h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've just found out that 335 people were killed in that russian school hostage-taking. Most of them were children.


I'll never stand for war.

thats terrible!!!
*hands jerms a hanky*
let me just sit here and cryt wiht you. thats jsut so sad!



X335

By the sounds of it, it was a massive up on the part of Putin and the Russian government...I wouldn't want that kind of thing on my head...

I thought they said they were determined not to this up this time! Not after they majorly ed up the last incident!

Oh god the poor parents.

i cant even imagine what they're feeling!
the only thing i can equate it wiht is my cat dying... and somehow i dont think that even comes close...

It's terrible the world today. Maybe we should just.. I don't know... I feel there is no solution. 9/11 was the beggining of the end and now we're spiriling down the tube.

Alcohol can numb the pain. I think that's about it.

It's a pretty poor state of affairs when you can't find away to *avoid* killing over 300 innocent people...

I mean I don't know the whole situation so I can't really say too much, but that my thoughts are with the families and communities affected, and that I think I speak for all of us when I say I hope this *never ever* happens again.

In the infinite words of Elvis Costello "What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding??"

exactly. well put tanzen.... or elvis costello...

and i do agree that i hope this never happens again.

We can hope that but of course it will. Until there is a perfect world there will be killing and hostage taking for all eternity. The problem is that human beings as a species are too ignorant to see 4 inches in front of them to see the almost perfect outcome. Then when it's pointed out to them they're too proud and narrow minded to do something about it. We're almost sheep cross bred with robots. Trouble is there will enver be a perfect world as one person's idea is different to someone elses idea. The only way it can be done is with a universal police state which is the way were heading with the *brilliant* leaders over the last 100 years- Hitler, Bush, Stalin, Idi Amin etc etc. Or maybe back to the dawn of time. Nero, Calligula, Vlad the Impaler etc. All Genius's in there own rights but pure evil. If the world was split into different countries of people with different or similar ideas then we wouldn't get anywhere. It would be like gang warfare. The larger countries would invade the smaller ones until eventually world domination is achieved. So were back where we started.

Sorry to go on but It's something I feel strongly about. Also to anyone I may have offended in the process. I didn't mean offence I just think it's too late to do anything about the world now and we should try to get the little problems sorted first.

Also two more things just sprung into my mind.
1. This is that the only reason there are bigger and bloodier wars recently is that technology is more advanced. Back in world war two the A bomb or H bomb or which ever it was dropped on Hiroshima (i can never remember) was big thing. Nowadays no-one bats an eyelid when a city is blown up in one go (as long as it's not your city). Unless it's done in an unusual or especially cruel way. 9/11 again.
2. There was the thing in the news about the French hostages. Since the Russian hostage situation I haven't heard anything about them. Granted that 300 is a much bigger number than 2 but surely the world leaders should try and get the 2 back before mourning the 300. Of course I had a much better way of putting it only i forgot what it was.

Wow this is the longest post I've ever sent on h2g2. Once again sorry to anyone I may have offended in the process.

I feel there /is/ a solution.
People who take hostages (for example) would never do the same thing to anyone they know; it's too personal. Once they know someone they can't 'depersonalise' them, so have a much harder time acting violently against them. This is why I reckon understanding is the key... remember we were talking about jehovah's witnesses on that other thread, and somebody mentioned that JW's usually don't /want/ to go door-knocking but their church says they have to, and somebody else said they would try to treat them a little better, knowing that? Same idea. Once you can empathise with someone, and understand their position, it's much easier to have an affinity with them and so you treat them better.
Not just religion, although I think that is a large part of it. Imagine if Islams and Christians could understand each other's position; I doubt that 9/11 would have happened at all.
If you've seen the movie 'three kings' you may have noticed at the start the US soldiers were talking about 'rag-heads' - another way of depersonalising the 'enemy'. As soon as they actually met the Iraqis they came to understand them and moved on to calling them 'friend' instead.
And even more powerful example was in the movie 'Farenheit 9/11' - in the bit where Moore is interviewing the american tank troops, and they pull out a CD and say "we play this through the intercom system as we shoot Iraqis", and "We especially like the song 'bodies'"
I /have/ that CD. I /know/ that song. There is absolutely /no/ excuse for turning war into a video game. Because that's the effect that song has, in that context: "Let the bodies hit the floor/let the bodies hit the floor...", "One/nothing wrong with me; two/nothing wrong with me..."

