There's Starving People in Africa...

[Belated]

snip

Hey, Einstein here. I went to your link. It's from a watchdog group; very often their findings are accurate, and very often they are inflammatory, sometimes even baseless. I'm surprised that a group called Human Rights Watch is so protective of former sex offenders, since these are the type of people who normally end up molesting kids etc. - the ones who did it before. Not a lot of Americans feel bad that sex offenders have to register and let their new neighbors know when they move in.

---Oh, I see you've censored yourself. Thanks for taking back the sarcastic "Einstein" comment. --

So, your statement, quoted from Human Rights Watch, says that there are over 600K registered sex offenders in the U.S. Since there are only 300 Million Americans total, I suspect those numbers are less than accurate. Also, if they want to bolster their numbers, they may extend their definition of sex offenders to include public indecency acts. I doubt that a high percentage of ex cons who have to register must do so because they pissed on a wall.

You seem very happy with yourself and I'm happy for you.

Thanks for the second source, a link that suggests in one area that your apocalyptic vision of doing hard time for showing us your willie may one day be true.

Now I'm totally confused (as I am insipid the irony of your Einstein statement must be very apparent by now). I thought you were talking about your "moral" right to pull your dick out in public, not your supposed legal right.

You are a strange little man. I already told you why it's a bad idea to piss in your yard. I'm all for registering you if it means no one has to see your little guy.

Just let us know when you move into the neighborhood and I'll be sure to let the parents know to adjust their bumper stickers accordingly.

Ok, bolded statements, in this order:
-We've already established that not ALL registered sex offenders had anything at all to do with child molestation, so I don't know why you're still banging on about that. Child molestation has absolutely nothing to do with this thread. Unless you honestly believe that somebody is likely to molest a child just because he took a piss in plain sight one day.

-"Censored" isn't the term I'd use. More like, "trying to play nicer." And I'd appreciate it if you did the same.

-Why? What's so unrealistic about .2% of the population? Human Rights Watch is a little biased, but they don't just pull everything out of their ass. We used that site as a major source in my old "How to Argue" class. And I like how you criticize my sources, yet cite none of your own to contradict them. Though, regardless of the actual numbers, I HAVE proven my main point: You CAN become a sex offender just for public urination. Accurate stats or not, the primary lesson stands. And no, they didn't extend their definition. Sex offender is sex offender, public indecency is public indecency. I seriously doubt they'd try to sneak one into the other like that. You just don't want to admit I've got you here.

-Uh, no. I was talking about my moral right to get upset about bad shit that happens to me. That last bit in my previous post doesn't relate to the subject matter at all. It was just a response to the last bit in YOUR last post, where you said "Don't piss in your yard." Nothing more than a brief response to that, and not intended to be lumped in with the rest of the writing. I thought I made this clear in the way that I gave it a separate, disconnected paragraph. But I guess not.

-I'm not saying exposing your wang to take a public piss is a nice thing to do. Not at all. But there's definitely something wrong with you if you think it warrants a man losing half of his rights and never being able to work again. As I said, the punishment doesn't fit the crime.

 

[DSQ]

I stopped caring. Sorry they have starved for years, everyone donates millions, nothing changes.
I accept that it will never change, so I just stopped caring. No guilt, nothing.

That is sad because it is so untrue.

Africa was fucked up long before I was born, it will be long after my death. Enjoy thinking you will make a difference, but you wont.

Try telling that to every movement ever created. I mean Martin Luther King Jr. didn't lead the movment to end aparthide by just saying: "fuck it, it won't make a difference anyway."

Also there are many african countries that can compeate with european counties in terms of development.
I mean look at botwana.

 

[Queen Michael]

I was told this argument as a kid when I didn't want to eat all the food on my plate. What I should have replied, of course, is "So the only kind of person you can come up with that would actually like to eat this is someone who's got to in order not to die? You're not exactly complimenting the flavour."

My opinion is this: That I'm not starving doesn't mean I don't have troubles. As Maslow explained, people have more needs than just getting fed, so that I don't need to starve doesn't mean that I don't have problems.

 

[funguy2121]

snip

Hey, Einstein here. I went to your link. It's from a watchdog group; very often their findings are accurate, and very often they are inflammatory, sometimes even baseless. I'm surprised that a group called Human Rights Watch is so protective of former sex offenders, since these are the type of people who normally end up molesting kids etc. - the ones who did it before. Not a lot of Americans feel bad that sex offenders have to register and let their new neighbors know when they move in.

---Oh, I see you've censored yourself. Thanks for taking back the sarcastic "Einstein" comment. --

So, your statement, quoted from Human Rights Watch, says that there are over 600K registered sex offenders in the U.S. Since there are only 300 Million Americans total, I suspect those numbers are less than accurate. Also, if they want to bolster their numbers, they may extend their definition of sex offenders to include public indecency acts. I doubt that a high percentage of ex cons who have to register must do so because they pissed on a wall.

