Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

I would reverse that- and say that it brings out the best in most people and the worst in a small minority. Don't confuse realism with unfounded negativism. >> ^campionidelmondo:
I'm looking forward to this movie, looks very promising.
About people banding together in times of crisis: I don't think that would happen. Don't confuse negativism with realism. If you look at what happens in crisis areas you'll see that extreme conditions and desperation brings out the best in some people and the worst in most people.

I'm looking forward to this movie, looks very promising.

About people banding together in times of crisis: I don't think that would happen. Don't confuse negativism with realism. If you look at what happens in crisis areas you'll see that extreme conditions and desperation brings out the best in some people and the worst in most people.

Hm - I'd say WP's tirade here is an excellent example of the self-righteous, suspicious attitude of fear and negativism that dominates the typical neo-con mental landscape.

WP (and neo-cons like him) seems to be unaware of the basic dynamics of human interaction. He doesn't see human beings when he interacts with others. He sees the 'groups' and then makes judgements and cast aspersions on the motivations of others according to the 'groups' he sees.

WP doesn't see an innocent group of college students hanging out in small groups of friends and classmates... He sees people who are being "brainwashed" by "neolib" college professors at "elitist" universities who will all grow up to cast-off his type of neo-con fear mongering, and see life for what it really is. These kids will inevitably--through their "liberal" education--be against things like invading countries for no reason, stripping away our constitutional rights, draining our treasure and giving it to the richest one-percent, denying healthcare for those who truly need it, and they certainly won't fall victim to the false sense of "upward mobility" that neo-cons like WP have been trying to shove down our throats for far too long.

His comments say more about his own fear, prejudice, and racism than anyone else's. It also says a lot about how small, petty, selfish, and insecure he is with himself. It's kind of sad really to think that there are people out there who are so unhappy with life and so prejudiced and mistaken about their fellow citizens.



ps: WP - Ending your diatribe with the word "men" speaks volumes.

Hm - I'd say her tirade here is an excellent example of the self-righteous, suspicious attitude of fear and negativism that dominates the typical neolib's mental landscape.

Michelle seems to be unaware of the basic dynamics of human interaction. Humans don't move about as lone individuals, treating all other individuals with perfect equality. If you enter a group of 100 people and have only 3 minutes do you spend 1.8 seconds individually greeting each person? What if there are 1,000 people? How do you sit 'equally' with 100 people without making anyone feel 'snubbed' when you sit or stand by someone else? How about eye focus? Listening? Humans move in small groups because it is just how the human system is DESIGNED.

But Michelle Obama (and neolibs like her) don't see human beings when they interact with others. They see the 'groups' and they then make judgements and cast aspersions on the motivations of others according to the 'groups' they see. Michelle didn't see an innocent group of college students hanging out in small groups of friends and classmates... She saw people who were (to her warped brain) fearfully excluding 'X' people or 'Y' people because they were mean, or racist, or whatever.

Her comments say more about her own fear, prejudice, and racism than anyone else's. It also says a lot about how small, petty, selfish, and insecure she is with herself. It's kind of sad really to think that there are people out there who are so unhappy with life and so prejudiced and mistaken about their fellow men.

>> ^quantumushroom:
Why are you making this a racial and religious issue? Because if you wish to "go there" the Aussie track record on the treatment of Aborigines isn't so hot.


WTF is this comment, dude? a) dag was born in the US and b) what do aborigines have to do with health care?

This comment is a total mess from start to finish. Lazy. Lame. Unfunny. I think it's time you'd given some serious thought to stepping up your game. That new pennypecker kid is quite the scrapper, and he's got his eyes all over your title - like he wants to get all up in that shit, balls deep. If you keep slacking like this, that young upstart is going to usurp your status as official VS fringe-right spokesmodel.

I'm gonna be honest here, there's been a lot of talk around the water cooler that says qm is past his prime, that his best rhetoric is behind him, that he's too old to be a contender. BAH! I say unto these people. Lies! Damned lies! God damned motherfucking lies! I, my friend, would rather jab poison-dipped, sharpened No. 2 pencils into my temporal lobe before hearing yet one more of these nattering nabobs of negativism count you out.

I don't care what anyone else says, kid. You've still got it, champ, and that's an endorsement you can take to the bank, deposit it, wait for interest to accrue, withdraw it and then gamble it all away in a slot machine at the gas station just the other side of state line. You have what it takes to snatch success from the clenched jaw of defeat, and off to the shit smeared bowels of hell with anyone who tries to tell you otherwise.

Just kidding.

too bad you weren't this skeptical and cynical about Bush's administration and his policies before he trashed our government, economy, environment and general standing in the world.

