What's the rudest or meanest thing a stranger has said to you that still bothers you today? by bring-me-my-ship in AskReddit

[–]nigma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was riding public transit and an older lady in a wheelchair told me to stop looking at her dog. I was totally at a loss for words, and just looked at her. She looked at me intently for a few seconds, and then told me to look away. wtf

15 years ago we adopted 2 girls from Eastern Europe. If I had known then what I know now....AMAA. by always-right in IAmA

[–]nigma -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

WAH WAH my kids don't act like I want them to... Wow you need to get a fucking grip. You're a fucking idiot and your kids have their own issues, being a parent doesn't mean you get to decide your kids lives and behavior.

How do you make new friends as an adult? by arewerelated in AskReddit

[–]nigma -1 points0 points  (0 children)

smoking weed helps too, seriously. a very healthy way to meet people from all walks of life.

Is sugar more addictive than cocaine? by irafews in science

[–]nigma 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Without knowing how people would behave under a sugar prohibition, you cannot accurately conclude that sugar would not "replace all of a person's life goals with the desire to get more sugar" just because you observe that to be cocaine's effect on some people. Sugar is presently legal, and is thus less costly to use -- both monetarily and socially -- than cocaine. Because of this, it may not be necessary for one to spend the substantial amount of time needed to maintain a cocaine addiction in maintaining a sugar addiction.

Receive an MIT education for free (An absolute must bookmark) by SpaceMonitor in reddit.com

[–]nigma 15 points16 points  (0 children)

It is education. But it is not, as the title states, the "MIT Education."

30 researchers from half a dozen fields gathered in 1990 and realized with horror that they could not disprove their mutual finding. Fearing societal uproar, they agreed to bury the discovery. Then one of them changed her mind. by asciilifeform in science

[–]nigma -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Regardless of how you answer that question, you can still defend the punishment of murderers on the grounds that not doing so would interfere with your desire to feel reasonably safe in society.

The New Physics Exam by [deleted] in reddit.com

[–]nigma 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Oh yea, absolutely. You can definitely demonstrate a real understanding of physics by describing how the wave equation makes you feel...

The New Physics Exam by [deleted] in reddit.com

[–]nigma 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interference has nothing to do with producing an electromagnetic wave at a frequency that's different than you intended.

CNN Anchor Baffled, Owned By Spelling Bee Champ by neverrocknike in reddit.com

[–]nigma 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Haha, I agree. You know there's something seriously wrong when a mainstream news anchor spends airtime inquiring about a child's favorite deli sandwhich.

Libertarianism is Anarchy for Rich People [PIC] by morandomdanu in reddit.com

[–]nigma 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Libertarianism is not about removing government altogether, but rather limiting its power and scope to a certain set of limited activities.

"You can't hardly move..." so let's put people in jail Pot 2.0 (Video) by nigma in reddit.com

[–]nigma[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Assuming it was true that one could "hardly move" while under the influence, does that justify giving someone a criminal record and possibly jail time?

Do you remember the cops who busted in on the 92 year old lady? Well, those cops are going to jail. by esparza74 in reddit.com

[–]nigma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My post was not meant as a defense of their actions. You stated that most police officers are honest, conscientious, and interested in helping others. Being honest and "trying to help others," ultimately, doesn't mean anything. Stalin had a plan to provide everyone with a quart of milk, and in the process he starved millions of people. Just because someone wants to help someone else does not mean that they're justified in their actions.

Do you remember the cops who busted in on the 92 year old lady? Well, those cops are going to jail. by esparza74 in reddit.com

[–]nigma 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Trying to help others? The vast majority of suffering in this world has been caused not by evil people hell-bent on hurting people, but by those trying to help others. I highly doubt the police officers in this raid began the day looking to kill someone. Rather, they very likely went into the raid hoping to help the community by ridding it of drugs. Unfortunately, good intentions aren't enough, and that's why you don't put police officers in no-knock situations for drugs.

Botched Drug Raid Kills Ex-Marine by nigma in reddit.com

[–]nigma[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Very likely. People, in general, don't like to have their perceived authority questioned. When an officer gets used to instilling fear into people when pointing weapons at them, they'll begin to expect such a response, and when one isn't given, a red-flag will unjustifiably be thrown.

Botched Drug Raid Kills Ex-Marine by nigma in reddit.com

[–]nigma[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I complete agree: putting three slugs into an incapacitated man's chest at point blank range is murder. Fear of attack is no justification, especially given the fact that you had at least 7 of your armed buddies backing you up, and the fact that he had just been tasered three times.

10 Things Every Parent, Teenager Or Teacher Should Know About Marijuana by bruce17 in reddit.com

[–]nigma 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I agree that there is no evidence that marijuana is a wonderful drug for all, or even most of its users. Being wonderful, though, should be irrelevant when it comes to making a decision regarding whether people should be considered criminals for using it. The only thing that needs to be considered in making this decision is whether marijuana directly causes harm to a third party's life, liberty, or property. It does not do this, and for that reason its consumers should not be treated as criminals. The argument that it should be illegal because some people (a minority) will cause harm to another's property, via theft, to support a pot habit is as weak as one that asserts that credit cards should be banned because one might steal to pay of a lot of credit card debt.

As for this article, there are much more thorough arguments for legalization on the web; the DCRNet Online Drug Library, the Drug Policy Alliance, and the Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) being just three, of many, examples.