Page 11 of 18 FirstFirst ... 891011121314 ... LastLast
Results 151 to 165 of 266

Thread: Sammy's Smorgasbord

  1. #151
    Senior Member United States Chester's Avatar
    Join Date
    28th January 2015
    Location
    Dallas, Texas USA
    Posts
    1,368
    Thanks
    5,295
    Thanked 6,591 Times in 1,349 Posts
    I remember 8, 10, 15 years ago when the alternative community (in general) seemed to have a much better handle on the big picture. I miss those days. Perhaps our openness made it easier for those who wish to thwart a consciousness shift (for the better for all) to find ways to divide us.

    Should I be surprised the community has, for the most part, succumbed to Machiavelli 101 divide et impera?
    All the above is all and only my opinion. It may contain some sharing of components of my current operating strategy and some foundational components of my current world view - all subject to change and not meant to be true for anyone else regardless of how I phrase it.

    It's just a ride

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGD...vgBsCHmlC13jOg

    https://www.facebook.com/samhunter57

    http://merlynagain.blogspot.com/

  2. The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to Chester For This Useful Post:

    Aianawa (5th August 2019), Aragorn (5th August 2019), Dreamtimer (5th August 2019), Elen (5th August 2019), Emil El Zapato (4th August 2019), modwiz (4th August 2019), Wind (4th August 2019)

  3. #152
    Senior Member United States Chester's Avatar
    Join Date
    28th January 2015
    Location
    Dallas, Texas USA
    Posts
    1,368
    Thanks
    5,295
    Thanked 6,591 Times in 1,349 Posts
    The more and more man severs the ties to conscious union with Life, the more and more discord manifests.

    All manifestations of discord emanate from this primary action. It is an action that occurs at all levels of man’s being, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
    All the above is all and only my opinion. It may contain some sharing of components of my current operating strategy and some foundational components of my current world view - all subject to change and not meant to be true for anyone else regardless of how I phrase it.

    It's just a ride

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGD...vgBsCHmlC13jOg

    https://www.facebook.com/samhunter57

    http://merlynagain.blogspot.com/

  4. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Chester For This Useful Post:

    Aianawa (5th August 2019), Aragorn (5th August 2019), Elen (5th August 2019), Wind (5th August 2019)

  5. #153
    Senior Member United States Chester's Avatar
    Join Date
    28th January 2015
    Location
    Dallas, Texas USA
    Posts
    1,368
    Thanks
    5,295
    Thanked 6,591 Times in 1,349 Posts
    [moved from another thread as it is better suited here]

    Quote Originally posted by Aragorn View Post
    Looks like your QAnon buddies are going to have to find themselves another playground, Vern. Cloudflare has terminated their service for 8chan in light of the recent mass shootings by right-wing extremists.
    There's no possible way that 8chan would (and should) remain up based on that which was stated by Cloudflare (which I have to assume is true or largely true).

    But note that Twitter (or whatever platform they run on - if it is not their own) remains up and will remain up despite this.

    And so you get all sorts of people on Twitter blaming both events on the actual target of the "ops" - a boogey man that indeed has real human beings saying and writing words along with performing other types of actions that allow the "AREs" to foment a meme "white supremacism" as if it were far, far larger than the reality and all for the purpose of raising the odds Trump doesn't win a second term. This is just one of the "six ways" being employed by the AREs and as an odds maker by trade, I make odds that Trump is reelected at less than 20%.

    What is sad to me is that all sorts of genuinely good folk have to unjustly suffer for this massive mess... and I am referring to the "clears" - meaning folks who have no 'shade' or 'color' at the level of their soul - not to be confused with how Scientology uses the word (they don't own the word either by the way). I strive to be one of the clears and do not claim to be fully clear.

    Here's an example of how both events are being framed as the result of the latest hashtag to dominate Twitter - #WhiteSupremacistTerrorism.

    Note that this article is right at the top of a Google search and, of course, further implants the false meme.

    The goal is (for the US) to achieve laws that reflect those of the UK and Australia to name a few. It is (for me) impossible that changes have to occur and ASAP. Yes, guns don't kill people... people kill people, but it is far too easy for dangerous people to have these weapons and it is far to easy for people who appear reasonably stable today to emerge as lunatics tomorrow.

