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Started by Beorning, September 21, 2014, 07:02:11 AM

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Lilias

Quote from: TaintedAndDelish on June 06, 2016, 04:17:31 AM
Deeply rooted religion is not something you just part with on a whim. You have to wonder how much of this is actual conversion and how much of it is just people playing the part in order to survive.

Most of the countries that the current refugee wave comes from have long had significant Christian populations, some even since before Islam existed (if you're curious, look up the Coptic Church, the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church, the Maronite and Melkite Catholics and the Assyrian Church of the East). Islam is not nearly as universal in the Middle East as Western simplified understanding makes it out to be.
To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.
~Wendell Berry

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TheGlyphstone

Quote from: TaintedAndDelish on June 06, 2016, 04:17:31 AM
Deeply rooted religion is not something you just part with on a whim. You have to wonder how much of this is actual conversion and how much of it is just people playing the part in order to survive.


The article does touch on this - religion may be deeply rooted, but so are things like 'the country you and your family grew up in for generations'. Tear someone's roots away and they'll be casting around for something to hold on to. Religion can definitely serve there. A good many are undoubtedly doing it for the survival camouflage, shown by the percentages of would-be converts who drop out partway through, but I don't doubt just as many are genuine to some degree. For that matter, going from Islam to Christianity or Judaism is probably one of the easier religious transitions.


Oniya

Quote from: TheGlyphstone on June 06, 2016, 11:20:55 AM
For that matter, going from Islam to Christianity or Judaism is probably one of the easier religious transitions.

All three are classed as 'Abrahamic' religions, and have many similar features (for example, the first five books of the Old Testament being essentially a translation of the Torah).  Each one adds a bit on - Christianity's New Testament and the teachings of Muhammad  in the Koran - but it's less of a leap than it would be to Buddhism or Shinto.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
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Lustful Bride

Quote from: Oniya on June 06, 2016, 11:41:57 AM
All three are classed as 'Abrahamic' religions, and have many similar features (for example, the first five books of the Old Testament being essentially a translation of the Torah).  Each one adds a bit on - Christianity's New Testament and the teachings of Muhammad  in the Koran - but it's less of a leap than it would be to Buddhism or Shinto.

*Evil Sith voice* "If we could only unite, we would be unstoppable."

*normal voice* You'd think the similarities would help foster good relation since all friendships and such are based upon common ground , but then we forget the Human factor of us loving to bash our heads into walls :P

Renegade Vile

Quote from: Lustful Bride on June 06, 2016, 11:49:23 AM
*normal voice* You'd think the similarities would help foster good relation since all friendships and such are based upon common ground , but then we forget the Human factor of us loving to bash our heads into walls :P

Midway through that sentence I was literally about to reply the same *chuckles*.
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Lilias

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.
~Wendell Berry

Double Os <> Double As (updated Feb 20) <> The Hoard <> 50 Tales 2024 <> The Lab <> ELLUIKI

TheGlyphstone

I don't speak Russian. What's it about?

Lilias

Quote from: TheGlyphstone on June 06, 2016, 12:38:16 PM
I don't speak Russian. What's it about?

All of the people featured considered themselves [insert ethnicity] and each had some other ethnicity or two they didn't get along. Then they took a DNA ancestry test and found out that they were much more mixed than they thought. The couple towards the end are actually related, even though they're from different countries. It's all highlighting the absurdity of 'pure breed' beliefs and squabbling over artificial divisions.
To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.
~Wendell Berry

Double Os <> Double As (updated Feb 20) <> The Hoard <> 50 Tales 2024 <> The Lab <> ELLUIKI

Lustful Bride

Quote from: Lilias on June 06, 2016, 12:50:59 PM
All of the people featured considered themselves [insert ethnicity] and each had some other ethnicity or two they didn't get along. Then they took a DNA ancestry test and found out that they were much more mixed than they thought. The couple towards the end are actually related, even though they're from different countries. It's all highlighting the absurdity of 'pure breed' beliefs and squabbling over artificial divisions.

*Epic applause* This should be done everywhere, so that everyone gets a good reminder that we are the same.

