I was having a conversation with my ATF yesterday and I posed the question of what is--or has been take your pick--the worst scourge in history...
a) Acquiring Wealth b) Lust for Power c) Religious Dogma
I realize that there is a certain interconnectedness to them but for the sake of argument assume there is enough uniqueness to call them out individually.
Thoughts?
Impossible question. Did Stalin, Hitler, Mao really believe in their cause or did they just want to be in charge?
Over the course of history the Chinese were incredibly bloody among themselves. Is a rebellion 'lust for power' or a desire to be free?
Absolute nonsense....
All three things, of themselves, are NOT BAD THINGS !!! You can want to acquire wealth and it can result in wonderful things to you and the world. You can spend your entire life seeking benevolent (ie, beneficial to others) power and change the world for the better. And you can spend your life following religious dogma and make the world a much better place.
But what people do is they blame everyone and everything BUT THEMSELVES !!! They blame all this other crap, when in fact the worst scourge in the universe is PEOPLE WHO ARE FUCKING ASSHOLES !!!! People who vote Hitler into power and sit on their asses while he destroys the world. PEOPLE LIKE YOU MEET EVERY DAY WHO ARE DISHONEST INSANE STUPID ASSHOLES WHO MAKE THE WORLD A LIVING HELL AND DON'T GIVE A SHIT !!! And who will never ever admit they're insane stupid assholes, and instead blame everyone and everything else.
THAT IS THE WORST SCOURGE. PEOPLE. People who could choose to be wonderful, caring, helpful, honest people, but instead are self centered, uncaring, dishonest, insane assholes who care only for themselves.
But if it really makes everyone feel better to blame everything but themselves, then so be it.
Killing of of people.
jestie-girl: " Did Stalin, Hitler, Mao really believe in their cause or did they just want to be in charge?"
Good question, jestie. Stalin most certainly did not have cause he truly believed in and was just building a monument to himself. Hitler, by contrast, most certainly did in his cause and was building a monument (thousand year reich) to himself.
It's too bad you don't talk about history more, because you sometimes have 10% of a clue about the subject and a definite interest in it. Everything else you post you just projecting your bleak internal state. (Or it could be much of human history is as bleak as your internal so that's the only time it seems appropriate for the topic at hand.)
I reject your assumption. They're all too interconnected to answer.
Wealth is power and power is wealth. And men have used region to acquire both.
But a good question.
region = religion
Acquiring wealth and religious dogma are tools used in the lust for power, so it's B.
d) Non-Nude Strip Clubs.
My ex wife.
^^ Bwah Ha Ha Ha...That was going to be option D but I thought that the other three options wouldn't stand a chance if I included it.
Thank you Mr. Cat I needed that this morning. 8-D
World's worst Scourge = Intrusive Government. Example of the IRS illegally being ordered to investigate, delay and deny all tea party or conservative groups. This is the type of government that needs to thrown out of power with it's lap dog rogue agencies. Any thinking person will look past any bias against conservative groups and realize that once the currently targeted conservative groups are gone then any group that the powers perceived as a threat will be eliminated. (Re: Night of the Long Knives)(first they imprisoned the defectives and I said nothing because I was not defective, then they imprisoned the Jews and I said nothing because I was not Jewish, then they went after the Catholics and I said nothing because I was not Catholic, and then they came for me and there was no one left to say anything... they were all gone.)
c. There has been more war, death and misery in the world all done in the name of organized religion.
You're all wrong...it should be.
#1...STD's. Imagine what we could do if we didn't have to worry about those little buggers. #1a...pregnancy.
#2...stripper perfumes. #3...Stripper makeup and glitter.
@sclvr, I hear that a lot, but it's really not true. If you look at the conflicts that took the most lives religion was either not that important or a secondary issue.
Agree with Jester. "In the name of religion" has always been an excuse. Take the Crusades. It was all about wealth and power for the elite, and a religous excuse for the masses.
I normally don't have much fondness for the tea party but I TT is onto to something here. This IRS looks like it is going to be massive. Will be interesting to see just how up far up it goes? The president? Vice President? Timmy Geithner?
Stalin's and Hitler's slaughter of many millions immediately comes to mind but historically I think that the righteousness of religion extremists has been a greater scourge. Even those who have tried to stifle religion have killed millions.
You guys are truly fucking morons.
When are you starting your Revolution Tiredtraveler? Hmm...??
Take a few the A.H.s here with you.
The always solid contributions of jerikson and Alucard.
The root human problems are laziness, cowardice, stupidity. Without these being so widespread, the (relatively few) pathologically greedy, controlling, dogmatic people would never get off of square one with their insane intentions.
It should also be kept in mind that many wealthy people got that way by following their passion, the wealth was just a side-effect.
B, obv.