Comments by "LancesArmorStriking" (@LancesArmorStriking) on "Big Think"
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Air Em Out
1) Just because the Middle East stoops low (not even getting into the fact that America's fascination with its oil culture is the reason they even feel the need to), doesn't mean we need to stoop lower. I thought being American was about steadfast values?
2) Yes. Europe, get this, is also 2,000 years old. Of course it's going to cause more damage. I don't think it unreasonable to believe that, given enough power, any other country would do the same. I don't think I need to mention Japan's, Russia's, or China's war crimes to prove that to you.
3) You're deflecting. We can't go back and correct history, but we can learn from it. I can understand getting back at an oppressor, but copying the brutalities of the nations your founders swore off? Disgraceful.
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No, not completely. While most of the natives died out due to Spanish diseases, the US still put a depressingly large amount of effort into killing off the rest of the native population. The Trail of Tears comes to mind, but if you'd like more examples or a link, I'd be happy to follow up.
Libertarianism is statistically improbable, to be extremely generous. The amount of people, say, using a road could never supply enough money to keep its entirety in proper shape, and the same goes for most public services. Of course, the higher the population, the more feasible that becomes, but portions of a good or service continually under partial construction or expansion become slow and self-depleting in the long-term. This becomes especially problematic in rural areas. By its very (individualist) nature, it is one of the least efficient forms of societal organization.
Hence, it has never naturally come to fruition, and never will.
Also, given the human tendency for self-interest, why would you entrust your roads, electricity, or anything else to a corporation? They're prone to monopolization, and unlike a politician, you can't vote them out of their job (and importantly, income). Where do you get such a strong trust for for-profit entities?
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@Morwenna1220
No, not really. At the time of NATO General Secretary de Hoop Schefer announced that both Georgia and Ukraine "would become a part of NATO", interest in Ukraine for membership was barely in double digits.
If it were held to a vote, instead of the ruling party deciding the interests of the entire country, and the US taking advantage of that fact, then the vote would fail.
So I'm not really sure what you mean by "would never have sought to join nato". That sounds like empty assurances to me. It is not the first time the West has done that, either.
Most of their current international influence was rooted in them not being beneath lying, cheating, stealing, and colonizing.
"As usual Russia creates its own problems"
If Europe genuinely attempted to integrate Russia into Europe, instead of exploiting its economic and political weakness immediately after the fall of the USSR, it would not as paranoid ans hostile as it is today.
Russia did not create this problem, the West did.
Every Russian stateman's (Tsar, Emperor, or Premier's) worst fears were confirmed when Russia fell under Western influence- and the country was absolutely ruined for over a decade as a result.
The economic policies and political reforms that the West instructed Russian leadership to do, seemingly were designed to keep it destitute.
You could argue "well Russian leaders made that choice", but you would also need to concede that the West has never had Russia's best interests at heart, and that when the formalities fall away, they really deep down just wanted to plunder our natural resources and human talent, which they did.
I have seen people unironically tell me that it was Russia's fault to be so naïve as to think the West would honor any agreements or good wishes between us. And you wonder why it is aggressive. The oldest Russian motto was re-affirmed in 1991: “I have no way to defend my borders but to extend them.”
Security against whom? Well, now we have our answer.
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GoatzAreEpic Maokai
Hey. I know I'm a year late here, but I'm dealing with the same problem. I've been addicted (unable to cut back) on watching YouTube for about 8 years now. I've watched the site grow and change, from its earliest days. Tdlr is watch in moderation.
Complex answer is this:
Ever think back to the way YouTube was when your first used it? When I did, in 2008, there wasn't a Trending Tab. There were no ads and clickbait wasn't a thing (until the "RE:" video girls). Vevo wasn't a thing, and people weren't begging for likes and notification bells and Patreon.
Most importantly, two things: People made things because they had a passion for it, and the sidebar wasn't broken.
Currently, everything seems like it's for money. I can't go a day without seeing a sponsored video, or clickbait title for views. Back then, people spent months or years just making things because why the fuck not lol (Lazer collection, YouTube Poop videos, even FRED)?
Even better, when you scrolled down, the other videos weren't just from the same channel, or popular youtubers, or TV shows. It was so much easier to find cool content then.
That's what I think I miss the most.
