tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post6090481167094056483..comments2023-11-05T03:25:53.239-08:00Comments on Drake's Flames: Rant - Senseless MurderUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-37797521556875590692012-12-20T14:34:12.682-08:002012-12-20T14:34:12.682-08:00Hey Matt, I enjoyed most of your rant and I know y...Hey Matt, I enjoyed most of your rant and I know you didn't want to speak about gun control but in your comments you mentioned Canada gun laws and I just want to state that gun laws in Canada are not that similar to gun laws in the USA. I know different states have different law and maybe some states have ones more like Canada but definitely not all. In Canada it is all but impossible to get a carry permit for a weapon outside of hunting. However by no means is there a complete ban, it is just quite restricted (much more so than many states). The idea of "carrying" is also almost culturally unheard of outside of extremely rural areas in Canada whereas I've had friends going to the bar armed in Texas. It's such a cultural shock for me to hear that people are carrying guns. It's something that was always flickering through my mind while visiting Florida. Anyways, I do agree with you generally that more thought should be put into the care of the mentally unstable and proper treatment for depression. <br /><br />What did surprise me in your post was your mention of responsibility and abortion. I understand completely that abortion should not ever be used as birth control however restricting abortions has much more widespread consequences. It does not lead to teenagers being smarter about condoms or make them raise their children. It actually leads to dangerous illegal abortions taking place which often result in injury or death to the mother. Also, considering parts of your country consider abstinence only to be sufficient sex education (and I'm going to go out on a limb here and say no matter what you tell teenagers to do, some of them are going to be having sex) perhaps entirely blaming them for getting pregnant is not quite right. This is of course skirting the larger issue that whatever happens, the woman who is pregnant is in charge of her body and therefore has the right to alter her body whatever way she wants (including terminating an unwanted pregnancy). So by restricting abortions you are not teaching people responsibility so much as removing agency from a person over their own self. I morally think adoption is the best of all, however I also don't think myself or my government should impose my morals on someone else. I'm sure you didn't mean to get into all of this with that comment seeing as you were writing about the decay of personal responsibility in general, however you must know that it's an extremely sensitive topic. Examples of the degradation of responsibility can be found in all sorts of flashy law suits where people sue coffee companies for having hot coffee burn them.<br /><br />Anyways, that's my two cents, I do enjoy the game (and other things) reviews.Canucknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-52332352993552990952012-12-19T12:06:12.816-08:002012-12-19T12:06:12.816-08:00We can do nothing about gun violence like what hap...We can do nothing about gun violence like what happened in Newtown? Really? Ok. <br /><br />Thank god you're not in office.<br /><br />Also, the best idea that guy had in that ridiculous and offensive article you linked was for 6 year olds to swarm the shooter with their bodies in order to stop him from killing them. Very rational and level-headed yes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-40109329594030205942012-12-18T17:25:00.211-08:002012-12-18T17:25:00.211-08:00Far be it for me to enter into this political fray...Far be it for me to enter into this political fray, but I highly recommend this article:<br /><br />http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/17/there-s-little-we-can-do-to-prevent-another-massacre.html<br /><br />It's a reasonably level-headed, rational reaction to the events on Friday. Bottom line: no matter what, there is little that we can do. <br /><br />I, personally, would add that while tragedies like this are horrific and should be stopped, statistically they are very, very rare. It seems much, much worse due to the media. (Which is not necessarily a bad thing.) It's difficult to form effective public policy over something that is not only impossible to predict but is extraordinarily unlikely to happen.<br /><br />Emotions rarely make good public policy.Crank Crank Revolutionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06969841164975998966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-41886554391889064892012-12-18T15:23:43.456-08:002012-12-18T15:23:43.456-08:00For the record, Bambi was delicious.
Bannister
P...For the record, Bambi was delicious.<br /><br />Bannister<br /><br />PS Thumper was tasty as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-46617795040080366202012-12-18T13:04:17.450-08:002012-12-18T13:04:17.450-08:00I would write a pithy and wounding reply, but like...I would write a pithy and wounding reply, but like many other people who chimed in, you have completely missed the point. I think I will just ignore you until you can get the foam wiped off your mouth.Matt Drakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10293720777403743376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-91657291183960716312012-12-18T11:03:51.517-08:002012-12-18T11:03:51.517-08:00You couldn't be more wrong about gun control. ...You couldn't be more wrong about gun control. Look at every country with a ban on guns. Count their gun murders. End of discussion. <br /><br />I'm sure you like your gun toys and I'm sure you enjoy killing Bambi. I'm sure that's a heap of good ol' boy fun but you're gonna lose your guns because the adults know when it's time to take your toys away.