Discuss your Opinion!

[Jeb_CC]

I've been contemplating whether to make this post or not. If it doesn't succeed, ah well. At least I gave it a go.

Basically, what I'll do, is I'll write a subject title such as; "Abortion" or "Aliens" and we can all discuss what we think of it. :3 To reduce anger, frustration and fights, I'm going to purposely avoid subjects that involve religion, and theories such as Evolution. I don't want hate and judgement to ruin this. X3 I just feel like as human beings, it's important to learn. And by discussing our opinions, we can know more about each other and also learn new things. Once people stop commenting towards a subject, I'll change it. Simple as that!

And to whoever comments on this post, please respect each other's opinions. :3 Thank you.

Now, let's see how this goes.

 

Contents:

 

1. Abortion - Page 1
   
2. Drugs - Page 1
   
3. Equality - Page 1
    
   
4. Under-age sex - Page 3
   
5. What is truth? - Page 3
    
   
6. This or that? #1 - Page 4
   
7. Education - Page 4
    
   
8. Anti-vaccinators - Page 5
    
   
9. Arranged marriages - Page 6
   
10. Technology for kids - Page 6
     
    
11. 'Playing' with the dead - Page 7
    
12. Spirits - Page 7
    
13. Physical touch or abuse? - Page 7
     
    
14. Legal drinking age - Page 8
    
15. Tattoos - Page 8
     
    
16. Exotic Pets - Page 9
     
    
17. United World - Page 10
     
    
18. Torture - Page 11
    
19. This or That? #2 - Page 11
     
    
20. US Government Budget Estimates - Page 12
    
21. Supporting IT education - Page 12
    
22. Audience towards Diversity - Page 12
     
    
23. High Art - Page 13
    
24. What's most important in life? - Page 13
     
    
25. Would you be friends with a homophobic/racist/hateful person? - Page 14
     
    
26. Is rehabilitation of criminals more important than punishing them? - Page 15
    
27. Comforts Lead to Weakness - Page 15
    
28. Importance of a legitimately balanced, fact based, unbiased new source - Page 15
     
    
29. What is X and Other Similar Questions - Page 16
    
30. Reality - Page 16
    
31. Romantic Relationships - Page 16
     
    
32. Vigilantism - Page 17

 

I really wish a 'tab' function existed for this BBcode dealio.

 

Subject #1: Abortion

My opinion: Unacceptable unless for a good reason. Such as; health issues, mother cannot financially take care of baby at all (homeless almost), smoker/alcoholic, has a transferable disease.

My boyfriend has a disease/condition thing. I don't want children, but if I were to fall accidentally pregnant one day, I would choose abortion. Not because I don't want it, but because I'm afraid it won't be up to good health. I'd hate to bring someone to the world who is deathly sick and requires treatment 24/7. I hate seeing people suffer. I don't think; 'it's a woman's body' is a good reason at all either. It's not just your body. Emotionally you share it with all of your friends/family/close ones. And women who say that, you realize fathers are a thing right?

Really, I see it as sort of selfish when a woman says; "it's my body" but I won't attack someone if they choose that path. X3 I can even take this into a religious context but I won't, to avoid judgement.

But yeah. That's my opinion. Yours? :3

[Vapymid]

I am in favour of women having the option to terminate for any reason if they so wish, but observing a time-limit, beyond which abortion should only be allowed for medical reasons. I don't have a particular opinion on what the limit should be. Whatever the scientists say. In the UK the limit currently is 24 weeks.

 

I don't subscribe to the "pro-life" idea that destroying any fertilised foetus is murder or represents "humans playing god". I personally don't have any memories of myself earlier than from the age of about 2 and so, I don't even consider that I was a person until then, but that's from my personal perspective. When you look into a newborn's eyes - you can clearly see a person and personality there from the first minute...

 

I would also like to make sure that any woman deciding on abortion be made aware of all risks, including that of not being able to bear children in the future. And, preferably, I would want to make sure that the father's opinion is considered, but that depends on the circumstances.

 

Regards

[Binky The Rabbit]

The "pro-life" idea that destroying any fertilised foetus is murder or represents "humans playing god".

By that logic, just having sex is 'humans playing God'.

 

EVERYONE'S A DEITY!!!11!one!1! Sorry, serious now.

 

I'm definitely Pro-choice, but I feel it's more important to make sex education more widespread - what it is, how it works, how contraception works, etc. If more people are clued up about sex, then the less likely people will find themselves in a termination situation.