So I'd recommend you cut back— don't completely stop, because YouTube still has a lot of amazing new creators, but remember what YouTube has done to try and keep your attention— they're desperate for it. Don't give them the satisfaction, and take full advantage of what YouTube has to offer instead.
Good luck!
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@Morwenna1220
"And that fear motivated them to conquer, to subjugate and generally to wage war when they had overwhelming numbers and power"
How does this make them any different than the West? France still has a stranglehold on West Africa's economy, UK still has colonies and is trying to dissuade Scotland from leaving, US coups a democratic government for breakfast.... yet nobody tries to punish them.
Nobody, including you, who claims to care really does, or I would see them in the comments calling Bush a "madman" or "bully" or whatever other silly armchair psychology they come up with.
You seem to forget that Russia feels a need to expand... because they were, up until 1945, constantly being attacked!
You act like they just decided to wage war for fun one day. Europe was playing the exact same game, don't pretend like Russia is any different.
Repeatedly and with great urgency
Again, no. Italy and Greece's elections were massively rigged to keep their Communist parties from genuinely participating. Ukraine, as I mentioned, had no interest in joining even in 2008. Only its temporary administration.
"Also Russias economic weakness is their own fault"
Sounds like you don't know much about the 1990s in Russia. It was not Russia's fault.
Russians did not finance Yeltsin's campaign with a $10Billion loan from the IMF. Russians did not launder their own money to London and New York.
Russians (even Russian government) did not all want to privatize everything and drain the government of any tax income.
It wasn't Russians who rigged the elections in Chechnya.
This was all done because of Bush and Clinton.
He was elected, but once US presidents realized how much of a spineless drunk he was, they rigged Russia's elections in 1996 and pushed him to privatize everything.
"they could have done what China did "
They could have, there were many in Russian government who wanted to, but the US economists convinced Yeltsin otherwise.
Besides, for that to happen, the USSR would need to still exist. Gorbachev should have started with economic reforms, then political reforms, slowly.
"In stead of fooling yourself by thinking they were somehow forced by it"
They aren't forced. But, like Ukraine, the US waits for an opportune moment when the government wants to join (regardless of what the people think) and then they legally tie them in.
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@robertmoore8821
I don't blame them, but again, if you look to Russia's biggest changes, that make it more aggressive/violent... it's almost always an outside power.
Prior to the Mongol invasion, Rus wasn't expansionist, not anymore than other European powers.
But after 300 years of occupation, the Russian psyche is permanently scarred. We simply don't trust outsiders anymore.
So why the aggression towards Europe? Because they historically have tried to strangle Russia and diminish its power as a state, not considering that it has no access to the ocean, no way to trade.
The Iron Curtain is ironic, since it was Germany who sent Lenin to Russia, specifically to destabilize and weaken Russia in WWI.
The only power who ever really tried to work with Russia was France (long after the 1812 invasion), by letting it control Constantinople to trade with Europe and basically give it no further reason to expand. But then the Revolution happened
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True, myths aren't very good to teach. but your assumption that religion, the belief in a supernatural being, is a bad one to make. Whether or not you want to believe in God, Jesus historically existed, was documented by scholars living at the time, and did die on the cross. Now, when it comes to the belief in God, morals ARE very important. If God doesn't exist, what you see is what you get, there is nothing better then what you end up with. Is that something we should be teaching children?
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Those membership fees you love to put in quotes so much, aren't motivated by greed, you know. Even if they do lead to "extortion" (which is more common in the private sector, by the way), taxes are a necessity of living in a country, because pay-to-play models simply aren't efficient enough for anything substantial to function.
In addition, monopolization (which just so happens to coincide with a decline in service quality) is a pervasive problem among companies. American electricity companies and lightbulb manufacturers in particular (see: Phoebus Cartel) have bad reputations.
While you can vote with your wallet with companies, it becomes useless when you need that service (hiked prices for Epipens, Martin Shkreli, government had to step in) or when no one can compete with you (Andrew Carnegie, JP Morgan). Politicians can be even more greedy and corrupt, but (reminder) they're lobbied by private interests, and at least Senators can be directly kicked out of office by their constituents.
The State is a luxury whose services you're so used to, you don't even notice or appreciate them.
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