Strong opinions

Spenguin

Yep. I am bored. So I'm starting a thread. Anyone have any strong opinions about anything? As for me, I hate zoos, despite the fact that I went to one in CTYI ( with intentions to free animals, but I couldn't get through the glass/fence so I bought a teddy monkey instead which counts).

Barry Aldwell

I've got strong opinions on guns, and war and stuff. Too lazy to get involved in a debate, though.

incredula pert

abortion
the North
Politics in general
religon
communism

claire h

Grrrr at:
-- people who support causes without really understanding them.
-- foolish naive idealism.
-- religious freaks who denounce homosexuality because "the bible says it's wrong" and then proceed to take bits out of context to support their argument.
-- people who say things like "people who are bisexual are just confused!"
-- people who say A-levels are harder than the Leaving Cert.
-- people who think there's no need for feminism because "women have equal rights now" (naive fools)
-- people who are all "yay, communism! i want that! and capitalism is the root of all evil!" see above point about foolish naive idealism.
-- religion teachers who claim to know about religions other than catholicism, and then, like one i had last year, know the name of the religion and that's about it. ("buddhism. yes. buddhism.")
-- people who are intolerant of other people's religions and derogatory towards the catholic church. dude, if you don't want to be part of it, fine. don't dismiss everyone who is and dismiss all the clergy as being paedophiles; it's not fair and it's not true.

mentalimplosion

-abortion
-corruption in politics
-freedom of speech
-child labour
-the terror that pharmaceutical, tobacco and oil companies unleash daily on to our world, especially in the case of the lack of anti-retrovirals in the third world.
-animal testing/vivisection
-i'm NOT anti-catholic, but am opposed to right wing bible toting preachers who denounce the likes abortion, homosexuality etc.

Crash

Originally posted by claire h

-- people who think there's no need for feminism because "women have equal rights now" (naive fools)

Hmmm...should i point out that i'm one of those? feminism is the biggest load of ****e ever. it has led to women being hired for jobs not on the merits of their work but on their femininity and people walking on eggshells. Equality is VERY different to feminism. Feminism is just the female version of being a chauvinist. therefore i DETEST feminism. i'm all for equality, but feminism drives me bonkers.

Barry Aldwell

Originally posted by crash_000
Hmmm...should i point out that i'm one of those? feminism is the biggest load of ****e ever. it has led to women being hired for jobs not on the merits of their work but on their femininity and people walking on eggshells. Equality is VERY different to feminism. Feminism is just the female version of being a chauvinist. therefore i DETEST feminism. i'm all for equality, but feminism drives me bonkers.

I propose that we start a new movement: Masculinism

/me waits for my joke to be taken seriously, starting a sex war on the board

Crash

Heh, oddly enough i would concur. i also wanna start a straight pride parade and see how quickly i get labelled a fascist homopohibic ****er. i just feel if someone can have a peace parade then if the law will allow that another group should be able to have a (as long as its peaceful) anarchy/hate parade.

Same with masculinism/feminism marches, and gay/straight marches.

in the old days feminism meant the same as equality. but now adays this whole battle of the sexes thing is pathetic. people who bitch about not enough women being hired in certain industries, not enough women TDs and that kinda stuff never stop to think that maybe, just MAYBE people arent as closeminded as they instantly assume and maybe in that case the male candidates were better qualified? had better arguments? appealed more to the voting public through said arguments? *** if a woman gets hired for a job simply because people feel that they need to hire a few women thats discrimination against males. and anyone who opposes that has got some serious problems concerning how they view employment. Employers should ALWAYS be looking for the best candidate for the job, be they male or female, and if a minority or a underrepresented group get higher over a much better qualified majority member, that is out and out WRONG.

*me waits for the MALE CHAUVINIST PIG!! comment and burning bras being thrown at me*

Barry Aldwell

Neil just summed up every non-PC thought I had all today. And this was a heavy non-PC day for me. I said "frickin hippy" at least 30 times.

