Er, so the appropriate model for social behavior is the actions of a bunch of drunks in a bar?
What, are you, like, a really big and scary-looking guy? Please, be clear. If he did express his preference for the demise of US soldiers rather than Iraqi civilians to your face, you would in fact attack him physically, right?
I’m not a lawyer, of course, but IMO attitudes like yours are precisely why the laws on assault and battery in the US generally contain the following caveat:
Yes, and you’d still have an out: you could refuse to respond to words with violence. If you didn’t take that out, you’d be the person behaving more unethically: you’d be the worse person than him. Evil speech is not as bad as physical violence. And those who respond to speech with violence are thugs who present a tremendous threat to civil society, and deserve harsh punishment–all the harsher when their actions are viscerally satisfying, because those viscerally satisfying evils are the most tempting and therefore need the harshest deterrents.
Daniel
Too late. You should have quoted.
Of course there are a few exceptions. Someone rabble rousing others to violence is first exception of which I can think. This is not something that Der Trihs is guilty of to my knowledge. I lean towards no protection of the KKK and Neo-Nazis. I am not sure how to justify it, but I choose to be irrational on this subject. I could probably make an exception for scum like Rev. Phelps.
If Der Trihs did spout his hate speech at a funeral, I might not be able to restrain myself. So while I would not start a fight with him in a bar, I might under extremely inappropriate circumstances. I would not condemn someone if the failed in this regard.
Jim
Thank you. Not just because I agree with everything you wrote, but because I’d be just as wiling to “meet people at a bar” as the all the keyboard warriors who want a piece of Der Trish. Has nothing to do with cojones (not being a pacifist, my sack is full. Bragging? Try me) but with reasoning. And the murderous invasion of a nation that posed no threat to your own is nothing but the schoolyard bully tactics that are being used, for lack of coherent arguments, against Der Trish’s clearly defined position. Personally, I am not as radical as him in his expressed opinions – I wish death on no one. But I do agree that BushCo’s US of A, MUST be defeated in Iraq. Make of that what you will. Shouldn’t be too difficult if you have more than one or two brain cells to rub.
OTOH, I thank the SDMB and its mods for “allowing” the dissent that made your nation great to begin with. Afraid it’s all going down hill raher quickly.
I have no wish for America’s demise. But apparently most of you do. Till the last Congressional elections that is.
Tad late methinks.
Been wrong b4 though…
Real tough guy you are. 'cept for the fact that things might not turn out the way you’d like them to and it be you that found the meeting “highly unpleasant.”
Sort of like Bush’s Iraq.
What bar and when? A conditional hypothetical of course – unless you’d like to use my e-mail addy. Awesome beer down here…on me of course.
And this is exactly the rub, isn’t it? I think that all of us could be provoked by a particular set of words. If I had a 6 year old daughter and someone got in my face describing all manner of horrors he would visit upon her if given the chance, there is a point that if I broke his nose that I’d be excused. Now I think this treshold is high, and that we do well to keep it high. But the threshold exists, and it is different for each of us, as far as the particular set of words goes.
Now this has little to do with justice, as one could wind up both being gravely insulted and wind up with a world-class beating. Such are the risks when we move away from the realm of words.
I rarely agree with Oakminster, but he is absolutely correct here. He is merely acknowledging the real world. I think the vast amount of people who participate in a board like this would be quick to violence, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have it in us. Or, that at times, it is an appropriate response. It’s part of the human condition. Denying that makes for a nice speech, but for anything resembling reality.
I like beer. I also like posting here. I suspect if I were to accept your challenge openly, we’d both get the boot. I suggest we don’t discuss this further in this forum.
I find Der Trihs despicable.
However, your bullying words basically prove him right. I like to think Id come to your bar and (without hitting you, because grown men dont have to do that over harsh words, and because being bigger and stronger than you wouldnt make me right) tell you youre a bunch of fucking pussies for threatening a guy over the internet, and I suspect most of you wouldnt say shit back because youre the kind of people who threaten other people over the internet.
Wishing death on U.S. soldiers is pretty despicable, but wishing them success in their mission is wishing death on people who want to defend their country from foreign invaders. I don`t see any good guys in this thread, really.
Wishing them success in their mission isn’t necessarily wishing death on others. Their mission is to bring peace to that country, to bring security to it, and to enable that country’s civilian government to rule the place. Don’t have to kill to do that.
I would argue that their presence there is counterproductive to their stated aims, simply because a significant portion of the populace doesn`t want them there. Further, whenever the U.S. armed forces kill innocents, whether through honest accident or a criminal forgetting what it means to be an American soldier, the whole region is pushed farther away from democracy and peace and closer to anti-American extremism. The interests of America are not served by our presence there, they never were, and the situation will not improve as long as we stay.
Scyllla and Stones, meet your online keyboard warrior, Oakminster. He seems to think of himself just as highly (physically and mentally) as you two deushbags do.
Oakminster, might I suggest you quit your chest puffing and stop writing checks that only your ego can cash? I mean, really, who the fuck do you think you’re impressing? Other than yourself that is.
Asshole.
Amen*
*If coming from an atheist it’s worth anything. If not, I fully agree with your sentiment.
Have another cup. You kool-aid drinkers make me ill.
Like fuck those are the aims of your Government. Try imperialism and oil control.
What’re you on about? For one thing, I don’t like Kook-Aid. For another, I don’t even like President Bush. For yet another, your comment about imperialism being our aim shows you, not me, to be the one operating without own control of his mind.
Told ya we ain’t gonna discuss this here. Kindly fuck off.
Than I suggest you quit your not-so-coy, physical threats versus those who oppose your silly, flag-waiving, star-spangled banner patriotism.
Surely, even someone as stupid as you should have noticed, even a third rate nation can bog down your awesome military machine.
Face it, you don’t own the world and you never will.
Dude, answer your fucking email and drop it on this forum.
You ain’t shit to tell me shit. Just a keyboard bully.
Blow me, dickwad.
Read. Fight your ignorance.
Not my problem.