I don't really think all soldiers are baby killers. I do think there have been many horrible mistakes in the mid-east wars that will never come to light. If I take a position far more extreme than the one I actually hold, I get a stronger more uncompromising argument and more publicity, including a thread that lasts 10 pages. Even if my argument is defeated, lots of people will read my accusations. If they read them enough, they'll lodge in the back of their brains somewhere. Suddenly a month later they'll be at a party talking about how America is the greatest country on earth and they'll speak up saying, "Now wait just a second here guys, American servicemen aren't always angels." I've succeeded in slightly shifting their viewpoint. BUT AT WHAT COST?

Is this what all pundits seek to do? Everyone wants to think of themselves as having a reasonable viewpoint that matches the average views of their culture. Who's more at fault: me for being a manipulative outlier or the sheep for unknowingly succumbing to peer pressure.



[Edited on April 13, 2010 at 2:25 PM. Reason : baaaaaaaa]

4/13/2010 2:22:05 PM

Hey, it worked for the Tea Party. We had national discussions on whether or not the secret communist president's plot to death panel grandma was really a part of his Muslim agenda or not after stealing the election when he's not even really an American able to hold the presidency in the first place.

4/13/2010 2:28:35 PM

this is obvious to us all

4/13/2010 2:28:55 PM

A: "Blacks deserve equal rights!"
B: "Blacks are an inferior race!"
C-Z(in unison): "Wait wait wait. Let's hear both sides. We're sure the truth is in the middle somewhere. Maybe if we just give them separate drinking fountains."

If only Martin Luther King had argued that blacks were actually superior...

[Edited on April 13, 2010 at 2:40 PM. Reason : .]

4/13/2010 2:37:27 PM

your schtick is annoying and has been obvious from the start

I don't believe God is engaging in this type of tactic.


Also, wouldn't you rather change the mean consensus? Your C-Z example seems to reflect this.

[Edited on April 13, 2010 at 2:50 PM. Reason : s]

4/13/2010 2:46:10 PM

I've used the terms interchangeably. Since it's difficult to really quantify any of this maybe centrist would be a better word.

Oh I have lots of schticks. I enjoy taking an extreme viewpoint I don't necessarily agree with or know very little about in order to incite others to hatefully tell me why I'm wrong without holding back or falling into centrist cliches. I got a guy to say he didn't give a shit about all the starving children in Africa the other day. You don't get that sort of frank honesty in pleasant conversation, that's for sure.

4/13/2010 3:05:32 PM

Sounds like that guy is employing the exact same tactic.

4/13/2010 3:19:36 PM

Quote :

"I enjoy taking an extreme viewpoint I don't necessarily agree with or know very little about in order to incite others to hatefully tell me why I'm wrong"

Isn't that the definition of a troll?

4/13/2010 3:24:36 PM

Quote :

"I don't believe God is engaging in this type of tactic."

WHOA.

WHOA.


WHOA.



WHOA.






WHOA.









WHOA.


Solinari, this is not my Batman glass.

4/13/2010 3:31:41 PM

I drink out of this badass Batman Pepsi glass from '76:



Sonia drinks out of the Batgirl glass:



And we have a Robin glass for special guests:



[Edited on August 28, 2009 at 11:24 PM. Reason : ...]

4/13/2010 3:37:39 PM

No Joker glass?

There's trolling for lulz and trolling for educational purposes...and lulz.

4/13/2010 3:42:25 PM

man would you drink out of a joker glass

come on now

seriously

4/13/2010 3:47:12 PM

Hell, I'd drink out of a Calendar Man glass if I got to hang out with FroshKiller and Sonia.

4/13/2010 3:50:19 PM

i'd sure as shit rather drink out of the joker glass than some lame robin crap

[Edited on April 13, 2010 at 3:51 PM. Reason : ]

4/13/2010 3:50:51 PM

You'll catch the gay drinking out of the Robin glass, son.

4/13/2010 5:38:02 PM

What about a Star Wars glass?

That is the superior choice.

4/13/2010 5:47:51 PM

On a barely related note, this is sort of what happened to Nixon during the Watergate scandal. At first, some of his campaign advisers were all like, "let's get a bunch of coke and hookers and get them to plant the coke on the democratic candidate and then call the cops!" And the rest of the guys were like "fuck no." "Well, how about we just plant the coke on them and leave out the whores?" "Still no." "Okay, how about we just break into their offices and snoop around?" "Sure, fine, if you want."

American soldiers are baby killers!
No they're not.
Well, they like to kill civilians, at least!
Still no.
Well, let's just say they're not necessarily the best examples of upstanding citizens.
Sure, whatever, if you say so.

4/13/2010 6:06:45 PM

At one point we had the Batman, Robin, Flash, Aquaman, Joker, and Superman glasses from the 1976 Super Series. One or two of them got broken, but I still troll eBay occasionally to check out the deals. I got the first two at American Way for 50 cents each.

4/13/2010 8:03:07 PM

You haven't succeeding in shifting shit.

You have, however, gone to great pains to make yourself look like a colossal retard.

4/13/2010 9:37:18 PM

Yesssssssssss, use the hatred.

4/14/2010 12:50:56 AM

Quote :

"Who's more at fault: me for being a manipulative outlier or the sheep for unknowingly succumbing to peer pressure."

I would say you're equally worthless.

4/14/2010 10:07:06 AM