# A headline you would never see about the US: **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 16, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998 "2013-09-16T19:45:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/1 "2013-09-16T19:45:32Z")
or, really, any other country… [Russian shot in quarrel over Kant’s philosophy](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_ODD_RUSSIA_KANT_QUARREL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-09-16-06-34-00) A police spokeswoman in Rostov-on Don, Viktoria Safarova, said two men in their 20s were discussing Kant as they stood in line to buy beer at a small store on Sunday. The discussion deteriorated into a fistfight and one participant pulled out a small nonlethal pistol and fired repeatedly. … It was not clear which of Kant’s ideas may have triggered the violence. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/2 "2013-09-16T20:11:07Z")
Well, he was a real pissant… ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/3 "2013-09-16T20:13:45Z")
This is exactly why I never tell jokes in dialect. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/4 "2013-09-16T20:18:40Z")
From the article. > [@](#): > > It was not clear which of Kant’s ideas may have triggered the violence. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/5 "2013-09-16T20:26:47Z")
“Kant.” “Can.” “_Kant!_” “_Can!_” “_ **Kant!!!** _” “_ **Can!!!** _” Bang! Bang! Bang! ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/6 "2013-09-16T20:41:05Z")
What the hell is a “nonlethal pistol”? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/7 "2013-09-16T20:42:28Z")
Something like an Airsoft, from the description. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/8 "2013-09-16T20:42:30Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Well, he was a real pissant… I think the song describes him as a “pissed ant”. The song as a whole is about philosophers being drunks, and the word “pissant” has nothing to do with drunkenness, but simply means a worthless, contemptible person. However, in Britain (as many Americans probably do _not_ know, even if American Dopers do), “pissed” is a common slang word for _drunk_. Furthermore, I believe “pissant” is primarily an American word, with relatively little currency in Britain. ([Collins Dictionary](http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pissant) flags it as a US word, and my Firefox spellchecker does not recognize it as a word at all.) The fact that many internet lyric sites say “pissant” probably just reflect the fact that they are based on transcriptions by Americans, who can make no sense of “pissed ant” and so substitute something similar sounding that makes a sort of sense to them, despite being at odds with the theme of the song. I admit I can’t very satisfactorily explain why he is referred to as an ant (apart from the fact that they needed a rhyme). I am prepared to entertain the hypothesis that the Pythons themselves (or Eric Idle in particular) were somewhat confused, perhaps having heard the word “pissant” somewhere, and having misunderstood it to be an idiomatic expression, “pissed ant”, used to describe a drunken person. ---
**Author:** ![Waxwinged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@Waxwinged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waxwinged)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/9 "2013-09-16T21:23:53Z")
Does it show that Russians are actually capable of discussing intellectual things in a recreational manner? Yes. Yes, it does. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/10 "2013-09-16T21:31:57Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > This is exactly why I never tell jokes in dialect. It probably wasn’t one of his ideas at all. They thought they were physically more fit. They were a real Kant lapper. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/11 "2013-09-16T21:37:00Z")
This is disappointing. Russians should only pull out pistols when arguing about important stuff, like chess. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/12 "2013-09-16T21:40:46Z")
One thing we can say for sure: No one should resort to violence in any argument over philosophy, at least as long as it takes place in a convenience store environment, although it may possibly apply to all philosophical discussions regardless of place. However, some reject this by you can fight back against Nazis if they come to your convenience store to argue philosophy. (See, that would make it categorical imperat- Oh, never mind.) ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/13 "2013-09-16T21:49:47Z")
In Russia, philosophy shoots holes in you! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/14 "2013-09-16T21:56:03Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > In Russia, philosophy shoots holes in you! This has the **Ludovic** seal of approval. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/15 "2013-09-16T22:07:28Z")
**And I say, England’s greatest prime minister was _[Lord Palmerston](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyZ7oU0tUR8)_!** ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/16 "2013-09-16T22:49:36Z")
> [@Waxwinged](#): > > Does it show that Russians are actually capable of discussing intellectual things in a recreational manner? Yes. Yes, it does. Not sure I’d classify fist-fights and shooting each other a “discussion”, though I guess in Russia it might be considered recreation. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/17 "2013-09-16T23:30:08Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > It was not clear which of Kant’s ideas may have triggered the violence. If it was the categorical imperative, I assume the dead guy was on the “pro” side. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/18 "2013-09-16T23:47:13Z")
And now I have that song stuck in my head. Fortunately, this thread also made me think of [Dungeons and Discourse](http://dresdencodak.com/2009/01/27/advanced-dungeons-and-discourse/). Which was fun to re-read. ---
**Author:** ![Waxwinged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@Waxwinged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waxwinged)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/19 "2013-09-17T00:17:01Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Not sure I’d classify fist-fights and shooting each other a “discussion”, though I guess in Russia it might be considered recreation. The discussion came before the violent bits. Evidently, people actually cared about what they were talking about. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998/20 "2013-09-17T00:27:09Z")
Obligatory Pearls Before Swine comic: > **[Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for July 07, 2012 | GoComics.com](https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2012/07/07)** > > Rat: Do you think each of us has free will? Pig: No. Only some of us. Rat: Why do you say that? Pig: Because not everyone bought the DVD. Rat: Free will, not 'Free Willy.' Pig: Oh, great. Is that some boring re-make? " **Rat:** Do you think each of us has free will? **Pig** : No. Only some of us. **Rat:** Why do you say that? **Pig:** Because not everyone bought the DVD … **Rat:** Free Will, not Free Willy! \*\* Pig:\*\* Oh, great. Is that some boring re-make?" [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-headline-you-would-never-see-about-the-us/668998.md?page=2)