NationStates Jolt Archive

(Though the example I use is of an American, please note that from my experience and no doubt others as well, it applies to those of essentially any country.)

So, I was coming home a wee bit late tonight, and because I was bored, I turned on the radio. Since--as is unfortunately typical--760 A.M. was static filled(it's Air America, along with local stuff. I hardly agree with everything they say, but it's more preferable to what I'm about to point out.) I turned to 850 A.M. It's a station that typically has conservative talk hosts like Rusch Limbaugh, to name an example, along with other local stuff, as it's the station tied with 9 News, our local NBC affiliate. Anyway, I think it was Michael Savage on there or something, but there was a caller talking about the whole immigrant situation. He was blabbing about how twenty to thirty million illegal aliens(note the phrasing, as if to make them dirty sounding) were already in the country(and that's true, but not necessarily a horrible thing. At least not most of them, anyway.) and that they are pouring(again, note the phrasing, as if to compare them to insects or something else inferior) in, and we gotta do something because a virtual fence(no doubt he meant laws or something, but I didn't get what he meant. Possibly something mentioned before I turned on the radio.) isn't going to stop them, and if we don't hurry they'll start taking over states through the Democratic party, and we already lost California and we'll lose Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas if we don't do something, 'cause then they'll be refusing to let anyone who wants to crack down on illegal immigration in power. That last bit was said in a really scared voice.

Now, let's freeze frame here.(We have to anyway since at this point I turned off the radio in disgust.)

1. He compares illegal immigrants to something horrible and distasteful. This country was built on immigration. I hardly encourage illegal immigration, but that's why we need to reform things, to make it easier to become a citizen, so that so many DON'T feel the need to make an illegal crossing. And for those that do, we are stricter about it, in a REASONABLE MANNER.

2. He acts as if it's an invasion. No, it's everyday people like you and me trying to make a better life for themselves, or perhaps trying to escape the law, or something else normal and typical of people.

3. He acts like Democrats are something to be feared, which is a typical attitude of a Republican, and vice versa. Now me, I'm a Libertarian, so both parties are equally idiotic in this respect in my eyes. That said, if I had to choose between social freedoms and economic freedoms, I would choose social everytime. I'm a social liberal. As such, if I had to choose between the two, I'd go for Democrats.

4. He acts as if illegals are capable of voting and coming into power. They are not. While we can't prevent the odd few cases of voting here and there, the idea that they would all be capable of managing that--that they would even WANT to--AND that they would then impliment a policy of refusing to bow to anyone who wants to crack down on illegal immigration is just freaking paranoid.

This, my friends, is just one example. If it weren't for my memory failing me lately, I'd have dozens of examples on both sides of the fence for you. I'm sure you can easily name hundreds in your own experiences in your own states/countries. My point is, in this day and age, where information is so easy to acquire, where people should be smarter than ever, the everyday man is still so ignorant and so idiotic. It is literally sickening.

And then he voted.

The best solution to this problem is to use thermonuclear weapons on Mexico until the Gulf meets the Pacific.

Good plan? Alright team, lets do this.

The best solution to this problem is to use thermonuclear weapons on Mexico until the Gulf meets the Pacific.

Good plan? Alright team, lets do this.
Hardly.

Drunkendove: That's the saddest part, that so many are deciding without an informed opinion. I do wish we could do something about this, fix it in some manner. People need to be better educated.

(Though the example I use is of an American, please note that from my experience and no doubt others as well, it applies to those of essentially any country.)

So, I was coming home a wee bit late tonight, and because I was bored, I turned on the radio. Since--as is unfortunately typical--760 A.M. was static filled(it's Air America, along with local stuff. I hardly agree with everything they say, but it's more preferable to what I'm about to point out.) I turned to 850 A.M. It's a station that typically has conservative talk hosts like Rusch Limbaugh, to name an example, along with other local stuff, as it's the station tied with 9 News, our local NBC affiliate. Anyway, I think it was Michael Savage on there or something, but there was a caller talking about the whole immigrant situation. He was blabbing about how twenty to thirty million illegal aliens(note the phrasing, as if to make them dirty sounding) were already in the country(and that's true, but not necessarily a horrible thing. At least not most of them, anyway.) and that they are pouring(again, note the phrasing, as if to compare them to insects or something else inferior) in, and we gotta do something because a virtual fence(no doubt he meant laws or something, but I didn't get what he meant. Possibly something mentioned before I turned on the radio.) isn't going to stop them, and if we don't hurry they'll start taking over states through the Democratic party, and we already lost California and we'll lose Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas if we don't do something, 'cause then they'll be refusing to let anyone who wants to crack down on illegal immigration in power. That last bit was said in a really scared voice.