Green Hand Guy

The reason we don't have a masculism movement is because those women are so damn attractive we're scared that no woman would ever come near us if we did. That's why I propose all women have an uglifier operation to make them so unattractive that we can finally stand up to them!

firebird

I was working on a research project for the summer - two of us doing the exact same job... The guy I was working with was probably better qualified for the job than I was, but both of us had what it needed anyways... And, over the ten weeks that we worked (both of us worked the same number), I earned 1000EUR more than he did... *grins* I'm not complaining

Barry Aldwell

Originally posted by Green Hand Guy
we're scared that no woman would ever come near us if we did.

/me looks at current Barry + women level

I think I'll take my chances.

Liquorice

I'm all for equality, between all races, religions, both sexes, etc. but to be honest, the feminist movement has backfired on itself. Women now get treated better than men(a lot of the time, not always)simply because they're women. Now, I'm all for manners, hold doors open for women, don't hit women(that's mainly to do with males having higher average upper body strength)but giving a woman a job she's clearly not able for is not equality, in fact it's only sexism. I think that if we can have feminism we can have masculinism, and if not it's sexism, if we can have gay pride we can have straight pride, and if not it's heterophobia.
Another thing...I hate people being for free speech, but instead of free speech they force their opinions on other people and give out to and criticise others for disagreeing with them. Some people are pro-animal testing, or pro-sweatshops, and although many(including myself)think the opposite, if they have reasons to hold those opinions, they are entitled to.

Barry Aldwell

Well said Aine, t.b.h.

Originally posted by Scarlett
Some people are pro-animal testing, or pro-sweatshops, and although many(including myself)think the opposite, if they have reasons to hold those opinions, they are entitled to.

If one of the crap mongerers sending out email spam sent this message out instead the world would be a much happier place.

claire h

Yes, I'm going to argue the feminism thing with you. Of course I am. See, if you think feminism doesn't mean equality, then you're not understanding the concept correctly. It's not about being *better* than men. It *is* about equality, and no, women don't have that, no, women earn two-thirds of what men earn, no, women are not equal. Yeah, you can say that to compensate for this women are treated better when it comes to employment opportunities, but not always. I mean, for god's sake, the number of women in top positions is minimal. And women are still judged by their looks in a way that men aren't. Women can still be and still are fired for looking too 'sexy' or wearing something 'inappropriate', and also for wearing something not 'feminine' enough. It's a tough line to draw. Whereas men, as long as they look 'tidy', aren't judged the same way women are.

If you think that women have equal rights, you're sorely mistaken. (And this is a fact, it's not just me enforcing my opinion on you. You're perfectly entitled to live in your little fantasy world where males are treated unfairly now and women are treated wonderfully and we all live happily ever...)

There's this saying about how women have to work twice as hard as men to be thought of as equally capable... but fortunately this isn't all that hard.

And as for gay pride parades? I used to think, gosh, it's a bit silly. Why make such a big deal out of it? Why not have straight pride parades? Until I realised - every f**king day is a straight pride parade. You *cannot* compare the normalcy of heterosexuality, the sexuality that is taken for granted, to something that is outside the norm and that up until ten years ago was illegal in this country.

Aliminator

Originally posted by claire h
I mean, for god's sake, the number of women in top positions is minimal. And women are still judged by their looks in a way that men aren't. Women can still be and still are fired for looking too 'sexy' or wearing something 'inappropriate', and also for wearing something not 'feminine' enough. It's a tough line to draw. Whereas men, as long as they look 'tidy', aren't judged the same way women are.

hmm. well, considering the amount of bitchin' and commenting women do ALL THE FUKN TIME, i doubt the above remarks regarding hiring would be different in an all woman interview board.
and there isn't equality in the workplace, in terms of numbers, beacuse most women have chlidren at some stage and take time off. Most then fizzle out of hte system. (don't blame men for ur childbearing capabilities)

this debate is just like ethnicity. (i'm not a racist) If one hispanic or black in the USA, one does not need the same grades as a white. that's unfair. why are the current generation of us (men) paying for crimes that happened previously, that we had nothing to with.
that is just fukd up.