    Why I wrote this post is simply to attempt to open the eyes of a few readers here (if they are not already open or if they can be further opened) so that a few of us could discuss what is actually going on. Something I would really enjoy doing, personally.
    All the above is all and only my opinion. It may contain some sharing of components of my current operating strategy and some foundational components of my current world view - all subject to change and not meant to be true for anyone else regardless of how I phrase it.

    It's just a ride

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGD...vgBsCHmlC13jOg

    https://www.facebook.com/samhunter57

    http://merlynagain.blogspot.com/

  6. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Chester For This Useful Post:

    Aianawa (5th August 2019), Aragorn (5th August 2019), Elen (5th August 2019), Wind (5th August 2019)

  7. #154
    Senior Member United States Chester's Avatar
    Join Date
    28th January 2015
    Location
    Dallas, Texas USA
    Posts
    1,368
    Thanks
    5,295
    Thanked 6,591 Times in 1,349 Posts
    The discussion I would like to suggest we have is... is it justifiable to use the tactics that are being used to raise the odds the larger US population would go for new legislation (which would also be enforced) that might result in the type of shift in gun regulation such as Australia implemented in the late 90s?

    Let me be clearer.

    If the AREs have planned to disarm the general populous of the planet (and/or specifically in the US), is there anything the general populous can do to stop it?

    If "in their pocket" media, "in their pocket" politicians, "in their pocket" career bureaucrats, "in their pocket" military, "in their pocket" intelligence agencies, and "in their pocket" mafias are all on board with the goal (as appears to be the case), whether we (as the general populous) are for or against the goal, should we fight against the goal if we are against the goal?

    These are the types of questions I would like to explore... anyone up for it here on ToT?
    All the above is all and only my opinion. It may contain some sharing of components of my current operating strategy and some foundational components of my current world view - all subject to change and not meant to be true for anyone else regardless of how I phrase it.

    It's just a ride

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGD...vgBsCHmlC13jOg

    https://www.facebook.com/samhunter57

    http://merlynagain.blogspot.com/

  8. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Chester For This Useful Post:

    Aianawa (5th August 2019), Elen (6th August 2019)

  9. #155
    Administrator Aragorn's Avatar
    Join Date
    17th March 2015
    Location
    Middle-Earth
    Posts
    20,240
    Thanks
    88,437
    Thanked 80,969 Times in 20,255 Posts
    Quote Originally posted by Sammy View Post
    The discussion I would like to suggest we have is... is it justifiable to use the tactics that are being used to raise the odds the larger US population would go for new legislation (which would also be enforced) that might result in the type of shift in gun regulation such as Australia implemented in the late 90s?

    Let me be clearer.

    If the AREs have planned to disarm the general populous of the planet (and/or specifically in the US), is there anything the general populous can do to stop it?

    If "in their pocket" media, "in their pocket" politicians, "in their pocket" career bureaucrats, "in their pocket" military, "in their pocket" intelligence agencies, and "in their pocket" mafias are all on board with the goal (as appears to be the case), whether we (as the general populous) are for or against the goal, should we fight against the goal if we are against the goal?

    These are the types of questions I would like to explore... anyone up for it here on ToT?

    Well, all I can say in that regard is that I personally support the right to arm bears the right to bear arms, but that unregulated gun possession has proven itself too dangerous to continue being supported. The system we have here in Europe is not exactly the best one either, in my opinion. On the contrary, it ensures that the good people will be hesitant to apply for a license, while the black market provides the evildoers with all the firearms they need.

    What I would propose is that first and foremost, all functional firearms that are sold would be registered. There is a black market trade in firearms that had their serial numbers filed off, but such weapons will be more expensive, even for the criminals, and they are also harder to come by. The second thing I would propose is that there would be a proper training in the use ─ and in the discouragement of actual deployment ─ of firearms.

    Right now, we've got a highly bureaucratic system in place here in Europe ─ I'm familiar with some of it because my brother is currently in training to become a licensed hunter, and some of those trainers are assholes who enjoy bullying the trainees, and who think they know everything best when they don't ─ but a thorough course in gun safety should be mandatory in a country like the USA that supports gun ownership for every citizen. And a gun should also always be kept in a safe, and not where your ten-year-old son can find it and take it with him to school the next day to "fix up" those bullies who've been pestering him for Providence knows how long.

