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DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#31601: Oct 10th 2012 at 5:53:43 PM

[up]

Try explaining that to Muslims.

[down][down] No! I'm pointing out that Muslims don't have an advantage in terms of government representation despite being theists!

edited 10th Oct '12 8:43:49 PM by DeviantBraeburn

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#31602: Oct 10th 2012 at 6:01:29 PM

Certain Christian elements are confusing no longer having absolute power with persecution.

That's really all there is to it.

Morgikit Mikon :3 from War Drobe, Spare Oom Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Mikon :3
#31603: Oct 10th 2012 at 6:04:58 PM

I used to be a conservative Christian. I remember being told that society was persecuting me for my beliefs. Sorry, but I didn't see it then and I don't see it now. Also, what kind of "malicious lies" are you talking about?

[up][up]Wait, generalizing Christians is wrong, but generalizing Muslims is a-ok?

edited 10th Oct '12 6:08:23 PM by Morgikit

HilarityEnsues Since: Sep, 2009
#31604: Oct 10th 2012 at 6:05:45 PM

Explain what to Muslims? How about someone explain this?

DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#31605: Oct 10th 2012 at 6:13:48 PM

[up]

Are those 'heavily enforced and current' rules or 'made in the early 19th century and most people don't remember them' rules?

I'm guessing the latter.

edited 10th Oct '12 6:28:07 PM by DeviantBraeburn

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
vanthebaron Mystical Monkey Master from Carlyle, Il Since: Sep, 2010
DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#31607: Oct 10th 2012 at 6:19:11 PM

[up]

We have made so many unconstitutional laws in America before the 1950s that it's actually rather amazing. Right of that bat, John Adams (who was a founding father) created The Sedition Act, which made it illegal to talk sh*t about the government

EDIT: Considering the Patriot Act and NDAA, I suppose that practice is still going on today.

edited 10th Oct '12 6:28:34 PM by DeviantBraeburn

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
NoName999 Since: May, 2011
#31608: Oct 10th 2012 at 6:30:27 PM

Great it's bad enough we have birthers and job truthers. But now we have "ringers" saying that Obama is a Muslim because of some gold ring he wore in the past

http://www.wnd.com/2012/10/obamas-ring-there-is-no-god-but-allah/

vanthebaron Mystical Monkey Master from Carlyle, Il Since: Sep, 2010
GlennMagusHarvey Since: Jan, 2001
#31610: Oct 10th 2012 at 6:44:04 PM

I want to make a pun by preceding "ringers" with a certain four-letter word, a la the name of a TF 2 item, but it would be in bad taste.

Some university faculties are openly hostile towards even a mention of Christian faith.

I've never heard of a school that had a problem with Christians wearing t-shirts showing off their religious beliefs.

The usual complaint made by self-identified-conservative Christians is that they're not allowed to have official institutions show off their faith for them.

But if I'm wrong, please correct me.

DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#31611: Oct 10th 2012 at 6:51:15 PM

Poll: Despite debate loss, Obama still leads in N.J.

..Was there ever a time in this election where Obama risked losing Jersey?

I feel like the writer wanted to put a positive spin on the debate, no matter how silly it seemed.

[up] I could go searching the Internet, to see if an incident like this has happened but I'm feeling rather lazy.

edited 10th Oct '12 6:52:52 PM by DeviantBraeburn

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
Trivialis Since: Oct, 2011
#31612: Oct 10th 2012 at 6:54:14 PM

I've never heard of a school that had a problem with Christians wearing t-shirts showing off their religious beliefs.

I've seen people react in a less than friendly way to Christianity, or perhaps "religion". I've also seen a situation in my own campus, where an evangelist came to open up a reasonable discourse with passing students, and a horde of students rudely shouted at his face. I remember them singing the Star-Sprangled Banner in a mockery tone. Scary experience.

Though to be fair not all opposition and even ridicule is necessarily the "oppressive" kind, just people being perhaps immature and disrespectful.

Morgikit Mikon :3 from War Drobe, Spare Oom Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Mikon :3
#31613: Oct 10th 2012 at 6:58:33 PM

[up]It would be awesome if the worst the LGBT community had to deal with was singing.

