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| Thread: News and Bias |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 · «PREV / NEXT» |
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Vlaad
Admirable
Legendary Hero
ghost of the past
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posted May 02, 2010 11:59 PM |
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Edited by Vlaad at 00:29, 03 May 2010.
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Quote:
Quote:
william:
Nah, Europe sucks. I've been there.
If you ever needed a proof for... well, never mind. 
Perhaps he meant he ruined it when he was there. 
America is a great country, warts and all. The country is so huge and diverse that you simply cannot generalize, but its people are better than its government or media. Actually, every person I've met so far has been kind and helpful, which is something I didn't take for granted back home. And I'm sure it's the same in Arizona, even if Jesus would probably be pulled over there nowadays. Don't expect everybody to share your political or religious views, the same way you wouldn't expect it from someone who is from Iran or China. That doesn't mean they are bad people. American foreign policy does resemble a bull throwing a party in a china shop, but if my country had nukes - we'd all be dead by now.
On topic, I love watching Faux News, it's hilarious.
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Corribus
Hero of Order
The Abyss Staring Back at You
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posted May 03, 2010 12:12 AM |
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It doesn't make much sense to argue over which country is the "best" until you come to some sort of agreement over a metric to measure "bestness".
Seriously, people....
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mvassilev
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
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posted May 03, 2010 12:12 AM |
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Joonas:
If the US were to withdraw, the UK and Germany would have to seriously strengthen their military, which would mean higher spending, which would mean cuts elsewhere, higher taxes, or a combination of the two.
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Eccentric Opinion
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DagothGares
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
No gods or kings
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posted May 03, 2010 12:15 AM |
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Quote:
It doesn't make much sense to argue over which country is the "best" until you come to some sort of agreement over a metric to measure "bestness".
Seriously, people....
A country is measured by their channels and dykes.
Therefore, Belgium is superior with the exception of maybe five nations.
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If you have any more questions, go to Dagoth Cares.
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Binabik
Responsible
Legendary Hero
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posted May 03, 2010 12:17 AM |
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Just a quick statement for now. Broadband internet has been a major contributor to the downfall of the OSM. Yes, I'm serious. Back when most people were using dial-up and their only landline to connect to HC people would connect, read the thread, then disconnect to write a reply. There would likely be a good long time between posts. This thread is a good example of full-time internet connections with everyone talking at once and talking about several different subjects at once. It totally loses any coherency.
And yea, I'm a part of it too. It's like being in a crowded room with people talking past each other to someone on the other side of the room.
That's all for now....until I sort out which, if any, of the many subjects/people to respond to.
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Vlaad
Admirable
Legendary Hero
ghost of the past
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posted May 03, 2010 12:19 AM |
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Quote:
Quote:
It doesn't make much sense to argue over which country is the "best" until you come to some sort of agreement over a metric to measure "bestness".
Seriously, people....
A country is measured by their channels and dykes.
Therefore, Belgium is superior with the exception of maybe five nations.
America > Belgium
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mvassilev
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
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posted May 03, 2010 12:20 AM |
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Back in the day? I don't know about other people, but I've had broadband for as long as I've been at HC.
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Eccentric Opinion
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DagothGares
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
No gods or kings
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posted May 03, 2010 12:20 AM |
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I wasn't using the slang word, vlaad... 
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If you have any more questions, go to Dagoth Cares.
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Azagal
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Smooth Snake
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posted May 03, 2010 12:21 AM |
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Edited by Azagal at 00:25, 03 May 2010.
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Quote:
Nah, Europe sucks. I've been there
Been there = Age 0-7 in Russia and 10 days in Paris. Which in turn = "I maintained significant contacts afterwards I know how things are.". Seriously?
You're so naive it's almost adoreable mvassy-baby^^. Then again I guess you're just trolling again right? Because you're not seriously trying to tell us that you judge Europe based on the experiences you had as a diper wetting babywanabeeconomist, right? Not to mention that you know nothing or next to nothing about the 25 (or 26 depending where in Russia you lived) other member states.
I mean you can have your oppinion that's totally cool but I mean... generalizing like that without having a real basis to judge on? For all the talking you do I had always thought you'd valued real oppinions. Guess you were just being prentious?
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"All I can see is what's in front of me. And all I can do is keep moving forward" - The Heir Wielder of Names, Seeker of Thrones, King of Swords, Breaker of Infinities, Wheel Smashing Lord
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william
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
LummoxLewis
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posted May 03, 2010 12:38 AM |
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Well said Azagal. 
