General Discussion Thread

[Fimbulvarg]

Sorry to break the overall light mood but...
12 people got shot yesterday in Paris at the Charlie-Hebdo satirical (to say it briefly) newspaper.
This paper, its often obscene but always thoughtful cartoons, its thought-provoking (and perfectly written) articles taught a lot to me. I hope it will go on despite the loss. I'm sad, that's all.

It's a tragedy. I've never been a fan of satire, and especially not printing obscene pictures of the prophet Mohammed just to provoke, but attempts to silence people with violence should not be successful. What is even sadder is that this is but one of the attacks we actually hear about. The number of people who die annually to acts of global terrorism is tragical. At this point we must hope that the people of France will respond with defiance and most importantly dignity.

[asdasdasd2]

This strangely reminds me of the time me and my family went to Kashmir. We stayed there for two days. The first day was pretty normal. The second day was progressing nicely as well, until we were informed of a terrorist attack that had occurred in another part of the city we were in a few hours ago. And then we get to know that were actually have to pass that area now. The attack had apparently ended and as we approached that particular area, we saw that the residents were unfazed by this and were roaming freely. Apparently these sort of attacks are pretty common there and we never knew!

[Lenny]

Sorry to break the overall light mood but...
12 people got shot yesterday in Paris at the Charlie-Hebdo satirical (to say it briefly) newspaper.
This paper, its often obscene but always thoughtful cartoons, its thought-provoking (and perfectly written) articles taught a lot to me. I hope it will go on despite the loss. I'm sad, that's all.

Ah, I was wondering when this would come up here, too. I follow Boulet's comics and his twitter, and got to hear about it through that. (Actually, Boulet is how I got into reading webcomics...) It's very tragic indeed. It's been ... somewhat heartening seeing all the support from around the globe, though. Especially from other cartoonists. And though this might be due to myself following more level-headed people, it's interesting to see that many say that it's radicalism/extremism at fault. Hmm. Urgh I'm being awful, right? Analysing human behaviour at an event like this >.>

Though I, too, do not like the usage of religious subjects/beliefs as satire, obscene humour, or provocation etc., I'm also of the opinion that this was uncalled for and inhuman. Also rather stupid. Those comics and cartoonists will now be immortalized in a way they never would have been otherwise. Rather than criminals executed for crimes, those terrorists have turned them into martyrs. *shrug* Well. I too hope the newspaper will go on.

[asadderandawiserman]

I'm not Islamic, but I think a tweet by Iyad El-Baghdadi is a good summation of my response to this attack.

"As a Muslim, killing innocent people in the name of Islam is much, much more offensive to me than any cartoon can ever be. #CharlieHebdo"

[kjeks]

I do not count people doing terroristic acts like those as Muslims. Neither do I count some of those who call themselves christians to christianity. The more fundamentalistic people get the more they seem to move away from a religions core. Well work there seems to be going on and I appreciate that.

[Nimphy]

I'm not Islamic, but I think a tweet by Iyad El-Baghdadi is a good summation of my response to this attack.

"As a Muslim, killing innocent people in the name of Islam is much, much more offensive to me than any cartoon can ever be. #CharlieHebdo"

I know a few muslims. They're people whose religion works like anyone else's.
Just a few centuries ago Christians burned people to death in the name of God. Honestly, I see no difference here. I hope History will soon see this entire ordeal as one big collective stupidity.

[Sunflower]

It's a tragedy. I've never been a fan of satire, and especially not printing obscene pictures of the prophet Mohammed just to provoke, but attempts to silence people with violence should not be successful.

What is even sadder is that this is but one of the attacks we actually hear about. The number of people who die annually to acts of global terrorism is tragical. At this point we must hope that the people of France will respond with defiance and most importantly dignity.

I was touched to see the peaceful demonstrations last night, in Paris and all over Europe (and  elsewhere), with hundreds of thousands of people standing up for freedom of speech and thought.  Fighting hatred and cruelty with pens and candles. 

