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Newsmax reports that according to according to KRC Research about 64 percent of Americans familiar with Snowden hold a negative opinion of him. However 56 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 have a positive opinion of Snowden which contrasts sharply with older age cohorts. Among those aged 35-44, some 34 percent have positive attitudes toward him. For the 45-54 age cohort, the figure is 28 percent, and it drops to 26 percent among Americans over age 55, U.S. News reported. Americans overall say by plurality that Snowden has done “more to hurt” U.S. national security (43 percent) than help it (20 percent). A similar breakdown was seen with views on whether Snowden helped or hurt efforts to combat terrorism, though the numbers flip on whether his actions will lead to greater privacy protections. “The broad support for Edward Snowden among Millennials around the world should be a message to democratic countries that change is coming,” says Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. “They are a generation of digital natives who don’t want government agencies tracking them online or collecting data about their phone calls.” Opinions of millennials are particularly significant in light of January 2015 findings by the U.S. Census Bureau that they are projected to surpass the baby-boom generation as the United States’ largest living generation this year.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by CirclesInSand on Thursday April 23 2015, @04:04PM
Who cares what older Americans think about Snowden? They created a country that is ridiculously in debt, with a police state that they did not inherit. It wasn't the "millennials" senators' that voted for the patriot act, but the millennials are going to have the nearly impossible task of removing it.
Older generations have an opinion on public policy? Well they can fucking keep their opinion to themselves until they pay their debts to future generations.
PS Ron Paul voted against the patriot act, and then did it again.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by TheGratefulNet on Thursday April 23 2015, @04:16PM
you are young, I can tell.
come back in 20 yrs when YOUR generation has 'ruined the world'.
it will happen. you are not special even though you guys get 'awards and trophies' for just existing, while in school. your generation will make the world a MUCH worse place, that much I am quite sure of. if there is a generation that thinks too much of itself, its your generation.
the 'old guys' did mess things up, but you'll be an old guy too, soon enough. think back about this post when your time comes.
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 5, Insightful) by AndyTheAbsurd on Thursday April 23 2015, @04:26PM
Many of the millenials will likely turn out to be fuckups of absolutely COLOSSAL proportions, but CirclesInSand is not wrong about the older generations being (mostly) responsible for the state of US government today. Just because that generation will make their own mistakes doesn't mean that previous generations didn't also make mistakes.
Please note my username before responding. You may have been trolled.
(Score: -1, Troll) by ncc74656 on Thursday April 23 2015, @07:01PM
"Will?" That implies that the precious little special snowflakes already aren't.
(Score: 1, Redundant) by nitehawk214 on Thursday April 23 2015, @09:07PM
Not at all... they can be both. :)
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 24 2015, @01:18AM
Wow. I love the anti-millenialism here.
I was never told I was a special little snowflake. After I got out of school, I was basically told that I was a useless weight on society despite working my ass off and constantly finding ways to be productive and employed. By older generations, which accuse my ilk of being entitled brats because we want to work and make the world a better place.
Which oddly, the older generation told us in no uncertain terms that if we work our asses off, get degrees, and go into the world to work, we would be able to do provide for ourselves. I don't want shit handed to me that I don't deserve; I want work to mean something. For many of us, it's true, but only the entirely blind would argue that it's not a myth that hard work = success. And incidentally, you fine older folks created a lovely system of grade inflation with this myth wherein everyone and their cousin has to (if they weren't born into money) get student loans and struggle to pay them off for the next thirty years in a protracted, .1% centric economy.
What really pisses me off is "older generations" (and other kool-aid drinkers) telling me that "deal with it, this is the way the world is" when they made it that way. Police state, corporations with obscene amounts of power, unmitigated and perpetual environmental disaster... pick your issue. While you were all off being "productive" "patriotic" "true Americans," you caused a lot of damage. And yes, now I'm going to have to clean your shit up because you consider yourself finished.
