Strap on the feedbags y’all. Because if you have not maxed out your gluttony meters yet have we got a deal for you. All the goodness of a cheese burger cradled in the sugary luxury of a glazed maple doughnut.
- 1500 calories and wating in quantity at a Fair near you…
Oh! It is that news story that got bumped off the radar because the two business parties of the US cannot decide how best to rid their society of the evilz of the pesky socialism. The famine in the horn of Africa continues…
The most recent (and continuing) episode of people dying miserable deaths due to starvation and lack of potable water...
Future historians, if we have future historians, will look back and wonder, “What the frack were their priorities back then?”. We can talk of geopolitics and of population control or even government corruption. Really, just choose your scapegoat and then you can feel better and justified about the state of the world and your position in it.
With the great intersection of science and technology we can send vehicles to Mars, or produce a precision guided missile that can guide itself to within 10m of the intended target. We can garner resources to bury a 27 kilometer length of concrete tunnel, ring it with superconductors and smash atoms, yet we cannot figure out how to feed people who are starving to death in another part of the world.
This is happening right now. We are culpable for our actions. This is our watch. We’re failing, on a grand scale, in the most basic aspects of altruism and empathy for others. We worship consumption and continue to celebrate our civilization blind to our own history and struggle, nestled within the tenuous safety of our technological achievements.
The world burns and we revel in our cheese-burger-doughnuts. A civilized culture indeed.
*update* Oh! Food is a no-go…but tobacco, that friends is a different story.
bleatmop
Mystro
Dead Wild Roses 
18 comments
August 9, 2011 at 8:02 am
TheUnrepublican
As a smoker, I do not much care for other people telling me what to do with my own body. I should have the right to choose. Furthermore, whether something is right or wrong is totally independent from the fact that companies are getting rich from it. Companies are getting rich from Coca Cola, that doesn’t necessarily make it wrong. All companies view societies as markets. Is it somehow worse when tobacco companies do it? The only moral relevance here is in whether or not the choice to smoke is left up to the smokers. We could care less for the opinions of those who find it morally reprehensible, as the only opinions that matter are those of whom decide whether or not to “light up”.
As for the situation in Africa, well that is quite unfortunate. Natural selection can be an ugly thing, indeed.
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August 9, 2011 at 8:47 am
TheUnrepublican
Of course, if you had even a basic understanding of natural selection, you would know that to interfere with the africans and their plight, you would actually be robbing them of the evolutionary reward brought on by the struggle.
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August 9, 2011 at 9:23 am
The Arbourist
As a smoker, I do not much care for other people telling me what to do with my own body. I should have the right to choose.
Then once your health deteriorates please also choose not to visit the hospital where then society has to deal with the consequences of your “right” to poison yourself and those around you.
Companies are getting rich from Coca Cola, that doesn’t necessarily make it wrong.
Companies that profit from the misery of others are in the wrong.
Is it somehow worse when tobacco companies do it?
The problem is that the tobacco companies knew about the the disastrous effects of their product on people and yet did not disclose these facts publicly. Now with poorer less educated people they are doing the same thing and having the same deleterious effects on their society.
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August 9, 2011 at 9:44 am
The Arbourist
Of course, if you had even a basic understanding of natural selection,
Projection is the flavour of today is it? Lovely.
1. Natural Selection – is precisely that: selection by the environment by nature of organisms that are most fit to survive and transmit their genes to the next generation. Human has evolved to the point where we can seriously inhibit the forces of natural selection, did you not the lack of melee and other assorted fights to the death at the supermarket? Civilization has allowed us to circumvent the competition for resources for basic needs for many people.
you would know that to interfere with the africans and their plight,
Your argument comes across not only as ignorant, and unaware of privilege, but betrays an appalling lack of empathy for others.
Western society has the means, but not the political will to stop what is going on with regards to the famine in Africa right now. Their countries serve as dumping grounds for our goods, at the cost of their domestic economy, and a as a source of cheap exploitable labour for our companies. This is not ‘natural’ selection but rather a calculated decision based on profit and loss and political viability all which are decidedly not part of natural selection.
Being born in North America has not made you any more fit to survive. The civilization that has pushed the forces of natural selection to the background has. On the bright-side smoking can be considered a casual factor that does contribute to ‘natural-selection’.
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August 9, 2011 at 10:05 am
Vern R. Kaine
“We can talk of geopolitics and of population control or even government corruption. Really, just choose your scapegoat and then you can feel better and justified about the state of the world and your position in it.”
I couldn’t agree more.
“We worship consumption and continue to celebrate our civilization blind to our own history and struggle, nestled within the tenuous safety of our technological achievements.”
Bottom line is the bulk of us are sheep. We can blame corporations all we want but there’s individual decisions being made both inside and outside those corporations. I believe every one of them have a right to their own individual decisions, however they should also be subject to the consequences of those decisions and, as a culture, we’ve done a spectacular job of not owning the consequences (or at least owning up to them).
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August 9, 2011 at 10:06 am
Vern R. Kaine
“Then once your health deteriorates please also choose not to visit the hospital where then society has to deal with the consequences of your “right” to poison yourself and those around you.”
Brilliant!
