Willie71

Shooting people for J-Walking is imbecilic.

I'm going to get my tinfoil hat. Do you watch Fox News by any chance? You are more likely to be killed by lightning than a terrorist. Get a grip.

This is a bizarre statement. To think there is EVER any one cause for a social effect is the uninformed position.

All one has to do is look at the wealth gap, and the enforcement of laws that protect the 1% to see the system is broken. The minority are clearly in control, and when they go too far, history shows that the people revolt. We saw that here in Alberta, with a premiere being investigated on criminal charges, and the protests in the states re militarization of the police, and systemic racism. There was a through the wormhole episode on this that presents a great introduction to these ideas. If one is new to this topic, it's highly recommended to watch that program. (Not directed at the OP) One of the issues inherent in democracy is the problem of the uninformed public. People think they want certain things, such as being tough on crime. Common sense says this should decrease crime, but it doesn't. We end up with prisons full of people for minor offences, while the corrupt business people are out free with major offences. We see misinformation on issue after issue. How many lay people can understand the complexity of international trade, or the political dynamics in the Middle East buying Muslims are bad? How can they direct policy in an informed way? If we went with public opinion, there would be a big crater where the Middle East was, and most wouldn't lose any sleep over it. A benign dictatorship with informed consultants would be much more effective, if corruption could be controlled for. History has shown it can't be.

I was going to ignore this, but how the hell does criticizing propoganda in the US equate with Russia being better? This is the type of crap that one would see in a cheap b rated spy film. It's a ludicrous straw man argument. This is just trolling, lol!!! According to the majority of the witnesses, Brown was surrendering, stunned, and in a daze. What could reasonably be expected of him that would decrease his chances of being shot? Working in mental health for two decades, and as an assault response trainer, I do not see what Brown was capable of doing differently. He reacted exactly as we would expect someone in his situation to. Wilson, on the other hand violated practically every principle a trained professional has at their disposal to peacefully resolve a situation. Everything Wilson did could be criticized based on the training I used to provide (training is now centralized, rather than departmental.) Your fear of a lot of dead police isn't supported by the stats in other nations who use less militarized police strategies.

Religion is how leaders sell their political motives to the masses. Bush defined the Axis of Evil, that the Christian Americans would fight. Just one example. It was about maintaining american interests in the Middle East. Even ISIS, when looked at strategically, is politically savvy, and the actions have strategic planning, not just religious radicalism. I haven't decided if they actually believe the Islamic religious rhetoric any more than Bush believed he was acting as a Christian invading Iraq. Our media says it's all about religion, but the facts don't support that.

Any radicalized group is created with an enhanced in group mentality. Defining an out group enemy is key. They must see themselves as under attack, especially on moral, or spiritual levels. They are at war, and their way of life is threatened. They must pre-emptively defeat themselves (a double negative that means attack or invade) which is a moral imperative. Fundamentalist Christians, Radical Islamists, and extreme American Conservatives all use the same strategies.

Brown ran away, and Wilson got out of his vehicle and chased him. The majority of witnesses said Brown was surrendering. What is it he should have done? It seems Wilson escalated right from the get go, aggressively speeding backward to the teens to re-engage them after the initial contact was over. Wilson had at least three chances to regroup, get backup, or de escalate. Spend an afternoon watching the thousands of videos on YouTube showing police abusing citizens, especially blacks, and try to make a case why citizens should trust them. I certainly don't want to see another nation expect complete compliance such as was expected in Nazi Germany, or Fascist Italy. People have a right and expectation to stand up against this type of corruption. The advances of cell phone video gave been the bane of the authorities, and they are trying to ban the videoing of police an several states. They obviously know it's a problem, it's getting harder to blame the victims, but rather than fix the problem, they want to restrict citizens rights. It's disgusting. In academia, there are a number of papers noting the same propoganda has been used by the U.S. recently, as was used in Nazi Germany. It worries me.

I think the FBI is full of shit on this. Just like the U.S. was full of shit on WMDs, torture, and police being justified in the multitude of shootings. Frankly, the U.S. has no credibility, and one must assume they are potentially lying about almost everything. North Korea attacking Hollywood is a sound strategy, to what gain? Freedom of speech? Maybe some conservatives might buy that BS, but it's quite simply a huge stretch that doesn't make any sense whatsoever. This simply stinks of conspiracy.

You are half way there. When the table is so stacked, there are a number of cultural and psychological effects that makes class jumping nearly impossible. There is a recipe that seems to come together for a few people, but it doesn't for most.

