Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Unknown Target on February 25, 2011, 01:58:20 pm
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I don't know how to write my reasoning in it's entirety; there is simply too much thought behind this to adequately transcribe it all within any reasonable time frame. I know that I have difficulty in explaining it without first being asked a question.
I find myself at a crossroads of my own morality; I cannot describe it in any other way. I know who I am, yet I am faced with forces that would wish me to reject fundamental tenants of my being. I value myself as I value others; to lose myself would be to lose a faith in humanity that I swore never to let go of.
I trust people. I trust the ideals that gave life to this nation. I love those ideals. I will only act to protect that which I love, and I feel that for this species to survive, it must be able to look at itself and say that it is worth it. If we are to say that we, as whatever you choose to label yourself - as an individual, as a state, a nation, a species, a mindset, or none of the above, if we are to say that we are worth continuing, then we have to first be wiling to look within ourselves, and decide whether or not that is fact or folly. In my mind, if it is not done right, then it is not worth doing.
With these and other thoughts in mind, I will be doing all that I can, which is all that I have left. I am leaving my home to camp in protest on the streets of Rochester, N.Y. I don't know where I will be camping, only that I will be doing so with a sign in front of my tent. "Let go of our country."
I am not sure of any of the specifics. I must first attend to several matters before I set up. I invite anyone willing to join me. I have a spare tent for the first person who wishes to lay next to me in the streets.
With all the best wishes I have,
Jordan Pelovitz
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Looks like someone's having an existential crisis.
Err, I mean good luck with this and all your future endeavours. It's great that you can make a difference in this world of ours.
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UT's title just got a new meaning :P
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Can I have your house?
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In all seriousness if your really willing to go live on the street like a hobo with a placard, it would be a little more useful if you instead became involved in politics and tried to actually implement change. Like him or not Senator McCain made a pretty good point during the 2008 National Convention when he argued that no matter if you are conservative or liberal if your not pleased with government you should get active in it.
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Can I have your house?
My specific address? Why?
I have been thinking and I'm going to set a date for this, a little closer to spring. I just walked/cycled for several miles in the worst blizzard so far this year to get the tents and a few other items. I'm willing to go out again, but in all honesty I don't know if I'd be able to survive if I stuck to it.
Further updates as events warrant.
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Well I figured if you weren't using it, I could maybe spin off my own meth lab to somewhere else, kind of a franchise deal
(please don't die of exposure)
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"These are the times that try men's souls". Try to get through it, UT. Prepare yourself, dig in, and try to see where the story of this world is going, even if it would go the wrong way.
It's a long fight against forces of evil, and it's very logical to protest what's happening. It's strange why not more Americans -are- protesting what's going on, or are even aware.
I hope you'll be alright. What protests need are critical mass, and.. if need be, the ability to protect yourself if the riot cops would try to forcibly remove you.
Also if you want to mention 2008, then MCCain is not one to go looking for good points, but a certain Ron Paul, outside of any affiliation.
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What's happening in America?
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A (recovering recession) and a lot of deficit spending, comparable to that in World War II. People are probably more panicked than necessary, but it would be nice to get some movement on infrastructure overhaul.
People flounce about how everything is super partisan but the parties are probably more cooperative than they were pre-WWI.
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Also if you want to mention 2008, then MCCain is not one to go looking for good points, but a certain Ron Paul, outside of any affiliation.
I watched both conventions as a matter of course, and it was one of the more memorable bits from the RNC besides introducing the crazy woman. The point is valid though, if your pissed off enough to go camp out in the town square till you get picked up by the cops for squatting or dragged to the hospital by EMTs because you've got exposure, actually doing something productive by getting involved would be more useful.
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This is a profoundly stupid and pointless idea.
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Can I have your house?
My specific address? Why?
I have been thinking and I'm going to set a date for this, a little closer to spring. I just walked/cycled for several miles in the worst blizzard so far this year to get the tents and a few other items. I'm willing to go out again, but in all honesty I don't know if I'd be able to survive if I stuck to it.
