BruceVC

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/20/travel/happiest-countries-to-visit/index.html We have touched on this topic before and I have personally made the point that "Western culture is the superior culture to others " and this was criticised by some as hubris, inaccurate and being "out of touch with reality " But I think its a good time to revisit this discussion. When I say " Western ideology " is superior the fact is that this list confirms this as the top ten countries are all Western countries and they have the happiest citizens in the world I'm not saying that Western countries have necessarily the cleverest people or that there aren't faults. The point is that Western Democracies work. Despite there faults they give there citizens the best quality of life end of the day. So what's wrong with saying " Western ideology " offers the best system of government for its citizens and therefore are the best example of how countries should be run? If you disagree with the my point that Western countries have the happiest citizens, and therefore the best governments, then please produce your own list so we can discuss it I see the Scandinavian countries are again in the top 10 list, so once again the important consideration of there socialist hybrid model really seems to work. High employment rate, high taxes but very effective government institutions. Isn't this model something we all should be aspiring to?

https://za.news.yahoo.com/nigeria-says-reaches-deal-boko-haram-over-abducted-152326480.html So some good news, and its rare around these types of events in the African context It looks like Boko Haram is going to give the school girls back, I wonder what they are getting in return? Apparently they will get some of there captured leaders back?

Geez I honestly can't think of worse music than that death metal...imagine being stuck in a room and having to listen to it for hours and hours

There has been three mass shootings and one bombing of shopping center in past 12 years in Finland, in every of these cases except one (our newest one where perpetrator got angry in line to food kiosk and decided to get his guns and kill everybody) there has been threats from perpetrator that they will do these acts in internet beforehand and each case police deemed those threats to be nothing but empty talks in internet, so much so that in one case the even gave weapon buy permit to perpetrator for weapon that he use in his killing spree even though they knew that he had threaten to shoot his fellow students. Which is why I think that internet threats should be taken as seriously as those that are made to face to face. If we don't take threats in internet seriously they will work as mask that obscures us to see those threats from people that actually will commit acts they threat to do and changes our attitudes towards hostile language so that we don't even blink when people use crude and uncivil language when they speak to us, which just make our society so much less pleasant to live (but that maybe just me not everybody else). And for every one of those there is a million that amount to nothing. Statistically, you have a higher chance of being stuck by lighting while in a rubber suit between two metal buildings. Problem with taking everything seriously then it doesn't leave room for everything else. You talk about a pleasant society to live in? I for one don't consider police states pleasant. Should speeding not be a offence or thing that is treated seriously as there is every day billions of occurrences of speeding that don't lead accidents or road deaths and statistically those to happen compared to number of speedings is so marginal that people die more probably to meteoroid hit than it is to one occurrence speeding to cause accident. I have used BBS/internet as way to communicate nearly every day with people from beginning of 1990s and I have not received even single death threat against me or anybody close to me in all this time. So I don't necessary believe that number of death threats in internet is necessary in uncontrollable numbers as most of them focus on small set of people. Of course I could be privileged person who can't understand real scope of the problem. If we take every threat seriously there is high change that number of threats will drop, because people can't yell their threats without risk that there is consequences. If you think that state become police state when there are consequences when you threat to kill somebody, then we have different meanings for that word. Latest from twitter. Polygon has written editorial about gamergate, journalistic ethics, corruption of gaming media and gaming culture. http://www.polygon.com/2014/10/17/6996601/on-gamergate-a-letter-from-the-editor I also don't consider that a police state, it would be a very pleasant and reasonable place to live in actually

Thanks, I'm going to watch it

Cool picture

This is a good first effort but I'm still not convinced you are ready to play this game yet I'll tell you what, lets compromise. I'll assess your posts over the next 6 weeks and if I see a concerted attempt from you to show me that this game won't have a negative impact on your psyche then I don't mind if you play Hatred. Deal?