Excellent summary. I was involved in a lit review about 15 years ago regarding the discrimination our First Nations experience, and the research remains consistent. It's amazing how many people call this research bullshit.

Did you not notice all the deniers tend to be invested in the fossil fuel industry, with much of the global currency based in oil? The USA, the largest denier for decades maintains its economy on the petrodollar. That's a lot of wealth to deal with. They don't want to give it up.

People in health care and education tend to vote liberal, where those in the oil patch or other booming businesses (construction for example) tend to vote conservative. There is a trend that follows education. The higher your education, the more you lean liberal, in a general sense. Wilson backed up with screeching tires, apparently after the kids lipped him off. This is where the stories diverge. In Wilson's story, Brown attacked him, in the other version, Wilson grabbed at Brown while Brown tried to break free. It seems Wilson intended to set Brown straight and demand his authority be respected, a very silly idea, considering the history in Ferguson.

I just read Arthur C. clarkes Songs from a Distant Earth, and in this fictional world, presidents were reluctantly sworn in after they won the lottery, as they found anyone wanting the position corrupted easily. Everyone voted without representatives through their computer, but everyone was mandatorily educated on the issues. If only...... I really struggle with this. To me there is so much ground between the dichotomy of liberal and conservative, and the party system seems so Us vs. Them. People polarize to maintain group loyalty, and the world isn't black and white. To the original OP question, I think it should be a right. I think criminals should be able to vote. I really think passing a skill test on the issues, like a drivers licence basic competency needs to be figured out though. Logistically its a nightmare though. There has to be a way to account for expertise and ignorance. People voting against environmental policies because of a mythical magic man just see,s so inappropriate in a modern world.

The issue I have with democracy, is that there is no responsibility to be informed on the issues. People vote because they like someone's smile, for example. It's no way to run a country. Secondly, the candidates rarely have people's best interests at heart, and rarely follow through on their promises.

So you started a multinational corporation recently? Do you know where to start? What is the first step? If you have never done it, don't know anyone who did it who models the behaviour for you, then you might as well be going to the moon. Just because it's simple for you, doesn't mean it even crosses other people's minds.

Breaking generational norms is difficult, nearly impossible. When I started working with young offenders, I thought is was all about choice. After a few years, these kids didn't know anyone with a legit job, completed high school, or didn't have a criminal record. It was their norm. No, they didn't vote either. Never entered their mind. They were as likely to jump to the middle class as I was to develop a company like Microsoft. The stats aren't that different either. Like I said, unless you can comprehend the cultural norms, you are only applying your values to someone who does not live in your world.

The "it's personal responsibility" is the trump card for most people. Unless you can understand the personal experience and culture of an oppressed population, you cannot have an informed opinion. It's like asking someone to take personal responsibility for not having developed a company like Microsoft. Why haven't more people done this? It's the same level of change from middle class to CEO of a major corporation. What is wrong with you for not trying hard enough? Everyone has the same opportunity, right? Why do most stay in the same class as their parents? How about the war on drugs that results in disenfranchisement because of pot? Whites tend not to get searched, arrested, charged, and receive felony convictions for pot, due to racial profiling. Once a felon, no more voting. Ever hear of learned helplessness and PTSD? Very real problems.

It's bigger than just equivalent socioeconomic status. If you wNt to ignore the overwhelming evidence of bias against visible minorities, and the principle of systemic racism, that's fine. Do you really think DimaMazin is looking to solve anything? I certainly don't get that sense. The comments are basically direct examples of what systemic racism is. If it walks like a duck.....

Your comments are quite disturbing. At best they are ignorant, but you seem to be willfully ignoring evidence that there is a severe bias against blacks in the US. Are you racist? Serious question. Do you thing there is something wrong with blacks that they bring this on themselves?