Further updates as events warrant.
you think thats tough, try this:
youre in the alaskan bush
its 2.a.m
its spring when all the bears come out of hibernation and are very hungry
you have to take a dump
the only working toilet is an outhouse 1000 yards away through the woods
your flashlight is dead
your guns and ammo are in another building 1200 yards in the opposite direction
and you had my chili as your last meal
now thats tough
but seriously my philosophy on change has always been that anything that can change can be changed back, so why bother. i just know that if things go tits up, i know that i can go live in the woods, and kill things to survive.
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(please don't die of exposure)
Seconded. If you feel this is the only way to go, power to you. Stay safe.
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This is a profoundly stupid and pointless idea.
:nod:
You aren't going to change anything this way. You'll be lost in a sea of actual homeless people. If you're pissed off about something, get active politrically in some kind of meaningful way. Join a group, or start a group. One man on the street can and will be ignired. It takes hundreds, thousands of voices to make change happen.
And, for the record, I know there are times when one man can change the world, but I guarantee you, people see a guy camping on the streets with a sign they won't think "That man is an American Ghandi" they'll think "That man is an alcoholic nutbag". The only change you'll get will be spare.
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I really do not want to sound like an ass, but this will do nothing but make your life harder while creating the illusion you did something. It will likely not touch anyone in any way.
This thread is trying to sell me tents.
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this could effect change if a bunch of people did it. you would need at least 40 at an absolute minimum.
If I didn't live in St.Louis I might join you simply because I like camping and causing trouble, but as it is I have no means to. however, you are not making clear who it is you want to let go of your country. I would assume the Republicans, however this strategy has a fairly teapartyesque ring to it, so maybe you'd want the democrats to let go, though if it was me making that statement I would be saying it to both.
To me morality is based on instinct, we have very strong innate desires, and when we are prevented from acting on them we feel restrained, this feeling is it's self an instinct and thus a source of morality. freedom is the state the I believe all humans strive for, the ability to do whatever it is you want, even if in a practical seance this is not completely attainable due to the conflicting desires that many people may have, it should be possible to get asymptotically close to a state when an overall state of maximum freedom is achieved. and because freedom is described as a state where you can do what you want then this should be a state of maximum happiness.
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Rad idea bro, I'll come up and bum with ya
bum with ya til the end brah
even when the savings are gone
even when the booze runs dry
well share our booze
make sure yours dont run dry
gonna have to rob ya
maybe a little knife in the back
just a little bit
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This is a profoundly stupid and pointless idea.
:nod:
You aren't going to change anything this way. You'll be lost in a sea of actual homeless people. If you're pissed off about something, get active politrically in some kind of meaningful way. Join a group, or start a group. One man on the street can and will be ignired. It takes hundreds, thousands of voices to make change happen.
And, for the record, I know there are times when one man can change the world, but I guarantee you, people see a guy camping on the streets with a sign they won't think "That man is an American Ghandi" they'll think "That man is an alcoholic nutbag". The only change you'll get will be spare.
I agree. If you want to make a change, camping out with a placard isn't going to do much. Talking to people and getting vocal on the other hand, will.
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Jules: Basically I'm just going to walk the earth.
Vincent: What do you mean "walk the earth"!
Jules: You know... like Kane in Kung fu: walk from place to place, meet people, get in adventures.
Vincent: How long do you intend to walk the earth?
Jules: Till God puts me where He wants me to be.
Vincent: And what if He don't do that?
Jules: If it takes forever then I'll walk forever.
Vincent: So you decided to be a bum? [...] Just like all those pieces of **** out there who beg for change, you sleep in garbage bins, eat what I throw away... They got a name for that Jules, it's called a bum. And without a job, a residence, that's what you're gonna be. You're gonna be a ****ing bum.
I know that feel bro. Your heart's in the right place, but this is not the most effective course of action.