    Another thing, which is only sideways related, but it is related nevertheless, is a complete overhaul of the education system, and the abolition of American Exceptionalist propaganda. But it's going to take more than that, because the education system only affects those who are still in the education system. It does not affect the adults out there in society. And I'm afraid that I don't have any clear-cut answer on how to deal with that problem, because ─ and I hope I'm not stepping on anybody's toes here ─ there is something fundamentally wrong with the whole of US American culture ─ which partly extends into Canada as well, given the very similar history of both Canada and the USA.

    Europe is old. And Europe has committed many sins in the past. It is actually committing sins even today still. But Europe has learned from its past mistakes, because it has had the time to do so. The USA didn't, and doesn't. The USA is only some 200+ years old, and has made even worse mistakes than Europe ─ e.g. the genocide against the native Americans, the abduction and enslavement of Africans, and the deployment of two nuclear bombs during World War II while Japan was already on the brink of capitulation, given that their logistics supply from Nazi-Germany had been cut off.

    And yet the USA thinks it's the greatest country in the world ─ a delusional belief made possible by US American culture, which dictates that manufactured appearances can be accepted for truth. The USA is the land of make-believe, and its insular culture keeps it trapped in that delusion. And this has led to...

    • widespread obesity ─ more than half of all US Americans are clinically overweight;
    • disrespect for human life and interpersonal relationships ─ human beings have become consumables;
    • disregard for ethics in favor of personal opportunity;
    • consumerist frenzies ─ "Black Friday";
    • Christian fundamentalism; and...
    • a dumbed-down population whose average IQ sits about 15 to 30 points below the global average.

    Donald Trump, and all those who still support him, are only a consequence of the above-listed circumstances. They didn't create those circumstances ─ the circumstances created them. And it is simply impossible to rectify this centuries-old cultural indoctrination with all the wrong values within a single generation, not in the very least because the US American people can't even see those values as being wrong.

    And maybe, just maybe, that's why nobody's even bothering. Except for Marianne Williamson, who is the only one who's really willing to give it a shot ─ while she still has the chance and the time, because the clock keeps on ticking. If she doesn't make it to president-elect in November 2020, then all hope is lost. Because then it's either another four years of Donald Trump, or it's going to be another four (or maybe eight) years of yet another corruptible US Democrat who represents the status quo of the corporately controlled and corporately sponsored political elite, the always-trigger-happy Pentagon and the whole battalion of autocratic alphabet soup agencies ─ the "Deep State", if you will.

    The system cannot be repaired. It has to be discarded and replaced by an entirely new design, from the ground up. There's no way around it. And 200 years of indoctrination are going to make sure that there's going to be a hell of a lot of opposition to such an incisive reform. "God bless America", because you guys are going to need all the blessings you can get.

    Just my two Eurocents worth of incoherent rambling. Or is it?
    = DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR =

  10. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Aragorn For This Useful Post:

    Aianawa (5th August 2019), Elen (6th August 2019), Wind (5th August 2019)

  11. #156
    Senior Member Emil El Zapato's Avatar
    Join Date
    3rd April 2017
    Location
    Earth I
    Posts
    12,191
    Thanks
    36,640
    Thanked 43,100 Times in 11,915 Posts
    I think it is silly to obey a law that is contrary to one’s life liberty and pursuit of happiness. Honestly I wouldn’t. Ban all guns and for those that still feel the need can go through the black market. In a true democracy no court in the land would criminalize a person that could demonstrate a true need. Am I right or am I right
    “El revolucionario: te meteré la bota en el culo"

  12. The Following User Says Thank You to Emil El Zapato For This Useful Post:

    Aianawa (5th August 2019)

  13. #157
    Senior Member United States Chester's Avatar
    Join Date
    28th January 2015
    Location
    Dallas, Texas USA
    Posts
    1,368
    Thanks
    5,295
    Thanked 6,591 Times in 1,349 Posts
    @ Aragorn (but for all readers) -

    Have you ever watched water being boiled? If so, you might have noticed that as the water is getting hotter and hotter, tiny bubbles begin to form within the water. At some point, an air bubble builds up enough mass and heat that it wells up to the surface and, once it reaches the surface, the bubble pops and releases the air into the atmosphere. see here

    A student of our shared earthly reality understands that we, collectively, "boil the water" though taking a slice in time, one might point to a region of the world and say, "LOOK! - Here's the problem." This is what most folks seem to do (especially today). The USA is the current "big, bad bubble" and from a narrow perspective - one can make that case. Are folks on this forum able to see the bigger picture or do we sell out and feed the monster?