RedRose

Quote from: Renegade Vile on June 06, 2016, 02:38:42 AM
This genuinely surprises me as I've not heard about this in local news. Not quite sure what to make of it. I hope those remaining Muslim and those converting don't start clashing over these issues. Immigrants have a hard enough time adapting to a completely new country as it is without their chosen religion causing friction among each other...

I can tell you that unfortunately it does cause many problems.
Every Ramadan here in France we have non-religious Muslims who get insulted or beaten up for drinking/eating in public, for ex.
I once found a guy (religious looking) hidden near my house and eating a sandwich. He was really embarrassed to be seen. It's only later that I understood what the hell had happened.
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TheGlyphstone

We're still all cavemen at the fundamental level, and the caveman part needs that separation into 'us' and 'them'. The more commonality we as a group share, the more importance and emphasis we'll end up putting on more and more minor or inconsequential differences and deviations.

Renegade Vile

Quote from: RedRose on June 06, 2016, 01:45:27 PM
I can tell you that unfortunately it does cause many problems.
Every Ramadan here in France we have non-religious Muslims who get insulted or beaten up for drinking/eating in public, for ex.
I once found a guy (religious looking) hidden near my house and eating a sandwich. He was really embarrassed to be seen. It's only later that I understood what the hell had happened.

Not sure if something like that has happened over here so far, but I wouldn't be surprised if the media keeps hush-hush about it near Brussels... That's horrible though.
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Lustful Bride

John Boyega will be the lead actor in the next PAcific Rim movie.

http://deadline.com/2016/06/john-boyega-pacific-rim-sequel-star-wars-the-force-awakens-1201767756/

I like that he's getting more work, I like Boyega as an actor, I just hope that he doesn't get all burnt out from all of these roles. He has a good career ahead of him, but the Hollywood machine drains everyone.

TheGlyphstone

Now if only they could get a release date. Or a script. Or really, anything. I want me some more Pacific Rim, dammit.

TaintedAndDelish

Out of curiosity, in the US, the major news outlets are portraying the Syrian refugees ( and non Syrian refugees who are mixed in with the crowd ) in a rather positive light - as harmless victims who are reaching out for help. Maybe its just the news stations that I pay attention to. I'm seeing very different opinions expressed on youtube, though. Are the refugees portrayed in a positive light in your country? Do you agree with how the news media is portraying them? I've seen reports on youtube of people from multiple countries complaining about them. The claims are that they are causing trouble, harassing women ( most notable example was Cologne, Germany but I think that was a unique incident ), and trying to push for cultural change. Ie. supposedly in Germany there is some ban on sausages and women are being told to cover up so as not to incite rape? Not sure how much of this is racist propaganda, and how much of this is just the ugly truth.

TheGlyphstone

As with everything in America, depends on your news outlet and/or political faction. Right-wing media and Republicans present them variously as useless foreign parasites and/or a legion of disguised terrorists who all want us to die. Left-wing media and Democrats see them a lot more positively and sympathetically, as you've described.

TaintedAndDelish

But I'm not seeing any negative reporting from major media outlets. I ask because in the case of the rape spree in Cologne, Germany, the incidents were downplayed initially because people did not want to come across as being racist. I'm wondering if out of a sense of morality or empathy, the news media is holding back on reporting some of the nastier details.

There are plenty of talk show hosts and celebs who are doing their share of moral grand standing on the issue. That makes me suspicious. It's one thing to watch a sad video of people suffering on the news and then express aspirations about what should be done based on that, and another thing to actually see how things are going first hand and to report the facts. In this case, the major sources of factual information are in question.

TheGlyphstone

Oh, regarding specific foreign incidents? Probably because it's election season - anything outside the borders isn't worth talking about to the media until November, unless it's related to the race or one of the candidates. Generalities and widespread brush-painting are more convenient.

Watch Fox News (if you dare) and I'm sure there will be plenty of anti-refugee sentiment.

Renegade Vile

Quote from: TaintedAndDelish on June 06, 2016, 04:26:08 PM
Out of curiosity, in the US, the major news outlets are portraying the Syrian refugees ( and non Syrian refugees who are mixed in with the crowd ) in a rather positive light - as harmless victims who are reaching out for help. Maybe its just the news stations that I pay attention to. I'm seeing very different opinions expressed on youtube, though. Are the refugees portrayed in a positive light in your country? Do you agree with how the news media is portraying them? I've seen reports on youtube of people from multiple countries complaining about them. The claims are that they are causing trouble, harassing women ( most notable example was Cologne, Germany but I think that was a unique incident ), and trying to push for cultural change. Ie. supposedly in Germany there is some ban on sausages and women are being told to cover up so as not to incite rape? Not sure how much of this is racist propaganda, and how much of this is just the ugly truth.

