Freedom of Speech

[Schme]

I usually only venture into the trenches on Christmas, in case someone's thought to bring a soccer ball. Ah well..

And by the way, do ya'll actually call us Yankees outside the States? That's kind of cool. I didn't realize the word was actually used to refer to all of us. It's supposed to be a North vs. South thing in case you cared, which I doubt you do up on your soap box.

I've been meaning to reply to that.

Have you ever heard a Cuban, or a Mexican, an El Salvadorian say "Those godamn citzens of the southern part of the United States."?

Have you? If so, tell me, because then I may write more including rants.

[Nixit]

I think I'm missing your point. Eh. Whatever. I am obviously no match when it comes to arguments.

[The Industriallist]

Ah, so you're a determinist. A fair life philosophy. One that I personally buy into, but I think you overstep your bounds when you say that life is not random. I would argue that chaos (randomness) is very real and present in life. It is one of many (and i do mean many) determining factors that dictate action. The fact that you say that life is "unpredictable, perhaps to a degree" is because chaos theory does in fact exist.

Life is, among other things, random. Predictable, to a degree.

I can't contradict determinism...the only reason I don't "buy into" it is that it really doesn't give you anything you didn't have already. It makes no difference at all whether Deteminism's correct.

Chaos isn't randomness either. A completely deterministic system can be chaotic. It's just that to make an accurate long-range prediction from it, you would need complete, exact information on the initial state...

Yankee was used by the Brits to refer to the colonists long before it was used by US Southerners to refer to US Northerners. It has several meanings, which are all negative, including excrement. I'm glad to not see names like pom, kraut, cloggy, etc., in this forum, and would be glad to see yankee not used either.

As you like, but I must say...and I speak as a Yankee here...our predecessors stole the term from people who used it as an insult a long, long time ago. It certainly hasn't been their word in my lifetime, as far as I'm concerned at least.

No. Flipping a coin could be predicted correctly, given the popular mathmatical calculations and specifications, et cetra.

It could be done.

In fact, you don't even need that.

"I feel it will be heads."

There, I just predicted it.

The result, that is.

Um...the outcome of flipping a coin, if you properly measure the launch, can by predicted accurately by modern physics, I believe. That's physics though, not math...math doesn't directly apply to reality without an adaptor. You can say what the chance for an ideal coin to come up each way is...but that just is to say "equal chance of heads or tails". Not to predict the outcome of a given flip usefully.

Also, predicting a good flip would take a large battery of sensors measuring the initial trajectory of the coin and possibly the atmospheric conditions as well. Without such sensors the flip is in fact unpredictable.

As for your feeling...the meaning of 'unpredictable' is not that you can't make a prediction. It's that you can't make a prediction with a legitimate expectation of accuracy.

[AoM]

So is Yankee still considered a derogatory name for the Americans today? If so, I think it's kind of funny considering we don't mind it at all. Well, a northerner wouldn't. A southerner might be confused. I hear they prefer "redneck" or "nascar enthusiast." j/k

To me a Yankee represents a baseball player. On an evil team. (Go Sox 2005!)


@ Industrialist:

Fair enough. I'll grant you that arguing against determinism is futile. The reason I "buy into it" is because opposing philosophies are more difficult to defend.

[Revanael]

Um...the outcome of flipping a coin, if you properly measure the launch, can by predicted accurately by modern physics, I believe. That's physics though, not math...math doesn't directly apply to reality without an adaptor. You can say what the chance for an ideal coin to come up each way is...but that just is to say "equal chance of heads or tails". Not to predict the outcome of a given flip usefully.

Also, predicting a good flip would take a large battery of sensors measuring the initial trajectory of the coin and possibly the atmospheric conditions as well. Without such sensors the flip is in fact unpredictable.

I think schme may have been referring to probability.

Unfortunately, that messes up his entire argument. It's a mistaken belief that the result of each toss of a coin affects the possiblity of the next one.
In fact, 100 heads in a row is exactly as likely ad head/tail/head/tail repeatedly for the same 100 flips.
Each individual throw has exactly the same chance, at basic principle...

Though you are right in taking into account all sorts of minor and virtually-unmeasurable factors which will affect it.

When it comes to air movement - theoretically predictable, yes, given perfect knowledge (never a given) - but definitely not practically predictable.

[wichita]

So is Yankee still considered a derogatory name for the Americans today? If so, I think it's kind of funny considering we don't mind it at all. Well, a northerner wouldn't. A southerner might be confused. I hear they prefer "redneck" or "nascar enthusiast." j/k

I know my relatives in Tennessee still use it to make fun of the north. My Mom told me that my grandpa was pissed when three of his daughters married Yankees (one from NY )

Didn't the term originate in New York during the 1600's. I think I remember something from 8th grade history that the British colonists made it out of a Dutch word to refer to the non-English speaking colonists in the area. After seeing <i>Gangs of New York</i> that makes sense to me. I kind of like the term, since it holds a lot of connotation for me. A lot like the Confederate flag - another popularly misunderstood American symbol. Anyway...

Speakin' o' NASCAR, did ya'll see the Bristol race yesterday? That was a heck of a show, 'specially with that head on between Bush and Burton! That one was actually scary.

[Gregory]

Random is picking a card at random or flipping a coin.

And I say again, random does not imply unexepected, odd, unpredictable, weird, funny, witty, or anything of that nature.

Yet isn't flipping a coin unpredictable?

And yes, your posts sometimes have no specific pattern (example: not sticking to the theme of the thread) therefore making it random.

No. Flipping a coin could be predicted correctly, given the popular mathmatical calculations and specifications, et cetra.

It could be done.

In fact, you don't even need that.
"I feel it will be heads."
There, I just predicted it.
The result, that is.

Aren't you just defining the word random so that it doesn't mean anything at all and nothing is random?
I suppose that will stop over use of the word though.


And heres an intersting fact:

The new Great British 2 pence coin (I think it's that coin, and the design isn't so new anymore but it's the latest)
is not infact a 50-50 chance of head/tails anymore!!!
The nose on the Queen's face is slightly higher or something, and so there is a very slightly more chance that a coin toss will result in tails (due to the head side being heavier).

So there you go, nothing is random anymore, not even a 2p!!! what is the world comming to!!!


Also, this is taking the thread back to the first post, but don't you find it annoying that everyone(my definition for here: a lot / most people) the domain suffix .com is for american/usa websites?

[Schme]

I understand that breathtaking ignorance of other people's cultures isn't a uniquely American characteristic.


You are, however, one of the larger people in the bussiness.

Thank you very much for explaining my Constitution to me.

Your very welcome. Anytime.


I have always wondered how life really worked here. If you like, I could exchange the favor and explain the intricacies of Canadian culture to you sometime. I don't like to brag, but I'm somewhat of an expert as I watch hockey and went to Winnipeg one day in 1999.


Well, you talk the talk.

Also, sorry it took me so long to get back to you.

[Schme]

*smirks* Um.. well.. ok Wichita.. you have fun with that..


What annoys me the most is that people from different countries seem to judge all Americans by what happens overall.. You don't like our president, or what we do here.. That is all fine. I could probably agree with you on several things if not more than that. But you don't seem to look at us on an individual basis. We are all different people with different personalities, and should all be given a chance. We shoud not be judged because of the country that we live in but who we are as a person.

I agree. You cannot always judge a people on there goverment, unless, of course, the people chose the goverment.

Wait a minute.....

No, I'm just kidding.


But I'll make you a deal.

You start going through every Canadian on an individual basis, and I'll go through all Americans.

Fair enough?


And I would like to point out, while I'm here, that I wrote that initial post with the qualifier "SOME".

Read it again if you have to.

Hate to tell you this... but it's more like the bitchy Prom Queen who thinks she is admired, but in fact everybody only tolerates because it is in their best interests to avoid her anger (and the social repercussions).