    It is my opinion that doing so not only places the blame on others (which allows one to avoid their own personal responsibility) but also supports the myth of the victim class (I prefer to use the term - disadvantaged) which then leads to self appointed saviors who do things like "virtue signaling" or "our group is superior to your group" constructs which history has shown never result in true, permanent solutions. It only shifts the target area to a newly appointed "boogey man" and the human virus perpetuates.

    There's plenty of blame for the world condition all over this planet. Isolating a convenient "bad guy" avoids solution.

    IMO, David Icke (and others) had/have it right by suggesting that unless there's a humanity wide consciousness shift, nothing will change directionally (which appears to be down, down down at the moment). Just what the elite desire and we hand it to them on a silver platter.
    Last edited by Chester, 5th August 2019 at 21:48.
    All the above is all and only my opinion. It may contain some sharing of components of my current operating strategy and some foundational components of my current world view - all subject to change and not meant to be true for anyone else regardless of how I phrase it.

    It's just a ride

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGD...vgBsCHmlC13jOg

    https://www.facebook.com/samhunter57

    http://merlynagain.blogspot.com/

  14. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Chester For This Useful Post:

    Aianawa (5th August 2019), Aragorn (6th August 2019), Elen (6th August 2019), Wind (6th August 2019)

  15. #158
    Retired Member Hungary
    Join Date
    10th July 2018
    Posts
    1,862
    Thanks
    4,696
    Thanked 8,908 Times in 1,858 Posts
    Quote Originally posted by Aragorn View Post
    Well, all I can say in that regard is that I personally support the right to arm bears the right to bear arms, but that unregulated gun possession has proven itself too dangerous to continue being supported. The system we have here in Europe is not exactly the best one either, in my opinion. On the contrary, it ensures that the good people will be hesitant to apply for a license, while the black market provides the evildoers with all the firearms they need.

    What I would propose is that first and foremost, all functional firearms that are sold would be registered. There is a black market trade in firearms that had their serial numbers filed off, but such weapons will be more expensive, even for the criminals, and they are also harder to come by. The second thing I would propose is that there would be a proper training in the use ─ and in the discouragement of actual deployment ─ of firearms.

    Right now, we've got a highly bureaucratic system in place here in Europe ─ I'm familiar with some of it because my brother is currently in training to become a licensed hunter, and some of those trainers are assholes who enjoy bullying the trainees, and who think they know everything best when they don't ─ but a thorough course in gun safety should be mandatory in a country like the USA that supports gun ownership for every citizen. And a gun should also always be kept in a safe, and not where your ten-year-old son can find it and take it with him to school the next day to "fix up" those bullies who've been pestering him for Providence knows how long.

    Another thing, which is only sideways related, but it is related nevertheless, is a complete overhaul of the education system, and the abolition of American Exceptionalist propaganda. But it's going to take more than that, because the education system only affects those who are still in the education system. It does not affect the adults out there in society. And I'm afraid that I don't have any clear-cut answer on how to deal with that problem, because ─ and I hope I'm not stepping on anybody's toes here ─ there is something fundamentally wrong with the whole of US American culture ─ which partly extends into Canada as well, given the very similar history of both Canada and the USA.

    Europe is old. And Europe has committed many sins in the past. It is actually committing sins even today still. But Europe has learned from its past mistakes, because it has had the time to do so. The USA didn't, and doesn't. The USA is only some 200+ years old, and has made even worse mistakes than Europe ─ e.g. the genocide against the native Americans, the abduction and enslavement of Africans, and the deployment of two nuclear bombs during World War II while Japan was already on the brink of capitulation, given that their logistics supply from Nazi-Germany had been cut off.

    And yet the USA thinks it's the greatest country in the world ─ a delusional belief made possible by US American culture, which dictates that manufactured appearances can be accepted for truth. The USA is the land of make-believe, and its insular culture keeps it trapped in that delusion. And this has led to...

