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Pet Hates

FullAuto ( 1,042 ) · Group: Administrators · Rank: spacer · Posted On: March 16, 2006 at 10:25 PM

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Yes, the country is in a terrible state. Our country is in such a bad state, sat in the top 10% of the richest countires in the entire WORLD. Out of more than 200 or so, here we sit. If you think this country is in a sorry state, try some of the others. Free of famine and disease epidemics, with running water and electricity cheaply and easily available, cheap public transport, low crime rates, lowering pollution levels, an infant mortality rate at about 0.5%, an average life expectancy of 80 years, a literacy rate of 99%, a democratic government, extensive human rights, free health care, benefits and education.

We should all emigrate. None of that is worth staying for.

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silvertongedevil ( 333 ) · Group: Contributors · Rank: spacer · Posted On: March 17, 2006 at 09:30 AM

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Too right - that's why I'm learning French at the moment because I notice you didn't state 'warm weather' anywhere there.

Trust me, I'm a doctor.

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Pete ( 701 ) · Group: Administrators · Rank: spacer · Posted On: March 17, 2006 at 09:34 AM

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You sure that literacy rate of 99% is accurate FA? I think they must be basing that on whether people can spell their first names or not, because 99% seems rather high.

Aren't the Asgard supposedly technologically superior?

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FullAuto ( 1,042 ) · Group: Administrators · Rank: spacer · Posted On: March 17, 2006 at 10:10 AM

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'Literacy' basically means age 15 or over and has completed five or more years of schooling. So technically it includes a lot more than just beingable to read and write, but those are some of the basics of education.

Well, 1% of 60 million people is 600,000 people. So, not a lot, really, but quite a few in individual terms.

And I happen to think we get some lovely summers. Ok, yes, it rains a lot, but I happen to quitel ike water, on the whole.

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Lady_Castlemaine ( 170 ) · Group: Contributors · Rank: spacer · Posted On: March 17, 2006 at 11:14 AM

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I like water too, with hops, yeast, sugar etc.. I'm lucky enough that I not only attended school but also learned how to read & write and therefore I can choose which beer I drink 'cos I can read the labels. I also was advised not to believe statistics, you can make them say whatever you like and although I don't like to cast aspersions, I think that some of the published figures may not be totally accurate.

"To play it safe is not to play at all."

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Pete ( 701 ) · Group: Administrators · Rank: spacer · Posted On: March 17, 2006 at 11:22 AM

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I'm with Lady_Castlemaine in terms of water, though in my case it's more alcopops as all beer tastes foul - that I've tried anyway!

Aye, so we're agreed that literacy doesn't mean much any more then

Aren't the Asgard supposedly technologically superior?

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FullAuto ( 1,042 ) · Group: Administrators · Rank: spacer · Posted On: March 17, 2006 at 11:27 AM

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Nevertheless, I think we can all agree that thansk to FREE education the VAST MAJORITY of the population is literate and numerate.

It's like pulling teeth.

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silvertongedevil ( 333 ) · Group: Contributors · Rank: spacer · Posted On: March 17, 2006 at 12:24 PM

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Here's a couple of facts for you. The OECD have done a survey on literacy and found that "Britain has the fourth highest level of unemployment amongst people with the lowest levels of basic reading skills" and "The report found a wide variation in literacy levels even among technologically advanced countries, with the United Kingdom ranking in the lower half of the 20-nation survey".
As for cheap water and electricty that is about to change with Anglia Water having hosepipe bans and the cost of electricity set to rise 200% in the next three years.

The cheap public transport is hardly ever used because it's not safe and I don't even want to get started on crime.

Free health care is fine as long as you don't need dental care and you haven't got a problem with your kidneys - 'cos they'll rip the wrong one out.

But apart from that I agree with you. Oh except for the human rights thing as the government have just announced that they are not going to stop forced marriages, or stop invading other countries and torturing their people. But apart from that I agree.
Oh did I mention that apart from the democratic government thing - it can't be democratic when laws are passed against the wishes of the majority of the country, and several have been in the last few years.

Errr.... yep, apart from that I agree.

Trust me, I'm a doctor.

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Pete ( 701 ) · Group: Administrators · Rank: spacer · Posted On: March 17, 2006 at 12:27 PM

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A, contradictory survey results Apart from the differing 'evidence' we're all agreed though right?

Aren't the Asgard supposedly technologically superior?

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silvertongedevil ( 333 ) · Group: Contributors · Rank: spacer · Posted On: March 17, 2006 at 12:28 PM

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Oh yeah, I agree with everything. But hey I'm crazy so don't listen to anything I say.

Trust me, I'm a doctor.

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Lady_Castlemaine ( 170 ) · Group: Contributors · Rank: spacer · Posted On: March 17, 2006 at 12:46 PM

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silvertongedevil: Oh yeah, I agree with everything. But hey I'm crazy so don't listen to anything I say.

Ay, did someone say something?? I can hear voices again mummy!

"To play it safe is not to play at all."

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Accounting Troll ( 145 ) · Group: Members · Rank: spacer · Posted On: March 17, 2006 at 01:43 PM

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Okay, try finding something that hasn't gone downhil since Labour came to power.

I also recall they fought the 1997 election campaign on the promise of ending corruption and sleaze in politics. That lasted as long as their ethical foreign policy...

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FullAuto ( 1,042 ) · Group: Administrators · Rank: spacer · Posted On: March 17, 2006 at 01:56 PM

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The OECD have done a survey on literacy and found that "Britain has the fourth highest level of unemployment amongst people with the lowest levels of basic reading skills" and "The report found a wide variation in literacy levels even among technologically advanced countries, with the United Kingdom ranking in the lower half of the 20-nation survey".



