Discuss your Opinion!

[BTGBullseye]

Gambling as it is is very easy to get ahold of, as it is quite common on reservations in the USA. This makes the outlawing of it pointless, as it doesn't really go away. However, there is some good in makeing it more difficult to get ahold of.

 

My own grandmother is addicted to gambling. She is incapable of stopping unless she runs out of money. It isn't something she can control, and the appeal is to her like water is to a fish on land. The addiction isn't controllable. This is part of the problem, and many just can't understand it.

 

My personal opinion, it should be illegal outside of certain specific locations. Those locations should not allow addicted gamblers to reside within 100 miles. That's it.

[Binky The Rabbit]

Gambling is very addictive, like nicotine, alcohol, narcotics. I wouldn't make it illegal (it's probably impossible, given how well established it is with things like the lottery, and fruits machines in pubs), because there's the issue of more...underground forms which are harder to track and control, and would have graver consequences if caught up in them.

 

Sadly, I don't have a solution that doesn't sound hollow.

My band have a song about it, though, recorded before I joined

 

EDIT:

My personal opinion, it should be illegal outside of certain specific locations. Those locations should not allow addicted gamblers to reside within 100 miles.

Like, designated gambling areas?

[BTGBullseye]

Like Vegas, and Atlantic City... Basically no major change from the existing, apart from making it illegal to reside within 100 miles of a gambling establishment if you're addicted, and making the maximum time you can stay at a gambling location total a maximum of 2 weeks out of the year. (or whatever the limit is for determining residency)

[BidetoftheDead]

I think making gambling illegal would be a big mistake. Hell, there are already illegal gambling halls in places where gambling is illegal, it just makes the entire situation worse and puts people who have a gambling addiction in a worse place with no support.

 

This line of thought can actually be applied to a lot of things ranging from sex work to narcotics. It's better to legalize, regulate and enforce then make it illegal and just hope people stop doing it. It's why the war on drugs is a massive failure and is draining America's budget, it's why people who are forced into sex work are often victims of sexual assault, abuse and sometimes even murder.

 

We need to provide a safe place for these people, if we work hard on making certain things legal and providing a safe place for these things to be done we would lose a lot of problems. It's not perfect, there will still be selling of unapproved narcotics and illegal sex work being done but it would make those things become small and a rarity because people would have a safer environment for these activities.

[Jeb_CC]

Nice input, guys!

BUt yeah, it is a good point that we should legalize, just for the sake of being able to care for those who are addicted, rather them bowing their head in shame.

 

Next subject: 'Playing' with the dead.

Do you think it's disrespectful for us humans to go around touching the dead for our own amusement and education? In science classes, we do mini-dissections. In forensics, we rip these people apart. XD Do you think we should have some level of respect towards them before we do these procedures though? Should we do the procedures in a certain way? Or do you think that we should just handle them how we want?

 

For me, I feel like people are too serious about the whole; 'don't disrespect the dead'. When people are dead, they're dead. And IMO, that means just leaving the body basically. There's nothing there but a shell, so why should we be told off for carrying it in a certain way? Why should I stress over it that much when there's nothing there?

This might be a touchy subject so feel free to not reply to this one. XP And be respectful of each other's opinions please like always please. :3

 

This goes for all dead bodies btw, whether it's a pet or human, or even a rabbit you found lying dead across the street. XD I dunno.

[BidetoftheDead]

I understand the idea of respecting the dead, for some cultures it's a very big deal. As for using them for experiments and poking around to understand the body but I think it should only be done to a corpse if the person agrees to it in life.

[Blightmare]

I've always figured when I'm dead, I'm dead. Not much use for my body after that, which was pretty much my thought process when checking the "organ donor" box when getting my ID. I'm honestly hoping that if the circumstances of my death leave my organs healthy, that they can be used to save someone else.

 

And I'm completely aware that not everyone think's like that and that's perfectly fine. I figure if they give you the greenlight when they're alive then it's all good. Animals are a different story, since as far as I'm aware you can't get consent out of an animal. I guess if the purpose is educational like dissection then it's for a good purpose, but if it's something along the lines of "Yo dude I just found this dead animal let's cut it open" Then it bothers, and kinda worries me.

[BTGBullseye]

I've always figured when I'm dead, I'm dead. Not much use for my body after that, which was pretty much my thought process when checking the "organ donor" box when getting my ID. I'm honestly hoping that if the circumstances of my death leave my organs healthy, that they can be used to save someone else.

Same.

 

However, for animals, I think that there's no 'respect' that needs to be shown... It's an animal... It's dead...

[Jeb_CC]

Subject #12: Spirits!

 

Do you believe in ghosts? Demons? Angels?

Try to not get religious. :3 I don't really believe that people stay on Earth when they die. X3 I think they just leave the universe. Poof! Onto another one perhaps? Who knows! I'm VERY skeptical about ghosts and stuff though. My mother and sister are into all that stuff. One day my mother woke up and told me about how last night she was talking to a demon. X3 I didn't know what to say to that. I just kinda went; "...Cool!" XD Which was probably the wrong thing to say. But yeah, ghosts, demons, nah. :3 Not for me. I'd like to live in houses that aren't haunted. XP

There's a lot of weird theories with that; "Oh, you just don't see ghosts because you're rejecting them." I dunno though. If somebody tells me about their ghosty tales, I'd usually just point out; "You sure it wasn't this or this?"

But if they're pretty confident, I'll probably just go along with it. XP I never want to be... 'that guy' who kinda puts down others for believing in ghosts or that kind of stuff. If you wanna do that, go ahead! :3

 

And I'm not necessarily talking about like... white sheet cylinder stereotypical ghosts. I've seen enough shows on TV to know that demons are creepy as all hell. XD So I'd rather not mess with that stuff, thanks.

[Reverend_UshankaCat_]

Try to not get religious. :3

Yeah, I'm still sorry about that.

 

I don't believe that ghosts roam the living world, but I like ghost stories and stuff like that, probably since I'm not scared easily, but I like scaring others >

I mean, my first reaction to seeing something scary in a lot of video games is to walk towards it.

 

Lots of reported ghost activity is scientifaclly impossible, when a "ghost" for example pushes a chair over, the force that pushed the chair most have come from somewhere, it can't just have been created out of nothing.

[Jeb_CC]

Yeah, I'm still sorry about that.

 

Lots of reported ghost activity is scientifaclly impossible, when a "ghost" for example pushes a chair over, the force that pushed the chair most have come from somewhere, it can't just have been created out of nothing.

 

:3 It's all good. No need to apologize, mate.

 

And yeah, the objects moving thing has never really made sense to me before. :S

Although, I still can't explain why I suddenly get chills on the back of my neck for no reason in a dark room. XD Scares the snot out of me. But usually I brush it off and go; "Eh. Was probably a spider." X3 Cause apparently that's better than a ghost.

[Reverend_UshankaCat_]

I still can't explain why I suddenly get chills on the back of my neck for no reason in a dark room. XD Scares the snot out of me. But usually I brush it off and go; "Eh. Was probably a spider."

The thought of a spider crawling around on me would scare me more than ghosts!

[Blightmare]

A long while ago there was a paranormal thread I posted in with the long version of this story but I'm gonna put the short version up.

 

When I was younger, I lived in a rental house after a wind storm blew a tree onto our house. Now there was a lot of weird stuff happening at this rental house. Sounds of things in the closet falling but looking to find nothing out of place, bathroom door opening on it's own, toilet seat falling down on it's own, etc. I'm sure there's a good reason for all of that though.

 

The weirdest was during a power outage. The house's living room was essentially the walk in area for the front door as well. The front door has an outer metal door that we keep closed. We were all huddled in the living room with camping lamps waiting for the power to come back on when we all heard the sound of what sounded like someone throwing their weight on the wooden front door. The weirdest part about all that is the only way for anyone to hit the front door and make that sound would be from the inside and if it was from the inside we would have seen them. The outer metal door was closed and we heard no footsteps or anything else after that, and no sign of anything to make that sound, but it sounded like someone was trying to kick the door down.

 

So do I believe in ghosts? Yes. Do I believe that all those TV ghost hunter shows are legit? No.