Now, let's freeze frame here.(We have to anyway since at this point I turned off the radio in disgust.)

1. He compares illegal immigrants to something horrible and distasteful. This country was built on immigration. I hardly encourage illegal immigration, but that's why we need to reform things, to make it easier to become a citizen, so that so many DON'T feel the need to make an illegal crossing. And for those that do, we are stricter about it, in a REASONABLE MANNER.

2. He acts as if it's an invasion. No, it's everyday people like you and me trying to make a better life for themselves, or perhaps trying to escape the law, or something else normal and typical of people.

3. He acts like Democrats are something to be feared, which is a typical attitude of a Republican, and vice versa. Now me, I'm a Libertarian, so both parties are equally idiotic in this respect in my eyes. That said, if I had to choose between social freedoms and economic freedoms, I would choose social everytime. I'm a social liberal. As such, if I had to choose between the two, I'd go for Democrats.

4. He acts as if illegals are capable of voting and coming into power. They are not. While we can't prevent the odd few cases of voting here and there, the idea that they would all be capable of managing that--that they would even WANT to--AND that they would then impliment a policy of refusing to bow to anyone who wants to crack down on illegal immigration is just freaking paranoid.

This, my friends, is just one example. If it weren't for my memory failing me lately, I'd have dozens of examples on both sides of the fence for you. I'm sure you can easily name hundreds in your own experiences in your own states/countries. My point is, in this day and age, where information is so easy to acquire, where people should be smarter than ever, the everyday man is still so ignorant and so idiotic. It is literally sickening.
Sounds a helluvalot like "Savage" Weiner. :(

And then he voted.

:eek:

:(

:p

You want to talk about him voting.
What abut reading what you typed, should it make sense?

I understood it perfectly well, Harlesburg - I think what you're trying to imply is that the original post makes no sense from your point of view, rather than that the original post is entirely nonsensical?

I have to agree with Kyronea's thrust that the average person makes decisions based on insufficient evidence, and that this is a bad thing. I think, however, that everyone does this to some degree or other - in our day-to-day lives we must surely encounter situations where we don't know the entire facts, and don't have the opportunity to discover them in a timely fashion.

As I've said elsewhere, I think that one of the main culprits is probably the media, which long ago ceased to be interested in unbiased news, and instead reports sensationalised soundbytes. Which are, needless to say, bad things to base an opinion on.

Restricting the vote based upon knowledge would be a difficult proposition, though - how do you account for knowledge aquired without visible markers (such as a university degree)? Do you? Is it a good idea to restrict the vote to university graduates with degrees in political science?

And what about the fact that well-educated people can still be astoundingly stupid?

I understood it perfectly well, Harlesburg - I think what you're trying to imply is that the original post makes no sense from your point of view, rather than that the original post is entirely nonsensical?

I have to agree with Kyronea's thrust that the average person makes decisions based on insufficient evidence, and that this is a bad thing. I think, however, that everyone does this to some degree or other - in our day-to-day lives we must surely encounter situations where we don't know the entire facts, and don't have the opportunity to discover them in a timely fashion.

As I've said elsewhere, I think that one of the main culprits is probably the media, which long ago ceased to be interested in unbiased news, and instead reports sensationalised soundbytes. Which are, needless to say, bad things to base an opinion on.

Restricting the vote based upon knowledge would be a difficult proposition, though - how do you account for knowledge aquired without visible markers (such as a university degree)? Do you? Is it a good idea to restrict the vote to university graduates with degrees in political science?

And what about the fact that well-educated people can still be astoundingly stupid?
Exactly.

He was blabbing about how twenty to thirty million illegal aliens(note the phrasing, as if to make them dirty sounding)

I don't get what's wrong with the phrasing....:confused:

illegal is the correct term, since they are here illegally, alien also a correct term since they are not citizens.

at least he didn't call them criminals like I do.

I don't get what's wrong with the phrasing....:confused:

illegal is the correct term, since they are here illegally, alien also a correct term since they are not citizens.

at least he didn't call them criminals like I do.
I agree but as i didn't hear it(For obvious reasons) and don't really know this character maybe his tone was vile and somewhat condescending?

