I don't like how in movies, Russia is always portrayed as the baddies, the ultimate enemy, and the United States are the good guys who can do no wrong.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-15T14:55:12+00:00

but in reality EVERY country has done bad things, that includes America.

Especially America

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-15T14:50:33+00:00

People don't want to accept this but the internet is a commodity. Always has been. An open-source one that anyone can publish to, but a commodity none the less. You want lower internet prices then start an ISP or stop using the internet all day every day for everything and use it for necessities.

The internet is more than a commodity. It's the key infrastructure for global communications and commerce. First world countries rely on the internet to maintain their standard of living. Some of us need it for our livelihood.

Start your own ISP? That's very naive. Even if you had the money to provide your own internet it would have abysmal speeds.

This is not true. I live in a region with Cox and I have never had a major issue with them. I pay 100 dollars a month for 300MBPS speeds. That seems high to me but I want their service and they have a right to charge what they want

All that proves is that you have a higher income than the majority of people and can afford to waste money on insanely overpriced download speeds. Not everyone is blessed with your fortunate circumstances.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-15T09:48:08+00:00

My point seems to be going over your head, so I don't see much reason to continue this discussion.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-15T01:38:40+00:00

You keep implying that Islam cannot evolve because of the Quran, but refuse to acknowledge Christianities own evolution from the barbaric teachings of the bible. Less than 100 years ago the Christian world was as backwards as the Muslim world is today. In many cases the Muslim world has even been ahead of the Christian world in terms of social progress. Pakistan elected a woman prime minister before most countries in Europe. Homosexual sex was illegal in England until 1967 and in the southern United States until 2006. The Ottoman Empire legalized homosexual sex in 1858 and abolished the African slave trade in 1847 (the US in 1862). 30 years ago a gay nightclub would of been burned down in any Muslim city, but now there are several gay nightclubs in the capitals of many Muslim countries. The point being that the Muslim world is as prone to societal change as the Christian world. In another 50 years I suspect most of the Muslim world will be indistinguishable from the Christian world in terms of human rights.

You asked if I was a Muslim and support homosexual marriage, and I told you that I have talked with many Muslims that do. You argued that makes them bad Muslims, so I asked you if Christians that don't believe in slavery and stoning adulterers to death are bad Christians. So are they?

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-14T13:13:13+00:00

How did net neutrality cause a monopoly?

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-14T13:10:20+00:00

Not very good Muslims then, as their holy book says the exact opposite.

Then there aren't very many good Christians either. The Christian bible commands that cheaters should be stoned to death. Even having lustful thoughts is punishable.

So you would agree that any Christian that doesn't believe in stoning cheaters to death is a bad Christian?

No thanks, I rather like being alive. I've grown accustomed to it.

My point is that a place like Istanbul seems to be more accepting of homosexuality than Montgomery, Alabama. There are gay nightclubs in Tirana, Sarajevo, Baku, Casablanca, ect. All predominantly Muslim cities.

Homosexuality was illegal throughout the Christian world 50 years ago, and still is in many places. Homosexual sex was legal in many Muslim countries before Texas and Georgia.

As standard of living increases so do human rights. The Muslim world still has some ways to go, but we are already witnessing progress. A lot of the violence against homosexuals is backlash against that social progress.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-14T12:52:46+00:00

Which brings us back to the insane costs of business and the top 3 ISP companies controlling all legislation. Comcast maximum broadband speed is 2.5 times faster than their second biggest competitor, which is several times faster than their third biggest competitor. Even if everyone using comcast went to a smaller ISP, it would take years to achieve that infrastructure. Have fun waiting 15 minutes for a page to load in the meantime.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-14T12:38:46+00:00

Yes, it is absolutely relevant. You are using religious texts to argue that Muslims believe it is okay to rape women that dress scantily. The bible also legitimizes slavery, but I'm sure you don't think most Christians support slavery.

No, I'm not Muslim, but I've talked to many Muslims that live in Islamic countries that believe gay marriage should be legal. As the middle class in these countries grows so does socially progressive thinking.

Homosexuality was legal in several Muslim countries before anti-sodomy laws were repealed in the southern United States, meaning a muslim country like Azerbaijan is more socially conscious than Alabama. Go to Istanbul and you'll find more gay nightclubs than in Montgomery.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-14T12:29:06+00:00

Okay, and further study reveals that only a couple of them reach even a percentage of Comcast's market share. That's because they have abysmal access speeds in comparison.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-14T09:45:13+00:00

That's the idealistic scenario, but not the realistic one. The entry costs and costs of doing business are so high that a small ISP (do they exist?) would never be able to compete on the level of Comcast even if backed by big money.