And I am going to stand up for satire -- even, maybe especially, the raw, outrageous kind I wouldn't indulge in because I personally think it's disrespectful or gross.  As I said in my personal Twitter feed yesterday:

The art of satire...has always been a force for liberty, against tyranny, dishonesty and stupidity. (Salman Rushdie) #JeSuisCharlie
(I had to paraphrase Rushdie's quote to fit it into 140 characters.)

I used to work as a journalist myself, and know quite a few cartoonists and satirists, so this attempt to shut down "bad" speech through violence and intimidation really strikes home to me.  There's a reason why the First Amendment in the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights protects freedom of speech and the press, as well as freedom of religion and the right to peaceably assemble -- our founders thought those were the most important rights to guarantee. 

I was thinking yesterday of a 200-year-old German protest song I learned in high school:  "Die Gedanken Sind Frei" (Thoughts Are Free).  It's as true today as ever.

Die Gedanken sind frei, wer kann sie erraten,
sie fliegen vorbei wie nächtliche Schatten.
Kein Mensch kann sie wissen, kein Jäger erschießen
mit Pulver und Blei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
...
Und sperrt man mich ein im finsteren Kerker,
das alles sind rein vergebliche Werke.
Denn meine Gedanken zerreißen die Schranken
und Mauern entzwei: Die Gedanken sind frei!

Thoughts are free, who can guess them?
They fly by like nocturnal shadows.
No man can know them, no hunter can shoot them
with powder and lead: Thoughts are free!

And if I am thrown into the darkest dungeon,
all these are futile works,
because my thoughts tear all gates
and walls apart: Thoughts are free!

Pete Seeger is always good to hear.

[FrogEater]

Something should be said, I think, for those of you who never read Charlie-Hebdo.
It steadily was, is and hopefully will be "not correct" and disrespectful, but it never contained a word or a pencil stroke calling, explicitely or not, to get rid of, whatever the way, anybody.
They are farting and burping humanists, but true humanists. Some good-looking, well-behaved and soft-speaking polemicists we have here frighten me much more.
Well, it is perhaps time to change the subject ?

[mithrysc]

Well, it is perhaps time to change the subject ?

Uh, hey, the weather...

...has been really weird lately. Today it's around 19° F (-7° C), but a couple days ago it was in the 60s (~15°C). I'm so confused, so I've just been trying to stay inside.

[Eich]

Uh, hey, the weather...

...has been really weird lately. Today it's around 19° F (-7° C), but a couple days ago it was in the 60s (~15°C). I'm so confused, so I've just been trying to stay inside.

Yeeees!  Exact same thing happened here today!
I woke up and checked my phone to see -11 C.    Thank goodness my jacket arrived today...

[Piney]

We always come back around to talking about the weather on this thread!
Well... last week and the week of Christmas were pretty warm, but suddenly bam it's 20°F outside. Apparently it's around the same in New York right now, but with wind chills... nah. No I don't want to go back.

[Eich]

We always come back around to talking about the weather on this thread!
Well... last week and the week of Christmas were pretty warm, but suddenly bam it's 20°F outside. Apparently it's around the same in New York right now, but with wind chills... nah. No I don't want to go back.

Our wind chill problem was yesterday.  The cold front has finished moving in now, though, so the winds are gone, thank goodness.

[Fimbulvarg]

Alas, the villainous clouds have once more deprived us of the sun. I forget when it was last seen.

[Nimphy]

Weather here is teasing us. Freezing at one point, so hot I'm tempted to take off jacket and sweatshirt and anything I can at another.

[Nimphy]

Double post, so sue me. I feel particularly happy and emotional today, so I'll just say it. I love you guys, all of you. You're wonderful and make me actually laugh in joy (that is quite a feat) and I usually go out of a chat session with a big stupid smile. And sometimes forget about unimportant stuff like eating and homework. Meh. So I'm sending virtual hugs and kisses to all of you and wishing you a good night. (You're not allowed to dodge or escape from my virtual hugs and kisses, you asocial people.)