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-39262223080102278232012-12-18T07:56:42.788-08:002012-12-18T07:56:42.788-08:00I turned on my PC this morning and the first artic...I turned on my PC this morning and the first article title I saw was "School Shooting: Who's to Blame?"<br /><br />I did a face palm. Do we really not know which fucktard we should be blaming for this?<br /><br />And also, no, no you can't have my guns. Period. There is no discussion.<br /><br />BannisterAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-42801746744464319732012-12-18T07:27:13.353-08:002012-12-18T07:27:13.353-08:00You're right, Matt. The issue here is only tan...You're right, Matt. The issue here is only tangentially about guns. <br /><br />The fact is that 400,000 people die every year because of smoking related disease, 4,000 people died last year by drowning in pools, and 100 kids died drowning in 5-gallon buckets last year.<br /><br />If someone immediately talks about banning guns and (oddly) executing people who have them, well, that's an agenda at work, not looking for a solution. After all, last time I checked, it's really easy to get fertilizer and REALLY easy to get diesel fuel.<br /><br />The fact is that 99.999% of gun owners aren't fucking nuts. They lock their shit up, do the right thing, and are responsible.<br /><br />The other .001% are fucking nuts who want to hurt people. And there's no stopping that. One can wreak as much carnage by jacking a school bus loaded with kids and driving it off a cliff. Or any number of things. We're a weak and fragile species and are easily hurt and killed. And with the internet, it's not hard to create poison bombs, pipe bombs, home-made claymores, or napalm. <br /><br />It's mental health that we need to focus on, to begin. All of the nutters who go on spree killings are certifiable. There's no "sane, rational" serial or spree killers. And sadly, in every single case, there were warning signs beforehand.<br /><br />I'd love to see guns more tightly regulated, 30-day waiting periods, and psych evaluations to ensure people are sane enough to actually be entrusted with a gun. But, that's not going to happen.<br /><br />And when you look at places like Japan that have almost zero gun ownership and almost zero gun deaths, there is only 6 times the murder rate in the US compared to Japan. So, the gun rate is exponentially higher, but the murder rate is only 6 times higher. So, guns aren't the problem. Society is the problem.<br /><br />It is acceptable to kill people in the US. Our media reinforces this, as Matt mentioned. Why is it that we're afraid of our kids seeing a boobie, but not afraid of a 15 year old seeing truly horrific violence?<br /><br />It's because we're fucked up, badly, by the culture, by and large. We worship fame and glory above all else, and the culture is such that we deride innovators and inventors who profit from their hard work and ogle over and idolize pieces of shit like Snooki and the Jersey shore cast. We have shows that embrace the exploitation of our kids like those inane beauty pageant shows...Toddlers and Tiaras. <br /><br />Our entire culture has become repugnant, at its core. Fix that, fix the fact that people with mental illness are shuffled along like so much refuse, not helped but rather mocked and ignored. Marginalized. It's sick.<br /><br />For a nation comprised mostly of supposedly charitable Christians, we sure would rather build tanks and bombs rather than schools and hospitals.<br /><br />We get what we deserve.<br /><br />~Pete=+=SuperflyTNT=+=https://www.blogger.com/profile/05476110006378606325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-20710448177974706382012-12-17T22:50:40.897-08:002012-12-17T22:50:40.897-08:00Scott, I missed your comment. As my good friend Sa...Scott, I missed your comment. As my good friend Sam Jackson liked to say, allow me to retort.<br /><br />Canada's gun laws are not dissimilar to our own. And yet, in 200 years, there has been exactly one school shooting that claimed more than two lives. Obviously, something more than gun control leads to a society where school shootings are becoming more prevalent. I think limiting the discussion to gun control is short-sighted to the point of irresponsibility, and I believe we need to quit beating that particular horse and look for other causes. Because the availability of firearms is quite obviously not the only factor.Matt Drakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10293720777403743376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-5362612979994694892012-12-17T22:29:59.185-08:002012-12-17T22:29:59.185-08:00I'm honestly still not completely sure where I...I'm honestly still not completely sure where I stand on the issue. I'm always struck by how obtuse and hand-wavey the anti-gun control arguments usually are, and how myopically focused the gun control advocates are.<br /><br />My own personal take after the past few massacre events has been: what has changed? It seems like the scale of these events has increased a bit. They've happened more quickly and caused higher body counts. I'm not informed on the statistics for crazies in this country, but my hunch is we haven't seen a crazy boom in the last ten years, so the people wielding the weapons haven't changed that much or grown more numerous.<br /><br />What seems to have increased is the access level to assault weapons. What also seems to have increased is the media worship of these events.<br /><br />So I'm leaning toward making those full-auto or semi-auto assault weapons totally illegal. I don't care about the hobbyists or the idiots who think they need an AK for self-defense (they know they don't). What also needs to change is the media culture around these killings, and I totally share your opinion in that area.<br /><br />Anyway, I thought this was a kickass blog entry, and I hope some of the morons cluttering up the comment box don't deter you from posting one of these occasionally. People need to talk about this stuff.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-30319853118723221992012-12-17T22:21:17.952-08:002012-12-17T22:21:17.952-08:00Thanks, Joe. I'm glad someone actually read th...Thanks, Joe. I'm glad someone actually read the post before they decided to tell me I was wrong about guns ( especially since the post didn't actually include any opinions on guns). I would welcome feedback about the post itself, the entire point of which was to NOT talk about banning guns, because everyone is already doing that, and missing countless larger issues.<br /><br />For the record, I don't have any problem with people thinking I am wrong. I'm even fine with people being insulting, because it's the Internet and that's how people talk on the Internet, especially me. I would consider it a huge favor, though, if we talked about what I actually said, instead of whatever happened here.<br /><br />Synopsis:<br />Me: There are lots of things to talk about right now besides gun control.<br />Response: Gun control!Matt Drakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10293720777403743376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-15020493792612078822012-12-17T21:33:52.943-08:002012-12-17T21:33:52.943-08:00Does anyone ever change their mind about issues af...Does anyone ever change their mind about issues after reading these intense and often rude dialogues?<br /> Matt's post was a rueful reflection on the kind of society that allows/produces shootings in schools. The post pretty clearly said that of all the questions one can ask after such an incident the question of gun control is predictable, but not that useful or even really the most relevant. There are 10 times more replies to this post than any other post in this blog that I remember. But almost all of them seem to have missed that point entirely. Pretty much every person on the planet has a high value for protecting the ones that they love. But different people will do that in very different ways. Angrily, sarcastically, or even respectfully, declaring that your way is best is not going to convince anyone to reconsider their position, least of all in the comments section of a blog on nerd life. Think about what would change your mind on this kind of issue. Some clever comment on the internet probably wouldn't do it for you.<br /> Finally, if there is any possible way to politely ask such a thing, can you please take your arguments somewhere else. If you are commenting on what the post was about that's one thing. I'd be eager to read that. But this stopped being about Matt's ideas a long time ago.adventure_joenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-52511541476945368912012-12-17T18:07:51.617-08:002012-12-17T18:07:51.617-08:00A hundred problems more pressing? Mental health in...A hundred problems more pressing? Mental health in the US? <br /><br />Can you imagine the psychological toll on children seeing their friends and teachers being ripped to shreds right before their eyes? <br /><br />Can you imagine the subsequent psychological impact on the whole school, the whole neighborhood?<br /><br />Enforcing stricter gun controls would actually aid in reducing mental health issues (which by the way is a huge, complex problem worldwide, and with no easy or quick solution - unlike changing law as successfully evidenced by other countries)Scottnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-77338350407099454882012-12-17T15:21:18.731-08:002012-12-17T15:21:18.731-08:00apologies, typing on phone pad with small comment ...apologies, typing on phone pad with small comment box is not ideal. stripped down, the point I simply make is that widespread gun does not make you more safe, also just because I dont believe in carrying firearms does not make me a sheep, a serf nor an irresponsible adult. I said before it will take 10 years to enact at least, the quibble about this gun or that gun is irrelevant as long as the idea is given space to grow....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-54292844579528226882012-12-17T14:10:30.683-08:002012-12-17T14:10:30.683-08:00Any chance you could make your point again, but th...Any chance you could make your point again, but this time in English? I have no idea what you said, beyond a satirical reference to staple guns.Matt Drakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10293720777403743376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-27005681398953848752012-12-17T13:20:24.465-08:002012-12-17T13:20:24.465-08:00p.s If the only nit-pick you make about the argume...p.s If the only nit-pick you make about the argument is a hand guns and e.g hunting rifles then I've successfully made my point. Do you think I could fucked to alter the argument as gun but not guns used for x, y, z when my response is to guy who says it irresponsible to NOT carry a gun for the specific purpose of killing to protect? Then I'd have to go, yes but a staple gun is fine. And so is a glue gun. I also hope you get satire, and irony but maybe not. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-23990455425171499482012-12-17T13:11:45.496-08:002012-12-17T13:11:45.496-08:00Blame Kenneth, he called me "irresponsible&qu...Blame Kenneth, he called me "irresponsible". :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-51702447422972470442012-12-17T13:02:28.790-08:002012-12-17T13:02:28.790-08:00Wow...someone struck a nerve...Wow...someone struck a nerve...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-44362674631247214462012-12-17T13:01:10.962-08:002012-12-17T13:01:10.962-08:00Holy crap, dude. You are really worked up about th...Holy crap, dude. You are really worked up about this gun thing. Allow me to introduce a little reality to your afternoon (or is it night in Britain right now?)<br /><br />When Americans discuss gun control, we are talking about whether normal people should be allowed to own bazookas. This country was built on gun violence, and only the most fringe elements would propose a full ban on all guns. We can discuss banning full-auto assault rifles, but you are never, ever going to get America to sign off on losing our hunting rifles, our nightstand handguns, or our skeet-shooting shotguns. Try to eliminate firearms altogether, and you'll have armed rebellion.<br /><br />I am not a gun owner, though I am ex-military and I can sure as hell use one. I am all in favor of a ban on fully automatic weapons, and I think gun ownership should be limited to people who prove they can use them safely. But your rabid defense of a totally unarmed nation is going to fall on deaf ears, especially when you can't flap your gums without being a psychotically insulting douchebag.Matt Drakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10293720777403743376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-62854806791013109912012-12-17T10:34:51.551-08:002012-12-17T10:34:51.551-08:00Kenneth, seriously? Surely it's more sheep lik...Kenneth, seriously? Surely it's more sheep like to follow the status quo, to choose to live in a state of fear and paranoia that the only way you feel you can protect your family is being armed, that you cannot aspire to a greater america where we can live in a gun free environment, where you don't worry on a day to day basis that some slight crime could end up with a bullet in your head. As for responsibility your sentiment is absurd, how little you realise that so many more people protect your liberties and overall well being than you yourself with a gun, good deeds, daily kindness and care will go further to protect you than some stupid weapon, you have no idea how youth centres and the inspiration their workers provide are the bastions ACTUALLY protecting you. But NO you say, so go on then, buy a tank, and a fighter jet, and an army and nuclear weapons if you got cash, and cause every other fucker is so scared and paranoid, why not arm the whole fucking world each and every one of us, and see where that gets us !! Yes THEN we'll all be so very protected and all so very terribly safe. Those are the thoughts and sentiments of NOT responsible men, but little men, with little petty fearful thoughts, who have to feel safe with guns because they don't feel like they have any power otherwise to protect their families, a gun's only purpose is for the army and police, to basically kill when NEEDED - very few people are truly prepared for killing in this day and age.. but you mr responsible wants to arm everyone, but really, who do you think will win? The civil average blue collared working man or the criminally minded?! Fucking obvious right? In which case you say, let's TEACH every man to wield a weapon, let's level it out?! But you see, I don't want to live in a world where everyone totes a gun and knows how to use it, I don't want to walk around bristling armed to teeth and everyone else the same, it's cool in board games and don't get me wrong I fucking love to kill and wreak havok when I PLAY, but for me and I think for most others, it is a silly fantasy if you wish for it be true, and I know this is satire, but it's basically what you're saying! Good day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-46651817369770875532012-12-17T06:41:58.582-08:002012-12-17T06:41:58.582-08:00Don't worry, anonymous person, I won't do ...Don't worry, anonymous person, I won't do this again soon. Or rather, if I have any sense, ever again.Matt Drakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10293720777403743376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-5876284076071713172012-12-17T06:15:07.621-08:002012-12-17T06:15:07.621-08:00I'll take lower chance of being attacked and h...I'll take lower chance of being attacked and having the right, which I exercise with regularity, to carry the means to effectively defend myself and my family. Sheep, serfs and little children leave the responsibility for their well being to others. Responsible adults do not. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420849931143434997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-69834634479868562752012-12-17T03:53:56.656-08:002012-12-17T03:53:56.656-08:00Whoa, this blog sure did go off the deep end. I wi...Whoa, this blog sure did go off the deep end. I wish you'd stick to boardgames and movies, but it's too late for that I guess.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-66781823466862204912012-12-17T00:52:36.785-08:002012-12-17T00:52:36.785-08:00Ken- your statistics conveniently ignore mortality...Ken- your statistics conveniently ignore mortality rates. <br />I can't be bothered to argue.<br /><br />It's the same ole same ole every time a school shooting happens in the US. History repeats itself and will carry on repeating itself while the gun lobby sticks its fingers in its collective ears and sings 'la la I'm not listening'Steerpikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10651282486675534271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-327484429725532216.post-61982124925348099562012-12-16T20:52:14.071-08:002012-12-16T20:52:14.071-08:00I certainly agree with our weird concern over nudi...I certainly agree with our weird concern over nudity while extremely violent imagery is perfectly fine. I've had this argument before and actually had one person say he was ok with his kids seeing violence since it's in the Bible, but nudity was bad since God didn't approve of it.<br /><br />How do you argue with someone that has such a fucked up opinion like that? I'd rather my kids feel comfortable with sex and nudity and not be afraid to ask me about it. And I would not subject them to violence in entertainment until I was sure they could handle it, even then, nothing R rated until they were 17.<br /><br />I also agree that Hunger Games is an extremely disturbing movie and book and am shocked so many parents are prefectly fine with the subject matter.Dannoreply@blogger.com