If people would only take the time to understand the other guy's point of view, then this kind of travesty would end. I guarantee it.

Unfortunately, as Job pointed out, "...human beings as a species are too ignorant to see 4 inches in front of them...", and we're "...too proud and narrow minded to do something about it."

I too would love to say that this will /never/ happen again. But it will. On average, each terrorist attack has doubled the amount of harm of the one before. And if you think that terrorist attacks only started with september 11th, you're wrong. Don't forget the Sarin attacks in the Tokyo subway, or, as mentioned, the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Yes that was a terrorist attack, despite America insisting it was necessary to end the second world war. At the time Japan was considered less likely to strike back after an attack, so America used them as an example of its own might, to terrorise Germany into an unconditional surrender. America is still the only country/organisation in the world to have used nuclear weapons on people. May it never happen again.
It should probably also be mentioned that for /ten years/ America was also dropping bombs on Iraq, every single day. On April 20th, 1999, America dropped more bombs on Iraq than has ever been dropped on anyone else in one day, ever. But do you know what was on the 'international' news that night? http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/09/23/columbine/

While I'm on an 'anti-america' rant... (I didn't mean to, it just sort of happened... ) Check out this page:
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001454.html
The title says "Terrorist Attacks (within the United States or against Americans abroad)", and it lists all of thirteen of them. The graph at the bottom of the page, though, shows numbers for each year ranging between 199 and 665. How many did you hear about?

I say war. violence>. And them right up the a**e. If my life ends with me standing in front of a tank, then at least I'll be standing up for what I believe in. And that will never be violence. Until then, I guess I'll have to accept my impotent rage at my inability to do anything other than to watch this horror happen.

"We're almost sheep cross bred with robots." True, but sheep don't kill their own kind, and robots only do so because that's what we teach them.
"...sorry to anyone I may have offended..." Well you haven't offended me, and I hope I haven't offended anyone else, either.

And apocalypse now where they play charge of the vulcans. I refuse to be part of a society which has wars. I think the best thing to come out of war is the M*A*S*H programme and even thats anti war.

I seem to recall that Marilyn Manson was blamed for those killings. But you can't blame music for what those kids did. For one they weren't even big fans of the band. Neither of them had a Manson album in their collections. It sickens me how people cam blame a blatantly innocent sourse when theres poloticians starting wars.

Don't think Manson minds though. He likes the publicity and he always volunteered himself as a scapegoat. I'm surprised that report didnt ahve anything about him in it.

/Very/ objectively speaking, a lot of good stuff has come from war; mostly technological advances that the military started/paid for. Not just bad stuff like bombs, but for example we probably still wouldn't have computers if WW2 hadn't happened.
As much of a as I am, I'm not even close to thinking that having computers is worth the cost.

Yeah the media /did/ blame Manson... some sources blamed him directly (ludicrous! As you said.) and others blamed media influences in general. Never themselves, of course. Only /other/ media agencies.
I had another point to make there, but it's just floated off into the nether. Damn.

I agree. Computers and microwaves aren't enough to rob peoples lives.

i agree. there really is no good excuse for taking someones life away...

i think that annother problem we have is that no one will trust one annother.... so everyones allways on the defencive... but where does it lead you if you wont believe anything that someone else is saying, ect..

by the way i'm not offended either....

yay! mash!!!! i love that show! its one of my favoites!

anyone?

Mmmcake!

Yey MASH. I don't trust anyone anyways but meh.

Thats not true i trust my friends and you lot. And I trust Jerms with my address. Hey we should become pen pals or something. Cant see the logicality but meh.

"I know where you live!" What would I do? Turn up on your doorstep with a bazooka and camo pants?!
Besides, I can't even pronounce the address; I'd be stuffed if I needed directions!

Being pen pals would imply actually writing something down... If I can't type it I don't bother!
I have your e-mail, and I'm not afraid to use it, but what would I say that I don't say here?

Yeah I can't see the logic in it either...

Yes. Well you might. If my friends will come just to set my house on fire...

...illogically i'll be your pen pal if you like... it'd have to be with email though or it'd take forever to get letters... even though i dont know what i'd say there that i dont say here.... but i do like to get messeges in my email box... it makes me happy if someone would actually take the time to write me something.

what are camo pants? ....oh wait... are they like camoflage pants?