[Closed] A starkly amusing comment on the American response to the recent tragedy

Errr.... yes 8)
But I do agree..

It's bang on.

Who knows - maybe all the thinking and praying is working - things could be 100 times worse if with out thoughts and prayers keeping a lid on everything. And that’s before we even consider what all the secular Hoping might be responsible for.

Reasoned argument I reckon, what does God think about it ? Anyone asked him ?

I agree with the description.

I've never understood the prayers thing. Do people say that they are praying for someone as an excuse to avoid doing anything? Or is it a platitude? Somethign they say when they can't think of anything else to say?

Who knows - maybe all the thinking and praying is working - things could be 100 times worse if with out thoughts and prayers keeping a lid on everything. And that’s before we even consider what all the secular Hoping might be responsible for.

Good point. We'd need a control. I always considered America to be like a giant experiment.

Reasoned argument I reckon, what does God think about it ? Anyone asked him ?

Just goes to answerphone

There has to be an inapropriate "taps aff" joke here...

I don't think God can hear them. They're drowned out by the pro lifers, mad baptists and other various religiously challenged that America seems to specialise in. In fact I reckon God has just switched America's prayer feed off or at the very least muted it

I realise as a bit of an atheist I'm probably not the best person to answer this, and I do quite admire anyone with that much faith, but yep for me that's spot on.

God forgot to update stuff ages ago and prayers an' that all still go to her MySpace. Jesus stopped giving a shit when the dodo was wiped out.

Buddha's listening though...

'Starkly amusing'?

If that is what passes for satire in today's world, then we really are ****ed. It's just a load of sneering sarcasm about something it is virtually impossible not to be sneeringly sarcastic about.

A waste of time reading it.

I posted this on the other thread, but it seems more appropriate for this one:

http://www.thoughtsandprayersthegame.com/

I realise as a bit of an atheist I'm probably not the best person to answer this, and I do quite admire anyone with that much faith, but yep for me that's spot on.

I'm obviously not an atheist, and I think it's spot on, too.

@molgrips: I suspect it is a platitude when used by some. At the same time, there are many for whom it won't be. If something happens at a distance that it is not possible to do something about, and there is no other action to be taken, then prayer may be all that one can offer by way of support and an expression of empathy.

At the same time, it seems imperative that those who are able, should seek to effect change. We can be pretty sure that MLK and the religious leaders that marched with him prayed about the racism issue, but they also put themselves on the line over it.

A waste of time reading it.

Really? You don't think the author made any sort of valid point? 😯

Nor does changing your social media profile picture or lighting up the Eiffel tower but this is how the west 'deals' with current events.

Ladbible / Buzzfeed level satire

I've never understood the prayers thing. Do people say that they are praying for someone as an excuse to avoid doing anything?

In my mind experience the type of person who actually prays, rarely askes others to pray for anything.

It’s a response that helps someone who is helpless feel like they’re doing something. Social Media is full of that sort of stuff - no harm in it and sometimes it does at least persuade people to chuck a few quid at a problem or to help someone who’s having a really shit time.

Like the Onion headline they run after all for these “No way to prevent this, says only Nation where this regularly happens”.

Really? You don't think the author made any sort of valid point?

Yes, it was valid. It's also ball-achingly obvious.

The attempt at some high school revue 'wit' just made the author sound like a pillock.

It would have just been easier to point out the obvious hypocrisy around a lot of NRA nutjobs also being bible-bashing Christian fundamentalists in one sentence.

The parallels are endless as people who hold essentially evil views take solace in some kind of perverse righteousness and moral simplicity.

Apartheid era Afrikaner nationalists were more often than not puritanical Dutch reformed churchgoers, for example.

Anyway, I don't need some condescending twunt to point out the bleeding obvious, ta very much.

It's simple really, prayers cancel each other out- so proper christian prayers would do the world of good if it weren't for those ungodly jews, islams, buddhists, klingons and- worst of all- imperceptibly different christians, whose heathen mutterings drown out the good work of the righteous.

I'm not reading all that.

Much simpler way of STBO.

"Repeating the same action and expecting a different result is a definition of insanity."

Dannyh..
A waste of time reading it ..then why did you ?
It was fairly obvious after reading the headline and how SR had described it ..what was to follow ..

I think you are insane by your own definition, Woppit 🙂

hodgynd - Member
Dannyh..
A waste of time reading it ..then why did you ?
It was fairly obvious after reading the headline and how SR had described it ..what was to follow ..

