politics and issues

[bombfrog]

So you'd rather have yourself , your whole family and everyone you know killed in a nuclear strike (and believe this, many, many of those deaths would not be quick) than just die yourself?

[bombfrog]

You'd rather millions died, rather than just you in the trenches.

[jameshunt]

With all due respect Sir, would you kindly do us the courtesy of letting us know what the feck you are banging on about?

To say you've got the wrong end of the stick OR possibly just skimmed my posts and made some massive assumptions is an understatement.

[jameshunt]

Wow, you've linked to one of my posts then completely mis-quoted it in the same breath.

That takes an enourmous amount of stupid.

[bombfrog]

Oh for god's sake. Are you being deliberately obtuse.

I said that given the choice I would presonally prefer my death (just mine, nobody else's) to be quick, rather than to involve the long drawn out process of fighting in a trench.

I DID NOT say that I would rather lots of people died than just me. Do you understand that?

Now, if you want to talk numbers I'm happy to talk numbers....

Total troops dead from all countries in WW1: Over 20 million

Total Dead in World War 2: Over 60 million

Total dead from nuclear bombs in Nagasaki/Hiroshima: almost 1 million

Now, we can speculate till the cows come home but how many more people do you think would be dead by now if nuclear weapons didn't exist?

[staggerlee]

Absolute tosh. You do realise that 1979 was Thatcher's rise to number 10? You are unaware of the miners' strike? The polltax riots of the 80s? If that was all kicking off do you think young people at the time were unaware of it???

British society has become far less politically aware, let alone active, in the 90s and noughties. Youths are not immune to that general trend towards disinterest.

Do a straw poll. I'd wager that if you sampled a random selection of 18 years olds most could name more Big Brother contestants than they could cabinet ministers, let alone know the name of their own MP.

[Tugger2k]

The majority of the march was most likely made up of students.

[jameshunt]

Oh for god's sake. Are you being deliberately obtuse.

I said that given the choice I would presonally prefer my death (just mine, nobody else's) to be quick, rather than to involve the long drawn out process of fighting in a trench.

I DID NOT say that I would rather lots of people died than just me. Do you understand that?

......

[jameshunt]

Do you think young people were not involved in the hundreds of thousands of people that marched in London over the Iraq war. The majority of the march was most likely made up of students. I was in school in year 11 when the Iraq war began and 100 people from my comp went to London to march. Sure many youths are disinterested and disillusioned with politics but you can't dismiss an entire section of British society as being uninterested without any proof.

[beergut100]

Just out of interest, out of all the over 30's who replied to this post, how many of you were actually clued up or interested in politics when you were 18?

[bombfrog]

No you did not say that. However millions and millions of innocent civilian deaths are implied by the choice you championed.

Edited March 18, 2009 by bombfrog

[jameshunt]

And if I was fighting in a trench in WW1 then millions of innocent people would be dying too, so your question is retarded.

Anyway, as much as I'm enjoying this I have lots of work to do, so seeya.

[staggerlee]

Re-read my post. I did not dismiss an entire section of British society as being uninterested. I dismissed British society as being less politically aware and active and stated that youths were not immune to the trend towards disinterest.

Here are the words I used: "British society has become far less politically aware, let alone active, in the 90s and noughties. Youths are not immune to that general trend towards disinterest."

Feel free to try to understand them.

Edited March 18, 2009 by staggerlee

[FunkyChunkyMonkey]

It is a quirk of mine and the missus to take the children when we vote. We vote in all elections/referenda even if it were to spoil the paper.