 

My approach is "listen to your head, not your crotch"

[Vapymid]

I agree - education is the best (actually, the only civilised) way. Promotion of abstinence as a way of preventing unwanted pregnancies (especially teenage) simply doesn't work, even makes things worse IMHO...

 

Regards

[Jeb_CC]

All very good points. :3 I'm not sure if something that tiny in a woman really is human or not, if it's murder or not. X3 Of course, it's living, but every organism is living. And I don't think the baby would care that much because like, it doesn't have the functions to even think about it.

But yeah, education is quite important. It's just sad when a woman is raped and it results in pregnancy.

[ThePest179]

I'm definitely Pro-choice, but I feel it's more important to make sex education more widespread - what it is, how it works, how contraception works, etc. If more people are clued up about sex, then the less likely people will find themselves in a termination situation.

 

My approach is "listen to your head, not your crotch"

 

This.

[BTGBullseye]

There are many aspects of why I believe that any fetus is a person, only one of which is religious. I will not include the religious reason.

 

1. As soon as the first cell division occurs, that is the indicator that barring outside influence or illness, there will be another human in a couple months.

2. Killing a human before it's fully developed is still ending a human life.

3. Fetuses are fully capable of thought and memory by the age of 8 weeks. (around the same time their sense of touch develops)

4. Fetuses begin 'breathing' at 9 weeks. (it isn't actual breathing, there is no air in there)

5. Fetuses are moving their eyes at 14 weeks, and have complex eye movements at 24 weeks.

6. Fetuses are moving on their own, without external stimuli, at 16 weeks.

7. Fetuses are able to feel pain at 17 weeks.

8. Fetuses are able to recognize sounds at 20 weeks.

9. Fetuses are sucking their thumbs at 20 weeks. (this is also when you first get a glimpse of whether they will be a righty or lefty)

10. I have personally seen fetuses that were removed for incubation at 8 weeks (for medical reasons) respond to external stimuli intelligently as they were being removed.

11. There are a LOT of people in the US that want to adopt, and they're going overseas just to find them, because there aren't enough available in the US. Adoption is a much better option than murder IMO.

 

There is only one reason I have been able to find that it would be appropriate to perform an abortion... That is if it would cause the death of the mother and/or child to do anything else.

[Jeb_CC]

BTG's post is 80% fetus. >w< Good points. Is there ever a case where a mother has had to abort their baby because of a safety concern regarding the mother? Cause I dunno.

Also regarding what Fetuses can do, do they have the capacity to remember things? Sure they can move, but do they have the mental needs to be able to think and remember?

[BTGBullseye]

Is there ever a case where a mother has had to abort their baby because of a safety concern regarding the mother? Cause I dunno.

There are the rare few who are actually allergic to the pregnancy hormones... That would be a good case for an abortion, as neither the mother or the child would survive.

 

Also regarding what Fetuses can do, do they have the capacity to remember things? Sure they can move, but do they have the mental needs to be able to think and remember?

I know of a few people that can remember being in the womb, and there are lots of stories of people with similar memories. I personally don't remember it. (earliest memories for me were when I was just about to turn 2)

[Vapymid]

There are many aspects of why I believe that any fetus is a person

 

I may sound cynical, but I don't find the factors you listed as evidence that embryo/fetus is a person convincing.

 

Motion and ability to respond to some outside stimuli is far from being enough in my view. For me the key consideration must be an ability to sense "self", to be self-aware. The 8 weeks you mention is way too premature to me. The embryo does not even become a fetus by then (fetal stage only begins at week 9).

 

2. Killing a human before it's fully developed is still ending a human life.

 

That's the whole point - it's not a human yet at the moment of termination. What it may or may not develop into should not be relevant at that stage.

 

11. ... Adoption is a much better option than murder IMO.

 

Do you mean as an alternative to IFV, maybe, rather than an abortion?

 

Regards

[Jeb_CC]

Seems quite dead now. :3 Next topic!

 

Subject #2: Drugs

Drugs can be life-saving, or life-wrecking. We use drugs for many many things, mainly medically. However, there are some drugs that aren't prescribed, and can cause major health issues. There's been many countries wanting to make illegal drugs legal. I say 'No' to it, as I think it will only cause people to be open to it. Stuff like gay marriage should be legalized cause of human rights and what not. But no one can just 'try and be gay' for a day. X3 People however can try drugs for a day, and can get addicted. If anyone here takes illegal drugs, then I must say I am not trying to criticize what you do. Wherever you take them or not is not be judged harshly by me. However, upon many stories I've read, all I know is that it's very bad for people to take, leading to havoc in finance, relationship drops, job losses, the list goes on. So what do you think? Should it be legalized or not?

