The Wow I Can't Believe That News Story Thread

[Exo]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

I would expect that if Exo were here he might have stepped in.

Originally Posted by The Batlord

I was sure someone was getting banned, I just didn't know who. Chula and OH kept one-upping each other and it felt like watching a game of Pong.

Yeah. I missed all this. Can't ref a game that seems to have ended already.

I'm going to need to have everybody just sh*t the f*ck up though.

[The Batlord]

Originally Posted by Exo

Yeah. I missed all this. Can't ref a game that seems to have ended already.

I'm going to need to have everybody just sh*t the f*ck up though.

Lame. At least grindy would have humorously called us children who couldn't be left alone with a bottle of Elmer's glue before he threatened the ban hammer.

[DwnWthVwls]

Please stop personally attacking me.

[Exo]

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Lame. At least grindy would have humorously called us children who couldn't be left alone with a bottle of Elmer's glue before he threatened the ban hammer.

Excuse me I said shut the f*ck up please.

[MicShazam]

Originally Posted by Neapolitan

So you why are you so enamored by communism? By your standards whether you are a card carrying member or not, just merely touting communism should make you share in the guilt for the millions that died directly from communism regimes.

So long as you don't forget that capitalism rapes and kills every day, I don't have a huge problem with this statement.

[Plankton]

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Lame. At least grindy would have humorously called us children who couldn't be left alone with a bottle of Elmer's glue before he threatened the ban hammer.

[Lisnaholic]

Honouring Exo's request, I think these bits of the discussion should still be ok. They are guaranteed OH and Chula free and we're not on total curfew are we?

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Kind of the point is that laws come down from places of authority and are therefore designed to define and maintain their power. Deciding that war = murder would be decidedly against their best interests. Might as well ask Ted Bundy his opinion on getting into cars with strangers.

^ That's one explanation, of course, but there's another one too:-
Typically, war is a matter of self-defense: one guy is trying to shoot you, so you try to shoot him first. Even in civilian life, self-defense is considered a sufficiently good motive to avoid a charge of murder, afaik. In that sense, killing someone in battle should be distinguished from murder per se.

@Lisna - I would respond the exact same way. I am not easily put off by people being direct. A lot of the problem comes from people having trouble handling opinions they disagree with, that don't beat around the bush because feelings. I prefer the first sentence and it's quite obvious it's an opinion. Most discussions of this nature are opinion based. If anything, you should clarify when you are speaking factually, present the evidence to back up the claim, and assume everything else is opinion.

^ That's interesting to know, DWV, especially your preference for the first sentence. What you suggest about us labeling up our facts is something I'll take on board as they say, i.e. think about for a while, then possibly throw back into the water when no one is looking.

[MicShazam]

Originally Posted by Lisnaholic

^ First, I'd like to compliment you on this post, which has a scattering of questions, "I think"s and "Idk"s. It sounds friendly, and clearly shows that you're inviting discussion.



^ This post seems to pre-suppose that the rules for an essay in college are the same as the rules for posting on MB. I believe that the formats, situations and goals are different enough to require significantly different writing styles. I think it's a mistake to just cut and paste a rule from one and apply it to the other.

For example, a college essay will often specifically request an opinion, in which case the rules you quote are perfectly valid and a bunch of "In my opinions" are indeed just re-stating the obvious.

Here on MB, though, it's different: often, we are not replying to a question that has invited our opinion or comment, we're just spontaneously volunteering something. In this case, it is useful to know if we are volunteering something we regard as a fact or if it's just our opinion. Sometimes it's clear enough anyway, but not always.

Also, on MB I think the most constructive posts are the ones that ask questions and encourage dialogue, which is best done by offering an opinion. And if a dialogue begins, the purpose of our writing is even furthur removed from the college essay and should clearly allow for differences of opinion. In this context, the bald statement of an opinion as if it were a fact can sometimes appear confrontational.

How differently would you feel about reponding to these posts, I wonder:-





My instinct is to simply ignore the first or to immediately engage in a slanging match, but perhaps I'm an out-of-touch pedant compared to you guys and you don't sense much difference between the posts.

I personally don't make much effort to underline that my talk about music is opinion. It's safe to assume that basically all of it is. My head is not inflated enough that I think my take on a band is the final word on the matter.

I'm in the camp that thinks "in my opinion" is superfluous much of the time. If I was discussing something like ethics and politics, I'd make much more sure to underline what I believe to be fact and what's my personal take.

[The Batlord]

Originally Posted by Exo

Excuse me I said shut the f*ck up please.

Insult us as people before you tell us to stop insulting each other. It's the Music Banter way. Like my superior officers in military school telling us to "Stop ****in' cussin'!"

[Chula Vista]

Originally Posted by [MERIT]

Some say that Adam Weishaupt is the face of the U.S. $1 bill.

I don't know, the famous Lansdowne portrait looks very similar to the dude on the dollar bill.



That other guy? Not so much.