Latest Member Comments at VideoSift.com

Soliders blow up some random guy's sheep

Bidouleroux (http://mystery.videosift.com/member/Bidouleroux) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:32:31 -0700

>> ^MarineGunrock:

First, let me say I appreciate your honest attempt at "tearing me a new one". Compared to other replies, yours is a gem (a diamond with 250 written on it). You asked me some non-rhetorical questions, and I will gladly answer those that my two previous replies haven't, as they were not specifically aimed at your criticisms.

Oh, so having a college degree automatically exempts you from being lowlife scum

Sigh. Obviously not. You quoted me as saying "Not to say there aren't lowlifes in corporate America,". Did you not read the full quote or are you ignoring it on purpose? In the latter case, at least don't quote the embarrassing contradictory bit.

I'd rather have my blue-collar job over sitting in a tiny fucking cubicle any day.

Maybe so, and you may well hold a moral "relatively high" ground by doing so as far as I am concerned, but in light of america's global pursuit of economical happiness, I consider pretty much all jobs inside the U.S.A and some parts of Canada as "corporate". My usage of "corporate America" here was both a rhetorical and a conceptual synecdoche that played on the ambiguity of adjective-noun compound nouns in English (out of context, "corporate America" could mean both "the corporations of America as a whole" or "the whole of America as a corporation"). Sorry for the misunderstanding here, as usage should have required quotation marks to show I didn't use the idiomatic expression "corporate America" in its commonly accepted technical sense.

So now you're calling America's greatest generation lowlife scum? I would think that the veterans of WWII deserve nothing but honor and respect for their actions, and you should too.

I do respect them, and tried to make sure that what I said could not be construed as showing disrespect towards veterans of the two World Wars. Yet you have done so with a comment that is taken completely out of context as I implied it applied only to an ENLISTED army, specifically this one that is stationed in Iraq. As I pointed out, conscripts (and other time-of-war enlistees) are a different matter altogether. If you think they're not, may I just point out that officially, the United States has not been at war with anyone since WWII? Not in Korea, not in Vietnam and certainly not in both Iraqi "operations". The Congress may have voted funds and whatnot, but that is not War according to any international definition. Thus, only WWI and WWII will stand as examples of real modern wars with conscripts and ethically justified enlistment. Also, see my second post.

If it wasn't for them, you'd all be speaking German and saluting the Swastika right now.

Overused red herring. Please think of the Nazis and their children!

How can someone that honestly doesn't know of back-room politics and abuse of fellow humans be low life scum?

It is called guilt by ignorance (in christian terms, "Vincible Ignorance". Ask a theologian near you) You can be condemned in court as a consequence of it, if it can be shown that while you could have known the law, you didn't make the effort to for whatever reason (normally, you're suppose to know all law, but let's say you try to argue that it was somehow absolutely impossible for you to know it and that this should somehow absolve you of any wrongdoing). See also the concepts of "pluralistic ignorance" and of the bystander effect.

What if he did know about it?

Then that makes him guilty by association if he could prevent wrongdoing or if he refused to denounce it.

Maybe he would fucking want to join just to show that there ARE people in the military that don't beat on prisoners?

Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that people in the military did beat up prisoners. If he joins the army without denouncing those actions, how are we to know that he doesn't intend to perpetuate them?

Someone that honestly loves his country so much he is willing to put his life on the line is stupid?

If he is doing so blindly then yes, whether or not the thing he does thereby is wrong or not. Of course, that is only my (and I reckon most of the educated world, except some parts of the United States and some other really religious educated regions) ethical standpoint, and you may stand elsewhere on this issue.

O RLY? Care to actually back asinine claims like that up with actual fucking data?

Well, I haven't heard of any prisoners being tortured or beaten during the invasion per se, nor in the immediate aftermath, and my educated guess would be that the advent of such actions would indeed be sudden, but following a gradual increase in emotional detachment from the guards (refer to the Stanford prison experiment that I quoted two sentences later, which is more data than you'll ever need on this matter, I'd think). But what I wrote was not a scientific article. If I were to cite every paper I've ever read (most of which you probably couldn't understand right away anyway) to satisfy your misplaced need for "data", I would not be finished writing that first post yet. Relishing that thought may well please you; if so you are misguided indeed (misguided about how "science" works and also about the internets).