[Vapymid]

Firstly, for me personally, drugs are a total no go area (I don't count alcoholic drinks and tobacco as drugs, though I quit smoking long time ago). Something to just not do, ever.

 

But illegality does nothing to prevent people from trying drugs. It probably also has a "forbidden fruit" effect, as well.

 

On the other hand, the prohibition supports the entire illegal drugs industry* by giving the drug cartels a monopoly on the supply and distribution and by keeping the prices high. In turn, this pushes the addicts to commit crimes to fund their habit.

 

That is my dilemma - I totally abhor drugs but I strongly suspect that the way the society handles the problem is actually making it worse...

 

So, what to do? I don't know, prescriptions to addicts maybe? Also somebody somehow needs to make drugs look uncool for young people - making it freely available but associated with some stigma is probably a way to go. Like "only morons and duchebags use drugs" kind of thing...

 

Regards

 

*) - I actually think that a lot of opposition towards legalisation of drugs in the Western governments may ultimately be funded by cartels.

[dashofweak]

There are certain drugs that are defiantly very dangerous and can destroy lives with it's insane addiction rate and the damage it can do to both the body and the mind. These drugs should be dangerous but what I'd personally like to see is a rating system for all drugs that takes many different aspects of the drugs such as addiction rates, physiological effects, psychological severity, psychological effects, psychological severity, and so on. Then with all these numbers you can create a "Recreational Danger Number" or something like that, then any drug that falls below a set point (for the sake of argument let's make it 15 RDNs) can be bought recreationally, any above it will be illegal to buy for recreational use. With this system it would no longer be about what specific drugs can/can't be legalized, but truly gets into how dangerous they are and make a decision based on that.

 

Another thing that I think needs to happen is that when a person does use drugs, or does a crime while on a drug that they be treated as if they were sick rather than criminals. I think downright imprisoning people for having drugs is a really shitty idea. It helps really no one besides the people running the prisons and it doesn't help the person who's addicted at all. I think treating addiction rather than punishing addiction is a much better strategy.

[BTGBullseye]

Also somebody somehow needs to make drugs look uncool for young people - making it freely available but associated with some stigma is probably a way to go. Like "only morons and duchebags use drugs" kind of thing...

They've been trying unsuccessfully to do that for decades.

 

Another thing that I think needs to happen is that when a person does use drugs, or does a crime while on a drug that they be treated as if they were sick rather than criminals. I think downright imprisoning people for having drugs is a really shitty idea. It helps really no one besides the people running the prisons and it doesn't help the person who's addicted at all. I think treating addiction rather than punishing addiction is a much better strategy.

That method has proven to be massively ineffective. (they try it before prison) It's 3rd strike that sends them to prison, but the problem is, usually, they can get the drugs on the inside too. Also, the people who commit crimes to feed the addiction should go to jail on the first strike, but not for the length of time currently used in the system. Drug possession charges for drugs that don't cause physical dependencies is a major issue in the US right now, and is a major reason why marijuana is becoming legal in many states.

 

Really, my opinion on drugs is that any drug that causes a physical dependence (tobacco, LSD, meth, etc., excluding ethyl alcohol) should be illegal without individual licensing and prescription, and drugs that don't (marijuana, etc.) should be made legal with the only restriction being age. (21 years old is a little high IMO, pun not intended)

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_dependence#Drugs_that_cause_physical_dependence

http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment-research-based-guide-third-edition/frequently-asked-questions/there-difference-between-physical-dependence

 

Unfortunately I am unable to find a list of currently illegal drugs that don't cause physical dependencies.

 

If you're wondering why I exclude ethyl alcohol from the illegal list, it's because it's already been tried and shown to be impossible to stop people from using it. (look at prohibition)

[Jeb_CC]

And the problem with drugs is that not everyone is affected the same way. Some people don't get addicted at all, others get freaking wrecked. So making a drug rating system is a good idea, but it just won't work because of the individuality of the human race.

[Vapymid]

If you're wondering why I exclude ethyl alcohol from the illegal list, it's because it's already been tried and shown to be impossible to stop people from using it. (look at prohibition)

 

There is that, of course, and the fact that anyone can easily make it at home. But, also, alcohol has substantial cultural, culinary and medicinal significance beyond its psychotropic effects...