Wow. 20 nations, out of about 200. That's representative. I don't think.

As for cheap water and electricty that is about to change with Anglia Water having hosepipe bans and the cost of electricity set to rise 200% in the next three years.



Does Anglia Water supply water to the whole of the UK? Does it have a monopoly on the business? No? Then it can't be used as a generalisation to cover the whole country.

As for rising power prices, well, the wholesale cost of producing electricity is rising sharply (100% last year) because the whole infrastructure is foused on non-renewable energy sources which are becoming rarer. Hence, non-renewable, more expensive.

The cheap public transport is hardly ever used because it's not safe and I don't even want to get started on crime.



Let's see. Safe as in accidents? 64.7% of road accidents leading to injury or fatality? Private car owners. Not public transport. Or perhaps you meant crime occurring on public transport? In which case, even paranoid crime watchdogs acknowledge that crime on public transport is rare, though PERCEPTION differs significantly. But perception isn't reality.

Crime levels in the UK. Fell 7% in 2004/5 according to the BCS. Vioent crime has fallen 43% since 1995. Vehicle crime and burglary? Fuck no, down by 57%. Chance of being victim to a crime? Fallen 16%, which means six million less victims. However, perception of crime in local areas has remained steady, one in six currently think there's a high level of disorder in their area. Again, perception, not reality.

Free health care is fine as long as you don't need dental care and you haven't got a problem with your kidneys - 'cos they'll rip the wrong one out.



It's free. How many people were treated last year? How many of those went wrong? Anybody know? No? Didn't think so.

But apart from that I agree with you. Oh except for the human rights thing as the government have just announced that they are not going to stop forced marriages, or stop invading other countries and torturing their people. But apart from that I agree.



There's no such thing as 'forced' marriages. The term is 'arranged', and they are part of a religion or culture. Just because it's not YOUR religion or culture doesn't mean it's wrong, or evil, believe it or not. We live in a society were freedom is valued and intrinsic. That means, people are free to get married however they want, and that means that you, or a government elected by you, CANNOT prevent others from marrying how they wish.

As for invading other countries, surely you know that the human rights laws we have are domestic? As in, they only apply to citizens of this country? The British Empire has passed, and we no longer seek to impose our laws upon other countries through force of arms, because this is ethnocentrism of the highest order. International goings-on have little to do with national laws. You have freedom of speech, of expression, the right to vote, and so on and so forth, a list as long as your arm.

Oh did I mention that apart from the democratic government thing - it can't be democratic when laws are passed against the wishes of the majority of the country, and several have been in the last few years.



If you don't know how the democratic process works, I recommend you find out about it (good link here: http://en.wikip...ctoral_system). It CAN be and IS democratic, because those governments were elected by a democratic process known as plurality voting. The way it works in this country means you don't need a majority, you merely need a plurality. That's a type of democracy.

My argument is not that the Labour government is good. IT's not. They're a bunch of tossers. My argument is that the country is in good shape (4th biggest economy in the world, 6th in PPP). Yes, we are having problems. Show me a country that isn't! But these problems are NOT as world-shakingly important as the media would like us to panickingly believe. We do have shit to take care of, the war in Iraq IS wrong (though it may get us cheap oil, meaning power prices will lower), the welfare state does need fixing up, but we're among the richest fucking countries in the ENTIRE WORLD. Our population of 60 million people is easily in the top 10% of the richest people living today, and if you don't believe it, go on a fucking tour of Africa or Asia.

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silvertongedevil ( 333 ) · Group: Contributors · Rank: spacer · Posted On: March 17, 2006 at 06:27 PM

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Wow, that caught a nerve.

I know how politics work - I studied it for a while until I realised that only anarchy can be achieved fully.

As for Africa - I couldn't give a monkeys about it - It's one big money sponge and it always will be.

Carrying a torch for this country comes over as complacent - complacency is an anathema for change and improvement and to simply compare what is here now with other countries that never got things right in the first place doesn’t wash with me.

This is where I live at the moment and it’s here where my concern is.

Trust me, I'm a doctor.

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FullAuto ( 1,042 ) · Group: Administrators · Rank: spacer · Posted On: March 17, 2006 at 06:43 PM

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I know how politics work - I studied it for a while until I realised that only anarchy can be achieved fully.



Well, perhaps you should study it some more? If you've studied politics, then you know the plurality voting system is a system of democracy, so why then claim the results of said elections were not democratic?

As for Africa - I couldn't give a monkeys about it - It's one big money sponge and it always will be.



Fantastic attitude to more than a billion people living in conditions you cannot imagine.

Carrying a torch for this country comes over as complacent - complacency is an anathema for change and improvement and to simply compare what is here now with other countries that never got things right in the first place doesn’t wash with me.



I don't how it 'comes over' or 'doesn't wash'. This country is far from perfect, but it's in a better state than most of the rest of the world. You cannot change anything unless you know how it really is to begin with. You certainly can't hope to change a thing if you rely upon your own perceptions, because perceptions are not right or wrong, they're based upon your own preference. You need to look at things as objectively as possible. Not from a solid bastion of one's own culture and all the inherent prejudices that comes with.

Your value judgement about other countries 'that never got things right' blatantly shows bias. Which country HAS got things right? Surely not this one, or you wouldn't be saying it was in a 'sorry state'.

So which country are you using as your basis of comparison? Where is this paragon of nationhood?

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