINION IS MEANINGLESS!

Yes, I will not pretend to be humble in this respect and you don't have to believe me just because I say so but I do say this much: the average person's assumptions about me, upon meeting me, are generally 95% dead wrong. I am speaking of pure appearance here. Thus although I appreciate your recognizing this vital fact of human esteem, I know it quite well; no one defines me but myself. HOWEVER I also know just as well that there are categories and labels people use in order to facilitate communication. Categories and labels do not have to be evil inherently, a fact I am aware of but I'm not sure you are. I could be called a "freak" a "mutant" or "zomgwhathappenedtoyou?" and I doubt I would even blink, much less care because I'm aware of the dire need humans have for categorizing the outside world in order to make some kind of comfortable sense. I do not begrudge anyone their labels. I take issue with productivity and action.

Me, me, me, me, me, me, me! When you sing you begin with Do Re Mi, the first three words just happen to be, Mi Mi Mi..... How many I's and Me's do you count in that paragraph?

Your assertion that "everyone's a little bit racist" strikes deep against my core because

As well it should...

(here's the crux) it's non-productive.

At the very least it's produced a nice discussion between the two of us, which is a good thing, right?

I wouldn't care except that I see how important a subject it is to you..

I don't buy it, you've expended way to much time and energy to not care.

You say something like that to the "right" people and they will all nod and play "whose more self-aware" with each other. Mutual back-patting is nice but hardly productive to any particular ends. You say something like that to the "wrong" people and you will perk their defenses to the extreme and fuel the fires of backlash. And in the end, right or wrong people, what does it ultimately matter? If you're right, thenwhat's the point of caring? If you're wrong then you've made people needlessly paranoid. Either way you've contributed to the exact opposite of what you wanted to happen.

There is always violent backlash at every major cultural change. Think of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, Western Expansion, Suffrage, Civil Rights, etc, etc........ It's painful, but seems to be part of the process.

Again, I like the 'real' you. This Smibbo is a bad ass and needs no ones approval.

I'm going to vote up 10 of your vids as a sign of respect!!!

I'm happy to continue if you like.

The problem was that each of the words is <= 4 characters long, so the "simple" search was being performed, and that search wasn't very good at its job so I tweaked it a bit to function a heck of a lot more accurately. Try the search again, but be sure to put quotes around it or any video with those three words anywhere in the post will be found: "take on me"

I'VE GOT THREE WORDS FOR YOU PUNK HAXXORS:

K G B

I've never heard of the JWs trying to pass laws against birthday parties or blood transfusions. They keep it "all in the family".

While this is a good thing per se, its also sad that children (Their children, but its still children) DIE because of this ridiculous dogma, and yes, there are some things that are just clearly ridiculous and should be considered a crime in some instances. If a 4 year old boy has been in a car accident, and will die if not given blood, and the parents deny the doctors to do their job, I think that should be considered murder.

This is yet another reason to speak up, and demand reason over faith.

The "Fundamentalist atheists" argument. Here is a excerpt from The God Delusion:

But my belief in evolution is not fundamentalism, and it is not faith, because I know what it would take to change my mind, and I would gladly do so if the necessary evidence were forthcoming.

It does happen. I have previously told the story of a respected elder statesman of the Zoology Department at Oxford when I was an undergraduate. For years he had passionately believed, and taught, that the Golgi Apparatus (a microscopic feature of the interior of cells) was not real: an artifact, an illusion. Every Monday afternoon it was the custom for the whole department to listen to a research talk by a visiting lecturer. One Monday, the visitor was an American cell biologist who presented completely convincing evidence that the Golgi Apparatus was real. At the end of the lecture, the old man strode to the front of the hall, shook the American by the hand and said--with passion--"My dear fellow, I wish to thank you. I have been wrong these fifteen years." We clapped our hands red. No fundamentalist would ever say that. In practice, not all scientists would. But all scientists pay lip service to it as an ideal--unlike, say, politicians who would probably condemn it as flip-flopping. The memory of the incident I have described still brings a lump to my throat.

Another point, is that when we go on with these so called "offensive" or vicious attacks at religion, such as calling God a "delusion", we really are just attacking ideas, not people. One could for instance say that anyone who still denies the Golgi Apparatus, or is an avid supporter of the now defunct theory of group selection, has fallen victim to a delusion,

Scientific theories are constantly victims of such attacks; "Thats just stupid" "Show me the evidence!" etc, infact thats why they are scientific at all, because they WITHSTAND these attacks.

but i still get angry when science, by definition incomplete, gets cocky about its ability to explain EVERYTHING.'

You keep forgetting that we supporters of the scientific method have a secret weapon, three words that we use when our current knowledge fails to explain something: WE DON'T KNOW!

Its also interesting how you use "by definition incomplete" which suggests that religion perhaps is, or atleast it claims to be "by definition complete"

If I told you the answer to it all was "42" and thats that, that would also be a complete answer, by definition, but does that make it a good one? A true one? No.

For all intents and purposes, the God hypothesis is debunked, we all know it, it doesn't stand up to even a little scrutiny, it only lives because people really wants it to live, there is real arguments left on the god-side of things, And this is probably why it needs the gigantic tripple kevlar armor we call religion and faith, so that nothing can ever be allowed to penetrate and hit god directly.. Guess that would be just unfair.

While it is technically impossible to disprove, just like the tooth fairy, I think its safe to say that its an insult to our intelligence when people are killed over which god is the right one, or how the right god likes to be pleased and worshiped, which is every single day.

Three words: What the Hell?