    • widespread obesity ─ more than half of all US Americans are clinically overweight;
    • disrespect for human life and interpersonal relationships ─ human beings have become consumables;
    • disregard for ethics in favor of personal opportunity;
    • consumerist frenzies ─ "Black Friday";
    • Christian fundamentalism; and...
    • a dumbed-down population whose average IQ sits about 15 to 30 points below the global average.

    Donald Trump, and all those who still support him, are only a consequence of the above-listed circumstances. They didn't create those circumstances ─ the circumstances created them. And it is simply impossible to rectify this centuries-old cultural indoctrination with all the wrong values within a single generation, not in the very least because the US American people can't even see those values as being wrong.

    And maybe, just maybe, that's why nobody's even bothering. Except for Marianne Williamson, who is the only one who's really willing to give it a shot ─ while she still has the chance and the time, because the clock keeps on ticking. If she doesn't make it to president-elect in November 2020, then all hope is lost. Because then it's either another four years of Donald Trump, or it's going to be another four (or maybe eight) years of yet another corruptible US Democrat who represents the status quo of the corporately controlled and corporately sponsored political elite, the always-trigger-happy Pentagon and the whole battalion of autocratic alphabet soup agencies ─ the "Deep State", if you will.

    The system cannot be repaired. It has to be discarded and replaced by an entirely new design, from the ground up. There's no way around it. And 200 years of indoctrination are going to make sure that there's going to be a hell of a lot of opposition to such an incisive reform. "God bless America", because you guys are going to need all the blessings you can get.

    Just my two Eurocents worth of incoherent rambling. Or is it?
    I'm sorry Aragorn, but there are so many inaccuracies or downright falsehoods in your post above, that I don't even know where to start.

    This sort of attitude is typical of European Liberals and Leftists and it constitutes a bubble of misinformation in and of itself.

    Just to take two examples at random, the average IQ in the US is 98, about par for the Western world, but well above the world average, which is around 84 according to the latest estimates. The country with the highest average IQ is Singapore at 114, but that number is skewed due to an immigration system that favours highly skilled immigrants and Singapore is more of a city than an actual country. You can look up Richard Lynn's work, if you want to check the numbers yourself, I am writing from memory here.

    Another misconception is that the US is a young country, that is again a supposed "fact" that is simply not true. In actual fact the USA is one of the oldest countries in the world, dating back to the late 18th century. By contrast, most supposedly "old" countries, such as the Russian Federation, The People's Republic of China or the Republic of India, are only a few decades old. There are only a handful of countries that are older than the USA, such as Iceland or the UK. Even most European countries are extremely young and the states that existed more or less on their territory in previous decades or centuries are now defunct. The US is indeed exceptional, in that it managed to keep its statehood and political system intact for well over two centuries, a momentous achievement compared to most countries and territories in the world. In fact, the biggest problem the US has right now is that its system of government is decidedly antiquated and stuck in the 18th century, with the electoral college being the most obvious example of how it needs to be overhauled and modernised. The 2nd amendment, created at a time of muskets and revolutionaries in powdered wigs, is another such anachronism.

  16. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Chris For This Useful Post:

    Aianawa (5th August 2019), Aragorn (6th August 2019), Elen (6th August 2019), Wind (6th August 2019)

  17. #159
    Senior Member Emil El Zapato's Avatar
    Join Date
    3rd April 2017
    Location
    Earth I
    Posts
    12,191
    Thanks
    36,640
    Thanked 43,100 Times in 11,915 Posts
    Richard Lynn - as John McEnroe once exclaimed “You can’t be serious!”
    “El revolucionario: te meteré la bota en el culo"

  18. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Emil El Zapato For This Useful Post:

    Aianawa (5th August 2019), Aragorn (6th August 2019), Elen (6th August 2019)

  19. #160
    Senior Member Aianawa's Avatar
    Join Date
    18th March 2015
    Posts
    12,485
    Thanks
    45,719
    Thanked 35,452 Times in 10,162 Posts
    For myself the world is changing so so fast, evolving well also n fast, Sammy so much steam is settling, reforming, creating, knowing that the boiling process was but their freedom becoming and what now the words uttered upon knowing they not be alone, a lake is happening.

