What are your unpopular opinions?

[sideways sid]

Blown2CV said:

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!

people shouldn't post on internet discussion forums without expecting that what they post may get discussed!

[TwigtheWonderkid]

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!

When I want your opinion, I'll give it to you.

[amusingduck]

Rostfritt said:

amusingduck said:

I presume that you've had sex with those girlfriends and wives?

Seems to me like that qualifies as "hard-wired to reproduce", it's just that technology now allows us to avoid the consequences.

I've had plenty of sex but even without protection I don't think any of it could have resulted in kids.

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.

[captain_cynic]

The Selfish Gene said:

in a further effort to get back to unpopular opinions:

the "what would you do with a time machine" thread made me think.............

I don't think Selfishness is a thing. I mean, I understand it as a concept. However, based on the fact I'm a complete Atheist and I know for certain we are just one big petri dish of a planet. There won't be a day of judgement at the pearly gates.

We have a miniscule amount of time (if we are lucky) on this planet.

I will do whatever I want (assessing the risks and within reason obviously) - but, I will make sure that my short time on this planet is as fun as possible.

I extend that to people I care about.........but for the masses, I literally don't give a fk about all the things everyone thinks we should give a fk about.

If it doesn't affect me directly (or someone I care about) fk it.

I don't read newspapers, I don't watch the news.

I have zero sympathy for people bleating on about small dramas that affect their uninteresting lives.

Some may call me selfish as a result, I don't recognise any opinions of my world, other than my own.

What you describe isn't selfishness. We've got a biological imperative to look out for Number 1. Doing things that help (or please) ourselves isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Selfishness is when you hoard excessively, especially without a need or benefit in doing so.

If doing a good thing for someone else costs you nothing, would you not do it? Even just something as simple as holding a door open for someone carrying a box.

[The Selfish Gene]

captain_cynic said:

What you describe isn't selfishness. We've got a biological imperative to look out for Number 1. Doing things that help (or please) ourselves isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Selfishness is when you hoard excessively, especially without a need or benefit in doing so.

If doing a good thing for someone else costs you nothing, would you not do it? Even just something as simple as holding a door open for someone carrying a box.

damn it - I might have to change my PH name now!!

[Countdown]

A lot of people don't realise that "driving enthusiastically" basically means driving like a dick.

We should have far more traffic light cameras.

[Rawwr]

I think it'd be nice to have average speed cameras everywhere.

[AlexC1981]

The Selfish Gene said:

in a further effort to get back to unpopular opinions:

the "what would you do with a time machine" thread made me think.............

I don't think Selfishness is a thing. I mean, I understand it as a concept. However, based on the fact I'm a complete Atheist and I know for certain we are just one big petri dish of a planet. There won't be a day of judgement at the pearly gates.

We have a miniscule amount of time (if we are lucky) on this planet.

I will do whatever I want (assessing the risks and within reason obviously) - but, I will make sure that my short time on this planet is as fun as possible.

I extend that to people I care about.........but for the masses, I literally don't give a fk about all the things everyone thinks we should give a fk about.

If it doesn't affect me directly (or someone I care about) fk it.

I don't read newspapers, I don't watch the news.

I have zero sympathy for people bleating on about small dramas that affect their uninteresting lives.

Some may call me selfish as a result, I don't recognise any opinions of my world, other than my own.

So would you feel about stealing things if you were sure there was no chance of you getting caught? You might as well go for it if you have no concern for the wellbeing of others besides those you care about.

[Countdown]

The Selfish Gene said:

in a further effort to get back to unpopular opinions:

the "what would you do with a time machine" thread made me think.............

I don't think Selfishness is a thing. I mean, I understand it as a concept. However, based on the fact I'm a complete Atheist and I know for certain we are just one big petri dish of a planet. There won't be a day of judgement at the pearly gates.

We have a miniscule amount of time (if we are lucky) on this planet.

I will do whatever I want (assessing the risks and within reason obviously) - but, I will make sure that my short time on this planet is as fun as possible.

I extend that to people I care about.........but for the masses, I literally don't give a fk about all the things everyone thinks we should give a fk about.

If it doesn't affect me directly (or someone I care about) fk it.

I don't read newspapers, I don't watch the news.

I have zero sympathy for people bleating on about small dramas that affect their uninteresting lives.

Some may call me selfish as a result, I don't recognise any opinions of my world, other than my own.

The problem is that if only "you" behave like a twunt (I don't mean you specifically) then that might seem OK from your point of view, as long as nobody else behaves like "you". Problems arise when others think "Sod it! If TSGene is going to behave like a twunt I'm going to behave like a twunt" you then end up with LOTS of people behaving like selfish twunts which then does make things worse for you.

Most people don't follow "society's" rules/ethics for altruistic reasons. They do it because they know if everybody behaved like a twunt we'd ALL be worse off.

[Turbotechnic]

Rawwr said:

I think it'd be nice to have average speed cameras everywhere.

WTF are you on?