Don't get me wrong, I have all the respect in the world for my elders. I just don't have respect for people that can't take responsibility for what they've created. There are great things that past generations have done - insane, unparalleled greatness (the Enlightenment/railroads/WWII/space race/winning the Cold War) - but that doesn't mean you made no mistakes or that you don't have to own up to it.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by bzipitidoo on Friday April 24 2015, @02:36AM
This whole story is massive generational flamebait, among other things. Entitled twits come in all ages. The previous generation always thinks the next one is going to Hell. There used to be this talk that Baby Boomers were the selfish "Me" generation. Don't hear that so much any more now that their elders, the Silent Generation, no longer control the levers of power.
Now we're routinely treated to Baby Boomer crap. They constantly ask why we can't equal their achievements, as if we haven't accomplished anything, and as if there was just as much opportunity as they had. We have accomplished much, and that in spite of less opportunity. Middle class pay has been stagnant or declining since the 1970s, and it's largely their fault! Despite all their anti-government talk, they couldn't be bothered to rein in government whenever it was abused by private interests to steal from the public. What were they doing? Getting stoned and zonked at the ultimate hedonistic expression of slackdom, Woodstock. It was all they could do to shut the Vietnam War down. It should have ended sooner. Not saying we're doing much better, but at least we tried Occupy Wall Street. They have trouble understanding what we have accomplished. The Internet is huge, but they can't see past the sharing it enabled, tarring that as piracy. I rate the Internet a much more significant accomplishment than the moon landing. The moon landings, impressive though they were, are at heart accomplishment theater, undertaken to show up the Commies. It was a big bonanza for science, but ultimately it failed to entrench a scientific mindset in the public, who today continue to view science as a sometimes useful tool, and often as lies and propaganda of liberals, and as anti-religion.
Besides which, the whole idea of a baby boom was really dumb. Historically, overpopulation has been a much bigger and more common problem than underpopulation. So they were the population boom that got to fill the empty spaces created by war, and now some of them wonder why we can't do the same, as if there's still lots of empty space to fill. There isn't. It's very likely that not only will resources not increase, they won't even hold steady. In the near future there could well be be less of everything, when Climate Change begins to bite.
(Score: 1) by ncc74656 on Wednesday May 06 2015, @02:04PM
(Score: 5, Insightful) by The Archon V2.0 on Thursday April 23 2015, @04:30PM
Y'know, if your best retort to the accusation that your generation made things worse is that the next generation won't be any better, maybe you shouldn't be retorting.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by frojack on Thursday April 23 2015, @06:16PM
On the other hand, if all you have to say is STFU, maybe its because the shoe fits just a little too tight for your comfort.
Those who won't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 23 2015, @07:31PM
The critical point is one thing has happened and the other might happen. Between the two, one has been proven and the other is angry speculation.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 24 2015, @12:22AM
On the other hand, if all you have to say is STFU
Actually, the response of "You're just as bad, or will be!" is not a logical argument to begin with. The one you replied to merely pointed that out. Someone's arguments stand on their own merits.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 25 2015, @01:37PM
Yeah, I put the men's size 12 shoe on my cock. And the shoe was too small. Now my cock hurts, and you're damn right I'm going to bitch and moan about it!
(Score: 5, Insightful) by gishzida on Thursday April 23 2015, @08:46PM
Hmmm... Don't count everyone in a generation as being responsible for bad policy and evil government. I think that the release of those NSA documents point out how our government has been pwned by liars and profiteers. The people who tell us one thing and do another... "Newspeak" for the post millennial world.
Snowden is a hero to me... and I'm 61.
What I find disturbing but at the same time incredibly funny is that the so called "Hippies" of my generation have been accused as being responsible for everything going down the toilet...
The folks that have betrayed this country have nothing to do with "Peace, Love, and Music". They have nothing to do with being liberal or even moderate. They are the embodiment of Dylan's "Masters of War"-- the people responsible for the current despair have always been focused on "Profits, Lies, and Murder". They'll send your sons and your daughters down into death and darkness all for an extra nickle of dime. Monsters like that exist in *every* generation.... Forty years from now look back to this time and ask yourself "Was my generation any better?" I hope with all my heart you can say it is... but right now it looks like you are losing to the blackness of the people that think a "few white lies" helps the medicine go down" [brought to you by your friends the soul-less corporations].
