What are your unpopular opinions?
Discussion
Disastrous said:
amusingduck said:
Rostfritt said:
amusingduck said:
How is there ever going to be a similar level of development, security, and wealth in every country?
There was when we were hunting with sticks and stones, why can't there now? Africa is developing at an alarming rate, China as we know is levelling off from absurd growth, South America too. Eventually if all wealthy countries continue to give development aid to the poorest we would all eventually reach a level where everyone has access to education, health, food, sanitation etc and there would be little economic migration and people would just move for a different climate or culture or for job opportunities.How are the developing countries going to catch up? How will development aid eventually level the playing field?
I can't see how it's possible without the masses from every rich country actively attempting to achieve your utopia, and I don't see the masses signing up for such altruism for such extended periods for no benefit to themselves or their families.
The only question is when will it happen (the abolition of nations) and will we get there voluntarily and peacefully or will it be the result of a violent breakdown of society?
Ask yourself this: if you gave a person (anyone vaguely sane and rational) a brand new planet to run would they go with 200 nation states, different currencies, different operating systems? Or would they run the place as a single entity?
Blown2CV said:
the george cross, unfortunately, is (like it or not) more associated with the EDL, chavs and elevenerifes than it is with anything positive about England.
I agree. It is not a flag I find particularly aesthetically pleasing. It does however look a lot better when clean, doesn't pointlessly have the word 'England' on it, three lion shield on it and made of cotton not polyester.Obviously as I have already revealed I am not filled with national pride, but I do like the Union Jack. I like the symbolism, having three different flags on top of each other looks good.
sideways sid said:
In an effort to get the thread back onto unpopular opinions:
People shouldn't continue to provide advice to strangers on the internet when the intended recipient clearly doesn't want the advice!
How could anybody possibly be unwilling to receive my advice? It's all good stuff, ain't it? People shouldn't continue to provide advice to strangers on the internet when the intended recipient clearly doesn't want the advice!
Rostfritt said:
I think the threat of being shot at dawn probably helped that. Shocking that it was acceptable to kill your own men for not wanting to be cannon fodder.
Also that there was little moral ambiguity and a credible threat to the UK in WWI (and II). That tends to motivate people to serve more than sending people away to foreign lands that couldn't threaten us in a hundred years to secure their oil. Also, and this might just be me... I'd hate to go to normal white collar prison, let alone Colchester (I mean the military prison, but Colchester itself isn't that appealing either). Thankfully, conscientious objection is a thing and says a lot about how free of a country we are.
Funkycoldribena said:
I find that more scary than being shot.
Thank bugger you weren't around in the forties.
I gather the irony is lost on you... the 40's was when Nationalism almost destroyed every free country in Europe. Thank bugger you weren't around in the forties.
Nationalism is one of the worst traits. Its used to justify so much unnecessary bloodshed. I'm glad we didn't have more nationalists in the Forties... they would have surrendered the entire country and continent to the Nazis.
Rostfritt said:
amusingduck said:
How is there ever going to be a similar level of development, security, and wealth in every country?
There was when we were hunting with sticks and stones, why can't there now? Africa is developing at an alarming rate, China as we know is levelling off from absurd growth, South America too. Eventually if all wealthy countries continue to give development aid to the poorest we would all eventually reach a level where everyone has access to education, health, food, sanitation etc and there would be little economic migration and people would just move for a different climate or culture or for job opportunities.It's like wanting everybody's wealth to be put into one pot, and then shared out equally amongst the entire population. We'd all be equally wealthy, for a brief period, but then some individuals would be savers rather than spenders, and inequality would start all over again. To me it's a non-runner.
aaron_2000 said:
Funkycoldribena said:
Rostfritt said:
I think the threat of being shot at dawn probably helped that. Shocking that it was acceptable to kill your own men for not wanting to be cannon fodder.
I think that nationalism is one of the worst human traits. The sooner we can get to being a world with no border controls and complete freedom of movement the better. Obviously this is a pipe dream and to make it happen all countries would have to be relatively equal in wealth and opportunities but that has to be something for humanity to work towards.
I find that more scary than being shot.I think that nationalism is one of the worst human traits. The sooner we can get to being a world with no border controls and complete freedom of movement the better. Obviously this is a pipe dream and to make it happen all countries would have to be relatively equal in wealth and opportunities but that has to be something for humanity to work towards.
Thank bugger you weren't around in the forties.
Voldemort said:
Ask yourself this: if you gave a person (anyone vaguely sane and rational) a brand new planet to run would they go with 200 nation states, different currencies, different operating systems? Or would they run the place as a single entity?
which appears to be the case with every sci-fi series ever. "Oh, we're going to Planet Xylon, 700 times the size of Earth, where we will interact with the Xylonians who appear to be the only species which inhabits this planet but also inexplicably have a meat-based diet"amusingduck said:
Missed this one earlier.
I think that's besides the point tbh. I see being hard-wired to reproduce as being distinct from wanting, or being able, to become a parent. One does not require the other.
Do people have sex because of an innate function to reproduce? Or because it feels nice? Or does it feel nice because we have an innate function to reproduce? I think that's besides the point tbh. I see being hard-wired to reproduce as being distinct from wanting, or being able, to become a parent. One does not require the other.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Turbotechnic said:
Anyway, I think percolated coffee tastes s
t and instant is much better.
I don't drink coffee at all, but my wife much prefers instant to anything that's been made in an expensive machine with beans and all that guff. t and instant is much better. I suspect it's possible that some folks think that what they had had at Starbucks and similar is good coffee, but I would suggest that is not the case.
Funkycoldribena said:
p1esk said:
Turbotechnic said:
Rawwr said:
I think it'd be nice to have average speed cameras everywhere.
WTF are you on?I never realised PH was so full of Brake and One worlders.
Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff