Why aren't you guys posting?

hertz vanrental · 11-25-2019, 10:33 AM

On several occasions today, I've counted how many people are reading this forum. On most of the occasions, it was over 50.

My questions is, how come none of you are posting on here?

AtomJack · 11-25-2019, 01:45 PM

I just looked. Me, and 38 guests. Guests aren't registered, so can't post? I guess they're just looking at the pictures and turning the pages. Or maybe they are bots? :shrug:

Smellyoldgit · 11-25-2019, 04:48 PM

Yup, most traffic these days is Russian spam-bots - I've been blocking around a dozen of the fuckers most days before they get through.

Jesus punchers, Muhammed shafters and other suckers of godshite seem to have given up trying to sell their horsewank to people with working brains. Ho hum.

Noodle · 11-26-2019, 02:14 PM

I don't post because nobody else does.

hertz vanrental · 11-26-2019, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Noodle wrote

I don't post because nobody else does.

If you post, Noodle, I'll respond.

Noodle · 11-26-2019, 03:33 PM

I'm also not even that interested in talking about religion. Although my mother recently sent me a video about how unlikely our human existence is, therefore god. (I didn't watch it, I got the gist from her.) She said she wasn't looking to convert me, she just wanted my opinion on it. (Uh huh, sure.)

I told her, sure, it's unlikely, but so is every other potential timeline of existence. If you shuffle a deck of cards, each possible order of the cards is incredibly unlikely, but does that mean the order it does end up in is a miracle?

I might argue that time and space is so vast, it's actually unlikely that there would not be intelligent life somewhere, sometime. And any intelligent life would ask these questions about their existence. That it's us and not someone else is just how the cards got shuffled.

hertz vanrental · 11-26-2019, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Noodle wrote

I'm also not even that interested in talking about religion. Although my mother recently sent me a video about how unlikely our human existence is, therefore god. (I didn't watch it, I got the gist from her.) She said she wasn't looking to convert me, she just wanted my opinion on it. (Uh huh, sure.)

I told her, sure, it's unlikely, but so is every other potential timeline of existence. If you shuffle a deck of cards, each possible order of the cards is incredibly unlikely, but does that mean the order it does end up in is a miracle?

I might argue that time and space is so vast, it's actually unlikely that there would not be intelligent life somewhere, sometime. And any intelligent life would ask these questions about their existence. That it's us and not someone else is just how the cards got shuffled.

Yes, human existence is unlikely - or is it? This argument is posited by christards in order to prop up the existence of their god.

However, we have no idea how many failed attempts at creating life there were before success was achieved. It's entirely possible that, even in very small rock pools all over the planet and on millions of other like planets throughout the universe, attempts were made over millions or billions of years. If there were billions of rock pools, then there could have been literally trillions and trillions of attempts made. Under these conditions, the creation of life, is more of a certainty and less of a remote possibility.

Let's say that we are wrong and life is improbable. Improbable isn't impossible, so it could still have happened without the need for a deity.

Let's even suppose that a deity was involved, it may not have been the bible-related deity.

The deity may even be still around or may have 'died' long ago.

Now the possibility that it was the god of the bible that created life begins to diminish rapidly and makes that possibility extremely unlikely.

Smellyoldgit · 11-26-2019, 05:54 PM

Quote:

hertz vanrental wrote

Let's even suppose that a deity was involved, it may not have been the bible-related deity.

The deity may even be still around or may have 'died' long ago.

So where did this supposed deity spring from?
....... Don't tell me - it's a fucking turtle!

Noodle · 11-26-2019, 11:11 PM

I think this forum is certainly more active when there are people disagreeing with each other.

What does the word "socialism" mean now? Is it when workers control the means of production? Because that doesn't seem to be what it means in the US anymore. It seems like it can mean anything and therefore, it means nothing.

hertz vanrental · 11-27-2019, 04:41 AM

Hi Noodle

When people such as jerryjohn and andrew66 were active here, things were kinda buzzy but it was just an exchange of insults is all - which didn't amount to a hill o' beans. At least people posted though.