claire h

and there isn't equality in the workplace, in terms of numbers, beacuse most women have chlidren at some stage and take time off. Most then fizzle out of hte system. (don't blame men for ur childbearing capabilities)

Because there are inadequate child-minding facilities available for women who want to go back to work. Just because women bear children doesn't mean they should necessarily have to give up their career to take care of their children full-time for five or ten or twenty years. A while back there was a huge amount of anti-child-minding-facility propaganda -- basically all that 'do you know your children are safe with such-and-such' stuff, neglecting to mention that in 99% of cases, it's parents that abuse kids, not child-minders -- and because of this, a lot of women feel they have to take time off work to look after their kids. And employers are not prepared to accomodate these women and *recognise* the importance of child-rearing -- if in fact the woman is doing this because she wants to and not because she feels she'll be a bad mother otherwise -- and make it difficult for these women to return to work. They don't say, right, take a few years off, come back and we'll bring you up to speed and won't hold the fact that you have children against you when it comes to promotion opportunities. So to simplify it down to "women have babies, therefore they can't expect fair treatment", which is basically what you're saying, is ridiculous.

Aliminator

i basically did not intend that. my self expression isn't amazing atm, i agree. so let me elaborate.
yes, what u are saying about being brought up to speed is right. but..most women PREFER (they make a CHOICE) to stay at home with their kiddies. after a number of years with the kids, they tend to become 'lazy' and say fek it to work.
and don't contradict me here. i have heard this happen to 9/10 working mothers.

and i noticed u skipped passed the interview remark.

claire h

and i noticed u skipped passed the interview remark.

I was trying to ignore the fact that you'd made such a horrendous generalisation, but if you insist...

hmm. well, considering the amount of bitchin' and commenting women do ALL THE FUKN TIME, i doubt the above remarks regarding hiring would be different in an all woman interview board.

Horrible generalisation. Oh, yes, all women are bitchy! Let's perpetuate *that* stereotype, why don't we! And I wasn't commenting on hiring, but on firing, so the idea of an interview board is completely irrelevant to the point I was making. An all-woman interview board would be ridiculous anyway, unless it was an all-women company. (I think you're assuming that I'm someone who claims to be a feminist but really means I want women to be better than men. I don't.)

yes, what u are saying about being brought up to speed is right. but..most women PREFER (they make a CHOICE) to stay at home with their kiddies. after a number of years with the kids, they tend to become 'lazy' and say fek it to work.
and don't contradict me here. i have heard this happen to 9/10 working mothers.

'Choice' is a very relative term, considering the expectation of society that women stay at home to mind the children and that men continue to go out to work, and the idea that you're a bad mother if you don't, but anyway... they become 'lazy'? That's pretty damn insulting. A better way of phrasing might be that companies make it so difficult for women to get back into work that it's not worth their while. Why should women have to work so hard simply because people don't recognise that, yes, they've done something important here, they have taken time off paid work to stay at home and give birth to children and raise them, and instead say, 'well, you've been at home for the last few years, so, y'know, you can't really just waltz back in here and expect to have any kind of decent job'?

theymademedoit

triple grrr at that priest who said "aids is not a disease, it is a cure, homosexuality is the disease." grrr grrr grrr.

i had something else, but it be gone now...

Barry Aldwell

Originally posted by theymademedoit
triple grrr at that priest who said "aids is not a disease, it is a cure, homosexuality is the disease." grrr grrr grrr.

Erm, yeah, grr at priests in general.

/me hides ordination certificate

Aliminator

: clair h.

alrighty. i'll concede. i don't give a fuk until i'm married anyway.

just wait til the opinons on this facist west comes up. then we'll have a debate.
where are u weapons of mass destruction mr. blair/bush?

Barry Aldwell

"They think hes been banned......He has now!"

You probably won't be banned, but I felt I had to say this before I forgot it.

Aliminator

u sure?
no i shan't be. i've been putting forth constructive posts. not the whole royal ass thing i was doing previously.