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August 9, 2011 at 10:45 am
TheUnrepublican
It is simply my right to smoke, as is my right to healthcare. You can no more deny healthcare to the smoker, who in your opinion brought it on themselves by their own choices, then you can to nymphomaniacs in need of STD treatment. You don’t get to say who deserves what, who should do what, etc. If my smoking offends you, then get from among me.
The natural selection bit was a joke, albeit in poor taste.
Surely I would not deny them help, and if it was up to me I would help them.
Wealth redistribution seems the lesser of two evils when compared to doing nothing while children die. So as for as the african situation goes, I am with you 100%. As for as the smoking situation goes, against you 100%.
G’day!
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August 9, 2011 at 11:51 am
TheUnrepublican
Oh, I agree! I’ve such a douche here saying a lot of utter tripe about a lot of things I really do not have a clue about. I’m going to try in the future to think outside my own selfish worldview and appreciate other points a view and then charitably respond. I’m also a big fan of the rights of women and support their right to choose and have autonomy over their bodies.
[ed. Edited for clarity and reduction in trollish stupidity]
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August 9, 2011 at 11:53 am
TheUnrepublican
The progressive movement is just one big pick & choose hypocrisy.
And this coming from a gay man.
G’day!
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August 9, 2011 at 5:28 pm
Bleatmop
This shows the complete and utter evil that the tobacco industry is. They KNOW the harm their products do. They KNOW people in developing nations need to spend their income on food, shelter and security. They choose to take a highly addictive substance and market it to vulnerable populations that do not have the laws or social infrastructure as we do here in the developed country to allow people to have (more) informed decisions about smoking. They are not only choosing to do harm to millions upon millions of people, they are planning to expand upon this.
I used to think the characters in the fantasy novels that I read were unrealistic. I mean, the necromancer who wants to murder everyone and turn them into zombies just because he’s a necromancer. I mean honestly, who would choose that. Now I know. The people who do things like these tobacco industry persons are among the worst people in the world.
Also, that we are allowing another famine to develop in Africa while doing piss all about it is one of the things that will define the developed world to future historians. Shame on us all.
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August 9, 2011 at 6:36 pm
TheUnrepublican
Shame on you, you bleeding heart fool.
What are YOU doing to make a difference? Of course, besides sitting in front of a computer invented by those “evil white males”, enjoying the freedoms bought by the blood of “evil white males”, whining and complaining about people in a continent that are doing absolutely nothing to help themselves.
What are YOU doing?
I guess the better question is, what CAN you do?
The answer?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
You are powerless.
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August 9, 2011 at 6:39 pm
TheUnrepublican
Also, right this moment, I am going out onto my back porch to smoke me a cigarette. Just like I have been doing for the last ten years, just like I will doing for the next ten years.
You see, I am in control. People like me who enable the tobacco companies by continuing to support them. People like me who have a say in the matter.
You have no say.
You are an interloper, nothing more.
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August 9, 2011 at 6:40 pm
TheUnrepublican
…And you will not make a difference.
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August 9, 2011 at 11:15 pm
The Arbourist
However, I will.
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August 9, 2011 at 11:19 pm
The Arbourist
Until you learn to play nice and not be such an angry bag of douche TUR, your comments will be moderated by me until further notice. I’m tired of you puking your hate onto my blog. That is all.
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August 9, 2011 at 11:21 pm
The Arbourist
Agreed Bleat, and my apologies for the infestation of trolls. They have been dealt with and hopefully a slightly more civil tone can once again rule the day.
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August 9, 2011 at 11:53 pm
TheUnrepublican
One last thing…
Maybe I can be an obnoxious turd, but please do not pretend that you have been playing nice, either.
You tell me to be open minded and respectful, responding charitably. Yet, you ceaselessly berate christians for their worldview and their beliefs, oblivious to the way you feel when your side is the one being insulted on account of their beliefs.
If you think that I am a turd in real life, then think again. And I sincerely apologize if I offended you. But, I wanted you to see what it feels like when you and those like you are on the relieving end of ridicule.
With that said, I am sure you have it rationalized in your mind why it is different when you are the one on the offensive. And that is the reason my whole time has been fruitless.
When I first arrived, I tried explaining to you the importance of relativism.
It didn’t take.
I became angry, and wanted to show you.
In truth, I am a gay christian liberal – I am not your enemy. But neither are christians, and until you recognize that with more than just two-faced double talk, I might as well be (your enemy).
Good day.
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August 10, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Bleatmop
Thanks Arb.
Not to respond directly to
TURnameless trolls, but I can respond for anyone else who is reading. IF you want to help, you are NOT helpless. You CAN make a BIG difference. For just $1 you can feed four children for a day, or you can buy a cola, or a coffee, or whatever is so worthless in our societies you can buy it for just $1. All you have to do is go to the UN’s world food program website http://www.wfp.org/ and be willing to part with some of your money. In fact, nameless troll has inspired me to do so again right now.Another thing you can do is contact your Member of Parliament and tell them how important it is to you that your government steps up and lends more aid. Some may be pessimistic, but this CPC government is a populist one and one that likes to look like the hero on the world stage. If they get enough emails, especially from those of you in swing riding, I’m certain they will respond. You can find your MP here: http://canada.gc.ca/directories-repertoires/direct-eng.html .
So thank you nameless troll. Hopefully some more people will read this post, be inspired to take action and prove you wrong. Thank you for reminding me that we are only powerless when we believe those who tell us that we are powerless.
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