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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 04/17/2011 : 06:13:17
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It was ugly. Yesterday, a series of tornados devastated parts of NC, the worst, they say since ‘89. Entire trailer parks were flattened, tractor-trailers turned over, people’s possessions scattered over the landscape. Trees were down everywhere and at this writing, it is not known how many are dead. Even uglier, our local tv stations seemed to be vying with each other to find the most wretched, tear-stained, still-in-shock victims to interview. Disgusting! Even more disgusting will be the insurance companies trying to renege as much as they can get away with on paying claims.
Already we are hearing statements of “it‘s a miracle we survived!” What, does God gin up these things just to practice his mircalating?
Living almost on the VA border, all I saw was several pretty brisk thunder storms, one of them having a little hail that rattled my tin roof a bit, but didn‘t damage the garden. That wasn’t a miracle; we just dodged a bullet.
Why, I wonder, do the affluent so seldom seem to get hit with these things? Why does God hate the working stiff?
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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Dude
SFN Die Hard
USA
6891 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2011 : 06:48:17 [Permalink]
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The affluent build with concrete and brick, and in locations that use natural terrain to minimize the possibility of a tornado ripping up their homes. Except in FL, where the rich people live directly in the path of destruction when we are talking hurricanes! Beach house + hurricane is not a great combo.
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Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong.
-- Thomas Jefferson
"god :: the last refuge of a man with no answers and no argument." - G. Carlin
Hope, n.
The handmaiden of desperation; the opiate of despair; the illegible signpost on the road to perdition. ~~ da filth |
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alienist
Skeptic Friend
USA
210 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2011 : 08:34:05 [Permalink]
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| I don't understand why people want to believe in a god that is such a dick |
The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well! - Joe Ancis |
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On fire for Christ
SFN Regular
Norway
1273 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2011 : 11:04:55 [Permalink]
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wow, the old "Why does God let natural disasters happen" argument. That never gets old.
| Even uglier, our local tv stations seemed to be vying with each other to find the most wretched, tear-stained, still-in-shock victims to interview. Disgusting! |
Why doesn't it surprise me you find something to be shocked and appalled about. Maybe I'm generalizing (I'm not though), but it seems like you skeptics divide your time pretty much equally between being shocked and appalled, and being condescending. No one pointed a gun to these people's heads and demanded an interview. And to anyone who has had insurance companies not pay out, I advise you to always read the small print.
That being said, I think this is too far outside my area for a collection of any kind, given that we are still collecting for Japan in my locality, but I will be praying for the survivors and the souls of the deceased that's for sure. |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2011 : 12:04:37 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by On fire for Christ
I will be praying for ... the souls of the deceased that's for sure.
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What's the point of doing that? Since they're already dead, they have already been sorted out by your deity for heaven or hell. It's a bit late now to ask for favours, isn't it? |
Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2011 : 12:04:43 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by On fire for Christ
wow, the old "Why does God let natural disasters happen" argument. That never gets old. |
The Problem of Evil is still around after 2,000 years because the apologetics for it aren't very compelling.| Why doesn't it surprise me you find something to be shocked and appalled about. |
The behavior of the media is shocking and appalling in general.| Maybe I'm generalizing (I'm not though), but it seems like you skeptics divide your time pretty much equally between being shocked and appalled, and being condescending. |
How blind of you.| No one pointed a gun to these people's heads and demanded an interview. |
Nobody's faulting the people being interviewed. It's the interviewers who are acting badly.| ...but I will be praying for the survivors and the souls of the deceased that's for sure. |
In other words, you will be doing nothing for the survivors or the dead in North Carolina. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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On fire for Christ
SFN Regular
Norway
1273 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2011 : 12:10:19 [Permalink]
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Tough job to do ethically, the job of an interviewer. I mean if the interviewers are acting badly by interviewing people who agree to be interviewed... |
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| Edited by - On fire for Christ on 04/17/2011 12:11:32 |
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On fire for Christ
SFN Regular
Norway
1273 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2011 : 12:14:09 [Permalink]
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| The Problem of Evil is still around after 2,000 years because the apologetics for it aren't very compelling. |
By the same logic the problem is still around because the argument against it isn't very compelling. |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2011 : 12:24:26 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by On fire for Christ
By the same logic the problem is still around because the argument against it isn't very compelling.
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Huh? This statement does not make sense.
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2011 : 12:29:13 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by On fire for Christ
| The Problem of Evil is still around after 2,000 years because the apologetics for it aren't very compelling. |
By the same logic the problem is still around because the argument against it isn't very compelling. |
The Problem of Evil is the argument. But how can evil be a problem in the minds of the devout when everything God created is supposedly "good?" Evil must be good, to them, and there can be no compelling argument against that, since it would be an argument against God. No matter how logical or rational an argument might be, God wins in the mind of a believer.
