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[persia]

http://www.jamesgunn.com/evolution-f...akiest-animals claims it's a Rosy Lipped Batfish...

[Wilse]

Originally Posted by motorollin

Agreed. Lets just hope that the public are bright enough to see them for what they really are.

Indeed. This is one of the cornerstones of democracy. If you don't believe in the public's right to make these choices, then I'm afraid you don't believe in democracy.

This is why freedom of speech is so important.


The BNP are racist arseholes and the best way to make people aware of this is to let them spout their pish and then, if you are so inclined (and I usually am) lampoon them.

[Karlos]

@Wilse

Good to see you around, mate.

[amiga4ever]

The obsurd thing is how the moment things get a little "shakey" in the global economy, some people's kneejerk reaction is to start pointing their cigerette-stained fingers at "those damn n***rs" and immigrants. Just absolutely amazing.

Anyway, I'm not much into the side-show circus called politics but I found the BNP's recent "success" a glaring reflection of the general public's idiocy. Sometimes I wonder if your right to vote should depend on some kind of intelligence test. For that matter, your right to ultimately _govern_ should also perhaps depend on a similar test, at least that way we could prevent imbecils like Bush and Nick Griffin from ever getting near the leavers of power.

[Oliver]

Digging up an old thread, but haven't been by for a while.

Originally Posted by amiga4ever

...Sometimes I wonder if your right to vote should depend on some kind of intelligence test. For that matter, your right to ultimately _govern_ should also perhaps depend on a similar test...

I think elitism of any kind is a slippery slope, though. I do have some concern with the voting system in Australia, whereby each regional vote is worth two metropolitan votes.

A problem with the free speech model, is the role of responsible journalism in mass media. I find this wanting. Well, there is not so much a lack of good journalism, as an overabundance of partisan or sensationalist trash. Coupled with common intellectual laziness, and blaze or apathetic attitudes can leave the populace disempowered or manipulated.

I was fairly disgusted with the amount of respectful, attentive publicity given to Pauline Hanson in Australia. I think there is a point where publicity can serve as promotion, particularly as coverage of one topic is always to the exclusion of others. This redneck has become a celebrity. I think a more balanced treatment would have been appropriate.

I think there is a role for extremism in protest and activism, in the environment of free speech, as a form of political stunt to draw the public attention. I think some valuable reform has been aided in part by some fairly extreme forms of activism.