Really strange time for us to be alive?
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Perhaps I’m going through an existential period in my life…but I’ve been thinking about this stuff a lot lately:
- Mind-blowing advances are happening in the technology and medical fields every single day. Self-driving and, eventually, “flying” cars are going to be an actual thing that normal people will be able to afford.
- Incredibly debillitating illnesses and diseases are eventually going to be eradicated by gene therapy.
- The world is connected in a way that it has never been before, and people are sharing thoughts and ideas in real-time across the planet.
On the other hand:
- Fanaticism, while always around, is now more widely talked about. We’ve gotten so adept at creating weapons and other things that are *so* dangerous, that one person (or a small group of coordinated people) can cause devastating amounts of violence and harm.
- There have been great strides in increasing the overall level of tolerance for varying ways of living one’s life…but in many cases, there is still an undercurrent of fear or intolerance that is worrisome. Will this eventually go away once a few generations pass? Or are humans doomed to live in this endless cycle of being scared of things that are different from themselves?
- Trump…yeah, this is a real thing, and it might really happen. Holy fuck.
- As soon as we’re able to cure one illness, then Mother Nature drops another one on us…like Zika. Freaking Darwin, man. Did people really have wheat or peanut allergies 100 years ago, or is this something that’s happening at an evolutionary level?
All in all, I’ve come to the following conclusions:
1) This is the best time to be alive in the history of human existence
2) There is no *wrong* time to be alive. There is beauty and possibilities for fulfillment everywhere you look, in every era of history…no matter the geopolitical situations at the time.
3) It will only get better. Ever.
There’s definitely more than a few Star Trek episodes about these topics.
I have a lengthy response but unfortunately I’m not at my computer for the next day and typing this on phone would be a pain.
You’re not alone, Sam. I’ve had several anxiety attacks since the Sunday Orlando attacks. As an out LGBTQ person, I’m usually more vigilant and defensive than the average person in public, but Sunday’s events triggered an upswing in my usual protectiveness.
It’s frickin’ 2016 and there are still people out there who think it’s okay to cause harm, antagonize, or bully others because someone else told them they should. Hate is learned behavior.
Ehhh…please tread carefully. I don’t mind a healthy discussion about current issues, and for sure, there’s a lot to talk about nowadays.
But if this gets into any kind of political mud slinging or insulting it will get locked real fast.
Ban the sales of any and all kinds of automatic Assault Weapons to the general public !
The world would be a much safer & better place to live in.
” src=”/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/default_SA_smile.gif” />Yes someday we will fly to work & back like George Jetson !
I probably won’t be around to see it, but some of you younger folks just might…….
Automatic weapons in the USA are quite strongly regulated. The number of automatic firearms used in homicides is almost certainly negligible compared to nearly any type of weapon, firearms or otherwise.
Now if you want to talk about botched sting operations like Fast and Furious, that’s another matter…
Automatic weapons in the USA are quite strongly regulated. The number of automatic firearms used in homicides is almost certainly negligible compared to nearly any type of weapon, firearms or otherwise.
On that note, 50 deaths by gun shots is called a slow month in Chicago, sadly.
I saw a great post from a gun fan: limit magazines to ten rounds. Unfortunately, it drew nothing but MAH GUNS replies.
I didn’t intend this to become a debate about gun control, really.
That said…I appreciate the second amendment, and recognize that people should have the right to defend themselves.
But I don’t understand how making semi-automatic assault rifles available to the general public is a necessary thing.
If you want to use a single shot, shoot-and-reload rifle to hunt animals legally, fine. You don’t need a hundred round clip to do that.
Same with protecting your home.
Nyx’s comment is absolutely right…how is anything > 10 rounds explicable in any of the situations we’ve listed above?
I saw a great post from a gun fan: limit magazines to ten rounds. Unfortunately, it drew nothing but MAH GUNS replies.
I thought they already were. I was hearing talk of limiting it to seven rounds which would make my M1 Garand illegal.
” src=”/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/default_dry.png” />There’s always the saying “If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns”. It’s true. If you’re desperate to kill a person, you’ll find some way to get a hold of one. It’s a tough issue for sure. Of course I don’t want people toting AKMs in the street but I do enjoy going out and shooting targets. I doubt there’s any real threat of outlawing guns entirely anytime soon but I feel people on both sides of the spectrum are being overzealous about it. That’s how most people are anyway.
I don’t know the numbers, but I can guarantee you the number of people who own a gun to the number of people who use one to kill others is overwhelming. It’s not the guns – it’s the people. Unfortunately you can’t fix people nor can you really tell or enforce who shouldn’t be allowed to have firearms.
As far as…the Orlando shooting, it’s been once hell of an event. Islamic extremists, LGBT, and gun violence all in one night. That’ll definitely be interesting in an already skewed election year.
And one hell of an election year it is. I’m personally not liking either leading candidate. I was hoping the first election I could vote in didn’t require me to vote based on who I think will screw the US over the least. But everyone said that about every president and we seemed to pull through (mostly…looking at you, Andrew Johnson!).
Regardless, no matter what happens in any political and social issue, the United States will recover and move on. We have a tenacity to be frustratingly stubborn.
But I don’t understand how making semi-automatic assault rifles available to the general public is a necessary thing.
Ask anybody who ever had to defend themselves or their loved ones against more than one attacker or who didn’t have the ability/opportunity to stop an assailant with a single shot like a trained soldier could. Did you only manage to graze your attacker and he’s still coming at you to end your life? Sucks to be you if you only have a muzzle loader, because the attacker will rush you if they know you can’t continue defending yourself.
The second amendment has nothing to do with hunting for food or sport.
Ask anybody who ever had to defend themselves or their loved ones against more than one attacker or who didn’t have the ability/opportunity to stop an assailant with a single shot like a trained soldier could. Did you only manage to graze your attacker and he’s still coming at you to end your life? Sucks to be you if you only have a muzzle loader, because the attacker will rush you if they know you can’t continue defending yourself.
On that note, an AR-15 is considerably more intimidating than your dad’s single-shot .22. If I were robbing a home and saw the former I’d get the hell outta there.
But Jesus Christ, I could only imagine if I had my 53-cal musket loaded at all times for home defense. If I heard someone rummaging around in my home I’d grab that thing, don a white wig and a tricorne hat and scare the hell out of them when I charge in my skivvies yelling “FOR YORKTOWN!!!”
Well, you people and all your guns. Move to a country where if you’re mad at someone you yell at them, worst case you punch them. You both live and then have a beer.
Back to the topic, I find it amazing that you can search on line (google etc) for anything and find it. Only 30 years ago, that was impossible. 40 years ago if you had said people world be able to do that (and other current things) you would have been called mad or (futuristic) crazy.
I find it amazing that you can search on line (google etc) for anything and find it. Only 30 years ago, that was impossible. 40 years ago if you had said people world be able to do that (and other current things) you would have been called mad or (futuristic) crazy.
Your numbers are a bit off. The Arpanet was dreamt up in 1963, more than 50 years ago, and it was up and running by 1967. Two MIT students, Will Crowther (my brother-in-law) and Severo Ornstein were hired by BBN to write the code and develop the hardware for the project. Apparently, when told of the project, Ornstein said, “Sure, we can design that, but no one will ever use it.”
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