Tom

Yeah…to be honest if Santiago Barnebeu, Wembley Stadium or Muray Field were called: Telefonia Stadium, Vodafone Centre or Bank of Scotland Field…it would induce cringes throughout the continent. That isn’t to say it won’t happen (may be inevitable) but the increasing sponsorship is not just tacky but culturally soul destroying. I am unaware of…[Read more]

Many European countries regulate advertising. This ranges from fining companies that put on misleading (or downright false) advertising. The UK can be pretty harsh on false advertising as they should be. Spain has strong laws on predatory advertising. Belgium doesn’t allow advertising that particularly targets vulnerable groups/people. Most…[Read more]

Which is not to suggest no one behaves in accusatory manners, but anytime you discuss ways in which the status quo harms you, no matter how much you try to soften it, no matter how much you try to demonstrate you understand that it’s not a matter of people setting out to antagonize you (generally), it’s still treated as an accusation or con…

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I think there is a problem with perceived infantalisation and crying wolf.

If by perceived infantilisation, you mean people conflating society at large not tolerating abusive behaviour, allowing people to enjoy their lives without unnecessary menace/bullying/harm with the creation of some kindergarten state…then I agree with you it is a problem.…[Read more]

No Simon I don’t think equating violent verbal abuse with violent physical abuse devalues one or the other. If you have ever been the victim of an extreme prolonged violent verbal attack you might recall that you suffer as much emotional damage and stress as with physical violence and it can certainly result in related physiological harm. There is…[Read more]

Ehhhh…I have no problem with works that ridicule ideologies. I do have problem with those who make blanket statements about speech not being violent.

Anyone who thinks that speech cannot be violent is terribly deluded. Tell that to children in school about to commit suicide from relentless verbal bullying, those who stay at home from the scars of public bigotry and domestic partners battered by verbal abuse.

But that shouldn’t equate to using non-combatants as sacrificial pawns or a total callous indifference to collateral civilian casualties.

Having any rules of war is meaningless if non-combatants are disposable. If you can pick off civilians as part of some other strategic aim, then why not just bomb a school for some aim or mustard gas people f…[Read more]

When a market can be efficiently free and minimally regulated in a way that meets the safety and best interests of the people, then it should be free. This should not be controversial. When the conditions are rife for underdevelopment of a sector, antitrust, consumer abuse (there are so many kinds of consumer abuse), endangers the safety of…[Read more]

It is very debatable whether it is a pronoun and you’ll note from the discussion on the talk page (and the subsequent linked talk page) that this is hardly settled. I would say by convention it acts as a pronoun, I suppose, but once you open that can of worms you could add a LOT to the category pronoun, to the point that distinguishing pronouns…[Read more]

i) Anyone can reading can tell this is a disingenuous statement.

Disingenuous statements made to score petty points is intellectually low. Gross.

Yeah…I’m not touching the definition of life (or even death) with a 10 meter poll.

Enco one can make a critique about something without unnecessarily being a douche in the process. I cannot fathom the value of making light of suicide within the context of geo-political discussion.

As for your conflation of “hurting someone’s fragile feelings” with things like harassment or spreading vile trash that makes the lives of…[Read more]

Nice lazy, incoherent dig at “Socialism”.

Yeah that really was a groan inducing “dig” at “socialism”. Take something that in general immensely benefits people and highly reduces pointless suffering in countries where these programs are not controversial and generally supported, find a few examples where things don’t work perfectly (or even nee…[Read more]

They were helpless because they were compelled by law to attend a school that was a “Gun-Free Zone,” where there was not even an armed security guard present

This can only be written by a person so immersed in the world of gun illogic, that they cannot take a step back and see the multiple layers of absurdity in it. Just come down to Earth for a l…[Read more]

I really must point out that in safe western countries (basically every western country but the US), guns are not necesarily prohibited. Canada, Finland, Iceland and Switzerland are good examples where hunting rifles are abound and in a few of them, ex military personnel can (or must) hold onto their handguns. Also, in some (though not all)…[Read more]