I would say that your target this generation should be the "Libertarians" and the "Tea Party"... Why? Because they believe in a "free market" where anyone is allowed to do *anything* for a profit. What the tea baggers and "libertarians" fail to realize is that "free market" is the Darwinian Ideal for the Soul-less Corporations that have taken root and control over so many aspects of our daily life. The idea that a "Soul-less" Corporation are people is insane. I use the term "soul-less" in the sense of 'one without compassion'. If corporations are "people" why aren't they tried and convicted like every other "person" including being sentenced to death for murder or prison for robbery, rape, burglary, and 9000 other crimes.
Forty years of tea bagging and "libertarians" will means America and its citizens not only being pwned but pucked as well. Don't like that idea? Do something about it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 23 2015, @11:43PM
> If corporations are "people" why aren't they tried and convicted like every other "person"
Turns out Arthur Anderson was. The company basically got the equivalent of a corporate death penalty. Accenture spun out first, but the accounting part that was left was dead and gone in less than a year after the DoJ prevailed in court. And... that was the start of "too big to fail" - the death of Arthur Anderson and the job-losses associated with it made the DoJ into pussies and now they are afraid to press for criminal charges of any significant measure any more.
(Score: 1) by gishzida on Friday April 24 2015, @09:38AM
Anderson was small change. Almost any CPA that sits on "mahogany row" in any firm is "dirty" or knows someone down the row that is. I used to work for a CPA corporation / partnership during the late 90's. "Pump and Dump" or "shake and bake" -- no method was too low to make money... I even worked briefly for a genuine scam artist who had an "internet start-up"... which consisted of a bunch of people who knew how to peel money away from the unwary. Banks and Credit Unions are not much better. I worked IT for a CU... The only difference is one of scale.
It's been said that if you ever work at a fast food restaurant you'll never want to eat fast food again... the same can be said of the financial industry.
Money spells corruption.
It also spells power.
The Koch Brothers want Scott Walker to be the next president. Can you guess why? Anyone backed by that much money should be on your list of people never to vote for... if you do, you can bet you just slit your own throat.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anal Pumpernickel on Friday April 24 2015, @12:27AM
Corporations by and large only claim to support the free market, but their actions suggest otherwise. They claim to want a free market, and then bribe the government for more draconian laws to increase the strength and length of their government-enforced monopolies over implementations of ideas and procedures. They claim to want a free market, and then get deals with local governments that grant them monopolies in those areas. They claim to want a free market, and then try to get the government to destroy their existing or future competitors. It just goes on and on. The "free market" is nothing more than lip service, and what it really means to them is that they're free to have the government destroy all their competitors.
(Score: 2) by wantkitteh on Friday April 24 2015, @08:38AM
"All markets are free, but some markets are more equal than others."
(Score: 2, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Thursday April 23 2015, @04:32PM
I've read definitions of millennial that based on my birth year included me, but now way in hell I'd be lumped in with those impotent punks.
Although I am 100% in favor of what Snowden and other leakers/whistleblowers do, that is the only thing I have in common with Millennial punks.
Millenial punks talk and they talk, but they don't actually get of their asses to even vote. They'll say, "Fuck authority!" but unlike previous generations will cry and turn-tail at the sight of a single cop-car heading toward their protest. They will say, "Fuck the patriarchy!" and turn right around and raise their hands waving towards an authority figure to tell on the meanie-head saying things they don't agree with.