As a proud conservative, I consider myself more cynical and skeptical than you about government's ability to solve anything. I am equally skeptical of human nature.

My Bush disappointments are many: spending like a liberal, open borders fiasco, NCLB, taking no action against rampant fraud in both Iraq and Katrina cleanups, pushing the bailout without debate and towards the end, failing to stand up for himself or his party. Bush lacked core principles, and look what all his pandering to lefties got him: unbridled contempt.

Nevertheless, Bush got a hysterically bad rap from the main-piss-stream media, which has acted like deplorable, infantile squawking seagulls these past 8 years, criticizing the man even as he spent money like a liberal and expanded government. I'd say the lowest point for the bottom feeders was blaming Bush for Katrina while ignoring the fact New Orleans was run by corrupt taxocrats (and still is!) all the years those levees should've been fixed.

I find it hard to take you serious, it's as if you haven't been paying attention to what's happened in the last 8 years

Look what the rest of us had to deal with from the blame-America-first left. Worst Congress ever, controlled by taxocrats. Soaring gas prices and they do nothing. Non-stop negativism about Iraq, even as the good news increased exponentially. 9-11 conspiracy theories taken seriously. Lefties seem to have awfully selective hearing and vision when that irrational-beyond-measure Old Tyme Bush hatred kicks in.

But all this is going away. Soon it will be your fellow at bat. Some people have to learn things the hard way, and that time is here for you, Obama's True Believers. Grab a chair. The Jimmy Carter Remix w/ guest starring 60s radicals is about to begin!

We shall see, I think Karl Rovian negativism will only backfire now. Look at how the media's lashing against Hillary as being a weak and hysterical 'woman' backfired in larger votes for her in NH.

If Hillary starts to attack Obama, that only weakens her own position, Obama has so far strayed away from that angle wisely. The Republican machine now is busy scrambling after their party went for Huckabee over Washington backed Guliani and Romney.

But we shall see...

No problem, fletch, I've been at the bottom of a pile before.

Perhaps you didn't see the Winky after "I see many votes." It was a joke. As for the methods used in this film, I agree they are panhandling to New Ageism through historical mysticism with nothing more but a new spin on Peale's book, but hey...it certainly worked for Byrne's dreams of success, hmmm?

I certainly don't believe that you can think yourself into health or success the way this film describes. I do however, think that you can have a powerful affect on your life with positive thoughts. My mother woke every day as if she had a chance to make it good, and it was. I definitely think that you can attract negativism if you constantly complain, and that negativism is a huge stressor on the human psyche. I avoid negativism (and sometimes even controversy) at almost all costs: I just don't waste my time dwelling on the negative aspects of every day situations or events. I certainly don't take all this as far as The Secret people do, I just know that I can control a very large part of my psyche, even my life, by harnassing positive energy. Generally I just choose to be happy and make it good. And for the most part...it works.

"What Dawkins could stand to do more is help provide thoughts on what to replace religion with."

That's simply not his job. He's a demolitions man, not a builder - hopefully someone else can step up to that task in the future.

" the sheer amount of negativism he has faced from the fringe theological community really pushed him to the edge"

Yes, he's only human after all and he's getting older. Don't hold that against him though, it's not his belief cracking under the strain, it's just that if you feed any human being enough negativism he'll eventually be affected.

" the sheer amount of negativism he has faced from the fringe theological community really pushed him to the edge"

That could well be true. Also, most people I know who are extreme in their atheism can trace their atheism back to some kind of childhood experience - over zealous sunday school teacher, overly religious parents, etc. I'd love to know what happened to Dawkins to instill such an irrational fear and hatred of religion in him.

I agree, I found Dawkins far more agreeable when he was a lil' more rational and not so vehemently opposed to any real discussion of his theories. But I believe that now that he has been on the road for a while the sheer amount of negativism he has faced from the fringe theological community really pushed him to the edge.

Yeah - I agree Nick: tastes of cheese...get's an up-vote for his great mask though. Plus. I may be a 'cultural philistine', but at least I've never negatived a video I've not known/understood.

"A self-indulgent character like Rob requires funny sidekicks to break the tension, and HIGH FIDELITY boasts two of them. Jack Black, in the manic fat-boy role, sweats and swaggers his way through the picture as Barry, the music snob who'll refuse to sell a record merely because he doesn't like the buyer's face. Black is one of those hard-working character actors in search of a breakout role, and this is it. Ferociously zany in the tradition of Chris Farley without once making Farley's mistake of going too far over the top, Black is the perfect antidote to Rob's dour negativism."
- High Fidelity Review