You seem very happy with yourself and I'm happy for you.

Thanks for the second source, a link that suggests in one area that your apocalyptic vision of doing hard time for showing us your willie may one day be true.

Now I'm totally confused (as I am insipid the irony of your Einstein statement must be very apparent by now). I thought you were talking about your "moral" right to pull your dick out in public, not your supposed legal right.

You are a strange little man. I already told you why it's a bad idea to piss in your yard. I'm all for registering you if it means no one has to see your little guy.

Just let us know when you move into the neighborhood and I'll be sure to let the parents know to adjust their bumper stickers accordingly.

Ok, bolded statements, in this order:
-We've already established that not ALL registered sex offenders had anything at all to do with child molestation, so I don't know why you're still banging on about that. Child molestation has absolutely nothing to do with this thread. Unless you honestly believe that somebody is likely to molest a child just because he took a piss in plain sight one day.

-"Censored" isn't the term I'd use. More like, "trying to play nicer." And I'd appreciate it if you did the same.

-Why? What's so unrealistic about .2% of the population? Human Rights Watch is a little biased, but they don't just pull everything out of their ass. We used that site as a major source in my old "How to Argue" class. And I like how you criticize my sources, yet cite none of your own to contradict them. Though, regardless of the actual numbers, I HAVE proven my main point: You CAN become a sex offender just for public urination. Accurate stats or not, the primary lesson stands. And no, they didn't extend their definition. Sex offender is sex offender, public indecency is public indecency. I seriously doubt they'd try to sneak one into the other like that. You just don't want to admit I've got you here.

-Uh, no. I was talking about my moral right to get upset about bad shit that happens to me. That last bit in my previous post doesn't relate to the subject matter at all. It was just a response to the last bit in YOUR last post, where you said "Don't piss in your yard." Nothing more than a brief response to that, and not intended to be lumped in with the rest of the writing. I thought I made this clear in the way that I gave it a separate, disconnected paragraph. But I guess not.

-I'm not saying exposing your wang to take a public piss is a nice thing to do. Not at all. But there's definitely something wrong with you if you think it warrants a man losing half of his rights and never being able to work again. As I said, the punishment doesn't fit the crime.

Well, I know a violinist, so just let me know and we can book him for you...

I won't debate someone who begins by making shit up and then addresses half of what I say while forgetting most of what both of us have said.

Consider yourself Fez'd.

"Good day, sir!"

 

[TwitchierGuitar]

Thank you!!! Everyone I live with except my dad and girlfriend think that Africa needs all the F***ing attention!!! I don't care about starvin' marvin, I've got too many pressing matters in the US of A to worry about...
And props to you on thw Wizzard of Oz reference.

 

[moretimethansense]

I hate that argument, it's always tempting to come back with 'ah yes...but WHY are they starving?'

Besides, some of the most jaw droppingly moronic charity campaigns are tied in to the idea that Africans need 'uplifting' to a Western lifestyle. The lack of priorities stuns me some days, it really does.

1. Computers for Africa. Guess what? They don't NEED computers! Computers require infrastructure, they require resources and if we're honest what the fuck are they going to do with them?

2. Sports equipment for Africa. Nope, if a community is so grindingly poor that they can't afford sports equipment then there are better things you could be buying them.

3. Schools for Africa. Look, let's be honest here. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with a fairly low tech agricultural community. There's a whole bunch of shit that we learn in the west that an African in a very poor community doesn't need to know. Conversely there's a few things we view as quaint that would be of very great interest to him; sustainable farming techniques and mechanical seed drills for example.

4. Shoes for Africans. As distasteful as some people may find it a good proportion of the world's population survives perfectly happily barefoot. We didn't evolve with shoes there so we can cope.

In short, if you want to really help you need to help with:

. food
. water
. basic power
. shelter

as far as I'm concerned, unless you're helping in a way the poor sods'll find actually useful then you've got no right to complain that I'm not helping.

To be fair on the schools issue, if the next generation has a good education they may put it to use improving their comunity and infastructure, not to mention people nee to know how to operate and mantain that equipment, never underesyimate the value of a good education.

Also sports equipment help to foster team spirit and improve the lives of people by giving them a source of entertainment and a way to vent frustraition.
Granted food, water and shelter are more important but sometimes you just need to take your mind off of your problems.

OT: Yes, the food arhuement mostly.
How the hell does me being grossly overwheight help anyone?

 

[the Dept of Science]

This thread depresses me. It strikes me as a bunch of supposedly mature people moaning about the fact that they are made to eat their vegetables. Then theres a bunch of people saying that the poor logic behind the argument absolves them of any moral responsibility towards developing nations. Yea, ok, it would be impossible to mail the leftovers of your dinner to Africa, but you could stop being such an entitled brat about it.

The sheer fact is, whether we like it or not, we could make a large improvement in other peoples lives with little cost to ourselves. The fact that not everyone does it does not relieve you of any responsibility either.