What's So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding?

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  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,675
    edited July 2014
    No really man, don't tell me what I do or don't do. You don't know jack about me. "Hippie?" Oh for Christ sake, what a stupid fucking crock of shit, Byrnzie. Go listen to Lou Reed sing "Viscous" and have some coffee and wake the fuck up, man. I'm gonna get an unwanted vacation here any minute. Just fucking let's put each other on ignore.

    Sorry everyone, I hope Bz and I are done here.
    Post edited by brianlux on
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    You wanna do something useful?

    Sign the petition. Stop your tax dollars being used to pay for bombs to be dropped on babies.

    https://campaigns.amnesty.org/actions/us-stop-arming-israel

    Amnesty International: U.S. government: Stop arming Israel

    Dear Secretary John Kerry,

    I am writing to express my outrage and concern about the rapidly deteriorating situation in Gaza and Israel. I call on the U.S. government to urgently suspend arms transfers to Israel and help ensure that a UN arms embargo is imposed on all parties to the conflict.

    ....Amnesty International is calling for a UN-imposed comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups. As the U.S. is Israel’s largest exporter of military, security and policing equipment, Amnesty International is calling on the U.S. government to stop sending arms to Israel that are being used to commit atrocities.

    I therefore urge you to:

    Immediately stop the transfer of all U.S. arms to Israel until there is no longer a substantial risk that such equipment or technology will be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international human rights or humanitarian law. This includes ending the supply of all weapons, munitions, police equipment and devices, as well as training and techniques to Israel;

    Help ensure that a comprehensive UN Security Council arms embargo is imposed on Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups until effective mechanisms are in place to ensure that weapons, munitions, and other military equipment and technology will not be used to commit or facilitate serious violations international human rights or humanitarian law.

    US policy prohibits the provision of weapons where there is a credible expectation that they may be used in grave human rights violations. The U.S. government must act in accordance with its own laws and policies concerning weapons transfers.
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,675
    Sign an on-line petition? That what you call doing something?

    I rest my case.
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    Yeah, it's something. It demonstrates a consensus, like a demonstration, or a march in the streets. It's a contribution.
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,675
    edited July 2014
    Striking my comments here. Byrnzie and I are good.

    Doing something, anything is great. Sign petitions, organize rallies, write letters, anything. We all want to make the world better, not fight with each other.
    Post edited by brianlux on
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • hedonist
    hedonist Posts: 24,524
    Now this end-result leaves me...feelin' groovy :D

    Good on ya both.
  • know1
    know1 Posts: 6,801
    Online petitions are quite possibly the most useless thing ever.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,675
    know1 said:

    Online petitions are quite possibly the most useless thing ever.

    Probably so. I sign them figuring it only takes a small amount of time and I hope they do some tiny bit of good, but signing them not leave me with a feeling of accomplishment.

    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • rr165892
    rr165892 Posts: 5,697
    Actually,I was part of the Online Crowdfunder to bring Foo Fighters to Richmond.Instead of signing we bought tickets that didn't exist,to a show that Didnt exist.We got it ! Or I should say are getting it.So the power of the petition can have an impact,and people can create change or action.
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,675
    Sometimes when I read some of the hateful, spiteful posts on some of the threads on some of the forums here I get to feeling very depressed and hopeless. If we can't have be civil to our fellow fans on a forum based around a band that has done so much to promote civility, that has spoken out against hatred, that has championed the idea of working together, then what chance is there for this ailing world? I suppose I hope for too much, but I won't give in to the hate. I still believe in peace and I still think the world of this band and the majority of it's fans.
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    edited August 2014
    brianlux said:

    Sometimes when I read some of the hateful, spiteful posts on some of the threads on some of the forums here I get to feeling very depressed and hopeless. If we can't have be civil to our fellow fans on a forum based around a band that has done so much to promote civility, that has spoken out against hatred, that has championed the idea of working together, then what chance is there for this ailing world? I suppose I hope for too much, but I won't give in to the hate. I still believe in peace and I still think the world of this band and the majority of it's fans.

