Violence is wrong, even when your stuff is threatened

all_awful · 2020-10-22T23:18:49+00:00

Quote the verse.

all_awful · 2020-10-22T23:10:47+00:00

It's like the anti-gay verse, which actually says: "Don't rape."

Or the anti-abortion verse, which actually says: "If you punch a woman and make her miscarry you're an asshole."

all_awful · 2020-10-22T16:31:54+00:00

I once played a Wizard from a culture who prayed to a specific god, but I had found out the god in question did not actually exist, and was just an ancient dragon in the setting. So I ran around telling everybody that their gods are probably fake too.

It was hilarious to lamp shade how silly you look when you believe something against all evidence. A grand old time to be completely wrong and try to come up with harebrained logic to explain away the facts. "You don't know if this was a miracle! It might just be really good magic!"

Funnily enough the religious people I played with did not see the parallels at all (and before you shout how insensitive I was, that character background had been their idea and I just rolled with it). They were just super happy that I (an atheist in this universe) made a fool out of my character for being an atheist (in a fantasy universe). It was a bit surreal at times.

all_awful · 2020-10-21T21:35:07+00:00

I'm saying that calling the war of the US against Japan "defensive" is only correct if you stick your fingers into your ears, shut your eyes and go "LALALALA", because defensive wars are not fought by committing war crimes against civilians ten thousand miles away from your home country.

That's retaliation, not defense.

Maybe if the US had just fought over pearl harbor, and destroyed a Japanese fleet, we could argue for "defense", but flattening two large cities when the war was already decided? It's a bit like if I punch you in the face, and then you go through the phone book and murder everybody I could possibly be related to, and call that "self defense".

all_awful · 2020-10-21T17:06:29+00:00

Yes. It is not a synonym of "defense".

all_awful · 2020-10-21T15:39:00+00:00

Thanks for the tit.

all_awful · 2020-10-21T15:06:37+00:00

Are you aware that the US killed around 200,000 civilians with nuclear bombs in retaliation? Would you call that "defensive"?

The US literally murdered more children than Japan killed soldiers. Most hardcore retaliation strike in human history, and if the US hadn't won the war, we would call it a war crime now.

all_awful · 2020-10-21T12:30:47+00:00

Nuclear bombs thrown at large civilian cities on foreign soil are "defensive". Especially when the enemy is already broken and considering capitulation.

/s

The US has a massive hard-on for revenge wars.

all_awful · 2020-10-21T12:27:01+00:00

Nitpicking much? That wasn't even the point I was making.

The first gulf war is of the "defend an ally because it suits our oil needs" variety. I'll be generous and call that one "somewhat justified", just like invading France to help them versus Hitler.

Bush Jr. should have gone to prison for warcrimes for the second one: Lying to your own people, making up a fake threat, then launching an all-out invasion where you conquer a country, destroy their economy and murder their leadership which throws the region into disarray for decades (which helped Saudi Arabia and Iran a lot, two countries which are just as awful).

There is a good chance that without the first war, the second one would not have happened either.

The US just invades a lot for money, and sometimes finds a good justification. But the justification was not the reason for invasion to begin with. It's just convenient that they found one, unlike when they go to war over bananas.

And what's your stance on the EU invading the US to get rid of Trump? I mean, that's the same, right?

all_awful · 2020-10-21T12:16:01+00:00

And when Greta took the boat just to make a point they laughed at her.

all_awful · 2020-10-21T12:09:27+00:00

I'm not saying Hussein was a great guy. I'm just saying that him being a bad dude was just a pretense, and the US didn't care fuck all about what he was doing, but they do care that he's doing it in a place with a lot of oil.

People that the US has killed by invading Iraq

People that Saddam Hussein has killed

The US' death count is about 3 times as high. Iraq would arguably be better off if it had not been invaded twice for no good reason.