Again, O RLY? Moar data plz. Or should I say ANY data, please.
Again, have you not read what you had just quoted, where I referred you to a well known psychological experiment made in a prestigious school, published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal and repeated in countless psychology textbooks which happens to sustain my very point? Or are you just trying to rip off my leg off of my still warm body? Also, see my last answer about your misunderstanding of the process of science, which applies here especially to social sciences.

Maybe because the point of my fucking post wasn't to counter his points. "Troops are low life scum" isn't a point, it's a n opinion, in case that's what you were referring to.

Maybe so, but then so was my remark not a statement about the opinionatedness of the poster you replied to, but about your implicit attempt at refutation through a more or less carefully/consciously constructed exclamation of disbelief. Indeed, as it is difficult to ascertain scientifically that a certain person or type of person is "lowlife scum", such bold statements are to be classified as opinion. It doesn't change the fact though, that some opinions are more educated than others and thus may carry more weight, either subjectively through a shared worldview and knowledge base, or objectively by being shown to be closer to an established truth that the participants in this debate eventually come to recognize as such later.

What the hell does that have to do with ANYTHING said here?

Yes indeed it doesn't directly relate, sorry. It is part of a previous version of my post that I forgot to erase entirely. Though the point it makes is now moot since it is not attached to the post as a whole anymore, the segment can be reconstructed as such: "[Your experience in your squadron may give you a different picture of the lowlifedness of the enlisted troops as a whole, since you generalize from your own, subjectively positive experience, but things may not be such when viewed from outside, and your own squadron may be a statistical anomaly.] Yes, you may have "heard [good] things" [about the rest of the army as whole], but there's a reason hearsay is not allowed as evidence in a trial: it's actually pretty unreliable. Also, keep and bear in mind that no one likes to think that he himself did "bad things" in a conflict. They always blame the other or perversely blame only themselves." For that last bit, see the concept of "pluralistic ignorance" that I quoted earlier.

Have I thrown a stone here?

I would say yes, and my whole post was, in a sense, a way to make this very point.

Basically, next time, if you don't have any data to back up supposed "facts", STFU.

Unfortunately for you, I had data, as I think I have shown here (too) extensively. But it was not to back any facts but to back opinion. I never claimed to have any facts concerning the lowlifedness of enlisted troops and neither did the original poster. The fact that I asserted my opinion as if it were fact is a rhetorical device of which you should be well aware of in "FOX-News America". It is one of the most simple, pervasive, transparent and perversely effective device in the whole of human speech (again, in my and some other people's view). It is also one of the easiest to catch, at least when you and your opponents are on different wavelengths: hence to need to train yourself to detect it even when people you agree with use it. I guarantee you it will save you from trouble in the long run.
- Bidouleroux

The Tumbler- The New Batcycle

critttter (http://mystery.videosift.com/member/critttter) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:31:55 -0700

*discard I hate these people
- critttter

Broadcast: Papercuts

guessandcheck (http://guessandcheck.videosift.com) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:30:20 -0700

lovely
- guessandcheck

Chess Boxing (or is it Boxing Chess?)

cheesemoo (http://mystery.videosift.com/member/cheesemoo) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:28:06 -0700

Awesome.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chessboxing
- cheesemoo

The Self-linking Thread (Sift Talk Post)

rottenseed (http://rottenseed.videosift.com) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:27:42 -0700

Face it. This site is growing too big to maintain that "intimate" feel. Your baby has grown up into a monster and soon enough it'll be youtube's retarded 3rd nipple.

Don't cry for it sifters, for it is already dead.
- rottenseed

Regina Spektor – US

moonsammy (http://mystery.videosift.com/member/moonsammy) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:24:37 -0700

I can't believe Aprés Moi hadn't been sifted previously. Not only is she a great vocalist and pianist *and* lovely, she can sing well in (at least) three languages.
- moonsammy

Sweet Misery - A Poisoned World

critttter (http://mystery.videosift.com/member/critttter) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:23:39 -0700

*discard -too much speculation
- critttter

It's LadyDeaths Birthday Today :)

lucky760 (http://lucky760.videosift.com) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:22:26 -0700

Happy birthday, LD!
- lucky760

eric3579 (Member Profile)

lucky760 (http://lucky760.videosift.com) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:19:29 -0700

Unfortunately it looks like not. I tried a couple things to see if I could get it to work, but no luck.

As far as pressuring them, I guess the most you could do is send an email, but who knows how much that'll help. Sorry!

In reply to this comment by eric3579:
I just found this site, but they have some funky embed. Any way to fix it or pressure them to get us usable embeds?
http://engineeringtv.com/blogs/etv/archive/2008/06/24/berkeley-aerobotics-uav-fleet.aspx
- lucky760

Videosift's on Facebook?! (Sift Talk Post)

chilaxe (http://mystery.videosift.com/member/chilaxe) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:11:50 -0700

In the meantime, keep www.videosift.com in your favourite TV shows slot
- chilaxe

Amazing Catch by the Ball Girl

Lurch (http://mystery.videosift.com/member/Lurch) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:05:41 -0700

http://www.videosift.com/video/Ball-girl-makes-the-grab
- Lurch

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog - Teaser Trailer

HaricotVert (http://mystery.videosift.com/member/HaricotVert) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:04:14 -0700

*beg
- HaricotVert

Dripless Painting

cheesemoo (http://mystery.videosift.com/member/cheesemoo) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:58:40 -0700

Neat I guess, but it looks like they hook you into using their paint...
- cheesemoo

COUNTDOWN: McCain McDoubleTalk Express 6/30/08

NetRunner (http://mystery.videosift.com/member/NetRunner) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:56:18 -0700

Dupe: http://politics.videosift.com/video/Countdown-The-McCain-Double-Talk-Express
- NetRunner

Automatic Upsizing of Video Sizes (Sift Talk Post)

gwiz665 (http://mystery.videosift.com/member/gwiz665) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:55:14 -0700

Bloody brilliant.
- gwiz665

Zebra tries to drown attacking lion!

Lurch (http://mystery.videosift.com/member/Lurch) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:54:53 -0700

This was here over a year ago, but the original made its way to the sift graveyard:

http://www.videosift.com/video/Zebra-vs-Lion
- Lurch

Soliders blow up some random guy's sheep

LittleRed (http://mystery.videosift.com/member/LittleRed) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:54:31 -0700

>> ^Bidouleroux:
That you do not understand said ideas and concepts is partly my fault I suppose, lack of writing skills and a bit of rush-headedness, but calling me stupid because of it only shows your lack of understanding and judgment, if not outright idiocy.

No, I believe he was calling you stupid for not proof-reading. Saying things like "obliviously for different reasons," and "so-do-my-dad." If you're going to spend that much time typing out an inflammatory post and claiming it's "rhetoric" (which by the way, everyone who has used it in this thread has used it incorrectly), you might want to read it over and make sure you make sense.

- LittleRed

The Shining in 5 Seconds (Hilarious!)

joemawlma (http://mystery.videosift.com/member/joemawlma) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:40:19 -0700

*dead
- joemawlma

Automatic Upsizing of Video Sizes (Sift Talk Post)

arvana (http://arvana.videosift.com) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:36:58 -0700

This is awesome, Lucky! Now can you run the script on the entire back-catalogue of submissions too?
- arvana

Gold Mine of Undiscovered Siftable Material Just Uncovered (Geek Talk Post)

critttter (http://mystery.videosift.com/member/critttter) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:34:29 -0700

Why, yes, it's true, and timed so well... just as my Apple router conks and I'm borrowing some stranger's Linksys...and I'm two videos away from 100...
- critttter