A lot of the refugees aren't here to look for trouble, but there is still a lot of cultural friction. There are a number of the refugees who are anything but harmless victims. Some are criminals, some are the same parasites that always try to leech off somewhere other than their home country, and some harass women because they genuinely think it's alright to do so. I have no idea whether these problem elements are a majority, minority or even a group substantial enough to warrant severe measures and restrictions. Fact of the matter remains that Europe's taking a beating that's been predicted for years with their stupid notion of essentially opening borders and making it far too easy to hop on in.

Some politicians want to cut off immigration from the Middle-East and Africa completely and let no-one in. I find that the opposite end of the stupid spectrum, but here in Belgium for example, it is far too easy to just waltz in, get citizenship and then leech off social security. There are woefully inadequate background checks in place and too little staff tending to the integration and follow-up of these people.

So, essentially: it's a giant mixed bag, as one would expect. The biggest problem just comes from what I said above, most European countries have just been too lax and too naive, and now we're getting so many refugees that we can't even process them all. It's an utter mess.
If any media outlet or individual you see online is either claiming they're all saints that should get our sympathy, or they're all maniacs out to murder and convert us all; you're dealing with someone who has a very one-sided perspective of a complex issue. That celebrities and US news outlets are painting one extreme or the other does not surprise me in the slightest.
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RedRose

Quote from: Renegade Vile on June 06, 2016, 02:22:21 PM
Not sure if something like that has happened over here so far, but I wouldn't be surprised if the media keeps hush-hush about it near Brussels... That's horrible though.

I have some relatives in Brussels. I wouldn't be surprised. Some neighbourhoods are... interesting.
O/O and ideas - write if you'd be a good Aaron Warner (Juliette) [Shatter me], Tarkin (Leia), Wilkins (Faith) [Buffy the VS]
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Renegade Vile

Quote from: RedRose on June 07, 2016, 04:10:55 AM
I have some relatives in Brussels. I wouldn't be surprised. Some neighbourhoods are... interesting.

So interesting the police don't go there anymore. Fun fun.
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Lilias

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.
~Wendell Berry

Double Os <> Double As (updated Feb 20) <> The Hoard <> 50 Tales 2024 <> The Lab <> ELLUIKI

Oniya

It's kind of sad that the only thing that actually surprised me was that Miss Hawaii was apparently lily-white.

The rest had all the eye-rolling commonality of a dog digging up the cat's litter box.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Renegade Vile

Quote from: Lilias on June 07, 2016, 06:53:05 AM
http://winningdemocrats.com/racist-conservatives-demand-segregated-beauty-pageants-after-black-woman-is-crowned-miss-usa-screenshots/

What. The. Actual. Fuck? >:(

I hope no-one's surprised by this, no matter who won that, there'd be morons complaining about it. Though blatant racism and stupidty make for a funny combo.

I have to ask though: why IS there still a Miss Black America? Are black girls still warded from the general pageant, like they were back when Miss Black America was first held (at least according to Wikipedia)? And I mean by actual people in power, not morons with access to Twitter.
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Lilias

Quote from: Renegade Vile on June 07, 2016, 08:36:20 AM
I have to ask though: why IS there still a Miss Black America? Are black girls still warded from the general pageant, like they were back when Miss Black America was first held (at least according to Wikipedia)? And I mean by actual people in power, not morons with access to Twitter.

As there is also a Miss Asian America and a Miss Native America, my guess is they continue to exist in order to buck the overwhelming 'white Barbie doll American is beautiful' media status quo, by providing exposure and opportunities to members of ethnic minorities, and in turn making them role models for younger generations of the same. Such pageants exist in several other countries, actually.
To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.
~Wendell Berry

Double Os <> Double As (updated Feb 20) <> The Hoard <> 50 Tales 2024 <> The Lab <> ELLUIKI