I was at a packed bar just the other day, and wanted to get the bartender's attention for another drink, so I made a very temporary squeeze between two young girls who were talking. They looked at each other silently and incredulously, like, How dare he! They could have easily craned their necks behind me and carried on their conversation until I moved away, but one of them squeeked some shrill sounding bitchiness at me I tuned out. When they screeched at me again I slowly looked down at the one and said, "Oh, we got a Valley-girl here, huh?" with a haughty grin and an upturned chin. In response to that heinous crime they both simultaneously raised their arms with their index fingers pointed at me saying, "bartender, bartender, throw this guy out! He's being a dick! Throw him out!" Both the bartender and I shrugged as he solemnly handed my my drink and I moved away.
Those two tartlet girls are pretty much the embodiment of the punks coming of age today. Get off my lawn!
(Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 23 2015, @05:42PM
> Both the bartender and I shrugged as he solemnly handed my my drink and I moved away.
Lol. Based on the incoherent screeds of hate you are known for posting here, I have a strong suspicion that your actions in your version of the story are more than just a little toned down. I mean, the fact that you even posted this self-aggrandizing and ultimately completely off-topic story really kind of makes it all self-contradictory.
(Score: 2) by DECbot on Thursday April 23 2015, @06:03PM
You might be correct that there is more to the story, but to EF's defense I have several siblings that fit squarely into the Millennial age bracket (10+ year age gap between me and them) and they would definitely behave as EF said. And they would do it with less provocation that EF admitted to.
If I was in that situation and had my wits about me, I'd like to say something like, "You mind if I order a drink at the only empty spot in the bar or are you going to stare at me like self-centered, stuck up bitches?"
cats~$ sudo chown -R us /home/base
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 23 2015, @07:34PM
He pointed out that there were no empty spots at the bar and he forced his way between two people talking.
Secondly, how can a generation be derided for not having any sense of manners in the same breath that they are derided for responding to someone else's bad manners?
(Score: 1) by DECbot on Thursday April 23 2015, @08:06PM
That's a good way to put it. I think the proper manners in this scenario would be to to interject an "excuse me," which would queue the women to stance closer together so the gap at the bar is behind one of the women instead of between them. Better yet, it is common practice to create a gap when you are at a crowded bar and see another patron approach the bar, so the person approaching has a place to order a drink without having to interrupt your conversation. Even if you don't create the gap, staring incredulously is far from the proper response and demanding the staff to kick somebody out because a guy edged himself to the bar in the middle of your conversation just to order a drink, and happened to say something rude about your rude stares, is outright ridiculous.
cats~$ sudo chown -R us /home/base
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 23 2015, @11:36PM
> because a guy edged himself to the bar in the middle of your conversation just to order a drink,
> and happened to say something rude about your rude stares
And that is the point in the story at which his version of events diverges from everyone else's.
At the barest minimum he was drunk off his ass and his comments weren't limited to just one expertly delivered line.
I'd say there is a more than fair chance that he put his hands on one or both of them at some point.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 23 2015, @05:50PM
"Excuse me"
(Score: 5, Informative) by ikanreed on Thursday April 23 2015, @04:35PM
You're not wrong.
But not because of people like the GP. I suspect they sincerely want to address the systemic issues. You can see the assholes on facebook who are going to drag our generation down. Blindly re-posting vaguely political memes without concern for critical evaluation. They're going to fuck things up, because there's a lot of them, and they don't sincerely care. But, we can be quite sincere in hating the fuckery that got us here.
But you're a fucking idiot dumb-fucker to drag out the imaginary "trophies" bullshit. It's a fiction you invent to make yourself feel better. I've gotten 2 trophies in my youth. One for coming in 2nd place in a robotics competition, one for coming in first place in a martial arts tournament. Zero for my years of losing at baseball. No one seriously faced much different. You(and I mean you and other idiots, not your entire generation) invented this thing almost wholesale.
(Score: 5, Touché) by DeathMonkey on Thursday April 23 2015, @06:12PM
But you're a fucking idiot dumb-fucker to drag out the imaginary "trophies" bullshit.
If millenials are handed trophies like candy, which generation is the one buying and distributing them?