The Problem of Evil is still a "live" philosophical problem only because there still exist adherents to religions which claim an omnibenevolent deity.
Also:| Tough job to do ethically, the job of an interviewer. I mean if the interviewers are acting badly by interviewing people who agree to be interviewed... |
The problem isn't that they were interviewing people. Try to keep up. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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On fire for Christ
SFN Regular
Norway
1273 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2011 : 12:34:03 [Permalink]
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| The Problem of Evil is still a "live" philosophical problem only because there still exist adherents to religions which claim an omnibenevolent deity. |
Yes because the arguments against those religions aren't very compelling.
| The problem isn't that they were interviewing people. Try to keep up. |
Filthy said:
| Even uglier, our local tv stations seemed to be vying with each other to find the most wretched, tear-stained, still-in-shock victims to interview. Disgusting! |
The problem seems to be that they were interviewing victims (who are people). Do you suggest they interview someone who was not affected? Or someone who was mildly affected? Maybe the friend of someone who was mildly affected? And like I said, no one can force you to give an interview, it's voluntary. So where's the beef? I'm keeping up, I dunno where you're at. |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2011 : 12:41:56 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by On fire for Christ
Yes because the arguments against those religions aren't very compelling. |
As I said: believers reject arguments, no matter how rational, because they're believers. What's your personal answer to the problem, anyway? How can your God be good while creating all this suffering?| The problem isn't that they were interviewing people. Try to keep up. |
Filthy said:| Even uglier, our local tv stations seemed to be vying with each other to find the most wretched, tear-stained, still-in-shock victims to interview. Disgusting! |
The problem seems to be that they were interviewing victims (who are people). Do you suggest they interview someone who was not affected? Or someone who was mildly affected? Maybe the friend of someone who was mildly affected? And like I said, no one can force you to give an interview, it's voluntary. So where's the beef? I'm keeping up, I dunno where you're at. |
So it's okay with you that media outlets take advantage of the victims in order to boost their ratings? |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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On fire for Christ
SFN Regular
Norway
1273 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2011 : 12:54:21 [Permalink]
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| How can your God be good while creating all this suffering? |
People die for all kinds of random reasons all the time. A lot of people die at a similar time in a similar place and everyone wants to invoke God. It's childish thinking. Why does no one ever ask me where was my God when Mr Mahon from Blackley slipped on his soap in the shower and caved his head in. It's the same thing.
So it's okay with you that media outlets take advantage of the victims in order to boost their ratings? |
I think you are being overly cynical. The media's job is to inform. a 1st hand account provides quantitative information on the devastation and conveys the emotional impact of the disaster. I don't see how speaking to the media voluntarily constitutes being "taken advantage" of. It's almost patronizing to the victims who were willing to share their stories. |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2011 : 13:21:10 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by On fire for Christ
People die for all kinds of random reasons all the time. A lot of people die at a similar time in a similar place and everyone wants to invoke God. It's childish thinking. Why does no one ever ask me where was my God when Mr Mahon from Blackley slipped on his soap in the shower and caved his head in. It's the same thing. |
And you haven't provided an answer. How can God be omnibenevolent when he allows Mr. Mahon of Blackley to crack his skull open in the tub?| I think you are being overly cynical. The media's job is to inform. |
Not any more. The media's job is to attract viewers to advertising. Back thirty years ago, when newsrooms were expected to lose money for a TV station or network, the media did a much better job of truly informing.| a 1st hand account provides quantitative information on the devastation and conveys the emotional impact of the disaster. I don't see how speaking to the media voluntarily constitutes being "taken advantage" of. |
When you've just had your life turned upside down, it's unlikely you're going to be thinking clearly when someone asks you to "volunteer" for an interview. Nor will you be able to provide "quantitative information on the devastation," since you're unlikely to have more information than "my house is flattened and I can't find my dog." The third point you got right, but the media outlets are trying to one-up each other in conveying "the emotional impact of the disaster." That doesn't help the victims, nor does it inform. The average victims aren't going to be as tearful, wretched or in-shock as the worst-off victims. Seeing only the lowest of the brought-low doesn't allow viewers to correctly gauge the severity of the problem when considering what aid they can produce, and that can complicate, rather than enhance, relief efforts.| It's almost patronizing to the victims who were willing to share their stories. |
But it isn't. The media can and have acted like vultures in times of trouble, and the victims (having been traumatized) aren't often in a frame of mind to critically examine what's in their own best interests. It isn't patronizing to want to protect people who need protection. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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On fire for Christ
SFN Regular
Norway
1273 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2011 : 13:23:02 [Permalink]
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| Well, that's all pretty subjective |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 04/17/2011 : 13:28:26 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by On fire for Christ
Well, that's all pretty subjective |
Duh. It's not like we can gauge the performance of the media with mathematical precision.
And really, your opinion on God's attitude towards poor Mr. Mahon is exactly what I'm asking for. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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North Carolina gets clobbered.
