>> ^mentality:

It has nothing to do with martial rule. China's repression is notorious, but only aimed at politically sensitive topics.


As a matter of fact, China's repression is notoriously aimed at everything that moves. Never heard of the countless stories of chicken thieves sentenced to death? Or of the citizens petitioning the local government over some company dumping stuff in the river, only to get harassed by the cops, because the CEO has connections with The Party?
In China, the police and Justice are famously ineffective and corrupt. To keep up the appearance of strength, they will come down hard on anyone they catch, regardless of their crime or even their guilt. If you are a regular folk, you have no money or connection so you'd better keep quiet if you don't want trouble. Basically if you're a crook, you have less chance to get in trouble than if you make your voice heard. And once again, I'm not saying this explains this specific story, I'm saying this doesn't make for a sane society.

People have this idea of China still being some sort of Stalinist state. It is not. It's the Wild West over there, and the robber barons are in charge.


>> ^mentality:


It is comforting to be in denial, to blame this on our differences. There must be something wrong with THEM; this could NEVER happen in OUR civilized society.


Mmm, maybe you're reading a bit too much in what I said? To the question "dictature or culture", I pretty much answered "not culture". For all you know, I could be Chinese. And that kind of thing could very well happen in an European society; case in point: the "whatever happens, walk by and pretend NOT to notice ANYTHING" attitude reminded me of Central/Western Europe under Communist rule more than anything else. This has left that kind of stigma there to this day (Russia: non-white baby stabbed in stroller in the middle of the street in broad daylight? Sorry, no witnesses!).

>> ^Diogenes:

i have seen and even experienced the same in taiwan, which is democratic. the culture simply puts less value on a human life and welfare than many westerners do... you can see it in their medical system (universal health care is not what you might think here)


Your story about the good Samaritan getting sued on the spot for helping, I do get (if you were talking about mainland China), because I've seen that kind of story several times in reports covering this news here (to explain why people would not stick their neck out).
However the part about Taiwan, care to back that up? Taiwan has the standard of living of Western Europe, and they in fact do have universal health care, something which cannot be said of the USA for example.

>> ^hpqp:

Welcome to the wild wild west. (were those AK's?)


I'm sure those guys were law-abiding citizens. If only we had a ban on guns this would've never happened. It works for drugs, right?

Welcome to the wild wild west. (were those AK's?)

This argument is so terrible. The primary purpose of cars and steak knives is not to kill people. Yes, they CAN be used as weapons, but by and large they are not, and the benefits we get from them outweigh the risks. The assertion that the benefits of brandishing a gun in public outweigh the risks is pretty easily contested.

>> ^blankfist:

>> ^PalmliX:
>> ^blankfist:
Not sure why people are so incensed by people carrying guns.

No? No idea? How about fear of death? I live in Canada and if me or anyone I knew saw a civilian walking around with a gun we would call the police immediately. Doesn't really matter if they have no 'ill intent', they're walking around with a weapon that can kill someone in the blink of an eye. There's no use for a gun other than killing. Like someone said earlier, this isn't the wild west, have some common sense and at the very least it should be concealed with the proper permits.

I don't think this guy lives in Canada. He lives in the US and in a place where open carry is legal. Some of us don't give in to fear. Sure a gun can kill someone in a blink of an eye, but so can a car or a steak knife. Should we ban roads and steak restaurants?

>> ^xxovercastxx:

>> ^PalmliX:
Like someone said earlier, this isn't the wild west, have some common sense and at the very least it should be concealed with the proper permits.

So you'd feel safer if you didn't know the guy was carrying a weapon?
Guns make me a bit uneasy. My father, uncles, and grandfather hunted, but none of them has ever been part of what I would call "the gun culture", so I've never had much exposure to guns. The most dangerous weapon I've ever fired was a potato gun.
So yeah, I'd rather know that someone is carrying one in public than the alternative.


Well technically I would feel safer because I wouldn't know they were carrying it. So I'd have no immediately obvious reason to fear them. Does that make it better? I suppose it depends on a lot of things.

In Canada there are permits to carry a weapon but it's basically to impossible to obtain one. Essentially the only time a civilian is allowed to OPENLY carry (never concealed) a weapon is in extreme wilderness areas where their life could be threatened by not having one.

So basically that leaves us with a situation where the only people who are allowed to carry guns in Canada are police officers. Personally I appreciate this approach more then the American one because if I saw a civilian carrying a gun I would immediately know it was illegal and would be able to defend myself properly.

>> ^PalmliX:

Like someone said earlier, this isn't the wild west, have some common sense and at the very least it should be concealed with the proper permits.


