[QUOTE=woodstockbirdybird]
Nah, Southerners are just polite to peoples’ faces - once your back’s turned, they’re mean as shit.
[/QUOTE]
That’s not controversial, that’s fact – especially in small Southern towns. (I grew up in one, and just recently moved out for good.)
An environmental catastrophe is underway. This will not become commonly accepted and acted upon until years after the quality of life in the first world has been in steady decline.
Fresh water, arable land and marine fisheries will be major strategic considerations, like oil is now.
I believe that Spider Man 2099 was one of the best comic book series ever published.
[QUOTE=Mishell]
I’d never wish to outlaw abortion, but I hate the idea of it, and I lose a lot of respect for those who have them (except in certain circumstances such as rape, incest, birth control failure not due to user error, impending death of the mother, or severe birth defects). I believe it’s a necessary evil, though, because we live in a world where a lot of people are fucking stupid, and stupid people aborting their babies is better than stupid people having babies.
[/QUOTE]
I like the way you put that idea into words.
I believe most people wouldn’t lift a finger to act upon the things in which they say they believe.
I also believe that often the above can be a good thing.
I believe governments which attempt to create “equality of result” in individuals are inherently evil.
I believe homosexuality is a mental illness.
I believe gender reassignment surgery should be medically prohibited and doctors performing said surgeries should lose their license to practice medicine.
I believe abortion should be legally prohibited and punished the same as first degree murder.
I believe IQ is such a flawed measurement system people who think it should be part of any sort of government implementation scheme are inherently stupid.
I do not believe it is immoral for citizens to attempt to violently overthrow a system of government they feel is beyond redemption.
I believe there should be a property or income requirement to vote, and a prohibition on voting for anyone who is mentally ill or indigent.
I believe a system where a group of powerful elites runs government is superior to a system of universal suffrage.
I believe everyone should kill and eat an animal at some point in their life.
I believe killing other humans is a natural behavior of human beings (I believe our natural behaviors, however, can be controlled and modified to fit within society.)
I believe the wealthy are inherently more valuable to society than the poor.
I believe there is an unfortunate system in place for post-secondary education which combines persons seeking an education with instructors who are primarily not in the business of providing education.
I believe corporal punishment should be used in the criminal justice system; I believe capital punishment should not.
I believe compensation schemes should be in place to compensate persons who have spent time incarcerated for crimes they are later proven to have not committed.
I believe individual states in the United States should have greater sovereignty.
I believe Senators should be appointed by state legislatures.
I do not believe the Presidential election system should function as it does. I think individual electors should be constitutionally prohibited from running as “promised” electors, I do not believe individual candidates for President should appear on ballots, and I think the EC should select the President based on their preferences and not the public’s.
Of everyone who has posted in this thread so far, Martin Hyde is the one whose stated beliefs are the most controversial when compared to the SDMB as whole. And it isn’t even close.
I believe that if Martin Hyde’s beliefs aren’t controversial to the population at large, then the world is even more hopelessly fucked than I’d imagined.
I believe Martin Hyde is quite possibly evil incarnate.
I believe that Princess Di’s death was faked: she needed to disappear in order make up a bridge foursome with Adolf Hitler, Elvis Presley and JFK.
I agree with about a dozen of Martin’s beliefs., to one degree or another.
[QUOTE=Ensign Edison]
No, I missed that, and while I see him talking about humanity being ‘replaced’, I don’t see what you claim anywhere in this thread. I don’t think he’s ever said he’s pleased about what he sees as the failure of our species or its subsequent doom. Regardless, my point was that I like him even though I don’t always agree with him. I do agree with him much more than most people here, I’m sure, however. Where he’s not batshit insane he’s a fairly clear thinker.
[/QUOTE]
OK, this is all right here in this thread:
See post #39 in this thread:
Or post #62:
Or post #88:
Or post #94:
So here’s a guy who wants to exterminate humanity and all higher wild animals. All for the greater good. Nice. I suppose from his perspective the REALLY moral thing to do would be to destroy the entire earth…think of all the suffering that would be alleviated!
[QUOTE=silenus]
I agree with about a dozen of Martin’s beliefs., to one degree or another.
[/QUOTE]
Yes, but which ones?
Yes, Lemur, I understand that his position upsets you deeply. That has nothing to do with what I said.