I don't know much about US politics save to say that since 'Big Business' has taken up residence in the Oval Office, politics in general, world-wide, seems to have taken a turn for the worse. Here in the UK, we have our own version of Big Business called boris johnson who is the Prime Minister, a complete twat of the first water and a liar to boot.

The gap between the have and the have nots is fast becoming worryingly wide here in the UK and it was more than wide enough before.

The demand on food banks here in the UK increases day on day. Something has to give.

Is socialism the way forward?

Dunno. My feeling is that we may just swap one set of problems for a different set is all.

What I've noticed is that even here in the ultra-conservative UK, politics is becoming extreme and is having a polarising effect. No one really occupies the centre ground any more.

The language in our parliament is becoming more and more extreme.

We could blame Brexit for all of these issues but I fear that's not the real issue. I have a feeling that the issues run way deeper. Brexit is the symptom - not the cause.

Tien.

AtomJack · 11-27-2019, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Noodle wrote

I think this forum is certainly more active when there are people disagreeing with each other.

What does the word "socialism" mean now? Is it when workers control the means of production? Because that doesn't seem to be what it means in the US anymore. It seems like it can mean anything and therefore, it means nothing.

Here in the US (I'm in California) conservative people seem to think that any kind of government is "socialism". It cracks me up, because I get these strange looks and the conversation dies out when I ask if

-They are on Social Security (most are, like me, retired, so yes)
-They depend on police and fire in an emergency
-The like the roads to be passable

They say crap about "liberals" without even realizing what they are saying. Drives me nuts. Then again, I haven't voted for a Republican in a long time. I was registered R up until last September, when I renewed my driver's license. I just never got around to changing it from when I chose a party, 49 years ago. One of the guys in my wood carving class and I went to lunch week before last, and he said something about voting D, and I told him about my switch. He came up with some comment about how we couldn't be friends anymore, but then backed off. People take their politics to the point of, "Either you're for me, or against me". I've known this guy for 3 years, and was kind of surprised at his vehemence. We get along pretty well, and have several common interests. Strange.

AtomJack · 11-27-2019, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Smellyoldgit wrote

So where did this supposed deity spring from?
....... Don't tell me - it's a fucking turtle!

It's turtles all the way down!

Noodle · 11-28-2019, 04:26 PM

If socialism means workers control the means of production and/or everything is nationalized and the economy is planned rather than being a market, then I don't think I'm socialist because I think too many people are too dumb and lazy to do all that effectively. (And unregulated capitalism is just as bad.)

If it means the government does things then I guess I am socialist. Is it socialist to think businesses should generally be made to pay living wages?

I was thinking the other day about how many people are struggling in the US and how we can justify paying so little for the jobs we want done. For example, if the people who make burgers and fries at McDonald's can't be paid enough to live, I dare say we as a society can't afford burgers and fries from McDonald's.

Noodle · 11-28-2019, 04:33 PM

Quote:

AtomJack wrote

They say crap about "liberals" without even realizing what they are saying. Drives me nuts. Then again, I haven't voted for a Republican in a long time. I was registered R up until last September, when I renewed my driver's license. I just never got around to changing it from when I chose a party, 49 years ago. One of the guys in my wood carving class and I went to lunch week before last, and he said something about voting D, and I told him about my switch. He came up with some comment about how we couldn't be friends anymore, but then backed off. People take their politics to the point of, "Either you're for me, or against me". I've known this guy for 3 years, and was kind of surprised at his vehemence. We get along pretty well, and have several common interests. Strange.

Some people seem to have a sports team mentality about our political parties. It's fine when my party does it. Or people who think Trump and Bill Clinton aren't both sexual predators, only one of them is.

Something I think about a lot regarding Trump is, "what if Obama had done that?"

AtomJack · 11-28-2019, 04:53 PM

He would have gotten strung up for real, instead of only in effigy. Some of the far right actors in the US are concerning, to say the least. Then again, there are some bad actors over on the far left, as well.