Our current society has become adept at demonizing just about anything, I wish they'd spend more time on psychopaths than their tools.Originally Posted by Rogar
I also wonder which does the most harm in a school setting if we're worried about influencing kids, a rifle or NRA patch on a book bag or a Grand Theft Auto book bag sans patches?
"Things should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." ~ Albert Einstein
It's too bad we live in a culture of fear, where a 12 year bold kid with an AR-15 patch may not ever have a bad intention but may think he could actually need one for self-defense. Maybe in a mass shooting event. It could be more of a people problem, like you say psychopaths, but there are those in the public that promote it. The tools and the whackos are inextricably related.
"what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Mary Oliver
Well, there are several different cultures involved in the issue.
For instance, I'm from the culture where by the age of 12, my grandparents had instructed me how to properly use firearms, including their M1 Garands and M1 Carbines. For hunting and sporting purposes, and yes, to use as a tool to defend self and others. "Fear" wasn't really part of it though. These were both men who'd fought *actual* Nazis.
My high school allowed us to have our firearms on campus, we just weren't allowed to keep them in our dorm rooms, but could check them out for practice or when we were out on the prairie. We even used them in physics class for practical lab exercises.
My own daughter was similarly brought up to view and use firearms as tools, and not totems of fear.
I suspect modern mainstream culture has little exposure to firearms as practical tools, though I understand what your saying. I was plinking at cans with a .22 probably around ten and hunting rabbits and quail by 15. There was a time when hunting rabbits with father was something of a father son bond, but in some cultures is probably socially unacceptable now. I forget how many bars I had on my NRA Sharpshooter medal for .22 target shooting. My father flunked out of fighter pilot school in The War and ended up playing trumpet in a military band. I just ran across his records qualifying for .30 cal M1, though. I suspect there are people who went through horrors of war that never wanted to see another firearm.
I never thought I would want a self-defense weapon until recent times, geologically speaking. The common concept of needing urban self-defense weapons is fairly recent. Although I did have a great uncle who slept with a Colt Peacemaker under his pillow and kept large amounts of cash in a Folgers can in his basement.
There was a time when urban self defense weapons had a practical purpose.
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"what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Mary Oliver
More threats to intellectual freedom (why are the trans activists always at the top of these efforts? There are so many other issues that could be involved.) Anyway…
The Oxford Union, associated with Oxford University, is the oldest and most respected debating club in the Western world.
https://oxford-union.org/about
Current efforts by students to essentially shut down the open debate of free-speech there, which they call giving “no platform “ were tied to speaker Kathleen Stock. Much hue and cry accompanied her appearance at the Oxford union several weeks ago. Kathleen Stock is a mild mannered, logically reasoning lesbian professor who espouses gender critical thoughts.
The issue of “no platform “at the Oxford union was debated across Britain. Many supporters of free-speech and free thought such as Richard, Dawkins and etc. spoke strongly against de-platforming anyone.
I enjoyed this defense of free speech from Katy Hopkins several years ago on the subject. She is entertaining and speaks truth. You can skip to 12:01 to hear her more serious points.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IkSBfd...aW9uIGthdHk%3D
Richard Dawkins has an interesting podcast called “The Poetry of Reality”, where he often talks about the corruption of science by politics in areas such as Covid, climate change, gender, etc. Having read a few of his books, I have to say he comes across as much more mild in his speaking persona than in his writing.
https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/...-law-australia
Australia, like many Western nations, has government limits to speech that clamps down on free expression more so than here in these United States with our important First Amendment.
I will watch with interest if some of those protestors (presumably Muslim, but perhaps not) who have been shouting “Gas the Jews” and “Kill the Jews” in Sydney will be charged with breaking the law.
Nazis can march here, and did, in Skokie in that famous event where people of a liberal political persuasion allowed them to march, repugnant though they are. I wonder if Australia will extend the same support to their shitheads.
I doubt today’s ACLU would champion Illinois Nazis right to be March. They seem to have adopted a less absolutist stance on free speech.
Sigh. Don’t you know it.
I have on my donation list for the year to give money to FIRE.
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