I'm not so good at these metaphors...

Anyway, "Super Power" are the key words. And I think China will be the nation that finally voices their irritation with the USA.

Nicely put.

I like the metaphor, actually.

:lol: Right back atcha.

I wish the rest of the world could just ignore us most of the time, actually. That would solve so many problems, if everyone could just mind there own friggin business.

Would you ignore someone if they punched you in the face, stole your wallet and raped your mother?

America has a rather "In your face" foreign policy, to say the least.


We're like the captain of the high school football team that everyone looks up to, though we're actually just a spoiled little rich kid of a nation.

I've known alot of football captains like that. True enough.

I have a lot of opinions that I could and would like to vent right now, but I won't, because I realize that nobody really gives a crap about my opinions or half-assed theories, so I won't force them to suffer while I excercise my right to mental masturbation.

Whyever not? Please, by all means, go ahead.

Oooooo.. someone seems to be having a bad day...

wow, nice damn rebutle girl! I really have to hand it too you, you really put me in my place, let me tell you.

Lots of flag waving and "get that flag out of my face" anger ...

All over a couple words that could have been just said differently.

I don't know what you mean, I'm sorry. Please elaborate.

Hmmm... I seem to be learning new things everyday..

Good to hear. Glad we could help.

Two words: Super Power We'll do what we want!

Dude, you need to chill. I have no idea what brought this up, but it was totally random. You've made some crazy posts before, but this one is the dumbest yet. Oh here, try some of your own medicine.

Deal with it.

Don't like to make good arguments, eh? Not enough energy?

I understand. It happens to me too.




Sorry all this took so long.

I'm not very good with computers.

[Nixit]

You're like Mr. Sarcasm aren't you?

[Nixit]

I am the kind of person who likes to kick a dead horse, and so here I am, wailing away with my steel toed boots.

It seems that yankees feel that there set of values is universal, and so they may do whatever they like within this system.

This is foolish. I was going to go on and on and on about this, but I realize that that would bore you.

Instead of a long rant, I will give you this little thing here, an example.

Yankees seem to think that there (constantly circumvented and stepped on) constituition applies to the entire world.

This is idiocy.

An example.

On countless internet forum things, television and radio programs, yankees feel they may say whatever they want to say, because of "Freedom of speech."

This is NOT true. The United States constituition protects people saying whatever thing they want, yes.

But it does not give you the right to hijack other peoples property for your own agenda.

If you want to say things that the owner of the radio station does not want you to, tough. No, he's no infringing on your freedom of speech. Your infringing on his property rights.

If you want to go shout something from the rooftops, go ahead. You can do that.

But you can't tell someone they have to let you use THERE property for YOUR agenda. If you want to do that, you will have to get your own radio station.

That is your constituition, and I am truly surprised that alot of american do not even understand this portion, or many other portions, for that matter, of there own beloved constituition.

Well, that's not the owner of the forum's (not internet, media forum) problem. He (or she) owns it, it's not yours to use. You use it on there terms. And on top of that, your constituition does not apply outside the national borders of the United States of America, however right or wrong it may be.







Deal with it.

So, erm, where's the some?

[Nick]

Hate to tell you this... but it's more like the bitchy Prom Queen who thinks she is admired, but in fact everybody only tolerates because it is in their best interests to avoid her anger (and the social repercussions).

I'm not so good at these metaphors...

Anyway, "Super Power" are the key words. And I think China will be the nation that finally voices their irritation with the USA.

Actually, he said it's more like the....
It's a simile! Who thought that piece of knowledge would be usable sometime?

[Schme]

So, erm, where's the some?

I left it out so that we'd all be happier.

[Schme]

Actually, he said it's more like the....
It's a simile! Who thought that piece of knowledge would be usable sometime?

I'm sorry, but Nick, I do not know what you are talking about.

[Nixit]

Because it has like, it is a simile not a metaphor.