Colors are not the answer

[jpd]

Originally Posted by Haasome

Guess who said that...

Excellent

[Gitarre]

Originally Posted by Haasome

Guess who said that...

Double excellent!

[Pitar]

People need to kill people. It feeds some primordial urge that's ingrained in the human genome. All lessons that can be taken from our barbarity are in abundance. The irony is the lessons do not teach the psyche anything beyond how to execute it more effectively and efficiently. This is inarguably the only lesson in evidence.

Whether through a uniform or through subterfuge, taking lives isn't a sanctioned thing but is routinely done. So, colors need not apply to any heightened sense of righteous killing. People just need to kill and will hide behind any and all deception to rationalize it in their own minds.

But -

Hey, what if the common man refused to kill for any cause? Shouldn't that be the way of it? What if there was no trigger-happy foot soldier mentality to recruit? What if we placed the criminality of war squarely on that shoulder? Leaders of men who kill aren't pulling triggers. Men who volunteer to pull the nation's triggers do so because they want to. Make it a globally criminal act and watch the military industrial complex go straight to rust. Unrealistic? Yep. Why? Because killing is our way of life. Talking about it after the fact is always a celebration of it. It's the stuff of heroes and we do so need our heroes, don't we?

[teleamp]

Originally Posted by Cypress Knee

This thread might turn political and be closed ASAP, but here goes anyway.

There was a time when the response to a horrific attack was for an All American Male to volunteer for the military or police or whatever to protect and defend from all enemies, foreign or domestic.

Today the response to an outrage is to simply show your support by putting those affected flag colors over your facebook image, or a city/state/White House showing their support by using floodlights to color the respective building to "show support".

Whatever happened to the concept of volunteering to go take out the bad guys for good?

I don't want to start a political type of discussion, but I will say this - colored pics on Facebook and colored lights on government buildings are not going to stop the looming evil in this world.

CK
Ex 82 Airborne/SF

My hats off to you, and thanks for your service. Men from your era are a dying breed.

You are correct, peace, love and flowers mean nuthing to a barbarian who wants to kill all that he is against. They come from cultures much different then ours.

The only way to eradicate them is to assassinate them... every last one. But, this is politically incorrect according to some of the population.

I hate to admit this, but our United States have become so perverse... that I welcome it.

[Larry Pattis]

Speaking up and out in every way, even if it describes a part of human nature that is abhorrent, is far better than not.

...and whenever possible, add action.

There is evil in the world, but not everyone agrees exactly where that evil lies...and how it is manifest.

That's about all I can say here without stepping over the line.

[HHP]

Originally Posted by Pitar

People need to kill people. It feeds some primordial urge that's ingrained in the human genome. All lessons that can be taken from our barbarity are in abundance. The irony is the lessons do not teach the psyche anything beyond how to execute it more effectively and efficiently. This is inarguably the only lesson in evidence.

Whether through a uniform or through subterfuge, taking lives isn't a sanctioned thing but is routinely done. So, colors need not apply to any heightened sense of righteous killing. People just need to kill and will hide behind any and all deception to rationalize it in their own minds.

But -

Hey, what if the common man refused to kill for any cause? Shouldn't that be the way of it? What if there was no trigger-happy foot soldier mentality to recruit? What if we placed the criminality of war squarely on that shoulder? Leaders of men who kill aren't pulling triggers. Men who volunteer to pull the nation's triggers do so because they want to. Make it a globally criminal act and watch the military industrial complex go straight to rust. Unrealistic? Yep. Why? Because killing is our way of life. Talking about it after the fact is always a celebration of it. It's the stuff of heroes and we do so need our heroes, don't we?

Its a part of life, not a way of life. If you have nothing to fight for, you have nothing to live for.

There have always been those who would violate the basic tenets of civilization to benefit themselves. Civilization survives only because some are willing to put themselves at risk to protect the rules of civilization from those who would reject them.

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by HHP

There have always been those who would violate the basic tenets of civilization to benefit themselves. Civilization survives only because some are willing to put themselves at risk to protect the rules of civilization from those who would reject them.

Civilization was once based on violating others to benefit ourselves. It's only relatively recently that western civilization has adopted a less brutal set of rules to play by.

[HHP]

Originally Posted by ewalling

Civilization was once based on violating others to benefit ourselves. It's only relatively recently that western civilization has adopted a less brutal set of rules to play by.

But we are under the "new rules" now? Like always, some will choose to ignore the rules Brady and they have to be dealt with to preserve society.

[BrunoBlack]

"To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right." Confucius

Has this changed during the last 2500 years?

[BrunoBlack]

Originally Posted by Cypress Knee

Snip...

Today the response to an outrage is to simply show your support by putting those affected flag colors over your facebook image, or a city/state/White House showing their support by using floodlights to color the respective building to "show support".
....

I don't think rational people believe that a simple display of recognition and support constitutes a simple solution to anything. And FWIW, there are other colors I'm proud to put on display: Red, White, and Blue. These aren't a solution either, but hold deep meaning. Happy 4th.

[Glennwillow]

Happy 4th to all, too.

On Paul's positive post, above, I am going to close this thread before we head any further into political waters. I have not edited any comments out of respect for the posters and their comments. We are all upset by the attack in Orlando and now in Istanbul. But as guitar players, we need to look for ways to let music bring us together.

The violence and extreme politics of the world are bound to pull us apart.

Thanks to all and for your thoughtful comments in this thread.

- Glenn

Hey CK: One of my nephews was an officer in the 82nd Airborne.