Barry Aldwell

Originally posted by Aliminator
i've been putting forth constructive posts

Meanwhile we've been talking crap as usual. Unofficial spam forum, t.b.h.

malecO

Have any of you taken into account that men and women are actually different, that they have different ways of thinking, etc?

Barry Aldwell

Originally posted by malecO
Have any of you taken into account that men and women are actually different, that they have different ways of thinking, etc?

As teenage genii who pride ourselves on our ability to"think outside of the box" such "inside the box" ideas have totally left our brains.

Spenguin

well... I suppose this was doomed to be one of those spam thread things. Yeah, men are paid mo' than women right now, but its better than it was like, fifty years ago, and in my opinion, it'll continue to get better. YAY. I also think that people might die out in my lifetime or the next few centuries as well though so there may not be time for there to be perfect equality. Well, maybe they won't die out but society will crumble and all that stuff. I read it in a science thing. Because of global warming. Natural disasters all the time! YAY!!!!!

Barry Aldwell

Originally posted by Spenguin
Natural disasters all the time! YAY!!!!!

Or non natural ones... /me pats tactical nuke

Crash

Originally posted by claire h
Yes, I'm going to argue the feminism thing with you. Of course I am. See, if you think feminism doesn't mean equality, then you're not understanding the concept correctly.

Thats what feminism WAS. feminism these days has grown completely seperate to equality these days thanks to the number of incredibly loud women who believe that seeing as women are the mother race they are the master race. (believe me this opinion is very much present and heading upwards.) this is not equality. this is feminism. I am completely FOR equal rights but the simple fact is that in the current situation due to Political Correctness et al Discrimination is rife against men as well. not to the same extent women did/do suffer from it but this is a symptom of the feminist cause, as opposed to equality

And as for gay pride parades? I used to think, gosh, it's a bit silly. Why make such a big deal out of it? Why not have straight pride parades? Until I realised - every f**king day is a straight pride parade. You *cannot* compare the normalcy of heterosexuality, the sexuality that is taken for granted, to something that is outside the norm and that up until ten years ago was illegal in this country.

The simple fact is if you're comfortable with your hetero or homo or Bi sexuality then every day should be a celebration of it. in fairness i see the gay pride as to a lot of people a pointless validation that they feel they deserve from others simply because they feel they have told their true feelings and gone through the closet door and admited they are gay. and congratulations to them. but claire you seem to have missed my point. my point was not that gay pride was pointless, but that in the current social climate people should feel free to organise a straight pride march SHOULD they want without being labelled simply because obviously they are opposed to homosexuality. OBVIOUSLY being sarcasm for those who didnt notice. anyhoo gotta run and meet jen so i'll leave this reply here. Bye all! /me waits for the flames

claire h

*wishes Neil would be at Paula's tonight so I could poke him and make lots of emphatic gestures while arguing this stuff*

Nuh-uh. That's a very extreme form of feminism. (There are around six types... that'd fall under the category of 'radical feminism', aka the 'man-hating dyke' branch of feminism.) Every movement - *cough* anti-war protests *cough* - has an element that get the rest of the people a bad name. The feminist movement is about equality. Just because there's a few nutcases... well, it's no excuse to dismiss everyone.

Again, Neil, every day is a straight pride day. Okay, let me put it like this. There are celebrations all the time of heterosexuality. It's the assumed norm. Let's take the example of those relatives you see every so often and pat you on the head and ask you if you have a [oppositesex]friend yet? It's assumed everyone is straight unless they specifically state otherwise. You just can't compare the general reaction to heterosexuality to homosexuality. Do you ever hear people saying, "So... how long have you known you were straight?" or "Are you sure this whole straight thing isn't just a phase?" And gay pride isn't about "validation". It's just about getting out there and saying, "We're here, we're queer, we're not going anywhere" and other chirpy slogan-esque things. It's about a minority group celebrating difference and embracing tolerance. You can't simplify it down to saying "well, if there's gay pride stuff going on there should be straight pride stuff too, otherwise it's discrimination and heterophobic blah blah" because heterosexuality and homosexuality are not the same, nor are they treated as such.