Not only that but we walk to the Polling Station - would maybe change mind over this if over mile and a half away like

In my mind it is to instill some solemn sense of duty in the kids. Who knows? They may give a toss once they are 18, they may not. But at least we tried

[jameshunt]

I was replying to russycarps who said that the youth are completely uninterested politics. You called what I said tosh and then referred to the Miner's strike I simply argue that issues like the Iraq war and the US election had shown that some young people are politically active. This is all to do with you calling what I said tosh, not your point on decline in overall election turnout since the late eighties. All this shite about the young being uninterested in politics is exactly that, shite, over spun, ageist shite. Young people were not turning out en masse at the slightest political spark in the 1970s and 1980s despite what you believe. The miner's strike could hardly be called a young person's struggle and thus shouldn't be used as an example of adolescent activism. Were as the protest over the Iraq war, the biggest in British history mainly encompassed young students.

There is no need for your snobby, pompous, keyboard warrior attitude either.

Edited March 18, 2009 by jameshunt

[russycarps]

Personally I'd rather die quickly in a nuclear strike that have to die in the trenches but each to their own.

[ig1234]

And any argument concerning numbers (an absurdly amoral argument as well) of casualties from past use of nuclear weapons is irrelevent considering the awesome power of such weapons these days compared to 60 years hence. Use of one or two would send about half the world into nuclear winter, essentially killing off most life, including almost all of humanity.

I'd rather die in a trench if it meant the human race might continue...

[daisylane]

to add to the discussion about youth and politics, the reason a lot of young people aren't as interested in politics as they used to be is because most don't have the responsibility they used to.

i mean, i obviously couldn't comment as i am fairly young myself, but my parents and my friends' parents seemed to go straight into work after school, therefore having responsibility and knowing their rights. a lot of young people don't have to go into a full time job after school anymore for whatever reason, therefore politics doesn't really affect them.

Edited March 19, 2009 by daisylane

[Sam.]

sadly most of the youth these days couldnt give a shit about politics. The majority of the youth of today are utterly selfish and totally dedicated to materialistic pursuits. I find the next generation completely depressing.

Have you ever tried having a chat to an 18 year old about politics? They tend to be frighteningly ill informed and totally disinterested.

[staggerlee]

You have to remember who has educated this "completely depressing" generation.

I would vote for Cameron, I'm 21.

For one reason, and one reason only... I've never heard anyone talk to people my age the way he has, i.e trying to be on our level.

Your post has really pissed me off just so you know.

Edited March 19, 2009 by staggerlee

[staggerlee]

to add to the discussion about youth and politics, the reason a lot of young people aren't as interested in politics as they used to be is because most don't have the responsibility they used to.

i mean, i obviously couldn't comment as i am fairly young myself, but my parents and my friends' parents seemed to go straight into work after school, therefore having responsibility and knowing their rights. a lot of young people don't have to go into a full time job after school anymore for whatever reason, therefore politics doesn't really affect them.

[daisylane]

One could argue that the pursuit of further education will serve to make these young people more politically aware. I can only speak for myself but Uni through reading has certainly changed the way I view the world and the system we live in.

Edited March 19, 2009 by daisylane

[daveinafield]

You have to remember who has educated this "completely depressing" generation.

I would vote for Cameron, I'm 21.

For one reason, and one reason only... I've never heard anyone talk to people my age the way he has, i.e trying to be on our level.

Your post has really pissed me off just so you know.

[daveinafield]

Billy Bragg we need you now!!!

[staggerlee]

aye this is true, but a lot of people go to uni who have no interests in politics and still don't. i've got friends who are incredibly intelligent, but they just go blank when the more politically aware amongst us bring up conversations that matter.

for example, i once started a conversation about gordon brown or something at a gathering, and one of my friends just went, 'oh god' and walked out into the other room to play singstar. she would probably prefer to talk about hollyoaks or something but it doesn't neccesarily make her uneducated as she got better grades than my friend who is trained to be an a level politics tutor.

also, i don't just mean university. some people go to college but it does sort of depend on what kind of college you go to. some people get jobs but continue living at home with the parents so they don't have to pay bills.

its hard to explain really, but it just seems that some of the youth feel there isn't a need to be interested. maybe its more about the kind of jobs people have these days compared to before, its a lot less manual labour nowadays.

EDIT - i agree with you about cameron, he's just so fake. i don't think he really has a clue about working class young people.