OK, I'm doing a search. 1st Psychosurgery and Sex offenders. 1 result: Lowinger, P. (1974). Psychosurgery. New Republic, 170(15), 17-19. Basically a critique of the misuse of the term aggression, ethical concerns regarding consent etc. Search 2: Psychosurgery Sexual Deviance. Zero results. Search 3: Psychosurgery Sex Zero results. 4. psychosurgery sex offending Zero results. 5. psychosurgery deviance Book release notice. No information. 6. Psychosurgery Aydin, S., & Abuzayed, B. (2013). Psychosurgery: Review of Latest Concepts and Applications. Journal Of Neurological Surgery. Part A. Central European Neurosurgery, 74(1), 29-46. doi:10.1055/s-0032-1304805 This isn't available in my library. If someone has access, maybe a review? Eljame, S. (2012). Strategies for the return of behavioral surgery. Surgical Neurology International, 3(2), S34-S39. doi:10.4103/2152-7806.91608 Bolded: mime. This is what the current thinking is. A couple months ago, there was a great article in Scientific American Mind on the current knowledge of brain function. The idea that discrete areas of the brain are responsible for specific tasks is waning. Neuro imaging shows how several structures work in dynamic concert for tasks. Langevin, J. (2012). The amygdala as a target for behavior surgery. Surgical Neurology International, 3(2), S40-S46. doi:10.4103/2152-7806.91609 Their position is that psychosurgery should be available, and reviewed on a case by case basis in consultation with a group of experts. This is interesting as three of the authors are psychiatrists I worked with, Werneke at the Grey Nuns Hospital, and White and Brooks at Alberta Hospital. All brilliant, top of tghe field kind of guys. White traditional Behaviourist, Werneke into the fringes, transgender, sexual deviance, MPD in the early 90's. I learned a lot from both of them. Brooks was a pioneer in adolescent delinquency. He established the YOGI, young offender guided interview that hit on every major risk factor in adolescent delinquency a decade before the structured risk assessments were developed. Carr, P. F., Brooks, S., Chaimowitz, G., Looper, K., Milev, R., O'Reilly, R., & ... White, P. J. (2009). Psychosurgery. Canadian Journal Of Psychiatry, 54(7), 1-2. Mashour, G. A., Walker, E. E., & Martuza, R. L. (2005). Psychosurgery: past, present, and future. Brain Research Reviews, 48(3), 409-419. doi:10.1016/j.brainresrev.2004.09.002 Luigjes, J., de Kwaasteniet, B. P., de Koning, P. P., Oudijn, M. S., van den Munckhof, P., Schuurman, P. R., & Denys, D. (2013). Surgery for Psychiatric Disorders. World Neurosurgery, 80(3/4), S31.e17-S31.e28. doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2012.03.009 So it seems that psychosurgery is a really mixed bag of ethical concerns, partial successes, severe brain damage, and triumphs. Its risky. Deep brain stimulation holds promise. Most cited successes are in the field of OCS first, then depression second. Behavioural control is much less clear. As the understanding of th brain improves over the next decade, we will likely see a re-emergence of surgery. What has been learned in the last 10 years eclipses the last century, and if the trend continues, I would think surgery will become a viable option.

I think the people buying the politicians, and some of the politicians are just using the fear based rhetoric to maintain their control of the economy, and convince people it's ok to give up civil rights. I post regularily on a political subforum run by right wingers, and they seem to truly believe the rhetoric. They threaten to ban me repeatedly, call me a mental midget, and believe all research is a liberal communist propoganda campaign to indoctrinate students. The moderator claims to have three phd's, but he can't follow basic logic, and is convinced climate change is a liberal conspiracy to raise taxes. It would be fun for a few of you guys to post there to see how absurd it is. Self deception is associated with decreased abstract reasoning. The more polarized one thinks, as in either/or, black/white, for me/against me, the less cognitive dissonance one experiences. In therapy, almost every class jumper has been a person with advanced visual spatial thinking, a heightened experience of cognitive dissonance when exposed to BS, and an exceptional ability to connect the dots. It's like they see the world in hi def color, and conservatives see low res black and white. They simply don't see the diversity in the issues. On the conservative forum, I repeatedly get paraphrased into an either or position, and they claim I'm lying or back tracking when I try to explain the idea of gradients.

I've always assumed the official story on JFK was bogus, just like the reasons for the Vietnam war, the weapons of mass destruction Bush claimed, the Grand Jury process on police shootings etc. most of the official explanations are so absurd, only a faithful patriot could choose to believe them. I have no idea who shot JFK, it might have been Oswald, maybe not. I have as much faith in the story as Wilson's testimony, and the "lack of bias" in the prosecutor'so interrogation. It's just a sick joke, all of it.

This is flat out wrong. There are 120,000 innocent people currently incarcerated according to a recent report. I could post 10 articles on innocent blacks detained in violation of their rights without committing any crime. Recently a teen was held for a month on a bogus report. He was arrested in school, and there was no evidence other than a report from a kid who was late for curfew and used the excuse he was mugged by blacks.