That's very true, and I can testify to its negative effect....it just makes you feel so good when you have it

Nah, I'm not a regular drinker but I am a binge drinker I now have an image of you sitting in some South African bar sipping a mixed drink(I don't take you as a beer or shots guy) eyeing all the ladies and wondering which one of them wouldn't mind dressing up like your Booware waifu of choice. Funny enough I don't like beer, I'm a spirit drinker. Vodka is my favourite drink but I do enjoy shooters, especially Tequila. In fact it is always the shooters that lead to the terrible hangovers I get the next day when I over indulge

Of course in theory we should just ignore trolls or rather not get upset by there comments. But Internet history tells a different story about the insidious impact that Trolls can have on some people. For some the Internet is a form of identity and is much more important to them than you realize, when they get Trolled it really effects them in a negative way...and I mean depression level consequences. There are people who have ended up committing suicide because of Trolling

Nah, I'm not a regular drinker but I am a binge drinker

I have to be honest endless kid stories also get to me after a while ....I know its nasty to say but its true

Wait, that's not what this thread is for? Much like gamergate itself, this thread is pretty much an amorphous blob which isn't really clear on what it's for, but has very strong feelings about it regardless. So it's like a bunch of drunk people at a party? That isn't a wholly inaccurate description of the internet as a whole really. I just finished work now, its 11:20 pm....and I feel like getting drunk. Its been a long but relatively productive day, oh well there is always tomorrow to get a little inebriated

'Fraid not. We also don't wear cowboy hats either surprisingly. We do have some great shelters for abused women though. http://www.hawc.org/en/support-us/donate-today/ Feel free to chip in whatever. @ KP I'll definitely donate to this initiative I hope you aren't taking Primes comments too seriously, he is making some valid points but also having some fun at the same time with his jabs We need a bit of humour in this thread because at times it gets too serious And some of the comments have been quite funny

Malc I see Sarkeesian is from Canada, she isn't related to you by any chance? But the real question is " would you tell us if she was "

Yeah this game is appalling, we have been discussing this extensively in the Random Games section

Elliot Rodger threated to shoot people in internet earlier this year before his killing spree, comes first to my mind. Oh Elerond, I love your ability to find a link or give a credible answer whenever says something like " when was the last time someone did xx or yy " or "I doubt anyone has ever done this before " Keep up the good work

Excellent effort Walsie, I know how hard it is to change routines. Especially when you enjoy them Is this break just for the month or longer ?

Nah, that just seems like an impossibly arduous task.. my therapist told me that somethings can't just be fixed

Here is something even more interesting: http://www.usu.edu/ust/index.cfm?article=54179 Law enforcement deemed there was never an imminent threat. Anita canceled her talk because of Utah's CCW law. Spin it how you will, those are the facts. A gawker site against gamergate?!?! NO! But thats what I thought, I didn't think this was deemed a legitimate threat

Its fine, I can save you. We'll book you into your local SJ clinic for brainwas....errr...I mean therapy and when you come out you'll never want to do that again

I agree with this, and my question would also be "what game has ever been created whose only design purpose was just the killing of civilians and people in positions in authority, like Police ? ". In other words no other purpose but this? I don't want to seem to keep going on about it but its a new low for me in gaming development Postal, Carmageddon, GTA, Manhunt... list can go on but I dont like too much those games so someone can add more (I know these games were not ONLY about that but be real, most of gameplay was killing civilians No you can't possibly compare GTA to this game, I can play GTA and not go any killings spree if I don't want to. You seem to acknowledge that so that isn't an applicable example. I don't know about the other games so I can't comment ?

It is serious, but haven't there been numerous death threats against people like Anita and other feminists?

FEAR fanboy chiming in, FEAR 2 isn't bad. FEAR 3 on the other hand... The main thing FEAR 2 has going against it is the levels aren't as open and interesting. There's not as many cool opportunity to ambush the enemies as a result, which was the best part about FEAR 1. That's true about F.E.A.R 2, I didn't think about that until you pointed it out

I agree with this, and my question would also be "what game has ever been created whose only design purpose was just the killing of civilians and people in positions in authority, like Police ? ". In other words no other purpose but this? I don't want to seem to keep going on about it but its a new low for me in gaming development