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~Ticking away the moments that
make up a dull day, Fritter and
waste the hours in an off-hand
way~
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Vlaad
Admirable
Legendary Hero
ghost of the past
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posted May 03, 2010 12:45 AM |
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Quote:
That's all for now....until I sort out which, if any, of the many subjects/people to respond to.
Oh pick me, pick me! The part about Arizona!
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del_diablo
Legendary Hero
Manifest
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posted May 03, 2010 01:22 AM |
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Quote:
Joonas:
If the US were to withdraw, the UK and Germany would have to seriously strengthen their military, which would mean higher spending, which would mean cuts elsewhere, higher taxes, or a combination of the two.
You forget that its a short term spending, after 2 months its pretty much finished and blah.
Besides, the amount of money we are talking about is minor compared to the rest of the budget anyhow.
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Binabik
Responsible
Legendary Hero
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posted May 03, 2010 01:32 AM |
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Lol Vlaad.
If you're referring to the new law in Arizona I don't know enough about it to address that issue. But I will say it seems to be a good example of media frenzy with lots of misinformation. It's also an example of what I said in my first(?) post about the power of emotions and imagery. I don't know if the law really violates people's rights or if it's racist, but the reaction to it is pretty typical of this sort of thing. 10-20 sound bites elicit emotions and reactions, without people having any real knowledge about the subject.
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mvassilev
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
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posted May 03, 2010 01:46 AM |
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Azagal:
I don't think you understand my experiences in Russia. You have no idea what it's like to stand in line for food every day. You have no idea what it's like to wait for hours waiting to receive treatment at a hospital. So please refrain from saying that my opinion is invalid, because quite frankly you have no idea what you're talking about.
del_diablo:
That spending isn't cheap, and it'd have to be maintained, too.
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Eccentric Opinion
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blizzardboy
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Nerf Herder
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posted May 03, 2010 01:57 AM |
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I'd take it a step further and say that traveling is a crappy method of gaining awareness of the world anyway, so who really cares if somebody has been somewhere or not? It's entertaining and you can grasp the general social atmosphere of a place, but apart from that, actually studying a place and its policies is what allows a person to reach a well-founded conclusion. Who gives a **** if you take a vacation somewhere? If I vacation in Europe, I'm not going to go to a library and sit there on my ass for 2 weeks studying the law and policy of the region. I can do that right now from my home. I'm going to tour castles, attend concerts, and woo the brawless native women at the beach with my outstanding American oral hygiene. I wouldn't consider myself a source of authority just because I vacationed somewhere. That's retarded.
And I don't see how a native is more trustworthy to judge their region than an outsider. Being a native means you might be defensive about criticism, and plus you need to know about the world as a whole in order to be able to compare it to something. Not to mention that where you live is what you're culturally comfortable with, thus it will likely be most appealing to you by default.
That being said, America is obviously #1 and vastly superior to the goblin hordes of Stalinist Europe with their small beverage sizes and unnecessary abundance of metros that operate in the red, or the mindless peons of Japan with their small penises and propensity to shove swords in their chest. Americans are enormous, towering dicks, and we have huge national monuments that are phallic symbols, and lots of shiny nuclear aircraft carriers, and presidents that get blowjobs from the staff, and black people that wear flashing gold jewelry, and an awesome geyser in Yellowstone National Park that ejaculates every 15 minutes. When I visited London in 2005, I got off the plane, and this is what I saw:
America is 2x better than Europe, 3x better than Sudan, and 20x better than Poland.
That is all.
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"Folks, I don't trust children. They're here to replace us."
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Arcax
Promising
Famous Hero
Its quite hot inside...
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posted May 03, 2010 02:21 AM |
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Quote:
and 20x better than Poland.
Duh since when ?
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Corribus
Hero of Order
The Abyss Staring Back at You
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posted May 03, 2010 02:53 AM |
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@bliz
Quote:
That is all.
Best post at HC ever.
Well, in the last 24 hours anyway.
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I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're goin', and hook up with them later. -Mitch Hedberg
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dimis
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Digitally signed by FoG
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posted May 03, 2010 03:06 AM |
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This
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The empty set
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mvassilev
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
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posted May 03, 2010 04:07 AM |
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JollyJoker
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
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posted May 03, 2010 08:50 AM |
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Having agood laugh after blizzard's post, you know what the main difference between the US and Europe is?
There is so much faking in the US, you know?
I mean, it's all about creating an image over a different reality.
Like
TV preachers - isn't that more about making money than everything else?
