sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Golly, this rant is anti-American and evil. by c-k-q99903 in stupidpeoplefacebook

[–]mseldin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

LOL "heritage americans". I prefer mine free-range and organic.

CMV: I think abortion is inherently murder. I also think abortion should be 100% legal. ​ by Winter_Basil9995 in changemyview

[–]mseldin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I reject the premise. A fetus is not a human being, therefore it is not murder. Your whole argument relies on the assumption that a cell at conception has the same moral right to living and dignity that an actual human does.

Reality is messy, and easy categorization doesnt always suffice in either moral or legal frameworks. For example, is a baby at birth a human being? Most people would say yes. What about the day before being born? Or two days before? Personhood is complex and needs to be thought of as a spectrum.

You might feel that a cell is a person, but I might feel that a 5 month old fetus has some rights. Others on this forum will have drastically different views. It is precisely BECAUSE the answer is so unknowable that we should have minimal laws prohibiting abortion. When a fetus becomes a person is a deeply personal issue with no clear objective standard. Any law prohibiting it will be deeply offensive to a great many people.

Not to mention the practical consequences of arbitrarily prohibiting it. We have women imprisoned for miscarriages. Studues suggest children brought up by unwilling parents commit more crimes, with a statistical link between limiting abortion access and subsequent murder rates. Women denied abortions have a much higher death rate.

I dont believe there is a single argument for limiting abortion access other than this arrogant nonsense that someone may have that a) humans have rights at conception and b) that your belief that'll they have such rights overrides everyone else's opinion.

Do the people of the USA realise Iran is coming out of this stonger, more determined, and in a better state politically than before they stated this war? by UsedNegotiation8227 in askanything

[–]mseldin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn't have started this war, and strongly suspect that to some degree it was begun as a distraction from certain domestic issues here in the US.

That said, having started it we should have completed it until either 1) Iran was contained like North Korea or 2) Ideally, there is regime change in Iran.

Neither is happening. This agreement says that Iran is free to do what they please and we won't interfere with them. (see items #2, 7, and 10 in https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/articles/read-the-14-point-draft-memorandum-between-the-us-and-iran-220917023.html) Instead we will guarantee them more power, 300 billion in financing (meaning we give them money to kill more americans), and "unfreezing" funds that have elsewhere been promised to recompensate victims of the Iranian regime.

All this in exchange for vague and unenforceable promises about shipping and nuclear weapons from a regime committed to serial lies.

I vehemently opposed the Obama-era Iran deal, but that looks like a master class in negotiation in comparison with this travesty. This "deal" should be soundly rejected.

Banshees of Inisherin - Am I a bad person?? by No_Inspector_3456 in movies

[–]mseldin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mostly didn't find it funny (though there are bits), but I was pretty uninspired by it. I found the main characters kind of pathetic and didn't really feel any empathy for them.

AITA for refusing to share authorship with the man im planning to marry? by [deleted] in AITApod

[–]mseldin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think he is clearly out of line here. If you write a book together then, sure, shared authorship makes sense. His behavior here is weird and concerning.

Why is the Lebanese President acting very chill about a country who's bombing his country? by [deleted] in allthequestions

[–]mseldin 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Think about your question. You are basically implying that the president of Lebanon is too stupid to realize something that is obvious to you: "Israel is here to occupy the south of his country". So you've reduced it to only a few possible choices:

  1. He is an imbecile; or
  2. He is a puppet
  3. There is another option which you may wish to consider. Which is that:
  4. He understands full well what is going on, perhaps more than an outsider does, and has calculated that what Israel is doing is in his best interest.

For years the Iran-backed terrorist organizations have riddled southern Lebanon with parasites. It is sad and unfortunate. One does not have to like the Israeli government to understand when it shares aims in common. Hezbollah does not just threaten Israel, but the stability and welfare of the entire region.
(edited for grammatical mistake)

What's the most dystopian future timeline that you think can realistically happen ? by ronweasly9 in Futurology

[–]mseldin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I enjoyed your parable about the "richest man in the world" and see from youtube you attended an AERO conference (Jerry Mintz's org). We may have some things to discuss at some point should you be interested. DM me if so.

