Ben No.3
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Posts posted by Ben No.3
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Me personally, I am somewhat teaching myself how to learn for its own sake. Having some degree of success with it, so I’m genuinely happy in school. At times, anyway.
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I haven’t visited school in the US, but I have spend some time in the UK (which I’ve heard has a similar climate) and, of course, Germany. So I might as well rant a bit about the flaws of schooling.
There is a special kind of tragedy surrounding school work. The subjects tackled are all important, have the potential to spark our interests or even touch us deeply. The people sitting in a classroom will, in all likelihood, never again spend this much time understanding literature, philosophy, history, the sciences, etc. And this makes sense - adolescence is an extremely important time, as many of life’s great questions appear here for the first time. So one might hope that school takes the chance to educate the pupils accordingly, allowing them to gain great insight at an early age. And looking at the topics or the authors talked, one might even get the impression that this is indeed the case.
It isn’t, however. It is true that the students spend considerable time with complex subjects, yet the subject at hand is de facto irrelevant, because it is not the reason why students are at school. Instead, grades rule. Everything else at school must subordinate itself to these masters. And the masters are sovereign - that is to say, disconnected from whatever subject claims to be taught. But the subjects are little more than empty shells. They serve merely as a mean to an end; when, in fact, the should be both. But the emptiness of the subject is translated into an emptiness of work. Whatever the student learns appears ultimately irrelevant to him, because it is. Students spend hours with Shakespeare solely for the sake of grades. Of course, this makes Shakespeare irrelevant - they might as well be studying molluscs. What matters is their ability to reproduce what they learn according to arbitrary standards. Yet, this judgement is all that ever counts in school.
When the work is done for the grade, the students work is no longer his work; that is, an expression of his ability, talent or character. It is merely a method to archive a grade he is dependent upon. A grade which can’t help but to fail to represent the genuine value of the students work (a flaw inherent in the arbitrariness of the grading system). His work is thus no longer part of the student. Instead, it is a product, that he has produced yet that he holds no power or influence above. On the contrary, the product, through the grade, is immensely powerful. Summarised in one sentence, school work is highly alienated, devoid of any sense or meaning.
This Problem extents further. It affects every aspect of school, because it affects what school fundamentally consists of: the work students do. Grades can’t help but to be competitive. In a sense, the competition replaces the meaning the work has lost due to grading. A grade on its own means nothing, but in comparison to other grades, one is capable to interpret meaning into it. Mind you, the grades are still essentially arbitrary, but that doesn’t matter. The grades don’t have to mean anything to gain meaning through competition. We could say that competition gives grades a self serving purpose. A purpose that is of course gladly accepted by everyone - meaningless work is unbearable - but that does nothing but to force children and young adults into a fierce competition; if only for lack of alternative.
Adolescents find themselves in a place where their work is devoid of any meaning other than to be better than others for the sake of being better. Frankly, I do not find it remotely surprising that such a bleak life breaks people. There is a very good German drama called Woyzeck. Its about a young, poor soldier who ultimately falls victim to humiliating circumstances. In an act of desperation, he kills his girlfriend, the mother of his son. Yet, if we examine the drama closely, we have to admit that Woyzeck is innocent, that he never had a chance and that this random spike of violence was the unavoidable reaction to his powerlessness in the face of a cruel world.
Perhaps we ought to look at the school shooters not as evil, but as tragic characters. Victims themselves, just as much as those they shoot. The violence may well be just a failed attempt to affirm ones own power to act outside of the bleakness of education, after years of exposure to and suffering under its system. If a shooter is a broken individual, that what breaks him is at fault.
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We eat horse though. The horse-meat scandal 2013 is one of those events that really stuck with me,
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"Common sense means quit attacking the gun, which is just a tool, and go after the person (or people) responsible for the violence. Enforce the laws that already exist. Lock up the felons in possession of firearms for life with no parole. Elect judges who aren’t soft on criminals and are willing to punish the perpetrators harshly and with lengthy prison sentences.
Bring back the death penalty and execute the worthless scum plaguing our streets. Quit giving them the luxurious accommodations of prison life paid for by hard-earned American tax dollars."
I know this technically is a pars pro toto-fallacy, but I don't quite trust a news outlet that considers American prison life to be luxurious, even if this is a opinion article. Plus, it doesn't seem like that great of an idea to make gang members as afraid as possible from the state. Shouldn't there rather be efforts to help rehabilitate them? Ultimately, I'd assume the vast majority of criminals are more tragic than evil characters. To be honest, I don't think there'd be many cases where criminals are criminals not due to either surroundings or mental illness; though the latter is, of course, most likley, a result of the former. But if criminality is something that happens to people, rather than that they choose to become criminally active, then that indicates significant structural problems. But the race- and povertydrums have been beaten.