(Score: 4, Funny) by ikanreed on Thursday April 23 2015, @06:40PM
Surprisingly, it's the New Worlder generation. Hundred year old Irish zombies rising from their grave to hand out trophies.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 23 2015, @09:21PM
I can confirm that I received a trophy each year for playing soccer, despite losing >80% of the games. However, I would like to note the following caveats:
1 - It was "recreational soccer", which essentially means "if you pay money, you're on a team".
2 - I would not have been a good enough player to make any real team.
3 - The trophies were laughable in size (4 inches? 5?)
4 - There were 'real' trophies (for our losing team), for players who were MVP, or otherwise exceptional.
5 - None of the players felt like they were 'earned', 'deserved', or 'entitled' and we all usually laughed about it and threw them away.
The competitive leagues (of which I would never play) had 'real' trophies (3-4 feet high), tryouts, out-of-city competitions, daily practices, etc.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 23 2015, @10:22PM
I played recreational sports for many years over many sports from the 70's into the 80's, and I received one trophy when we won the city championship. That's it. No ribbons, certificates, "thanks for playing". And the trophy was about 4" high as well, and it was one of the most treasured items I had because it was earned. My sons get participation trophies and by the next week, they couldn't give a shit about them.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 23 2015, @05:22PM
First off not the original AC.
20 years probably wont be enough time for the melenials to have ruined the world. Taking the definition as from the TFS of 18 to 34 yo (born 1981-1997), and noting that the average age of a member of the US house is 57 US (Senate is 63) then the melianls will not be widely represented for more than 20 years (this maths is shit but for a fag packet calc illustrates the point). So when we get back in 20 years it will still not be the melenials who have caused the problem.
Of course if the numbers stand the melenials will have to shoulder alot more of the blame as they supported (by voting, or not opposing "older" people). But currently your argument boils down to we are bad but not as bad as what will come next. Without having tested how "melenials" would run somthing. As for the Idea that this generation thinks too much of itself, I'm not so certain. Other prioties are key and the majority of people are focussed on themselves and those around them (friends, family, neighbours). I doubt this is knew, I think there may be a merging of the the groups a bit further away. So peole who melenials are not in direct (human) contact with are all grouped together, and that there is less of a increasing circles mentality.
This of course assumes that your prediction is correct and policies in 20 years continue to make the world a worse place. Although I think you may be correct I hope you are not, I can't really imagine something worse than what is happening at the moment (with corporations running amok, and removing citizens liberties because "terrorism") without completely destroying the appearance of democracy. So I think the melenials will either reverse alot of the shit, or there will a complete breakdown of the structure as we know it.
As is probably clear I am in the "melenials" group, and not from the U.S.A. I used the U.S.A. as a an example here because (1) I'm assuming you are, (2) The story is about opinions of U.S. Citizens (3) As an international site the U.S. status as most looked at system gives a certain amount of accessibility. That said as a British person exactly the same issues are experienced here; average age of the house of commons is 50 (and growing), we are just as prone to corrupt business as the US and seem to be even more ready to give up our freedoms because of whichever monster the tabloids can make some noise about this week.
(Score: 2) by rts008 on Thursday April 23 2015, @05:37PM
I've thought the same, until recently. I now question my past certainty.
In talking with my stepdaughter and some of her friends, I've come to realise that my views on some things differ quite a bit from theirs.[and I found myself sounding like my elders did when I was young:-( ]
So what we might see as 'worse', the newer generation may see as 'better'. POV/expectations may be polar opposites on some things, same on others, and various points in between on others.
Another thing my stepdaughter pointed out:
"You're not going to be around in 40 years when I'm your age, so I wonder how important your ideals are, and will be to us, except to point out how we don't want things to be."
I've had to really think about that concept. I think she may have had a point. I am still thinking about it.
(Score: 2) by CirclesInSand on Thursday April 23 2015, @06:13PM
you are young, I can tell.
come back in 20 yrs when YOUR generation has 'ruined the world'.