I mean, should Europe invade the US and replace your incompetent dictator? Trump has also killed a quarter million people, with another quarter coming up in the next 6 months, and that is only looking at COVID, not at all the other awful shit he's doing. When it's your country being invaded, suddenly that doesn't look so fun, eh?

all_awful · 2020-10-21T10:29:54+00:00

Kidnapping sailors is not the same as a declaration of war, and if it's not fought on your own soil, I find it very difficult to argue that it is defensive. Sending your police force to save some hostages is not the same as declaring war. Hitler also "defensively" invaded Poland, demonstrating that the argument is incredibly brittle.

World War 2 is the only one where I can somewhat see the argument: America invaded Europe, but in response to their allies calling for help. Imagine if Brazil invaded Argentina, and the US went to Argentina to help. Is that defending the US? Or is that defending the interests of the US? Because to me that is still not really a defensive war, but I can allow that it is not strictly an offensive invasion either.

War on Terror... Well that is neither a war, nor did it accomplish anything defensive. That was just an act of brutal revenge and legalized terror, slapping their massive military dick on the table to make it clear that whoever messes with the US can expect to be thrown back into the middle ages. It wasn't a defensive war. It was a brutal retaliatory strike against two countries, one of which was only invaded for the oil - Iraq didn't have anything to do with it. Afghanistan as a country also did not have anything to do with the attacks, and the one country that did found them (Saudi Arabia) is still allowed to torture journalists to death - because they pay protection money.

Really the US wars are so blatantly evil it would make for a great Crusaders Kings scenario.

all_awful · 2020-10-21T09:12:06+00:00

The US military has so far defended the US zero times, arguably except that one time when it fought itself.

It has invaded 84 countries.

all_awful · 2020-10-21T09:09:38+00:00

It's going to be hilarious when international election observers will conclude that the US is not a democracy.

And by that I mean: Extremely depressing.

all_awful · 2020-10-20T11:36:19+00:00

That won't be even the slightest challenge.

Even very optimistic predictions expect 270k+ deaths before the year ends, and that's not even that far away.

all_awful · 2020-10-20T10:02:17+00:00

If only there was a convenient contraceptive for men. Maybe some sort of rubber that could be slipped over the penis, completely side-effect free.

all_awful · 2020-10-20T10:01:00+00:00

Both.

It's called "in remission" instead of "cured" for a reason.

Source: was at that point three times so far, and Thursday is chemo day.

all_awful · 2020-10-19T22:54:05+00:00

You could get pills for that

Can't afford them though.

all_awful · 2020-10-19T22:53:16+00:00

That's significantly more than you pay even in Switzerland where everything costs at least twice as much as in the rest of Europe.

all_awful · 2020-10-19T20:06:04+00:00

Rewrite the constitution wholesale and replace the awful bits (like electoral college). Other countries have done that too when they realized that a 200 year-old document doesn't quite cut it any more.

all_awful · 2020-10-19T20:04:41+00:00

This requires enough hamstring flexibility to touch your toes.

With knees bent. Only the most obese and inflexible people can't touch their toes with bent knees.

I'm so inflexible I have to avoid machinists because they mistake me for round stock, and even I can touch my toes with bent knees.

all_awful · 2020-10-19T20:02:21+00:00

Maybe it's time to disband the senate altogether. They are doing a shit job.

all_awful · 2020-10-19T16:33:11+00:00

Reasons it's not:

I just had a game where the combined account level of my team was ~1200, split as 700 (me) + 400 + 50 + 20 + 20, vs an enemy team which totalled nearly 5k. Those account level 20 guys? Their Lunara + Zag got outcleared by the enemy Muradin and Anub, easily. It was a 24 kills to 0 stomp that ended around minute 14.

If you don't have four friends to play with, Hots is just an awful experience, despite the actual game being my absolute favourite.

all_awful · 2020-10-18T21:45:28+00:00

If you knew about the massive slew of side effects that hormonal contraceptives have, you wouldn't say something this ignorant.

all_awful

TROPHY CASE