Gaming, either in Nevada or Atlantic City (while it's not allowed anywhere else) - it's all honest and serious, no tricks, no foul play, no nothing, right?
Oral sex - against the law in a a couple of states, and the nation isn't in the least bigotted in terms of sex, oh no.
Hollywood and the porn industry - isn't that where fake ws invented?Cops faking as customers in the vices departments to nail the prostitutes/dealers - even the cops fake.
Politics - well, since Ronald Reagan at the latest: who's actually leading the country, for heaven's fake?
Sports - Wrestling is a US invention as well, isn't it? Going from there, everything is possible to fake and orchestrate, isn't it?
Blondes may be brunettes and vice versa, women may be men or both, liquor may be everything but, and there is even faked food and Restaurants called McKing or something...
I mean, there is an endless list of things that amount to one thing - when the US are concerned you often wonder whether something is faked or for real. Which has the effect after some time that you suspect fake everywhere. The US are making this an art - it's working like advertisement: you KNOW it's all fake and bogus and hopelessly overdone - but you simply are not prepared for the boldness and enormity of the fake, so you and your subconscious will still believe part of it.
So, to give an example, if a politician runs for an election and campaigns, he or she will appear like Jesus or Mother Mary in person - flawless, an example of righteousness, responsibility, independence, loving husband and father or wife and mother, you name it. Since such things are not existing, everyone knows it's a fake; the marriage is probably existing on paper only, and if it's a guy he probably fools around with a campaign assistant, while if it's a gal she probably does it with her bodyguard; due to the stress they may have a coke or at least speed habit, they are of course lobbying for some chemical giant or car manufacturer and while they go to church on Sunday, the only god they believe in is Bejamin Franklin with a green background.
Everyone knows that, but the show is so good sometimes you forget.
If people in the US were patients with the Doc, no matter what their ailment was: "Don't worry, everything is fine, you are perfectly healthy." People may suspect, that may not be fully correct, but, hey, it SOUNDS nice, does it, they wouldn't lie to me so glaringly, man, I'm feeling better now. Who wants to know about reality and truth, it's bad anyway, so let's have a good show at least.
Now, in Europe there is a lot less fake. You might say, they put less effort into letting things appear like everything was peachy. In Europe there are gay secretaries of state, presidents who shag models, all done openly, of course... a lot less bigottery about everything concerning sex. There is so much less fake in Europe that people are actually outraged if a fake is blown - as if they were really surprised by it. What? a politician took money from some corp? Really? That snow son of a..., how could he? We already did say nothing about his coke habit and his harem of gay lovers! He should have had the decency at least to tell us the TRUTH about his corruptness as well, you know, so we could rest easily knowing we are not lied to...
In short, in Europe people want to know what is fake and what not - of course someone forgot to tell them that's the biggest fake of them all.
If people in Europe were patients with the Doc, no matter what their ailment was, the Doc would day: "I'll be honest to you, you DO have a problem." "Oh, Doctor, please be honest to me, how bad is it?" "Well... it's probably not much, and we will now observe it and watch it and make sure it doesn't get worse."
Which means, Europeans want the REAL THING, no matter how ugly, and best is: just as ugly as necessary to be able to believe it could actually be true. They want honest crooks there, not faking saints.
I mean, look for example to Italy. I think in the US a guy like Berlusconi would maybe lead a casino in Vegas, a porn movie company or maybe a worker union, but as a politician he'd be intolerable: he's showing disrespect for the people by not making a notable effort to fake a good image. In Italy on the other hand they say, hey, we KNOW that guy. We know about his shortcomings and his crookedness - they are probably all like him, but at least he admits it and does it openly, so he can't disappoint us... He's, in his very own way, an HONEST guy.
Europeans, on the other hand, would never vote for, say, Arnold Schwarzenegger. I mean, he's a darn ACTOR..., no, wait, umm, ok, Europeans would never vote for Ronald Reagan. I mean, he was a darn ACTOR, so how can you know he's not ACTING, when he says something? I mean, acting was his job, how can the Americans be so stupid and...
So the bottom line is, the US want an illusion that looks pleasant.
The Europeans want an illusion that looks just unpleasant enough to appear real - but not TOO unpleasant, of course.
That's so obvious when you have a look at TV or movie reality. Generally spoken, with the US, story is of no consequence. There has to be a nice ending, the rest: a good show. With Europe, it has to look like the real thing, must have a REAL story, actors that act like REAL people, REAL sceneries, REAL endings - but not TOO real, of course, only real enough to really believe it just could be real indeed.
What is better? Silly question, right?
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