It was described as 'starkly amusing'. That didn't hint much at the content. Turns out it was neither stark nor amusing, so I thought I'd say so.....

so I thought I'd say so.....

Thanks...... but .....,

...I don't need some condescending twunt to point out the bleeding obvious, ta very much.

It's just a load of sneering sarcasm about something it is virtually impossible not to be sneeringly sarcastic about.

Is that not exactly the point of sarcasm? To willfully make an obviously stupid statement, in the hope that the receiver will apply some level of scepticism and come to a more intellectually sound conclusion?

[img] [/img]

I saw on FB earlier a cartoon drawing which sums it up, can't find it now but along the lines of, 'Why doesn't God stop the shooting?...., 'Cos God doesn't exist so face reality & fix your ****ing gun laws'

Bout right I'd say.

Maybe God has been shot? I'm sure if any NRA type has made it through the pearly gates they would have wanted to go hunting at some point. What better trophy to hang on your celestial wall than the head of the creator of the universe?

Yeh, shite article, not funny in the slightest. Outspoken atheists never are though.

Quite frankly, I have very little sympathy for the Country and Western fans who died or were injured - including the band - the majority of whom would have defended the Second Amendment.

Live by the sword; die by the sword.

While outspoken believers are just full of fun 🙄

Anyone see the American pro-gun bloke from some gun magazine on BBC breakfast news this morning? That was odd, especially when it was pointed out that the gun allowed him to take pot-shots at people with no risk to himself. The American dude then went on to say he was at great risk because he ended up dead!!!

bodgy - Member
Quite frankly, I have very little sympathy for the Country and Western fans who died or were injured - including the band - the majority of whom would have defended the Second Amendment.

Live by the sword; die by the sword.

What a ****ing retard

Yup

wrong thread

Yeah ..cant really agree that any innocent folks who are just out enjoying themselves deserved to be wounded or die ..stupid thing to say ..

What a **** retard

Yeah ..cant really agree that any innocent folks who are just out enjoying themselves deserved to be wounded or die ..stupid thing to say .

Say what you like about me; bottom line is that Americans could get their shit together and have a decent dialogue about gun ownership, and actually deal with the situation that they have.

Or they could keep reverting to rhetoric about their 'rights' under the second amendment, and allowing the NRA to maintain their regime of civic fear.

It's their choice.

Until they start to deal with it[i] excuse me[/i] if I don't have that much sympathy for the repeated toll of mass shootings. Mass shootings have become the American norm. Their problem.

[quote=esselgruntfuttock ]I saw on FB earlier a cartoon drawing which sums it up, can't find it now but along the lines of, 'Why doesn't God stop the shooting?...., 'Cos God doesn't exist so face reality & fix your **** gun laws'

[img] https://goo.gl/q9enhd [/img]

Geez bodgy! 😡 I've just remembered why I don't come here very much any more. While I have to commend (if that's even the right word) the blind faith of many USA folk, I'll just leave ya with the thoughts of Trae Crowder . . .

Or they could keep reverting to rhetoric about their 'rights' under the second amendment.... etc.

All the people killed were pro gun/second amendment activists then ?

I hadn’t realised that.

So he wasn’t just shooting randomly after all. 🙄

Until they start to deal with it excuse me if I don't have that much sympathy for the repeated toll of mass shootings. 

Mass shootings have become the American norm. Their problem.

My wife's American.

She is anti gun. If she got shot in a mass shooting, would you shrug your shoulders and say tough shit, cos some other people who were born a thousand miles away can't govern a country?

All Americans are not personally responsible for this. You really need to stop thinking about 'them' like some big foreign other place. In our house, it's 'us'.

But as much as I am in favour of gun control, it is quite possibly not the real problem. Lots of other countries have high gun ownership and this happens far less. Problems go far deeper than lack of gun control laws.

I hear you[b] mamadirt[/b].

Nice post. I couldn't agree more with what the video guy is saying. And yes, I'm putting my head above the parapet.

Bottom line is that it's awful. They need to engage that conversation.

But also; Americans tend to be a law unto themselves. Yes, anything that happens stateside gets more media coverage . . . and [i]oh, the humanity [/i] but this is not news. I'm bored of sympathy for something that is avoidable, yet they do not avoid.

But as much as I am in favour of gun control, it is quite possibly not the real problem. Lots of other countries have high gun ownership and this happens far less. Problems go far deeper than lack of gun control laws.

Yes; my point exactly. Canada for example. Why can't the USA change their dialogue?