I believe all cell phones have mind control components as part of their circuitry. I believe a tiny microchip propagates a wave every 12.5 nanoseconds whose frequency is interpreted by the human brain as “Use me. Use me. Use me.”
I agree with three of Martin’s beliefs as stated, but I doubt he’d appreciate which ones and where I take them.
I believe that homosexuals should have all the same rights as straight people. And I believe homosexuality is not a choice and not a mental illness (it’s not in the DSM anymore for a reason). Anyone that thinks that being homosexual is a defect or wrong is an asshole and needs a gay friend or family member in their life to open their mind. I did not choose one day to be straight, and my friends have told me at least in their experience that they always knew they were gay.
I believe abortion should stay legal but it should be used as sparingly as possible. What we need is good, comprehensive sex education for everyone. Abstinence only does not stop people from having sex - might as well teach them how to be safe and prevent unwanted pregnancy. Free condoms should be easily attainable. And we need to try to permanently put to rest myths like “you can’t get pregnant the first time” and “only druggies and freaks and sluts get STDs” because I feel that’s why a lot of young people are so cavalier about sex - they are severly misinformed.
I believe religion is inherently somewhat stupid because most of them state that theirs is the only correct path to the afterlife or what have you. They can’t all be right. We are biological creatures and we die - it’s over. But I also don’t think people that are religious are stupid unless they force their beliefs on others or are closeminded. I just think it’s something people use for comfort, because the idea of dying and then it’s just over is depressing. And it gives them someone to blame.
I believe more people need to start adopting kids rather than popping out multiples of their own. There are so many kids out there that need a stable environment, and we should take care of them before we make new ones.
I believe that property taxes should be used to fund schools, but the taxes should be spread out evenly throughout the whole country with regards to enrollment. There are too many kids in underfunded schools because they live in a poor area. It’s not their fault, and going to underfunded schools gives them an extra disadvantage.
I believe that really rich people should get no tax breaks. The tax percentage someone pays simply goes up in different income brackets. I’m not saying tax the shit out of people just because they are rich, but they are not special because they are rich and should pay their fare share of taxes.
I believe most people are inherently selfish assholes and it takes work to be a nice, good person.
I believe that movie and sports stars make too much money. It is still work to be an actor or athlete, but $20 million or so a film is ridiculous. If I were Harrison Ford or someone who makes that much, after a certain point, I’d start giving money away like crazy - because who can really spend a few hunded million unless they are just collecting crap?
I believe that a lot of social conservatives are just afraid of change and would be much happier living about 50 or so years ago.
I believe that college shouldn’t cost so much and dormitories should cost even less, especially if students are required to live in one at any point in their college career. My school is personally tearing down the older, more affordable dorms and putting in new, suite style ones that cost $7000 or so a year. A state school.
I believe that child molestors, rapists, etc should never get out of jail. Most violent criminals shouldn’t because of high reoffense rates. I don’t really like the death penalty either, but it’s hard to not want to off criminals in some circumstances. According to my psych prof (veracity of statement unknown) a lot of people in prison are actually psychopaths, and you can’t cure a psychopath. By defintion psychopaths don’t give a shit about anyone and disregard rules of society, so if they commit a crime once, they’ll probably do it again because they just don’t fucking care. But not all psychopaths commit crimes.
I have to actually listen in class now.
[QUOTE=DianaG]
I believe that if Martin Hyde’s beliefs aren’t controversial to the population at large, then the world is even more hopelessly fucked than I’d imagined.
[/QUOTE]
Sorry, I live in Texas. 
[QUOTE=FriarTed]
I believe everyone here will realize that Jesus Christ is Lord, hopefully happily so.
Taggart.
[/QUOTE]
Not gonna happen cause it’s a stupid fairy tale.
[QUOTE=silenus]
I agree with about a dozen of Martin’s beliefs., to one degree or another.
[/QUOTE]
Me too, though I seriously disagree with the others.
I believe that if Martin Hyde is not a troll, he’s a sadistic sociopath who should be kept away from normal humans.
Yet I still don’t think Red Shirt is so terrible. I don’t think he’s happy about the pain he thinks consciousness is responsible for. Ultimately, his position is one with the reduction of suffering as its goal. I don’t agree with his conclusions, but I have sympathy for his lonely mission. Hyde, on the other hand, delights in his evil.