[glazbagun]

Countdown said:

The problem is that if only "you" behave like a twunt (I don't mean you specifically) then that might seem OK from your point of view, as long as nobody else behaves like "you". Problems arise when others think "Sod it! If TSGene is going to behave like a twunt I'm going to behave like a twunt" you then end up with LOTS of people behaving like selfish twunts which then does make things worse for you.

Most people don't follow "society's" rules/ethics for altruistic reasons. They do it because they know if everybody behaved like a twunt we'd ALL be worse off.

Additionally, one persons idea of behaving like a twunt is another's normal- we see it already in how James Bond and even Friends are now being seen as horribly outdated and almost abusive, or how the body language of a Spaniard wouldn't be acceptable in Finland. But if you had a time machine and went back a couple of hundred years, even the most right-wing PHer would probably seem like a disgusting, dangerous radical for their thoughts on homosexuality, sex before marriage, equal rights for people of different races, etc.

I find society to be generally self-managing. Like the bystander effect, we learn what is acceptable from those around us. It takes a fairly brave person to, say, leave their religion and everything they've known, but it's infinitely harder when there's nowhere to leave to.

I still find it amazing that so few deserted during WWI. Given the choice of running onto enemy machine gun fire having just seen the utter futility of a few thousand of your countrymen do just that surely thinking "fk that st!" is the logical choice if you want to live even another day. Even with a captain waving a gun at you, there's more of you than there is of him.

Yet very few on either side did- presumably because they cared what others would think of them. Peer pressure seems the strongest force in humans. Dying honourably seems to have been a massive thing in antiquity, too.

[Rawwr]

Turbotechnic said:

WTF are you on?

Pistonheads, I think.

[davhill]

Disastrous said:

This is strangely specific!

I have a couple of questions:

1). What do the lyrics of Black Velvet have to do with you not wanting children?

2). Why does her mentioning a baby irritate you?

Also, and I may just make your day here, the song is written as a paean to Elvis Presley.

The baby on the shoulder in question is supposed to be the infant Elvis on his mother Gladys’ shoulder.

Also, “Black Velvet and that Little Boy Smile” refers to the popular line of Elvis prints available in the US finished in Black velvet - girls liked him for his ‘little boy smile’.

Now you can like the song again!

Ta! You now see what you get from 11 years of being pussy whipped for criticising the stepdaughter. Both she and her mother now share the same prefix - ex.

[The Vambo]

Homemade bread isn't better than shop bread unless you think Mothers pride and Warburtons are all that shops sell.

[Rostfritt]

glazbagun said:

I still find it amazing that so few deserted during WWI. Given the choice of running onto enemy machine gun fire having just seen the utter futility of a few thousand of your countrymen do just that surely thinking "fk that st!" is the logical choice if you want to live even another day. Even with a captain waving a gun at you, there's more of you than there is of him.

Yet very few on either side did- presumably because they cared what others would think of them. Peer pressure seems the strongest force in humans. Dying honourably seems to have been a massive thing in antiquity, too.

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.

[glazbagun]

Rostfritt said:

glazbagun said:

I still find it amazing that so few deserted during WWI. Given the choice of running onto enemy machine gun fire having just seen the utter futility of a few thousand of your countrymen do just that surely thinking "fk that st!" is the logical choice if you want to live even another day. Even with a captain waving a gun at you, there's more of you than there is of him.

Yet very few on either side did- presumably because they cared what others would think of them. Peer pressure seems the strongest force in humans. Dying honourably seems to have been a massive thing in antiquity, too.

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.

There's a guy called Dan Carling who does some really good podcasts on WWI (called Blueprint for Armageddon) if you have the hours to kill. It really does seem that social bonds played the largest part in keeping people in line rather than fear of a firing squad- you'd be letting down your king, country, friends, family and town if you deserted. Even many of those shot by firing squad seem to have mostly gone willingly, even apologetically.

Something that I didn't know about was The Order of the White Feather using women to persuade men of fighting age to sign up for the trenches by presenting them with feathers or lillies. It's both a brilliant marketing idea and pretty ruthless to use on young men, but the people who grew up with empire and nationalism were rather naive about what they were unleashing onto themselves.

[Funkycoldribena]

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.
Thank bugger you weren't around in the forties.

[aaron_2000]

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.
Thank bugger you weren't around in the forties.

Yeah I was thinking that, nothing I want less than people from places like Somalia being able to come here with absolute ease.

[anonymous-user]

The Vambo said:

Homemade bread isn't better than shop bread unless you think Mothers pride and Warburtons are all that shops sell.

Which neatly fits into my unpopular opinion.
Tesco's wholemeal bloomer is one of the best breads I regularly buy. Just great with butter or for dipping into soup. Their white bloomer is also very good and another favourite.

[Rostfritt]

aaron_2000 said:

Yeah I was thinking that, nothing I want less than people from places like Somalia being able to come here with absolute ease.

Is someone from Somalia less of a human because of where they were born?

Like I said, for this to work there would have to be a similar level of development, security and wealth in every country. Somalia, for example was quite a safe place to be in the 60s, somewhere you could possibly go on holiday. It would be great if anyone could pack their things and try their luck anywhere in the world and there to be a reason to go anywhere. Only then would we actually be free.