1. He compares illegal immigrants to something horrible and distasteful. This country was built on immigration. I hardly encourage illegal immigration, but that's why we need to reform things, to make it easier to become a citizen, so that so many DON'T feel the need to make an illegal crossing. And for those that do, we are stricter about it, in a REASONABLE MANNER.

I believe you are the one that compared them to insects, not him.

2. He acts as if it's an invasion. No, it's everyday people like you and me trying to make a better life for themselves, or perhaps trying to escape the law, or something else normal and typical of people.
while they are people, and may be trying to "make a better life" they are going about it the wrong way, they are breaking the law.

3. He acts like Democrats are something to be feared, which is a typical attitude of a Republican, and vice versa. Now me, I'm a Libertarian, so both parties are equally idiotic in this respect in my eyes. That said, if I had to choose between social freedoms and economic freedoms, I would choose social everytime. I'm a social liberal. As such, if I had to choose between the two, I'd go for Democrats.
I am afraid of most Democrats too, but I suppose it's because their politics and mine don't match up. I suppose I am not afraid of them, but of what kind of country they want, and afraid they may actually succeed in doing it.

4. He acts as if illegals are capable of voting and coming into power. They are not. While we can't prevent the odd few cases of voting here and there, the idea that they would all be capable of managing that--that they would even WANT to--AND that they would then impliment a policy of refusing to bow to anyone who wants to crack down on illegal immigration is just freaking paranoid.
they are able to vote, they are able even if they can't vote to influence our leaders, and there is a group around who talks about how they are going to "take over America" and how they are "in a war with the white people", they may not be the majority, but hey, they are loud. You know it's kinda like people fear Christianity because of Jerry Fallwell.

NBC is BS anyways.

And then he voted.
Well, that's what democracy is about. If you want to reap the benefits of engaging in a social contract with these people (ie, co-citizenship), you must also pay the price of such a contract.

I disagree.

well if your inteligent and in the western world then you've got to see imagration as a good thing, our population rates are dropping (I know they are here in europe and they have in japan) which means that soon there won't be enough people to support our aging population. This means we get a choice of working until we die or having imagrants my point of view is yay imagrants.

also before anyone gets mad about my lack of spelling ability or grammer please note i'm Welsh and Dyspraxic so make allowences

NBC is shit.

well if your inteligent and in the western world then you've got to see imagration as a good thing, our population rates are dropping (I know they are here in europe and they have in japan) which means that soon there won't be enough people to support our aging population. This means we get a choice of working until we die or having imagrants my point of view is yay imagrants.

also before anyone gets mad about my lack of spelling ability or grammer please note i'm Welsh and Dyspraxic so make allowences
immigration is a great thing, it's the illegal that most of us are worried about. I will refrain from stating the obvious lessons that I have learned from my own experiences because I can't "source" them, but illegal immigration costs our country a lot of money, money that could be used otherwise.

Meh, people are idiots. This is old news.

I am afraid of most Democrats too, but I suppose it's because their politics and mine don't match up. I suppose I am not afraid of them, but of what kind of country they want, and afraid they may actually succeed in doing it.


Wow, I'm not even American and I think Democrats always make Improvements to America, then again I could just be anti-bush, or I maybe I can't see it from the perpective from the american. But when you compare the Bush, clinton, Bush years and looked at the overall statistics of the country, I know Clinton had the country going up again before bush Jr. took it back down.

Why is immigration such a big deal?

Heres a solution: make an immigrant legal as soon as he steps foot on US soil. Problem solved, no more "illegal" immigration.

Why is immigration such a big deal?

Heres a solution: make an immigrant legal as soon as he steps foot on US soil. Problem solved, no more "illegal" immigration.
The problem with that approach is documentation. Paperwork and computer data doesn't magically appear like that.

The best solution to this problem is to use thermonuclear weapons on Mexico until the Gulf meets the Pacific.

Well, it's only 150 km or so. Mexico has always been "gee, wouldn't it be nice to have a canal at the isthmus" and then do nothing about it. Well, here's the chance.

Why is immigration such a big deal?

Heres a solution: make an immigrant legal as soon as he steps foot on US soil. Problem solved, no more "illegal" immigration.
What about tourists?

Hardly.

Drunkendove: That's the saddest part, that so many are deciding without an informed opinion. I do wish we could do something about this, fix it in some manner. People need to be better educated.
Our founding fathers though voter turnout should only be at 17%, because that was roughly the percent of the population who were educated enough to vote wisely.