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Ben f it wasn't for bad luck you'd have none at all! No sooner do you get your license this happens: http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/emissions-violations-have-german-cities-facing-driving-bans-a-1194269.html
Honestly, I feel like car free inner cities is a great idea, even if difficult to implement at first
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Well I am officially allowed to drive cars now.
To be honest, I feel like the existence of my drivers license is a pro libertarian argument
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inanimate objects like a tax bill?You'll all be relived to hear all of my firearms are still safely locked up in the gun safe. They didn't escape and harm anyone all by themselves. Because clearly inanimate objects are the threat right? You'd certainly think so watching the news these days.
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I propose we try a little something: falsely attributed quotes.
„If you’re not a communist at the age of 20, you haven’t got a heart.
If you’re still a communist at the age of 40, you haven’t got a brain.“
-Joseph Stalin
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SuicideAbout the suicide correlation.
People in rural areas are more isolated with fewer opportunities. Rural living is associated with decreased law enforcement presence and an increased need to self-secure.
I think it just so happens that these correlate, and you'll find high suicide rates in other rural regions of the world which don't particularly have many guns.
Guns
Degree of technological development in the economy, lets say
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https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.shtmlHow is the story with gun deaths rather than suicides. More specifically, (how) does gun ownership correlate with suicide? Cause there seems to be a correlation...
Here’s gun ownership
Here’s suicide
Afterthoughts: If there is such a stark correlation between the two (which seems intuitive, since guns male suicide easy), and if preventing people from owning guns proves too difficult, we have to wonder how to lower suicide rates. Which I genuinely don’t know how to do, but free for all, easy access psychological and psychiatrical help seems like a logical first step
I'd question the structuring of that second map a bit because it makes a huge jump in category for number of suicides, rather than incrementing, it jumps right to 122 from 17.
They have a more sensible map in that sense (last category is up to 20), averaged by state rather than location, though it end up looking similar. I’d assume the 17-122 is used because there are a few single places with disproportionately high numbers
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How is the story with gun deaths rather than suicides. More specifically, (how) does gun ownership correlate with suicide? Cause there seems to be a correlation...
Here’s gun ownership
Here’s suicide
Afterthoughts: If there is such a stark correlation between the two (which seems intuitive, since guns male suicide easy), and if preventing people from owning guns proves too difficult, we have to wonder how to lower suicide rates. Which I genuinely don’t know how to do, but free for all, easy access psychological and psychiatrical help seems like a logical first step
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How I am understanding it, guns are a problem, but taking them away an even bigger one and anything else useless?
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ah wow... I actually forgot that. Anyway, at least it wasn’t an ad on YT back then.
LOL. I posted this months ago. Made by IPN (Institute of National Remembrance).https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=18&v=NrkQ20SjHoU
What is this propaganda which starts to play before videos?
Here is the full video with narration (yes it is Sean Bean):
Also, regarding to the “fake news glorifying the hellspawn”, BBC is British
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What is this propaganda which starts to play before videos?
Seriously, this looks like some sort of video game ad. It is despicable how the polish government handles history and treats it like some sort of adventurestory. No facts, no sources, no proper historical work. Instead, mere emotion. Especially with a topic such as the Holocaust, one might expect governments to hadle it with some sort of professionalism. This, however, is laughable.If this was indeed a videogame ad, we should expect some criticism for the poor handling of the subject, and rightfully so. The fact that it is a government behind this video, which seems to view this type of broadcasting as a legitimate political tool, is borderline horrifying
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Honestly, I’d expect there to be a clear correlation between race and intelligence, especially in the US. Even more so world wide.
Now, we have to remember that intelligence is, essentially, the degree of the capacity of the brain to do something (at least that’s the most basic definition I can come up with). Thus, it is essential that the brain of a baby, and later as a child, develops well. If it cannot, then a lack of intelligence is to be the expected outcome.
We should ask ourselves: what is central to the development of a child’s brain? As far as my admittedly limited (but I do believe we’re all in the same boat here; anyway, I’m trying to recollect my memory from my time helping out in a psychiatry) understanding goes, nutrition is one central question in this regard. Now, considering that non-whites in the US and the world tend to be significantly poorer than whites, I would imagine nutrition to be a core reason for such a correlation. Furthermore, poverty also has the potential (pretending on the health care policies of the specific country) to exclude pregnant women from assistance in regards to how to properly handle a pregnancy and what is best for the baby.
Thus, a correlation between race and IQ, if anything, backs up the argument that more needs to be done for the emancipation of non whites.