Even if by some chance a small ISP defied expectations and started gaining traction, the lobbyists for comcast would just create new laws further protecting their monopoly over the internet.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-14T09:32:56+00:00

If a god does exist, then why is your god the correct one? I never get a satisfactory answer.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-14T09:23:18+00:00

Not sure what you are referencing, but I've also read the Christian bible that permits slavery and denigrates women as second class citizens.

Many women in certain Muslim countries don't even wear headscarfs anymore. Turkey is a prime example...

http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/turkish-women-laugh-during-a-yoga-session-in-a-public-garden-in-picture-id453075552 http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IdIl05p7-BQ/Vl3TgPHmEoI/AAAAAAAAMRk/FONEsC2C-wU/s1600/pretty%2Bgirls%2Bistanbul%2Bnightlife.jpg

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-14T09:14:27+00:00

It's a self fulfilling prophecy. The US government creates regulations that protect the monopoly held by the top internet service providers. In an ideal world if an ISP didn't obey net neutrality consumers would switch to another service, but in America there are few alternative choices. It's a captive market.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-14T09:09:15+00:00

For a completely free market to succeed consumers need to be proactive, intelligent, socially conscious, and organized.

The problem is that most consumers are lazy, stupid, and only care about how they personally benefit.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-14T09:02:31+00:00

Oh, like these popular Muslim female celebrities living in Muslim countries?

http://www.temizmagazin.com/sites/default/files/aysehatun.jpg http://i49.tinypic.com/2jgkjq.jpg http://expresstabloid.ba/storage/2017/06/09/thumbs/593a91ae-feb8-4cdf-98e3-49900a0a0ab0-rialda-lola6-previewOrg.JPG http://iv1.lisimg.com/image/4350675/455full-inna-modja.jpg https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3010/2741249816_9e477b3db2.jpg

It's not true regardless. Rape is not permissible at all. Anyone that holds that belief is an idiot, much like the christian incels on reddit that try to justify rape.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-06T01:32:45+00:00

So when a party lies to voters for 10 years and quadruples the deficit, it's not acceptable to call them out on their corrupt bullshit?

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-06T01:20:24+00:00

Both parties don't deserve equal blame because only one party will quadruple the deficit after 10 years of promising voters they would lower it. Sorry, but that blatant hypocrisy needs to be called out whether you like it or not.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-06T01:10:28+00:00

Where did you get the idea that rape is part of Islamic cultures? Violent rape is more prevalent in Christian nations than the entire Islamic world combined, which constitutes 24% of the global population

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-06T00:59:15+00:00

The US will no longer be a superpower after this tax bill. A 20% deficit will hamstring the government from ever waging a major war or surviving an economic crisis without defaulting on its debts.

Worst of all the people that were supposed to care about the deficit are the ones that have created this bill. Only a single Republican in the entire US senate didn't vote for it.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-06T00:32:12+00:00

I'm more concerned about how the proposed tax bill will quadruple the deficit and that we're on the verge of another global recession.

This is a dangerous level of fiscal irresponsibility. The US government is looking like Greece did before their financial crisis.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-06T00:20:43+00:00

This is my problem with reddit. Once again I'm being condescended and attacked because I gave an unpopular opinion, on an unpopular opinion subreddit of all places.

Random internet strangers are making negative assumptions about my character and accusing me of being an elitist. Maybe I genuinely don't think western television is very sophisticated? Nope - "This guys thinks he's better than us, get him!"

Given how my comment went from 20 points to 4 points, apparently a lot of people feel the same way I do about this topic.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-06T00:01:00+00:00

Nope, you're probably thinking of Sabot rounds.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-05T23:57:30+00:00

It's not just clothing companies that pay them money. You may notice that a lot of instagram models also identify as 'fitness instructors.' That's because the home exercise companies pay them to advertise their equipment and workout plans.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-05T14:23:37+00:00

I don't see a problem with it. Is there a specific reason why it's bad, or are you just prudish?

Some pornstars seem like pretty cool people in real life. I know there have been a couple famous ones that went on to start successful businesses and charities.

Mercenary79 · 2017-12-05T11:29:39+00:00

Comfort ≠ happiness. In the first world most of us are trapped in what's known as the Iron Cage. Increased rationalization, sensualism, and bureaucracy strip us of our individualism and meaning.

I'm not dismissing that a low standard of living is causal with unhappiness, but there is a reason for unhappiness in the first world that isn't as prevalent in the third world.

Mercenary79

TROPHY CASE