    I don't see it that way at all. What I see is that some people on the 'Imagine that...' thread thought that they could dictate the terms of the discussion, and got upset when they failed.
    They weren't upset with certain posters trying to excuse and justify Israel's latest massacre of thousands of Palestinians - that was perfectly acceptable to them, because it played into their own lazy narrative which conveniently pretended that 'both sides are to blame', thereby allowing them to preach about 'love', and 'open-mindedness', and 'egos', and the need for 'understanding', while completely failing to grasp the reality of the situation in the occupied territories.

    Thousands of people under occupation were being massacred by the fourth largest military in the World - a military given 100% support by the U.S government - their government - and yet they thought they could get away with dismissing the one-sided nature of the conflict by setting the framework for the discussion within boundaries that completely failed to appreciate or consider the basic truths of what was actually happening, and whilst completely disregarding the historical and political context.

    Fortunately, for those people who were genuinely interested in the issue, they failed. Though I didn't see any evidence of any hatred. That's an exaggeration which reeks of pettiness. I did see a fair degree of annoyance and frustration though. Many people chose to address the real issues and to find concrete, constructive courses of action to take with which to protest the slaughter. It's perfectly understandable that they would get frustrated with other posters patronising them, and criticising them, and preaching to them that they should drop their anger and do nothing instead - all in the name of some one-eyed interpretation of Eddie Vedder's statement at the top of the page.
    Post edited by Byrnzie on
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,675
    So many times I read posts on these forums that read like verbal bloodshed. Other times they read like gifts given freely. We all decide how we choose to respond to our fellow fans here.
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • hedonist
    hedonist Posts: 24,524
    I've definitey bristled at how some comments come across, but mostly just in the moment; off the board I may give further thought to the content of certain posts but won't / can't allow the heat or animosity of that time to have a greater or negative effect. It's just not worth it.

    I don't want to dismiss information simply because of how it was conveyed...I've done so - it's tough not to - but am trying to get around that.

    The given-freely gifts you mention? Now THOSE are worth the effort of holding onto.
  • JimmyV
    JimmyV Boston's MetroWest Posts: 19,605
    When we post something here or anywhere, only we know truly what our intention is and the sense in which we are trying to communicate. So tone is important. If someone continuously posts in an antagonistic, argumentative fashion, it becomes harder for the reader to see through that tone and fully appreciate the substance of the message. And, at some point, it begins to seem like the argument itself, regardless of the topic, is what is really important. The need to one up the other guy, to get the last word, to "win". I think in any true discussion that attitude is damaging to someone's cause.
    ___________________________________________

    "...I changed by not changing at all..."
  • hedonist
    hedonist Posts: 24,524
    Brian,

    Been digging into some of the music that connects us...that I think connects us.

    It's a thread, at least.

    Watching the SVT version of Given to Fly, caught myself smiling.

    "still give your love, just give it away"

    (and never apologize for doing so :) )
  • dimitrispearljam
    dimitrispearljam Posts: 139,725
    .i prefer even to get stoned and dream peace than do prapaganda
    "...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
    "..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
    “..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,675
    ^^^ These posts, don't they make me smile? Oh yes, they truly do! :-)

    "Given to Fly", yes, Hedonist!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlcB5vEoP_0
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • badbrains
    badbrains Posts: 10,255
    dimitrispearljam said:

    .i prefer even to get stoned and dream peace than do prapaganda

    Just make sure you're not getting stoned with those swedes from Amsterdam! Fuckers got our herb taken away in all places Amsterdam!
  • hedonist
    hedonist Posts: 24,524
    BB, what happened in Amsterdam? I never made it to the bars when I was there but the people and city itself were cool as hell.

  • badbrains
    badbrains Posts: 10,255
    hedonist said:

    BB, what happened in Amsterdam? I never made it to the bars when I was there but the people and city itself were cool as hell.

    Fucken some swedes we're hanging by me and dimi and getting a little "to close" if u know what I mean lol. Then my buddy started to burn 1 and the swede asks for some. Buddy gives it to him, guy takes 1 fucken puff and miss Debbie downer security tells him to put it out. In which I replied,"this is Amsterdam, right?" As for the rest of the story, I'll let dimi take care of it. Since it involved him hahhahahahaha. Let's just say dimi has groupies following him around from both sexes! Must be cause he's Greek! Lol

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