GamerMage said:
Respect. I feel the same way. Although this Aikido interests me. Mind elaborating?
Don't mind at all!! Aikido was developed around ww2 times by a Japanese gentleman who's name I forget. It is primarily a lock/throw martial art, like jiujitsu. However, unlike any other martial art out there, it's major focus is on defeating any and all enemies as gently and quickly as possible, while using the least amount of force and effort. It involves a lot of using the opponents energy and momentum against them; the masters of Aikido can throw attackers just by moving their own body slightly out of the way, I shit you not. It's one of the scariest and coolest things you will ever see.
However, as I say it is primarily a peaceful defense martial art. It is said that nothing is so boring as watching two Aikido masters fight each other.
asinann said:
Let's look at the Arab Spring: violent mobs and open rebellion. And guess what? It solved the problem of a couple violent dictatorships.
Why did WW2 end? The Axis was beaten into submission before they agreed to head to the negotiating table.
Osama Bin Laden? We didn't negotiate with him. Slobadan Milosovich, got him with violence too.
On that note, how does one make peace treaties with decentralized groups that don't have an actual governing body like most terrorist groups (you can negotiate with Hamas, but it's not like they ever hold up their end.)
How well has that diplomacy thing worked on Iran and North Korea? The crusades were nothing more than a way to redirect the violence of the European people away from Europe into a group of people that were different.
First, on the Arab Spring. First point: You're ignoring the countries in the Arab Spring that did have "peaceful" revolutions. Second point: The movement itself is still in it's historical infancy. It's far too early to judge whether good or bad will come of it.
Second. Yes. The Axis needed to be stopped with military force. However, lets look at the problems that allowed WW2 to happen in the first place. World War one started because everyone was so scared of violence that they made a ton of defensive pacts with everyone else, and then was ignited due to the violence of an assassination. After the war, the victors, scared of further violence, repressed and controlled Germany. A form of violence directly against it's people. This allowed the charismatic Hitler to take control by directing more violence against a convenient scapegoat.
So yea, that's why pacifism wouldn't have worked in World War Two. Because everything leading up to it was caused by violence.
Also, don't talk about how the Allied countries coulda stopped Hitler before things exploded if they weren't pacifists. Because the Allied countries WEREN'T being pacifists, they were being cowards. A common mistake most non-pacifists make (and I suppose it must be said a fair number of pacifists make) is to assume peace equals folding over and dying. That's what cowardice equals.
Now, as far as terrorist groups go, if warmonger violence lovers hadn't given certain regions plenty of opportunity to produce angry hate filled hotheads we wouldn't even have to worry about terrorists. Now we have this problem created with violence that we are trying to solve with more violence. And guess what? IT ISN'T WORKING. Because the cause of the violence is violence itself, more violence just feeds it. Honestly, the whole "War on Terrror" shtick is one of the dumbest most counter productive things I have ever heard of. Literally, the only way to defeat terrorists is to kill them with kindness. If their recruiting centers can't get the folks they need because there is no reason to sign up, then the whole movement collapses.
Also, Iran and North Korea are insular countries run by dictatorial shitheads. When you are trying to negotiate with a shithead, you will fail. If the shithead in question happens to be in charge of a country, then you might as well just not bother. But again, a number of Iran's grievances against western powers are legitimate. And hey, lets not forget that North Korea started because the US had to be dick and try to overthrow a all the
legitimate governments just because they liked communism somewhat.
Its like a schoolyard bully who beats up a kid daily. Three years later, the kid is grows and is suddenly a threat to him, and looking to repay the abuse. The bully whines "Well I had to use my fists to defend myself! I didn't have another option!"
Fuck you bully. Fuck you.