  20. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Aianawa For This Useful Post:

    Chester (5th August 2019), Elen (6th August 2019), Emil El Zapato (5th August 2019), Wind (6th August 2019)

  21. #161
    Administrator Aragorn's Avatar
    Join Date
    17th March 2015
    Location
    Middle-Earth
    Posts
    20,240
    Thanks
    88,437
    Thanked 80,969 Times in 20,255 Posts
    Quote Originally posted by NotAPretender View Post
    I think it is silly to obey a law that is contrary to one’s life liberty and pursuit of happiness. Honestly I wouldn’t. Ban all guns and for those that still feel the need can go through the black market. In a true democracy no court in the land would criminalize a person that could demonstrate a true need. Am I right or am I right
    Ban all the guns, and the only ones who'll still have (and use) them will be criminals, power-hungry and trigger-happy cops, and the military-industrial complex. Is that really the world you would want to live in?





    Quote Originally posted by Chris View Post
    Quote Originally posted by Aragorn View Post
    [...]

    Another thing, which is only sideways related, but it is related nevertheless, is a complete overhaul of the education system, and the abolition of American Exceptionalist propaganda. But it's going to take more than that, because the education system only affects those who are still in the education system. It does not affect the adults out there in society. And I'm afraid that I don't have any clear-cut answer on how to deal with that problem, because ─ and I hope I'm not stepping on anybody's toes here ─ there is something fundamentally wrong with the whole of US American culture ─ which partly extends into Canada as well, given the very similar history of both Canada and the USA.

    Europe is old. And Europe has committed many sins in the past. It is actually committing sins even today still. But Europe has learned from its past mistakes, because it has had the time to do so. The USA didn't, and doesn't. The USA is only some 200+ years old, and has made even worse mistakes than Europe ─ e.g. the genocide against the native Americans, the abduction and enslavement of Africans, and the deployment of two nuclear bombs during World War II while Japan was already on the brink of capitulation, given that their logistics supply from Nazi-Germany had been cut off.

    And yet the USA thinks it's the greatest country in the world ─ a delusional belief made possible by US American culture, which dictates that manufactured appearances can be accepted for truth. The USA is the land of make-believe, and its insular culture keeps it trapped in that delusion. And this has led to...

    • widespread obesity ─ more than half of all US Americans are clinically overweight;
    • disrespect for human life and interpersonal relationships ─ human beings have become consumables;
    • disregard for ethics in favor of personal opportunity;
    • consumerist frenzies ─ "Black Friday";
    • Christian fundamentalism; and...
    • a dumbed-down population whose average IQ sits about 15 to 30 points below the global average.

    Donald Trump, and all those who still support him, are only a consequence of the above-listed circumstances. They didn't create those circumstances ─ the circumstances created them. And it is simply impossible to rectify this centuries-old cultural indoctrination with all the wrong values within a single generation, not in the very least because the US American people can't even see those values as being wrong.

    And maybe, just maybe, that's why nobody's even bothering. Except for Marianne Williamson, who is the only one who's really willing to give it a shot ─ while she still has the chance and the time, because the clock keeps on ticking. If she doesn't make it to president-elect in November 2020, then all hope is lost. Because then it's either another four years of Donald Trump, or it's going to be another four (or maybe eight) years of yet another corruptible US Democrat who represents the status quo of the corporately controlled and corporately sponsored political elite, the always-trigger-happy Pentagon and the whole battalion of autocratic alphabet soup agencies ─ the "Deep State", if you will.

    The system cannot be repaired. It has to be discarded and replaced by an entirely new design, from the ground up. There's no way around it. And 200 years of indoctrination are going to make sure that there's going to be a hell of a lot of opposition to such an incisive reform. "God bless America", because you guys are going to need all the blessings you can get.

    Just my two Eurocents worth of incoherent rambling. Or is it?
    I'm sorry Aragorn, but there are so many inaccuracies or downright falsehoods in your post above, that I don't even know where to start.

    This sort of attitude is typical of European Liberals and Leftists and it constitutes a bubble of misinformation in and of itself.
    I'm afraid you're the one writing inaccuracies and falsehoods here, Chris.