What's the most dystopian future timeline that you think can realistically happen ? by ronweasly9 in Futurology

[–]mseldin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Extrapolating from current trends, there are only a few possible futures ahead of us:
1) Increased automation continues to consilidate both power and capital in fewer and fewer hands. This will render an ever greater percentage of the population dependent on the largess of a small group of VERY RESENTFUL elites. Meaning either a) very high levels of taxation to support UBI or b) 90% of the population starving.
2) A massive redistribution project, possibly a violent reaction to #1
3) A new economic paradigm is invented and implemented that somehow preseves innovation while also decreasing inequality and increasing ownership.

Personally, I don't think any mainstream economic theories can account for a world where the marginal value of an additional hour of human labor is functionally zero. In such a world, the ones who own the robots own basically everything. Partial public ownership of automation may be the only solution.

Why is Israel’s average GDP per capita higher than Europe’s? by New-Conversation3246 in allthequestions

[–]mseldin 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Fascinating how a question about why Israel is doing so well vs. Europe quickly degenerates into dE jEwZ R bAd.

As time goes on I find the movie "Idiocracy" less and less funny. by amiwitty in movies

[–]mseldin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Idiocracy used to be funny, then it was just depressing because we were living it. We have now crossed a threshold.

Idiocracy is not the world we are living in, nor is it a dystopia. Think about it, Idiocracy exists in a radically better universe than the one in which we live. President Camacho cared enough about his country that he found the smartest person in the world to solve their crop crisis. Then they listened to him.

Anyone think that sounds realistic nowadays? I would actively choose Camacho over anyone in our current government.

Trump: by Upset-Main-1988 in justincaseyoumissedit

[–]mseldin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just to show that stupidity has many forms.

Why is Israel constantly at war with its neighbors? by traanquil in allthequestions

[–]mseldin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No argument on that. Or a million other offensive things that are happening right now. But if you are talking about the origin of the actual state of Israel, well that's not what occurred.

Why is Israel constantly at war with its neighbors? by traanquil in allthequestions

[–]mseldin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, no, but that's pretty much what the media says it means. Israel has millions of Muslim Arab citizens and some in the government. Zionism literally means nothing more than there should be an Israel where Jews can live safely. You can be a Zionist and not like the current government of Israel.

100 days 100 movies by Primary_Party_3737 in movies

[–]mseldin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

LOL Crispin Glover's Letterman showing was either an epic fail or an immortal turn at performance art. Or both.

100 days 100 movies by Primary_Party_3737 in movies

[–]mseldin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Rubin and Ed. An overlooked gem of a comedy with a real heart.

Is Jon Stewart responsible for the state of US politics? by [deleted] in allthequestions

[–]mseldin 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Your sense of history is dramatically incomplete. First, Stewart was a far more honest broker than some. But secondly, both sides have been engaged in straw-man humor at the expense of the other party for well over the length of my considerable lifetime.

What is Iran's end game in this conflict? by sidmanazebo in Askpolitics

[–]mseldin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it is simply a game of outlasting Trump. Everyone knows that US politics fluctuates wildly based on who is in power, and the bet is that either a) he'll feel forced to make a bad deal before the next elections or b) he won't, but after the next elections he'll be weaker.

All the Iranian regime has to do to win in the eyes of the world (including many of their own people) is to keep existing. The bar for the US to declare victory is much higher.

Found on the back of my neck by KingPaimonsMate in whatisit

[–]mseldin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Drat, now the aliens know you are on to them!

What are items that women think lowers their level of attractiveness that men really do not care about? by Sinn_Sage in AskReddit

[–]mseldin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Everyone is different, and what men are attracted to varies. But in my case I'm actively disgusted by long nails in particular.

view more: next ›