Off Topic Thread 5.0

MaybeMaybe

The stories coming out about the police during this school shooting are just horrendous. why even bother being in the police if you aren't going to help in those situations? they seem like just a bunch of dicks that want to play soldier dress up.

Neil3030

Everyone's got a plan until they get a punch in the mouth. This is why the "good guy with a gun" logic runs completely contrary to everything we know about the human psychological response to extreme danger. So few of us are mentally equipped to deal with an active shooter situation. Even the Uvalde police force completely froze, despite their training and years of experience in law enforcement, firearms usage and threat engagement. Armed response teams recruit people specifically looking to experience those situations and then put recruits through intense training to make sure they're up for it. Drop-out is enormous because, did I mention, most of us just aren't programmed for this stuff.

Might also be a time to point out that a Republican governor passed gun control laws pretty much overnight in the 1960s. The reason, you may ask? Black Panthers were availing of their inalienable right to form a militia: https://www.history.com/news/black-panthers-gun-control-nra-support-mulford-act

Ponder on that...

Podge_irl

Their "training" is not worth much which is a large part of the problem. It is short and there is no real oversight of it. The town had a SWAT team and spent a large amount of money on their police force and well...

Dave_The_Sheep

There'll be worse changes to the police story to come, from what's been said thus far. The whole situation is totally f*cked.

ersatz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119122928#Comment_119122928

Cops in the US have no responsibility to aid or protect anyone except themselves, ever. This point has been litigated endlessly and while occasionally cops are fired for the sort of dereliction and refusal to get involved in risky situations seen in Texas, the courts in the US side with the cops on this always. That small town spends 40% of its budget on its police department, they even have a fully loaded swat team, but I'm sure the cops spend all their time conjuring traffic stops to look for warrant arrests and or fines, harassing migrants and homeless people, or playing Pokemon on their phones. Copaganda always leads with how dangerous being a PO is in the US or 'our courageous law enforcement officers', it's absolute nonsense. Being a cab driver is far more dangerous, also being a pilot, logger, fisher, roofer, road worker, fire fighter and plenty of other professions where one is asked to perform dangerous tasks or work in dangerous environments.

The cops in Texas sat on their hands while kids were being shot in a building, and refused to enter for an hour as the victims bled out. Imagine if fire fighters sat outside a burning school while children died inside because it was dangerous. It would simply never happen.

Bataclan is an alternative version of this event, there the cops went in very quickly and took down the shooters without any cops being shot iirc. I'm sure many who were rescued were saved because they got medical help more quickly as a result. The Pulse nightclub was another US mass shooting where cops sat outside til the smoke had cleared (and long after) while victims bled out inside. There it took 3 hours for police to confront the guy. They'll shoot an insane homeless person with a pair of scissors within 30 seconds.

Also worth remembering that 65% of US cops who died 'in the line of duty' last year died of covid, and their vaccination rates are far below the general population. Cops 'don't like being told what to do'.

Neil3030

To be honest, while the conversation shifting toward police incompetence may be in some ways warranted, it's incredibly unhelpful. The more we normalize the "right way" to deal with the situation, the more we normalize the utter insanity that a maniac can enter a school with a legally purchased military-grade weapon. Another slightly terrifying thing about Uvalde, is that the perpetrator grew up doing active shooter drills in school and likely knew exactly what the school would do once he entered....

Dave_The_Sheep

"The more we normalize the "right way" to deal with the situation, the more we normalize the utter insanity that a maniac can enter a school with a legally purchased military-grade weapon."

The US is waaay past this point, unfortunately.

Neil3030

I dunno, it feels different this time. Protests outside the NRA meeting in Houston today for e.g.:

https://twitter.com/davidhogg111/status/1530252617296891906

https://twitter.com/AdamParkhomenko/status/1530253022881792000

Also, the overwhelingly positive response to Beto gatecrashing Abbott's press conference yesterday really surprised me.

jacothelad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119110374#Comment_119110374

Land of the Free Fire Zone........

bilston

Obi Wan Kenobi

Spoiler Warning

That last 25 seconds of Ep 2 of Obi Wan Kenobi...holy feck...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119122928#Comment_119122928

When the good guy with a gun starts firing, how can you tell who the good guy is

Neil3030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119127190#Comment_119127190

I'd also bet in most situations the "good guys with guns" are more likely to panic and blast their way through every other good guy who stands between them and safety.

ersatz

This type of stuff is fairly common.

https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/equality/560798-police-chief-hails-good-guy-with-a-gun-after-officer-kills/amp/

Neil3030

What's your threshold for "fairly common". Data I saw recently suggests it happens less than 5% of the time.

Dave_The_Sheep

As a Leinster sth and Liverpool supporter growing up, today has not been a great day.

Neil3030

This might cheer you up (England are going to win the World Cup):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UDmoKBPg_Y

Dave_The_Sheep

Neil, as always, you are the soul of kindness and compassion.

molloyjh

Anyone watching Stranger Things? Two episodes in and I’m really enjoying it.

MaybeMaybe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119128816#Comment_119128816

I've been watching Cowboy Bebop. Pretty decent after 4 episodes.

Also just finished The Fall which is well worth a look

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119131848#Comment_119131848

The fall is a hard watch at times. I didn't think there was three seasons of content but parts of that last season were shocking.

Stranger Things has been consistently good since season 1.

Am enjoying better call Saul and first two episodes of Kenobi are promising (Boba Fett having been quite average for the most part).

Am watching "We own this City" which looks like an attempt to be this generations "The Wire" but I'm struggling with it, good in parts but not engaging.

Am well behind on most of these shows due to time constraints but it's good having things to watch after lockdown starved new content.

New Doctor Strange was good too.

awec

Couldn't get into Stranger Things, bit too creepy for me.

Dark is excellent on Netflix if you are willing to read subtitles (it's German). There's a dubbed version, but don't watch that.

Dubinusa

Top boy is very good!

awec

Any of you have an Irish Times sub? Is the app decent?

stephen_n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119135055#Comment_119135055

My Dad does and thinks it’s great.

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119135055#Comment_119135055

i had for a couple of years up to recently. its decent and easy to use. Still just a news app though

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119138479#Comment_119138479

There's an ePaper app though too right?

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119138727#Comment_119138727

there is, i didnt bother with that.

might be useful if you use a tablet a lot, or a phablet

Neil3030

KBC Ireland winding down current accounts and completely let it slide to arrange an alternative. Anyone recommend a bank for their current a/c service? Ideally with as hassle free a switching process as possible.

hold my beer

I was considering moving to An Post current account. Had my fill of BOI and AIB. And KBC

awec

I am looking at switching to Bunq (bunq | bank of The Free).

Been using it for about 3 weeks on a trial. There's a fixed monthly cost, but it is far more modern and feature rich than the tradtional banks.