    Quote Originally posted by Chris View Post
    Just to take two examples at random, the average IQ in the US is 98, about par for the Western world, but well above the world average, which is around 84 according to the latest estimates. The country with the highest average IQ is Singapore at 114, but that number is skewed due to an immigration system that favours highly skilled immigrants and Singapore is more of a city than an actual country. You can look up Richard Lynn's work, if you want to check the numbers yourself, I am writing from memory here.
    The average IQ is always 100 for any given population, because that's what the meridian is calibrated against, and the meridian is always 100. And when it comes to IQ scores in the USA versus in the rest of the world, then someone with an IQ of 150 in the USA commonly corresponds to someone with an IQ of about 125-130 in Europe. This is a statistical fact. Likewise, Singapore and India score much better in the tests, so if you have an IQ of 125 in Singapore, then that would probably correspond to an IQ of 140-150 in Europe. But ─ and again, this is a documented fact ─ when the averages of all countries are compared on a single scale, then the USA doesn't even make the Top-10.

    In the USA, it is also not uncommon for teenagers to be allowed to skip high school and enter college at the age of 15. But if you then compare the first four years of college training in the USA to Europe, then that's about on par with a European high school education in an academic direction ─ note: I'm not talking of the technical or professional branches of secondary school in Europe, because those have lower standards than the academic directions.

    Quote Originally posted by Chris View Post
    Another misconception is that the US is a young country, that is again a supposed "fact" that is simply not true. In actual fact the USA is one of the oldest countries in the world, dating back to the late 18th century. By contrast, most supposedly "old" countries, such as the Russian Federation, The People's Republic of China or the Republic of India, are only a few decades old. There are only a handful of countries that are older than the USA, such as Iceland or the UK. Even most European countries are extremely young and the states that existed more or less on their territory in previous decades or centuries are now defunct. The US is indeed exceptional, in that it managed to keep its statehood and political system intact for well over two centuries, a momentous achievement compared to most countries and territories in the world. In fact, the biggest problem the US has right now is that its system of government is decidedly antiquated and stuck in the 18th century, with the electoral college being the most obvious example of how it needs to be overhauled and modernised. The 2nd amendment, created at a time of muskets and revolutionaries in powdered wigs, is another such anachronism.
    I'm afraid you've misread me, because you are talking about countries in the sense of politically established nations with borders and governments, while I am talking of countries in the sense of the cultures that inhabit them.

    To give you an example, the Belgians as a people have been around from long before the Roman Empire came along, albeit that they lived in different groups ─ tribes, if you will ─ and with different means of housing and sustaining themselves, depending on the geology of the regions they inhabited. Some lived in huts, others lived in houses on wooden poles. Some were fishermen, others were hunter-gatherers, and yet others were farmers. And when the Romans were trying to occupy these lands, the different tribes all united and fought back as one army.

    Julius Ceasar even wrote that the Belgians were the bravest of all the Gauls ─ the Romans considered what is now called Belgium as part of Gaul (or Gallia), i.e. that which is now called France. Yet, Belgium only declared its independence in 1830, and was only officially recognized as an independent nation in 1839.

    Together with the Belgians and the other Gauls, there were also the Norsemen, the Saxons, and many other ancient European peoples. And the vikings had already sailed to the Americas roughly some 800 years before Columbus ever set foot there. The sophistication of Chinese culture was also well-known, and easily dates back 4'000 years. Likewise for the various Arabic cultures, the ancient Greek, and so on.

    The USA and Canada on the other hand were initially created as colonies of the British Crown and of France ─ to a far lesser extent, there were also Dutch colonists. The original cultures of North America were what we call the Native Americans today ─ and what Columbus mistakenly called Indians, because he didn't know of the existence of the Americas and he thought he had arrived in India ─ and they were overrun, decimated, driven into reservations, and their land was stolen out from underneath them. Most of what makes up the US population today are the descendants of European immigrants, the slaves they abducted from Africa, and to a lesser extent also the Chinese laborers who were lured to North America by the railway companies ─ their fate wasn't much better than that of the slaves.
    = DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR =

  22. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Aragorn For This Useful Post:

    Aianawa (6th August 2019), Chris (6th August 2019), Elen (6th August 2019), Emil El Zapato (6th August 2019), Wind (6th August 2019)

  23. #162
    Senior Member Fred Steeves's Avatar
    Join Date
    1st May 2016
    Location
    U.S.A.
    Posts
    2,644
    Thanks
    4,968
    Thanked 12,015 Times in 2,615 Posts
    Aragorn, have you ever been to the US, walked amongst us, to have these consistantly very strong, and rather condescending opinions of us?