[AP_Pastor]

I've slept in a cemetery twice, I've walked around my school corridor at night a couple of time, and I've only had one experience close to paranormal. I was 11 years old that time. It was 4:30am, and me and my dad were going to this fun run. On our way to the meet, we were passing by this house which has a wide front yard. On the yard, I saw seven figures dressed in white, with someone in the center holding something bright, like a cross. I must be the only one who saw all this, since my dad didn't react despite him having a good view of that yard. I've crossed that house several times, and that incident only happened once.

[Reverend_UshankaCat_]

seven figures dressed in white, with someone in the center holding something bright, like a cross

The Ku Klux Klan?

[AP_Pastor]

^ Nope, though there was a revolutionary group from the late 19th century also called the KKK, but they're not a Ku Klux Klan chapter. Oh btw, There's a line from this Genesis song that reminded me of that experience: (Vapy, if you're reading this, i'm sure you know this song)

 

Out in the garden, the moon seems very bright,

Six saintly shrouded men move across the lawn slowly.

The seventh walks in front with a cross held high in hand.

[BTGBullseye]

If anyone's truly interested, I might post some of my stories, but last time I did I got singled out because it's related to religion... So ask, and I'll post, otherwise I request moving on to something that won't make intolerant people come to this thread just to complain about me.

[rairii]

Try to not get religious.

 

Strange request but I'll try.

I don't believe in the supernatural, I do believe consciousness works in a funny way similar to how reincarnationists think souls work. The brain has a silly way of telling you that you're alive and there's STUFF behind you, when you lose that sentient consciousness (by dying, no less), congratulations, you get to start life anew as another conscious being. Keep in mind I speak in 2nd person for the sake of simplicity, it's more along the lines of one person's consciousness becomes the next person's consciousness when they die. It just so happens to be your consciousness now and for all you fucking know it could be Einstein's tomorrow.

 

See, I like this little hypothesis because I still have yet to find solid contradiction to it. The closest thing I've managed to think of was a particular child who lived to the age of 3 without a brain, but he wasn't particularly conscious and only had the basic ability to breathe and consume nutrients.

 

I doubt I'm the only one to think this and I'm sure there's a name for what I do believe, I'm simply too lazy to find it out because I constantly question my own beliefs. My guess is that the only reason I started thinking this way is because I've lived such a shitty fucking life thus far and there isn't exactly jack shit I can do about it. A plethora of mental issues, poor physical health, not to mention I'm simply not smart or particularly talented at any specific thing. I do feel like the system I grew up in set me up for failure, it simply wasn't meant for a person like me. I'm living to die at this point and I think that's why I concern myself so heavily with this topic.

 

That said, I could see myself believing in ghosts, spirits, or demons. I simply would never believe they exist in religious context.

 

Edit: wow i was out of it when i wrote this.

[ClusterFake]

@AP_Pastor:

And as you listen to my voice

To look for hidden doors, tidy floors, more applause.

You've been here all the time,

Like it or not, like what you got,

You're under the soil (the soil, the soil)...

I know that one too

[Jeb_CC]

*half a month late* I'm active, I swear. >.>

 

Subject #13: If you had kids, would you support physical touch to be included in the process of teaching kids wrong and right? X3 Or to put it shortly, spanking, abuse, etc. And even if you didn't have kids, would you support others doing it?

 

Personally, I hate the idea of it. I'm 16 and I'm still getting slapped. X3 I'm not a bad kid!! I promise!

I think... if you're going to be a parent, learn how to teach your kids right and wrong by punishment and encouraging words. Compared to being slapped, I don't mind having 'timeout' in my bedroom. XD Although, that never happens anymore because I like... live... in my bedroom. But it was still annoying. X3 And it did give me the message of; 'don't do that'. I guess my personal experiences heavily influence my opinion on this, so it's probably not all that neutral of a view. Would be nice to get other views and opinions though. X3 See what I'm missing out on.

And sorry if I say 'abuse' a lot. That's the word I naturally come to. ^_^" Sorry!

I mean... geez... physical touch freaking hurts. XD I don't want that. No thanks. Nope.

 

The problem though with views and opinions on parents, you only have two. Well... sometimes 3... or 4... but you mainly live with either one or two. And that means you can get a totally different view to others. So this should be interesting...

 

Summary: Do you condone the act of physical touch to enforce good practice for children?