147 replies to this topic

[Yung]

Also.. considering that there could be an economic collapse and a great depression, it might be handy to have a gun just in case all hell breaks loose.

This is the main reason many claim to posses guns, in the event that things go south they will be able to defend/loot everything that they can.

[Sage]

I honestly only consider a gun a valid method of protection against people who are:

1) Physically superior to me and unarmed, entirely for the fear factor involved. I don't ever want to have to shoot an unarmed person, but I'll scare the shit out of them if it keeps them from being handsy
2) Carrying a gun themselves but not wearing any sort of real protection against another gun--this implies a certain lack of forward thinking and probably a lack of real training in the use of their firearm that I intend to have
3) One member of a mob that could incite a riot at any moment

Guns of all types have as much of a psychological impact as a physical one if wielded properly, but in my ideal world weapons in general are unnecessary. I will admit that the more messed up things get here in 'Murica, the more concerned I am with arming my skinny short little self, but it's still not something I intend to resort to without real training, even though I could. The assumption that Americans want a gun because we're all trigger happy dumbasses is more than a tad insulting. I want a gun to protect myself from the ones who are trigger happy dumbasses, thank you.

Edited by cuddlydemon, 14 May 2012 - 09:35 PM.

[Yung]

In my ideal world we'd all ride horses and use swords and battle axes. Dragons would be rare but we could slay them when we come across them.

In my ideal world we have no guns but archers are significantly more skilled. Jousting would also be popular.

[Sage]

In my ideal world we'd all ride horses and use swords and battle axes. Dragons would be rare but we could slay them when we come across them.

In my ideal world we have no guns but archers are significantly more skilled. Jousting would also be popular.

Fuck yeah, jousting. Also counting coup.

[Yung]

Thus I refer you to Full Metal Jousting.

[Yung]

Think Skyrim meets Middle Earth. Alagaesia meets Southern England (Black Ages).

[Bone]

Think Skyrim meets Middle Earth. Alagaesia meets Southern England (Black Ages).

But...think of the Neopets!

[NapisaurusRex]

Really? No one caught this? I lol'ed

Me too.

I completely agree with cuddlydemon. I don't really care who has guns if it doesn't affect me. I like hunting, I like shooting, but I don't think that possessing a gun means that I am better capable to defend myself if someone pins me to my bed to rape me. That gun in my closet is not gonna help me in that situation.

This may make me seem a little white trash, but isn't the obvious solution here not to keep your gun in your closet? If you're genuinely using it for protection, you should be able to get to it. It's the same for any weapon.

I'm glad guns are illegal in UK.

Guns need to be taken out of circulation and re-registered with the authorities. If you aren't army or police you don't need a gun.

...people with registered guns are going to be the first people authorities go after if something happens. That's basically putting yourself on a go-to-camp list. Also, who will shoot the army or police if necessary then?

Guns are only useful for pointing out the idiots who let their emotions and anxiety rule their head.

Or people who live around poisonous snakes and other assorted wild animals.

[Yung]

But...think of the Neopets!

Um... I'm sure we'll always have Meridell in our imaginations.

LMAO! That's great.

[IcedEarth]

That's funny.

[Yung]

This might have something to do with why the British lose most wars.

[Waser Lave]

This might have something to do with why the British lose most wars.

Name them.

[Yung]

Name them.

British Defeats

This short list is inspired by an argument I have had with several different people (often people I met in the pub) over the years. After a number of ales have been sunk the debate often turns to history and politics, I am always amused (but alas no longer surprised) to find a sizable minority of people who are under the impression that Britain has never lost a war (This probably comes as a surprise to any American or French readers). There is an even smaller minority that insist Britain has never lost a battle. My initial response to these people was to react with a kind of amused sympathy, this soon evolved to an exasperated disbelief as they consistently produced fantastically spurious arguments to back up their opinions.

I'm sure that there are small-minded people all around the world who insist that their particular nation has never been defeated in a war; it is my intent, in this article, to deal with those small-minded British people by giving a brief outline of our greatest military failures. I shall include both battles and wars as well as one-off military disasters, I shall also try to restrict the list to British defeats (so I shall not include battle fought between armies that were both raised internally to Britain). One of the most important themes of each of these historical episodes is how easily they are forgotten from the national memory. When asked about the Hundred Years war people often can't see past the British victory at Agincourt. When asked of the Napoleonic wars, often people think that the battle of Waterloo was some kind of isolated event in which Napoleon was defeated by a group of Eton Rugby players. It is my intention to de-base such theories. So where to start then? Well how about the biggest British retreat of all time? A battle which the British media, in a brilliant piece of 'doublethink', always portrays as a victory for the British spirit.

In short the list is:

• Dunkirk, 1940.
• Singapore, 1942.
• The Suez 'Crisis', 1955.
• Somme, 1916.
• Afghanistan, 1842, 1880, 1919.
• Gallipoli, 1915; Iraq, 1916.
• Isandhlwana, 1879.
• Castlebar, 1798.
• Saratoga, 1777.
• Yorktown, 1781.
• Hastings, 1066.
• La Rochelle, 1372.
• Orleans, 1429.
• Bordeaux, 1453.
• Medway, 1667.

The specific wars that were lost:

• The Hundred years war, 1337-1453.
• The US war of Independence, 1775-1783.
• The Battle of Cartegena de las Indias, 1741. (English and Spaniard war for South America)

[ShadowLink64]

British Defeats

We should look at how many France, and other countries lost then. I suspect that Britain's track record will look better if we do that.

Stupid people can own guns.

That's... stupid.

Stupid people can also have kids. *shakes head*

[Yung]

Any country compared to France is going to look good.

[Waser Lave]

So you consider 3 to constitute losing most wars that Britain has fought in? You have an interesting take on both history and mathematics which I find intriguing and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

(Btw, the last war you mention was actually a battle so that puts it down to 2.)

[Yung]

Most wars that Britain have been involved in have been coalition efforts, if you look at the wars that Britain has participated in on their own without assistance the track history isn't well reflected.

Britain has won more wars than most countries, so I retract my previous statement.

Instead I should have stated that Britain loses most wars it goes into solo.

[Bone]

Any country compared to France is going to look good.

According to the historian Niall Ferguson, of the 125 major European wars fought since 1495, the French have participated in 50 – more than Austria (47) and England (43). Out of 168 battles fought since 387BC, they have won 109, lost 49 and drawn 10.

Legal or not, if someone wants a gun then they will get one.
My little brother is currently half way through an 8 year sentence for 25 armed robberies, GTA, and having a firearm.

Getting off topic, but only 8 years for 25 robberies? Lucky for him he's not black...

[Yung]

Getting off topic, but only 8 years for 25 robberies? Lucky for him he's not black...

That's an incredibly racist thing to say. ...was that actually necessary?

[NapisaurusRex]

That's an incredibly racist thing to say. ...was that actually necessary?

In a lot of places it's also incredibly true.

[Yung]

We have evidence here in Taney County that suggests otherwise.

[Elindoril]

We have evidence here in Taney County that suggests otherwise.

Not every place is like Taney County, btw.

[Yung]

Not every place is like Taney County, btw.

Clearly, but if you were here you'd understand that this is a rather extremist racist County, yet even with that being the case there are many more white people going to jail for much longer than any black people that get arrested here.

[NapisaurusRex]

Clearly, but if you were here you'd understand that this is a rather extremist racist County, yet even with that being the case there are many more white people going to jail for much longer than any black people that get arrested here.

I don't think a place with less than half a percentage point of African Americans is a fair segment of how things work in other places. Affirmative action?

[Yung]

I don't think a place with less than half a percentage point of African Americans is a fair segment of how things work in other places. Affirmative action?

I'm really not trying to implicate that it is like this everywhere.

Only reason I said anything in the first place is because it seemed an unusually racist comment.