    As an aside, maybe there has been just an invention or two from here that have revolutionized the world through and through, even to the benefit of our superior Euro brothers and sisters. Can we at least get props for people like Nikola Tesla that gave us A/C electricity? Or the Wright brothers that gave us flight?
    The unexamined life is not worth living.

    Socrates

  24. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Fred Steeves For This Useful Post:

    Aianawa (6th August 2019), Chester (6th August 2019), Elen (7th August 2019), Emil El Zapato (6th August 2019)

  25. #163
    Administrator Aragorn's Avatar
    Join Date
    17th March 2015
    Location
    Middle-Earth
    Posts
    20,240
    Thanks
    88,437
    Thanked 80,969 Times in 20,255 Posts
    Quote Originally posted by Fred Steeves View Post
    Aragorn, have you ever been to the US, walked amongst us, to have these consistantly very strong, and rather condescending opinions of us?
    That's the age-old non-sequitur knee-jerk response, Fred. One does not have to have visited a country in order to know what that country is like from the cultural perspective. But as it just so happens to be, I do have several friends who've visited there multiple times, and I also have friends who live there, as well as friends who used to live there.

    Our education system also encompasses very thorough (and propaganda-free) history classes on just about every place in the world, from elementary school all the way through high school ─ or at least, when you've chosen an academic orientation for middle school and high school. The technical orientation also has history classes, but far less extensive, and I believe the professional orientation doesn't have any history classes at all ─ they only have one day in class per week in high school, and the rest of the week they have to work as interns.

    In addition to that, it's not like the rest of the world knows as little about the USA as the US population on average knows about the rest of the world. You've been exporting your culture for decades now, politically, economically, artistically, militarily, and so on.

    Quote Originally posted by Fred Steeves View Post
    As an aside, maybe there has been just an invention or two from here that have revolutionized the world through and through, even to the benefit of our superior Euro brothers and sisters. Can we at least get props for people like Nikola Tesla that gave us A/C electricity? Or the Wright brothers that gave us flight?
    There have certainly been exceptional individuals, yes, but they are hardly representative for the entire population, nor does that say anything at all about US culture. But for that matter, Nikola Tesla was an immigrant ─ he was from Serbia. Albert Einstein was also an immigrant ─ he was originally German, but he was Jewish, and so he fled Germany when the Nazis rose to power. And the Wright brothers did indeed give you winged flight, but it was the Montgolfier brothers who went up in the first balloon, which is also a form of flight.

    Balloons were themselves also not a thing of the West, because they had already been invented in the Far East, where they were and are still being used in rituals where the people release hundreds if not thousands of air-buoyant paper lanterns. Likewise, it was Alfred Nobel who invented dynamite, but the Chinese had already long been using gunpowder before the West had even heard of it.

    Just because I criticize US culture doesn't mean you have to take it personal, Fred. Also, I'm only criticizing the bad parts of US culture. I'm not criticizing the good parts, nor have I ever said that there weren't any of those either.
    = DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR =

  26. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Aragorn For This Useful Post:

    Elen (7th August 2019), Emil El Zapato (6th August 2019), Wind (6th August 2019)

  27. #164
    Senior Member Emil El Zapato's Avatar
    Join Date
    3rd April 2017
    Location
    Earth I
    Posts
    12,191
    Thanks
    36,640
    Thanked 43,100 Times in 11,915 Posts
    So I guess my American 155 is only kind of smart. I’ve long suspected that. My scores I read once are indicative of learning disability. My assessment/marker

    Read: the dangers of unsystematic selection methods at research gate carefully. It’s interesting
    “El revolucionario: te meteré la bota en el culo"

  28. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Emil El Zapato For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (6th August 2019), Elen (7th August 2019), Wind (6th August 2019)

  29. #165
    Senior Member Emil El Zapato's Avatar
    Join Date
    3rd April 2017
    Location
    Earth I
    Posts
    12,191
    Thanks
    36,640
    Thanked 43,100 Times in 11,915 Posts
    I mentioned earlier the lowest verbal score I ever got was on the graduate record exam a 95 percentile but that score was good enough to get me past the entry level into “Colloquy” that can be looked up
    “El revolucionario: te meteré la bota en el culo"

  30. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Emil El Zapato For This Useful Post:

    Aragorn (6th August 2019), Elen (7th August 2019)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •