MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Aside from being, by far, the best song by REM, the title invites us to take control of everything for a moment.
Say you do, then, and you can: 1) ban from the Earth just one thing, and 2) completely transform another according to suit your own vision. What do you ban, and what do you transform?
Me?
1. Nuclear weapons are banned
2. Transportation policy is transformed
Hmmm, a tricky one. My first instinct was to ban religion in the hope that, instead of trying to kill each other over whose god is real/best/most forgiving, humanity actually works together to protect the planet and start us on our journey to the stars. But banning religion would just drive it underground and make everything even more divided.
Banning the use of oil might help, but even though it has the potential to make some countries less of a problem on the world stage, the lack of money could in those same places (cough Qatar, Saudi cough) could also just trigger off a massive wave of killing and death.
Banning nukes is a good call, but it does make me think that someone would hide them and not give a shit about their illegality, kind of like knowing cannabis is illegal, but smoking it anyway*.
The second question is a bit easier for me: I'd transform politics. Make a system that is fair to everyone, leves no one disenfranchised and which cannot be subverted by vested interests or wannabe dictators. Sadly, that might mean the beginning of the reign of Willard the Terrible but, well, you know: omelet/eggs and all that.
* Yes, I know. but you get my point. I could have said breaking the speed limit too, you get my drift, right?
As above.
Banning and completely removing from history would have different answers.
I'm going with fish pie. It's the worst and I don't think people would kill over it.
Why ban nuclear weapons? How many have they killed? I would ban all weapons. I agree with willard re. transforming politics but then, since I'm world leader it has already been transformed, how else would I be?
1) Ban breeding for humans unless I approve of your morals
2) Promote a new sport similar to fox hunting called tory hunting.
1. Ban zero hour contracts.
2. Promote workers rights.
Misinformation and lies are more damaging and carry a greater threat to our lives than nuclear weapons IMO.
I would ban comment sections on news (and sports) sites.
Transform the laws on journalistic integrity and honesty, including social media and only allow verified accounts.
Misinformation and lies are more damaging and carry a greater threat to our lives than nuclear weapons IMO.
I would ban comment sections on news (and sports) sites.
Transform the laws on journalistic integrity and honesty, including social media and only allow verified accounts.
I'd vote for that!
If we by banning we meant re-writing history it as if the thing never existed then I would probably suggest religion too - for too long it's been used as a reason to hate and fight with another group of people.
Which brings me onto what I would transform - societal disposition away from the divide and rule tactic. It's only used for a zero sum game where we all end up poorer off.
Ban - horse flies. Pointless bitey things.
Transform - the idea of representative democracy so it actually does represent the balance of the country, FPTP/2 party systems are first to go.
1) Ban personal ownership of cars
2) Transform nuclear fusion so it's actually producing clean energy for 100% of the planet.
Can I just ban people and be done with it? The second will sort itself out well enough from there.
1. I'd ban Farage
2. I'd turn Farage into a traffic cone/poop scoop/pot plant, then ban him again.
Another politics thread might kill me, can we just talk about REM instead?
I'll start.
Aside from being, by far, the best song by REM
Wrong.
County Feedback.
Ban: Alternative facts.
Transform: Global taxes including the abolition of tax havens and prohibition of party donations from non-domiciled sources.
County Feedback
Also wrong.
It's one of Strange currencies, Belong, stand, night swimming or gardening at night.
Possibly.
My first instinct was to ban religion in the hope that, instead of trying to kill each other over whose god is real/best/most forgiving, humanity actually works together to protect the planet and start us on our journey to the stars.
It wouldn't work. Religion isn't a source of wars, it's a pretext for them. It's like saying banning guns would stop people fighting - no, they'd use knives, sticks or fists instead.
Back to the OP, it's tricky, because do you want a realistic ban item as in something that could actually be banned, or something aspirational?
Aspirational ban: unrestricted capitalism
Practical ban: cryptocurrencies (due to the amount of energy required, plus it's a blatant pyramid scheme) although there are lots of things to choose from here
Transform: Education. As I've said before, eductation is nearly always the bottom line. I'd teach economics, political philosophy, moral philosophy in a way that's easy to appreciate and understand. It would give us a way to codify and talk about what's right and what's wrong and stop politicians pulling the wool over the public's eyes for their own nefarious purposes.
Education is a great suggestion for transformation. Everything flows from that.
Yeah, I'm quite liking @molgrips' suggestion. There may be a whole thread in there!
Transform: Education. As I’ve said before, eductation is nearly always the bottom line. I’d teach economics, political philosophy, moral philosophy in a way that’s easy to appreciate and understand. It would give us a way to codify and talk about what’s right and what’s wrong and stop politicians pulling the wool over the public’s eyes for their own nefarious purposes.
Molgrips for PM.
Can Molgrips start with taking over from whoever* has just been made Education Secretary?
[ *I’m too scared to look to see who that is. ]
Oh, my instant reaction initial answers were the same as SaxonRider’s …
Answer to the bigger question might be Orange Crush, or The One I Love, or Nightswimming.
Can I just ban people and be done with it? The second will sort itself out well enough from there.
This was pretty much my thoughts. The rest is just delaying the inevitable sadly.
Ban: The notion of Countries
Transform: People's understanding of how they are related to each other.
Transform: People’s understanding of how they are related to each other.
That's going to be a complicated lesson in Norwich.
For a start, the greatest REM song is either Radio Free Europe or You Are The Everything, depending on mood. 🙂
Ban - Religious indoctrination in schools.
We can combine this with banning private education and health care.
Transform - Transport and the Utilities - Integrated and nationalised.
If that's too hard, we could just reintroduce the death penalty for littering, speaking Estuary English and describing a bowl of stew with a pastry lid as a pie.
Oh, and....
It wouldn’t work. Religion isn’t a source of wars, it’s a pretext for them. It’s like saying banning guns would stop people fighting – no, they’d use knives, sticks or fists instead.
Interesting analogy.
Countries with less liberal gun laws have fewer gun related deaths.
And religion is one of many factors in how people justify behaving in an appalling manner.
If we minimise it's influence in the public sphere we may be able to mitigate that particular type of justification.
1) ban from the Earth just one thing, and 2) completely transform another according to suit your own vision. What do you ban, and what do you transform?
1. Ban nothing
2. Transform nothing
errmmm ... that's still too complicated.
Keep it simply just install me as Almighty ruling over earth with me as judge, jury and executioner.