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Triceratopsoil
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 03 2010
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 18016
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 00:51 |
Any Colour You Like wrote:
Long answer: no.
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well that wasn't very long at all, you're not fooling anybody
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Billy Pilgrim
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 28 2010
Location: Austin
Status: Offline
Points: 1505
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 00:51 |
No. Patriotism is crap, round world last time I checked.
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Any Colour You Like
Prog Reviewer
Joined: May 15 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 12294
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 00:52 |
It was an ironic long answer.
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JJLehto
Prog Reviewer
Joined: April 05 2006
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Status: Offline
Points: 34550
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 00:53 |
I can't imagine Benkato dying for his country. Mainly for reasons Billy Pilgrim put so elegantly
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Vompatti
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member
Joined: October 22 2005
Location: elsewhere
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Points: 67407
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 00:55 |
Lol no. (I wouldn't die for my city or my province either.)
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Tapfret
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin
Joined: August 12 2007
Location: Bryant, Wa
Status: Offline
Points: 8581
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 00:56 |
I would have to perceive a direct threat.
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Atavachron
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: September 30 2006
Location: Pearland
Status: Offline
Points: 65239
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 00:58 |
I would've fought in the Revolutionary War, but then what else would one do under those circumstances. WW ll as well, though I would've tried to get a non-combat position. Vietnam? Hell no.
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clarke2001
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: June 14 2006
Location: Croatia
Status: Offline
Points: 4160
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 00:59 |
This is philosophical question that can not be answered with a simple answer.
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KoS
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 17 2005
Location: Los Angeles
Status: Offline
Points: 16310
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 01:02 |
goddam hippies
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Any Colour You Like
Prog Reviewer
Joined: May 15 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 12294
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 01:33 |
Mmm, philosophical debate.
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harmonium.ro
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin
Joined: August 18 2008
Location: Anna Calvi
Status: Offline
Points: 22989
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 02:45 |
Depends, I wouldn't take a certain pill just because my country asks so, but I would go to war to defend it (with the possibility of getting killed). The question is not well put.
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someone_else
Forum Senior Member
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Joined: May 02 2008
Location: Going Bananas
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Points: 24287
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 02:57 |
I say NO! If there ever had been a day in my lifetime on which my country was worth dying for, it must have been long ago. But this country has prostituted itself to the European occupant, who tightens its grip on our throats every day.
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Blacksword
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 22 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 16130
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 02:58 |
It's a complex and philisophically broad question.
If my country was being invaded, and I was called upon to defend it, I guess I would. If I was conscripted to fight in some oil war somewhere in a desert, I would rather top myself, than give my life to that cause.
Another point of philosophical discussion would be, would you die protecting yourself against your own government?
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Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
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Billy Pilgrim
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 28 2010
Location: Austin
Status: Offline
Points: 1505
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 03:41 |
JJLehto wrote:
I can't imagine Benkato dying for his country.
Mainly for reasons Billy Pilgrim put so elegantly
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Who is Benkato?
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Billy Pilgrim
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 28 2010
Location: Austin
Status: Offline
Points: 1505
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 03:45 |
Blacksword wrote:
It's a complex and philisophically broad question.
If my country was being invaded, and I was called upon to defend it, I guess I would. If I was conscripted to fight in some oil war somewhere in a desert, I would rather top myself, than give my life to that cause.
Another point of philosophical discussion would be, would you die protecting yourself against your own government? | Very well put. If there was a reason to put my life on the line than yes. I can say one thing, I wouldn't even kill for my country anymore, as there is no reason that are soldiers and there soldiers, and most sickeningly there civilians have to die. Of course I'm talking about the war we are currently in.
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Textbook
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 3281
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 04:18 |
By "for your country" I mean because the government asks so, reasons irrelevant. This may seem like an idiotic prospect to people today- I'm not going to die just because a politician requests it- but not that long ago you would have found plenty of people who felt it was their solemn duty to leap under a passing bus if their queen or president requested it. What I'm saying is that feeling has deteriorated (well not everywhere, it's very much alive in China for example) and now people are saying either "no" or "yes but only if there was some sort of threat" which actually means no because you're reacting to the threat, not the will of the country's leaders.
Edited by Textbook - November 18 2010 at 04:18
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Billy Pilgrim
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 28 2010
Location: Austin
Status: Offline
Points: 1505
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 04:24 |
If anyone jumps in front a bus because someone just says, well, I don't know what to say about that. So I guess the sane answer is no, I wouldn't kill myself for no cause whatsoever.
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Blacksword
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 22 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 16130
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 04:28 |
Textbook wrote:
By "for your country" I mean because the government asks so, reasons irrelevant. This may seem like an idiotic prospect to people today- I'm not going to die just because a politician requests it- but not that long ago you would have found plenty of people who felt it was their solemn duty to leap under a passing bus if their queen or president requested it. What I'm saying is that feeling has deteriorated (well not everywhere, it's very much alive in China for example) and now people are saying either "no" or "yes but only if there was some sort of threat" which actually means no because you're reacting to the threat, not the will of the country's leaders. |
Yes, fair point. In that case: No I would not die for my country just because my government asked me to.
More poeple are starting to realise that it is not all about good guys vs bad guys. It's just about different perspectives.
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Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
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Textbook
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 08 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 3281
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 04:35 |
Billy: Exactly my point. That attitude sounds insane now but 100 years ago it was the norm.
Even though this is much more recent than that, remember "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country"? I have a feeling you might. That was endlessly repeated and trumpeted as some great quote of the ages. But if we look at it, what it means is "Give your life to the collective, drone. Your individual welfare is meaningless in comparison to our political agenda." However the government made it some sort of golden auraed maxim because it promoted just doing whatever the hell they said, foremost among those things being putting yourself in deadly situations so they could stay in cozy offices in Washington screwing the secretaries.
Edited by Textbook - November 18 2010 at 04:35
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Billy Pilgrim
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 28 2010
Location: Austin
Status: Offline
Points: 1505
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Posted: November 18 2010 at 04:35 |
^ I think there's a fine line between perspective and right and wrong.
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