Non-IT News Thread
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Bronze Age: Scientists Analyze Remains of Girl Who Lived During Historic Era
The 3,400-year-old remains were found in Egtved, Denmark, in 1921. Researchers say new tests show the girl was likely from Germany and traveled back and forth over hundreds of miles.
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Westboro Baptist Church: Group Protests Ireland Using Signs Depicting Flag of Ivory Coast
The group was protesting Ireland's legalization of same-sex marriage using signs with a flag of orange, white and green, which is the Ivory Coast's flag. Ireland's flag is green, white and orange.
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The problem with being an illiterate bigot is that you can't always figure out who to complain about.
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@scottalanmiller said:
The problem with being an illiterate bigot is that you can't always figure out who to complain about.
I'm very happy that no one has murdered them until they died from it, no matter how obnoxious and nasty they are. Having groups like this is an excellent test of the rules and how they are followed in a society. The canary in the coal mines of social freedoms.
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They also prompt a lot of discussion around if social freedoms are a good thing. In Germany, for example, this would be illegal. Specifically because of what groups like this have managed to accomplish in the past.
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@scottalanmiller I strongly disagree with that. I'd rather have them out in the open where they can be observed. Denying them the ability to spout their horse hockey just forces them underground and makes their echo chamber even more isolated and less prone to criticism.
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@MattSpeller said:
@scottalanmiller I strongly disagree with that. I'd rather have them out in the open where they can be observed. Denying them the ability to spout their horse hockey just forces them underground and makes their echo chamber even more isolated and less prone to criticism.
That's probably true, but I'm not sure that history supports that. That would make an interesting study for sure. Germany also does not allow things like home schooling for the same reason - they want to ensure that children can't be easily isolated and taught that this behaviour is okay.
It's a weird question of tolerance. Is being tolerant of intolerance more or less tolerant?
It's the same question about democracy.... what happens when a democracy votes for a dictator or a king?
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@scottalanmiller said:
It's the same question about democracy.... what happens when a democracy votes for a dictator or a king?
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻)
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@MattSpeller said:
@scottalanmiller said:
It's the same question about democracy.... what happens when a democracy votes for a dictator or a king?
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻)
It's a tough one. How do you guarantee freedom when people choose to not have freedom. Do you give people the choice of not being free? If you do, are they really free or not? If you don't, are they?
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Given enough time and enough votes (enough times voting, I mean) eventually every democracy will, at some point, vote itself out of a democracy. Right? Just mathematically makes sense.
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@scottalanmiller I think the system failed the people long before it got to that point.
Agreed, it's a tough question once it occurs though.
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@MattSpeller said:
@scottalanmiller I think the system failed the people long before it got to that point.
Agreed, it's a tough question once it occurs though.
In which case? You mean freedom failed that people opted not to be free?
I think in many cases it requires nothing other than good marketing, PR or media. People are sheep. The best way to undermine democracy is to let people have it. The general population is not equipped to understand the ramifications of their actions.
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Think about IT end users. If allowed to do anything that they wanted all kinds of things would break down.
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@scottalanmiller said:
In which case? You mean freedom failed that people opted not to be free?
I'd start with public education failing to show / explain properly what it means to be free and what it's cost previously when that was threatened. Failing to show / explain all the possible alternatives we are aware of and their ramifications and examples of them in action.
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@MattSpeller said:
@scottalanmiller said:
In which case? You mean freedom failed that people opted not to be free?
I'd start with public education failing to show / explain properly what it means to be free and what it's cost previously when that was threatened. Failing to show / explain all the possible alternatives we are aware of and their ramifications and examples of them in action.
Given enough time, though, you will lack those things. You only need to lack them once to lose the freedom you are trying to correct.
Although one would have to ask.... is freedom really better? Or do we only believe so because we are taught that?
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@scottalanmiller said:
Given enough time, though, you will lack those things. You only need to lack them once to lose the freedom you are trying to correct.
Although one would have to ask.... is freedom really better? Or do we only believe so because we are taught that?
Agreed, and that's an excellent question to ask in a class like that!
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@MattSpeller said:
@scottalanmiller said:
Given enough time, though, you will lack those things. You only need to lack them once to lose the freedom you are trying to correct.
Although one would have to ask.... is freedom really better? Or do we only believe so because we are taught that?
Agreed, and that's an excellent question to ask in a class like that!
That assumes that classes can have the necessary resources to answer questions that societies have been struggling with for thousands of years.
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@scottalanmiller No class will ever have all the answers, that's why we need bright people always asking good questions
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32897388
Unexplored WW2 bomb prompts evacuation of Cologne!