So you'd feel safer if you didn't know the guy was carrying a weapon?

Guns make me a bit uneasy. My father, uncles, and grandfather hunted, but none of them has ever been part of what I would call "the gun culture", so I've never had much exposure to guns. The most dangerous weapon I've ever fired was a potato gun.

So yeah, I'd rather know that someone is carrying one in public than the alternative.

@blankfist

Well, I don't see any reason to be against it if the person has a valid reason for carrying the weapon. For example, if you've got a crazy stalker ex-boyfriend that there's a restraining order against who you think is going to get violent, or if your job requires you to travel from place to place picking up cash and you're likely to be a target for violence, or you live in the countryside and have a good chance of stumbling upon bears/mountain lions/coyotes or whatnot, then it makes sense for you to carry.

But I don't think it's a good idea for everyone to be armed all the time... too much likelihood of accidental discharges, killings over stupid things like traffic accidents, bystanders getting injured or killed by missed shots or ricochets (particularly in urban areas) even when discharging the firearm might be considered appropriate...

The cons outweigh the pros for me. America isn't the wild west anymore. It doesn't really seem to be necessary for most people to pack heat while heading out to the supermarket. If you've got a good reason, then yeah... get your license and carry.

But, like the cop said in this vid, maybe this guy has a legal carry permit and a legitimate reason for packing... or maybe he doesn't. There's no way visually to tell, is there? Why shouldn't that make people uneasy? If he's got bad intentions he can have the weapon out of the holster and be firing rounds in less than a second. I'm not supposed to be worried about that? I'm supposed to assume that anyone who is showing a weapon in broad daylight must have a legal permit and additionally have good intentions for carrying it around? That's an awful lot of faith you're asking me to put in my fellow citizens, many of whom voted George W. Bush into office twice.

National Justice Institute
In 2005, 11,346 persons were killed by firearm violence and 477,040 persons were victims of a crime committed with a firearm. Most murders in the United States are committed with firearms, especially handguns. In 2006, firearms were used in 68 percent of murders, 42 percent of robbery offenses and 22 percent of aggravated assaults nationwide.

The statistics show that firearms are the murder and suicide implement of choice in the United States as firearms are used in 2 out of every 3 homicides and half of all suicides.
http://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/gun-violence/
http://www.americanfirearms.org/statistics.php#8

Firearms made the top 10 leading causes of death list in the US.
http://www.americanfirearms.org/images/Chart__big.gif

Murders with firearms (per capita)
United States is #8 in the world

Murders with firearms (total)
United States is #4 in the world

If you had a choice would you rather be stabbed or shot?
The mortality rate for gunshot wounds to the heart is 84%, compared to 30% for people who sustain stab wounds to the heart.
http://www.journalacs.org/article/S1072-7515(97)00144-0/abstract
*edit: The brackets break the link so please copy and paste if you care


I am a Canadian who owns guns and I do NOT support the federal gun registry as it does nothing to prevent crime or protect citizens.
However I do support the proper licensing, secure storage, and transport of firearms. I believe that some level of gun control is required but the majority of issues can be addressed through proper firearm education.
>> ^blankfist:

>> ^PalmliX:
>> ^blankfist:
Not sure why people are so incensed by people carrying guns.

No? No idea? How about fear of death? I live in Canada and if me or anyone I knew saw a civilian walking around with a gun we would call the police immediately. Doesn't really matter if they have no 'ill intent', they're walking around with a weapon that can kill someone in the blink of an eye. There's no use for a gun other than killing. Like someone said earlier, this isn't the wild west, have some common sense and at the very least it should be concealed with the proper permits.

I don't think this guy lives in Canada. He lives in the US and in a place where open carry is legal. Some of us don't give in to fear. Sure a gun can kill someone in a blink of an eye, but so can a car or a steak knife. Should we ban roads and steak restaurants?

>> ^blankfist:

>> ^PalmliX:
>> ^blankfist:
Not sure why people are so incensed by people carrying guns.

No? No idea? How about fear of death? I live in Canada and if me or anyone I knew saw a civilian walking around with a gun we would call the police immediately. Doesn't really matter if they have no 'ill intent', they're walking around with a weapon that can kill someone in the blink of an eye. There's no use for a gun other than killing. Like someone said earlier, this isn't the wild west, have some common sense and at the very least it should be concealed with the proper permits.

I don't think this guy lives in Canada. He lives in the US and in a place where open carry is legal. Some of us don't give in to fear. Sure a gun can kill someone in a blink of an eye, but so can a car or a steak knife. Should we ban roads and steak restaurants?


Yes I agree that cars are dangerous and I always try and treat activities in or around vehicles with a healthy degree of respect because of that danger. Knives can be dangerous too, again I try and be as safe as I can around them.

Never the less I have cut myself many times and have been in more than one car accident, I was even hit by a car on my bike once. Yet I still choose to use cars and knives because their primary uses make our lives much more convenient and I have decided to accept the risk, it could be argued that it's not that worth it...

A guns primary use is quick and efficient murder. They have no secondary use, except maybe target practice... I never advocated for the banning of weapons, although that may not be such a bad idea. I simply said that in the country, and more specifically the city that I live in (Toronto), if I saw a civilian walking around with a gun I would be immediately frightened and for good reason.

Yes I give in to fear on a daily basis and I'm proud of it. Fear is a very effective survival tool. Has been for millions or even billions of years. To say that preventing regular civilians from visibly carrying around loaded guns is akin to banning steak restaurants or roads is completely asinine.

Maybe you don't give into fear blankfist... Maybe when a stranger walks towards you with a gun visibly holstered you don't feel any twinge in the pit of your stomach...

Personally though, I don't think that makes you tough or brave, I think it just makes you stupid.

>> ^PalmliX:

>> ^blankfist:
Not sure why people are so incensed by people carrying guns.

No? No idea? How about fear of death? I live in Canada and if me or anyone I knew saw a civilian walking around with a gun we would call the police immediately. Doesn't really matter if they have no 'ill intent', they're walking around with a weapon that can kill someone in the blink of an eye. There's no use for a gun other than killing. Like someone said earlier, this isn't the wild west, have some common sense and at the very least it should be concealed with the proper permits.


I don't think this guy lives in Canada. He lives in the US and in a place where open carry is legal. Some of us don't give in to fear. Sure a gun can kill someone in a blink of an eye, but so can a car or a steak knife. Should we ban roads and steak restaurants?

>> ^blankfist:

Not sure why people are so incensed by people carrying guns.


No? No idea? How about fear of death? I live in Canada and if me or anyone I knew saw a civilian walking around with a gun we would call the police immediately. Doesn't really matter if they have no 'ill intent', they're walking around with a weapon that can kill someone in the blink of an eye. There's no use for a gun other than killing. Like someone said earlier, this isn't the wild west, have some common sense and at the very least it should be concealed with the proper permits.

There is worrying too late. There is also worrying TOO EARLY aka PARANOIA.

I'm starting to think this guy has a mental problem, because HE DOES. Apparently he's an ex-marine, so hopefully he gets good health care soon. What a fucking waste of time that costs resources....

I don't have a gun, wouldn't open carry if I did, and wouldn't expect everyone to be cool with it BECAUSE THEY SHOULDNT BE.

This isn't the wild west. Conceal carry like a real man who doesn't need a penis extension strapped on.

He's speaking Flemish, which is a dialect of Dutch (and not a separate language), though he's got a pretty thick old dude's accent. This is actually my city, but Flemish isn't my mother tongue so I'm having a little trouble following him. Flemish dialects are so distinct that sometimes people from Gent have trouble understanding someone from Brugge, two Flemish cities which aren't even 25 miles apart.

Fun trivia: The KAA Gent Buffaloes got their name a hundred years ago when Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show came through Gent!>> ^legacy0100:

And what language are they speaking? Obviously needs a tag of that country.

Why do you give the trolls the power to offend you? Placing blame on anonomous people for you being offended is just empowering the jerks.

This is not meant to make less of your thoughts or feelings but really...letting the assholes get to you is your choice.

The web is the Wild Wild West, thus all websites start with WWW. =) There are vids in this site that I don't like but hey...it's not my house...I just hang around and drink the beer in the fridge.


>> ^bareboards2:

What prompted this post wasn't the C punch, or the malicious downvoting of a vid of mine, or the escalating snarky talk against anyone who said they didn't like the C punch...
It was the promoting and qualitying of a vid with a naked woman, seated on a chair, head obscured. A bewb shot. On the front page. For the million plus visitors per month, or whatever we are at to see first.
I don't care about bewb shots. I have a pair.
It was the conscious decision to troll the whole site that I found offensive. It was meant to be demeaning. I felt demeaned. And it was meant to punish the site. And I'm sure it has cost the site.
Look, I have been here for years. I see sexist stuff ALL THE TIME that makes me cringe. I say nothing, because there is nothing to be said. It just ... is.
But something has happened in the past two days that crossed a line for me.
I'm still trying to figure out what it is. I just know something isn't okay.