Posts by Steve Parks
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Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit, in reply to Jacqui Dunn,
Can you tell me how you did this? Without having died yourself?
Maybe it’s a case of: on what basis would one conclude otherwise?
But, Andin, that’s the point. You won’t know until you’re there!
Yup, I think Occam’s razor is taken too far. Just because you don’t, and can’t possibly, know about something, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It’s just not a subject of scientific inquiry. It can only be speculated about.
Is this any different to the “is there a God?” issue? Seems the same to me. Maybe we can’t possibly know for absolute-sure that there is no afterlife, but its existence isn’t supported by anything we do know about how the world works. There are a lot of things (probably an infinite number) that we could believe on the basis of “we can’t know [for certain] it doesn’t exist”. Do we take them all seriously? No.
Most people don’t believes in the tooth fairy, Leprechauns or the Norse gods just because they can’t prove they don’t exist/have never existed. -
Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit, in reply to Joe Wylie,
Catching up on about 10 -15 pages:
I must say Kyle you have certainly worked yourself up into a tizzy about all this.
I didn’t see it that way. His comments certainly worked others into a tizzy, though...
Bullshit Kyle. You simply lack the wit or the courage to own the moral implications of your highly loaded weaseling. I’m really rather past caring which it might be. No amount of intellectual vanity can grant anyone the right to have their opinions taken as unvarnished gospel.
I'm not sure what the last sentence is supposed to mean, in context of the argument with Kyle. I must say (well, I will say, after having read though so much to catch up) that I find the reaction by some to Kyle's original point oversensitive. Pointing out that a certain generalised group were the main beneficiaries of some changes isn't the same as blaming them. I don’t see much difference in what Kyle said and what Sacha said here:
In general it is true that different generations benefited from and were harmed by those changes – but they only happened because poltiicians were able to make them (which in turn led to pressure for MMP, another chapter to be revisited this year).
I bet Kyle agrees.
So maybe there are elements of a left-right issue, rather than selfish “boomers” versus the rest.
I bet Kyle agrees, also.
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Hard News: Holiday Open Thread 2:…, in reply to Angus Robertson,
What I’d like to know is who thinks calling someone a Muslim portrays more hatred of the individual than calling them a torturer & war criminal?
Calling someone a Muslim with the intention of it being a slur is like when bigots try to insult someone by calling them a homo - it says more about the people making the claim than the target of their name calling.
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Hard News: Holiday Open Thread 2:…, in reply to Russell Brown,
…Obama’s speech (video here) …
Seems trite to point out, but I thought it was a pretty darn good speech, overall. (Esp from about 24 min on.) He managed to emphasize that political rhetoric did not cause this to occur, while making points about certain political rhetoric. In doing so he gave Fox News et al as little as possible to use against him. In a way, he came to the defense of Palin.
“And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse, let’s remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy – it did not – but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to our challenges as a nation, in a way that would make them proud.”
Political analyst Richard Wolffe made some good points, on msnbc's coverage afterwards, too.
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Hard News: Holiday Open Thread 2:…, in reply to Simon Grigg,
Loughner must be the first person ever to feel depressed and have dark thoughts after being dumped for the first time.
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Some interesting related articles:
How the Giffords Tragedy Made Me Anti-Anti-Anti Political Hate Speech.
Frum puts sights, sorry, target, on marijuana.
A commenter said elsewhere: “after realizing that gun violence could even affect him, King took a long, hard look inside himself, reassessed a few of his beliefs, and decided that something had to be done to protect… himself.”
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Hard News: Holiday Open Thread 2:…, in reply to James George,
This little silly season bombshell, initially released with all details supressed, should shock every New Zealander, yet here we are worrying about some hypocrite on the other side of the planet catching a bit of karma.
I know! How can people have opinions on two separate issues??
And yeah, why have concern for people on the other side of the world. They are the other. There needs to be less concern for the other in this world – that’s what’s causing all the problems. -
Hard News: Holiday Open Thread 2:…, in reply to Angus Robertson,
Here’s a quick thought exercise, if you’re unconvinced: stick a crosshairs over the kiwi in the Air Force logo, rather than the bullseye currently used. And tell me the meaning doesn’t change.
They’re both still associated with killing to me.
Really?...
Oh, wait, I see what you mean.
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Hard News: Holiday Open Thread 2:…, in reply to Marcus Turner,
Sorry to derail the discussion. I came across this: …
There may be some observations of value in there, but even a broken clock is right twice. Overall, I think the value of Chua’s simplistic commentary is demonstrated by the Wall Street Journal’s poll in the article:
Which style of parenting is best for children?
– Permissive Western parenting
– Demanding Eastern parentingThose are your options, folks.
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I haven't caught up so sorry if this has been posted: Obama London: Inexplicible edits on Sarah Palin's Facebook page.