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What i'd also suggest for everyone to consider is to see if they can get their direct and indirect neighbours together, and learn to help eachother in times of need, as that could even improve safety, but also could form a block against things that affect the entire neighbourhood. Small communities working together in small clusters seems like a decent idea to me; just make sure to get to know your neighbours well enough first of course.
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Seriously UT aren't you still in college? You're not planning on dropping out or something in order to go play Henry David Thoreau right? If your still in the system then a significant investment has been made into getting you to this point, an opportunity that isn't even available to many folks. I hope to hell you do not plan on pissing that all away.
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Oh yeah, I forgot to mention: If you're gonna stake a message on a sign, make sure it's a 100% clear message. Ambiguity is your enemy.
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ive always wanted to walk into an angry mob of protesters holding up a comical yet meaningless sign that said something like:
feed the rich to the poor
feed the poor to the rich
feed the dead ones to the live ones
feed the live ones to the dead ones
legalize murder!
protesters should be shot
a recipe for brownies
a recipe for dope brownies
people should be on fire
nuke the whales
etc...
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That I think would actually turn a few heads... :drevil:
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You could always start blasting "Eat the Rich" as an alternative. :p
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lol, motorhead reference
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I was thinking more of Aerosmith, but either one works. :p
But more on-topic, UT, I concur with most of the other opinions in here...I don't see what this would accomplish at all.
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Painted some signs today.
invertedvantage.tumblr.com
I think I'll know latest by Teusday night/Wed morning whether or not I'm going to do it.
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Look, I'm not sure how to ask this, but: are you okay? Just looking at these signs, I feel like...have you spoken to anyone about this decision or the patterns of thought behind it?
You're, I believe, at an age where certain disorders tend to manifest, namely schizophrenia. Have you been experiencing disordered thought? Anything like that?
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I will reiterate: This is not going to accomplish something. You will merely look ridiculous, and get very very cold, and very dirty, and possibly very hungry.
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I will be speaking out during the week of the 27th. It will be after Monday and before Saturday.
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Even though you don't seem to be heeding anything that's been posted in this thread so far, I should reiterate do not put your academic career in jeopardy for this stunt. If you are full up on college loans those debts are not going to disappear if you fail to graduate, if someone is paying your tuition then you're basically going to piss away their money if you drop out.
And for God's sake man, base coat the damn plywood and redo the wording with stencils and proper formatting, you can at very least make it look professional.
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I will be speaking out during the week of the 27th. It will be after Monday and before Saturday.
Is anyone gonna join you?
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Y
I will be speaking out during the week of the 27th. It will be after Monday and before Saturday.
I anyone gonna join you?
All I can say right now is yes, because I don't know how many.
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If you're pissed off about something, get active politrically in some kind of meaningful way.
It isn't that simple in the US. Politicians too often answer to special interest lobbyists first, then use the billions of dollars of campaign controbutions to run endless ads during election season to convince the party faithful (who already drank the kool-aid anyway) that they are toeing the party line successfully and vote for him/her. Works 9 times out of 10.
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If you're pissed off about something, get active politrically in some kind of meaningful way.
It isn't that simple in the US. Politicians too often answer to special interest lobbyists first, then use the billions of dollars of campaign controbutions to run endless ads during election season to convince the party faithful (who already drank the kool-aid anyway) that they are toeing the party line successfully and vote for him/her. Works 9 times out of 10.
But this does not really work either. You'll just be exploited for media purposes.
What exactly are you protesting against, UT?
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If you're pissed off about something, get active politrically in some kind of meaningful way.
It isn't that simple in the US. Politicians too often answer to special interest lobbyists first, then use the billions of dollars of campaign controbutions to run endless ads during election season to convince the party faithful (who already drank the kool-aid anyway) that they are toeing the party line successfully and vote for him/her. Works 9 times out of 10.
But this does not really work either. You'll just be exploited for media purposes.
What exactly are you protesting against, UT?
A lot of things, really. I'm protesting the influence of money on my government. I'm protesting the lack of power that the youth as a whole has. I'm protesting that I'm expected to have to go through the "proper" parties and devote my entire life to politics if I want to make any sort of difference. I'm protesting that the people in power don't know what they're doing and refuse to admit it.