So what needs to be done? Spontaneously, I do believe equal access to information for everyone, a honest, elaborate and early look at pregnancy (and honest, elaborate and early sex ed in general seems to be a problem in the us) in schools, equal access to health care and and doctors appointments as well as the knowledge of these options.
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“As a convinced Bolshevik, it goes against my beliefs to serve bourgeois scum.”
I bet you that store would be shut down.
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no, I pointed out the issues with making “polish death camp” a legal term. I don’t seem to deny, dismiss or relativise the Holocaust. But we are in a discussion about a law. And if we are doing that, I think it is perfectly reasonable to consider just how much history can or could be denied when forbidding the term “polish death camp”. Essentially, I was talking about terminology. Granted though, I should’ve made that clearer. I’m sorry if I confused anyone.
Did you equaled an epidemic in prison with Nazi death camps? You did, didn't you?I think an important question is to determine what “polish death camps” means. I might as well argue it refers to any polish death camp, not just the ones which the Nazis build. And honestly, that doesn’t seem like too far of a cry. Laws can be changed easily.
And Poland did build some actual death camps. Tuchola (?) during the Polish-Soviet war comes to mind. I believe a rather large number of Soviet soldiers died there, something around the 16.000. Furthermore, the polish did their fair share of backing the white terror with its anti-Jewish character earlier in the same century. That happened mostly in Russia and the Ukraine; but the point is, that this law can easily be modified to disable citizens from discussing events such as these.
Is that something you picked in school or read some low quality website?
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I think an important question is to determine what “polish death camps” means. I might as well argue it refers to any polish death camp, not just the ones which the Nazis build. And honestly, that doesn’t seem like too far of a cry. Laws can be changed easily.
And Poland did build some actual death camps. Tuchola (?) during the Polish-Soviet war comes to mind. I believe a rather large number of Soviet soldiers died there, something around the 16.000. Furthermore, the polish did their fair share of backing the white terror with its anti-Jewish character earlier in the same century. That happened mostly in Russia and the Ukraine; but the point is, that this law can easily be modified to disable citizens from discussing events such as these.
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http://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/31/politics/nunes-memo-law-enforcement/index.html
Guys this type of misleading misinformation potentially released by some in the GOP should concern all of us....
Like the NSA concerns you?
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Today, I literally fell of the chair when it hit me that the Bohemian Rhapsody is a retelling of Camus’ Stranger.
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Well it seemed slightly more healthy than getting drunk with the same frequency
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I only saw the same. Though the AfD did say something about freedom of religion, so maybe (if we get a bit conspiratorial) the AfD wants to show that they too can tolerate Muslims; in a fashion similar to how Breitbart uses Milo to claim their acceptance for homosexuality.
Out of curiosity since you're there, are there any 'educated guesses' in Germany as to what his reasons are for the conversion? What I saw was 'personal reasons' with no elaboration.
the word "leader" is misleading. While he used to be affiliated with the State-Leadership of the AfD in Brandenburh (the state surrounding Berlin), he is now leading the AfD only within a small voting district in the same state. Regardlessly, this is, of course, highly amusing news.In other news Arthur Wagner one of the leaders of the AfD ( Alternative for Germany) party has made news by converting to Islam. AfD is the group that said "Islam doesn’t belong in Germany. We see the ideology of multiculturalism as a serious threat to societal peace and cultural unity.” and Wagner himself accused Merkel of "mutating" the country by allowing in Muslim refugees. https://www.thelocal.de/20180124/leading-member-of-far-right-afd-in-brandenburg-converts-to-islam
I guess if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
Seriously though, I have no idea
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In other news Arthur Wagner one of the leaders of the AfD ( Alternative for Germany) party has made news by converting to Islam. AfD is the group that said "Islam doesn’t belong in Germany. We see the ideology of multiculturalism as a serious threat to societal peace and cultural unity.” and Wagner himself accused Merkel of "mutating" the country by allowing in Muslim refugees. https://www.thelocal.de/20180124/leading-member-of-far-right-afd-in-brandenburg-converts-to-islam
I guess if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
the word "leader" is misleading. While he used to be affiliated with the State-Leadership of the AfD in Brandenburh (the state surrounding Berlin), he is now leading the AfD only within a small voting district in the same state. Regardlessly, this is, of course, highly amusing news.
The Political Quinceañera Thread
in Way Off-Topic
Posted
Na, the play isn’t a simple jealously drama. Büchner, the author, was a hard leftist and believed people to be heavily influenced by society. His aim for Woyzeck was, as I recall, to create a piece in which one can argue for Woyzecks innocence.
And what I am trying to say is that no one simply “is” evil. Every act of evil, or good, has traceable causes in the actors psychology, his social condition, etc. If a society produced gun shootings Oma regular basis, saying there might be a problem with the society doesn’t seem like too far of a fetch.