GlennMagusHarvey Since: Jan, 2001
#31614: Oct 10th 2012 at 7:00:44 PM

^^ Yeah, that just sounds like kids being jerks and Christianity merely being a convenient target.

That, and many people don't really like it when they get targeted by what I might call "convincement campaigns"—basically, religious evangelizers, political campaigners for candidates/parties (in the school or in real-life elected office), activists for causes, or any sort of advertising.

edited 10th Oct '12 7:01:13 PM by GlennMagusHarvey

Trivialis Since: Oct, 2011
#31615: Oct 10th 2012 at 7:01:01 PM

I'm aware.

That doesn't take away the fact that seeing anyone getting bulled by a mocking group makes me feel unpleasant.

The convincers are trying to do best to stay polite, because they know hostility will drive people away. There are better ways to politely react.

edited 10th Oct '12 7:02:20 PM by Trivialis

GlennMagusHarvey Since: Jan, 2001
#31616: Oct 10th 2012 at 7:01:38 PM

seeing anyone getting bulled by a mocking group makes me feel unpleasant.

DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#31617: Oct 10th 2012 at 7:02:23 PM

[up][up][up][up] Appealing to worse Problems.

[up] THIS!

edited 10th Oct '12 7:14:20 PM by DeviantBraeburn

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
Butterfinger Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: Sinking with my ship
#31618: Oct 10th 2012 at 7:14:34 PM

From the New Jersey article:

The poll results are the latest sign that New Jerseyans won't be besieged by the campaign ads that are now blanketing states like Ohio and Florida.

YES.

Granted, I don't watch TV these days so I don't see the ads, but it's good to know regardless.

"We don't belong to the government," Christie said. "The government belongs to us."

...Aaaaaaaugh. I really don't like him or his attitude. :/

♥ ♦ ♠ ♣
Morgikit Mikon :3 from War Drobe, Spare Oom Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Mikon :3
#31619: Oct 10th 2012 at 7:18:25 PM

[up][up]It is a worse problem.

edited 10th Oct '12 7:18:41 PM by Morgikit

GlennMagusHarvey Since: Jan, 2001
#31620: Oct 10th 2012 at 7:20:00 PM

> I don't watch TV these days

I don't watch TV these days either, where "these days" means pretty much the past several years, excepting news programs, Law And Order and its spinoffs, and The Olympics.

HilarityEnsues Since: Sep, 2009
#31621: Oct 10th 2012 at 7:22:50 PM

@Braeburn: I don't know. Admittedly it's really easy to pretend you're a theist, so that makes it difficult to determine.

Also, of course Christians have been persecuted. Everyone has. If you're a human being, there's someone out there who hates you for some reason. This is why it's always a bad idea to ask broad questions like "how is X privileged group persecuted" because you open the door for a bunch of asinine anecdotes about how Evan the Evangelist got a wedgie in high school.

The real question we should ask is "is there a significant amount of institutionalized discrimination towards X group?". For Christians, the answer is no.

DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#31622: Oct 10th 2012 at 7:26:27 PM

[up][up][up]

Do you get what Appeal To Worse Problems means?

[up]

First of what's a "significant amount of institutionalized discrimination" is completely subjective.

Secondly that doesn't mean anything, because no amount of institutionalized discrimination aimed at any group should be tolerated or accepted.

edited 10th Oct '12 7:29:34 PM by DeviantBraeburn

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
Morgikit Mikon :3 from War Drobe, Spare Oom Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Mikon :3
#31623: Oct 10th 2012 at 7:28:17 PM

A way to dismiss what I said without really thinking about it?

Trivialis Since: Oct, 2011
#31624: Oct 10th 2012 at 7:33:23 PM

Potholing Appeal to Worse Problems means "Yes, it's worse, but that doesn't invalidate the not-so-worse".

TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#31625: Oct 10th 2012 at 7:38:13 PM

Appealing to worse problems is a good idea if and only if there is a tradeoff between addressing the worse problem and addressing the bad but not as bad problem. When the marginal utility of effort is better allocated towards the worse problem than the not worse problem, appealing to said worse problem is suggesting that you utilize that superior distribution of effort.


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