I'm protesting the fact that a nation that I love is being turned into an oligarchical state ruled by the rich and the connected.
But this is what I'm protesting. My idea of a protest isn't for people to come because they want to repeat what I'm saying. I don't want to mass produce signs and hand out buttons. This is partly a call for debate, discussion, and respect in a country that requires you to pick sides if you want to be heard. If anybody agrees with me, I hope they are wise enough to realize when to disagree with me, and wiser still to know that disagreement does not inhibit friendship.
I'm protesting a lot of things. :)
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I'm protesting the fact that a nation that I love is being turned into an oligarchical state ruled by the rich and the connected.
I've got bad news: it's been like this since the nation started.
Read some Charles Beard.
Yeah, if you're going to be protesting anything, at least protest something specific, Mcconnell vs. the FEC for example. Regardless, there are more constructive ways of getting your viewpoints out.
edit: crap, it's not mcconnell vs the fec, it was something else. citizens united, maybe? Yeah, Citizens United vs. FEC.
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Come on people, he's pulling your leg..
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I will repeat a few things that have been mentioned, if you want to have any effect other than looking like a nut, you need to make your signs better looking, and think them through a bit, try to break your message down to two or three words, and make them huge, fill in the rest of the sign with the supporting grammar in smaller words. after all that has been said I still don't have a very clear idea about what you want, your last post was the first time you actually expressed much of anything coherent.
you should try to offer suggestions on something constructive, at the very least you should have a 'do something' position, like "vote 3rd parties, don't care that they will lose."
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Come on people, he's pulling your leg..
We don't much care either way.
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I will repeat a few things that have been mentioned, if you want to have any effect other than looking like a nut, you need to make your signs better looking, and think them through a bit, try to break your message down to two or three words, and make them huge, fill in the rest of the sign with the supporting grammar in smaller words. after all that has been said I still don't have a very clear idea about what you want, your last post was the first time you actually expressed much of anything coherent.
you should try to offer suggestions on something constructive, at the very least you should have a 'do something' position, like "vote 3rd parties, don't care that they will lose."
I don't like breaking my messages down into pithy rhyming statements. If someone can't remember a sentence then why should I break it down to just three words? If I make 3 words really big and then "fill in the rest", don't you think people would only look at the three words and just assume that the rest supports what the big three words say?
If you believe you should vote for third parties, then I invite you to make a sign and join me. That is not what I want to say, however.
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My friend and I went out today - a great experience. Quite a few people stopped to talk or at least look. By the time we picked up and moved on, we were frozen solid, but talked to a very nice person named Tim who might be able to help us get on the local news (and even bought us coffee/hot chocolate! :) ), and a woman teaching an after school class on digital media ended up recording us with one of her students.
All in all, a great and very fulfilling day.
(http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lhg91m5qf81qfeeeto1_500.jpg)
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...sounds like a good time, actually... :nervous:
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I don't like breaking my messages down into pithy rhyming statements. If someone can't remember a sentence then why should I break it down to just three words? If I make 3 words really big and then "fill in the rest", don't you think people would only look at the three words and just assume that the rest supports what the big three words say?
yeah, they should, because that's what you should be doing, no one is going to read more than a word or two before they lose interest, you want to break it down because no one is going to pay you any attention if you don't.
If you believe you should vote for third parties, then I invite you to make a sign and join me. That is not what I want to say, however.
I was using that as an example
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...sounds like a good time, actually... :nervous:
It was. It was great to talk to the local community and meet new people. At the school I go to, it kind of exists in it's own little suburban bubble.
Just thought I'd share; one of the more interesting people I met while I was out speaking today was Mike, the bus driver that took us there. He was a former Soviet chopper pilot, and related to me how he had been thrown in the Gulag in that country for being too outspoken. It was an interesting tale to hear just before I went out to do the same.
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Thinking about going out again Wed, March 23rd.