 

And the problem with drugs is that not everyone is affected the same way. Some people don't get addicted at all, others get freaking wrecked. So making a drug rating system is a good idea, but it just won't work because of the individuality of the human race.

 

That is so true and genetics play a big role, apparently.

 

Regards

[Binky The Rabbit]

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/may/03/diary-heroin-addict-photography-graham-macindoe

 

"Rehabilitation is really important. Jail doesn't work. Jailing somebody for being an addict is not going to help them, because it doesn't teach them anything. You need to teach people different thought processes and different ways of running their life. You might have started taking drugs just to party, but at the end of the day, what they do to your mind is they bring out every insecurity, every piece of pain, every piece of anger you've had in your life and bring them to the top of the pile. Those are the things you dwell on when you're an addict. So you have to address them. You have to address, how can I stop being angry, how can I stop being jealous, how can I get my self-esteem up, how can I feel more comfortable in my skin? And I don't think there's a one-route way to recovery. Because you come into addiction from all these different backgrounds. I think there's a multitude of different ways to recover."

[dashofweak]

 

Another thing that I think needs to happen is that when a person does use drugs, or does a crime while on a drug that they be treated as if they were sick rather than criminals. I think downright imprisoning people for having drugs is a really shitty idea. It helps really no one besides the people running the prisons and it doesn't help the person who's addicted at all. I think treating addiction rather than punishing addiction is a much better strategy.

 

That method has proven to be massively ineffective. (they try it before prison) It's 3rd strike that sends them to prison, but the problem is, usually, they can get the drugs on the inside too. Also, the people who commit crimes to feed the addiction should go to jail on the first strike, but not for the length of time currently used in the system. Drug possession charges for drugs that don't cause physical dependencies is a major issue in the US right now, and is a major reason why marijuana is becoming legal in many states.

 

Just because it's ineffective right now doesn't mean that it can't be made to work. It could be with the current system that there isn't drug counseling that's effective for many people. The 3rd strike thing really doesn't help because with the 1st and 2nd strike there isn't much help being given to the people who need the help. So saying "It doesn't work just jail them" really doesn't help because that's what we're doing and have been doing since Nixon and it has only worsened the problem more than anything else.

[BTGBullseye]

I never said it was the most effective method of treatment, just that what you said to do is already being implemented, apart from a 3-strike rule that is also there.

 

Honestly though, they need to start a form of sanitarium designed specifically for housing and treatment of the seriously addicted... Padded rooms included.

[Jeb_CC]

Subject #3: Equality.

Personally, I think it will NEVER work. The world will NEVER be equal. It just can't work. We are all different people. And if we are treated all the same, well... not only does it sound like communism, but some people are left unfairly treated. Of course, the world will never be perfect. But we can strive. And I think Equality is... not what we should strive for. But wait! There's more! Instead of equality, how about we all go for something we'd ALL like. Fairness. I've used this example many times before to explain to people.

 

There's a weightlifting competition. Both men and women compete in the same line. What do you know? Women get lower scores than the men and thus, the men win. You know why? Because a woman's body is MUCH different to a male's. Even bone structure is different. Women simply cannot physically keep up without extra training. (Or just a lucky body)

Same competition. But instead, men and women compete in different lines. What do you know? We now have an overall women winner, and an overall men winner. Everyone is happy! So why do people want equality so much?

(^ A big example; The Olympics. Very fair when it comes to men and women.)

I found out my friend is a feminist a little while ago. I told her this example and she replied; "NO! Equality is better! Because men and women should be treated equally! Women can beat men easily. Us women shouldn't be put down." I'm not saying they can't. It's just unfair for women, because they have to work harder to beat men. They should just be paired to compete against other women. Simple. And I'm sorry if I offend people for saying that women are "inferior" to men. Physically, they just are. I'm sorry, women. But it's just hard cold fact. Women are better in other things though, of course.

 

But back on to fairness. Instead of having everyone suffer the same equality, why not give everyone what they NEED. I saw a stupid post online saying; "A girl touched my chest. Meh. I touched hers back and she went crazy. Fuck me." <- He's expecting equality. 'If you're allowed to do this, I can too!' No. Please no. It doesn't work that way. And I apologize for referencing mainly to the physical bodies, it's just much easier to do. There's MANY more examples of unfair equality in the world. What do you guys think? Is equality REALLY fair? And what feminists REALLY want? And what we REALLY need in today's society? I'm interested in your responses! And feel free to call me out on something.