Ahem. National debt is still growing. You still aren't qualified to give me your opinion. But I do realize that there is a (microscopic) minority of older persons who voted for 3rd party / independent / Libertarian etc instead of the endless promise of goodies. I don't mean to slight them.
you are not special even though you guys get 'awards and trophies' for just existing
Is that worse than getting government money just for existing, despite not having the tax revenue to fund it? That's a rhetorical question by the way, see above.
(Score: 2) by AndyTheAbsurd on Thursday April 23 2015, @04:20PM
The problem is that the older generations vote, and the millenials (mostly) don't. So the only opinion that counts in government circles is that of the older generations. The sad and inevitable result of the US's first-past-the-post voting system is that only the largest voting bloc's opinion matters to the elected politicians.
Please note my username before responding. You may have been trolled.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 23 2015, @10:02PM
What you say would be true IF we had a working democratic republic.
The thing is that there are supermajorities of USAians who agree on what needs to be done and they are ignored.[1] [googleusercontent.com] (orig)[1] [popularresistance.org]
What we have is a gov't by the rich and for the rich.
[1] The AdBlock filter ##widget is recommended.
As long as money is speech and corporations are people, voting (especially voting for the lesser of 2 evils) will have minimal effect.
The folks who can staple a 6-figure check to their lobbying effort are in control and that won't be changed without a constitutional amendment.
http://www.wolf-pac.com/the_plan#headline [wolf-pac.com]
https://movetoamend.org/#main [movetoamend.org]
-- gewg_
(Score: 2, Insightful) by SubiculumHammer on Thursday April 23 2015, @04:46PM
Please stop this "massive debt" nonsense, and start understanding how fiat money works.
The problem isn't debt, its that the money that is created mostly comes from banks to finance gambling in the financial sector without adding real value. Much better if that money had gone directly to the low and middle class.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 23 2015, @05:44PM
pay debnts
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 23 2015, @05:01PM
The millenials are making the world for selfies and file sharing!
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday April 23 2015, @08:16PM
Good luck to you. Gen-X here. I voted against Bush because it was clear to me that if elected, he would find some excuse or another to invade Iraq so he could be a war president like his daddy. I urged my "representatives" not to let the madness happen. I urged everyone I knew to vote to avoid the whole debacle. Yet here we are, well over a trillion dollars later. Short of going Oswald, what would you have had me do?
Don't worry, one day you'll be my age and wondering how the ongoing disaster can be called your fault.
I'm guessing you are old enough to vote, probably old enough to run for at least some offices. Certainly old enough to protest. So why is this shit still happening? Why haven't you stopped it? Yeah, me too!
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 23 2015, @11:52PM
I voted against Bush
Whereas I voted *for* a third party candidate. I don't vote "against" people, as that just creates more evil and the evil gets worse and worse.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 24 2015, @03:24AM
No, its the voting for evil that makes the evil get worse, voting against that evil is the only option that might actually have an effect. The reason the US has no left is because of morons only voting for right and far-right candidates, making everyone else shift even further right; if people voted for less-right instead of further-right, we'd be able to get politicians that are somewhat-centrist.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 24 2015, @03:41AM
No, its the voting for evil that makes the evil get worse, voting against that evil is the only option that might actually have an effect.
Yes, that is what I meant. I vote for candidates I believe to be good. However, the way he phrased it (voting against Bush) led me to believe he likely voted Democrat, rather than for a non-evil (or at least not provably evil) candidate. You should vote for good candidates, not merely against bad ones. That's also voting against evil, but the distinction is important.
I don't believe "left" and "right" have any real meaning anyway. I just care if the policy is the right one to me, not if it's considered "left", "right", or "centrist".
(Score: 2) by sjames on Friday April 24 2015, @05:43AM
Considering that Bush won and dragged us into war anyway, it hardly matters who or what I voted for.
(Score: 1) by TestablePredictions on Thursday April 23 2015, @08:55PM
Which generation can we call primarily responsible for the acceptance of handing over all our personal information, data, photos, and GPS coordinates to corporations (and thus government agencies)? I don't think it was any generation that was already an adult (or in college or highschool) by the mid-1990's when WWW really got popular among the non-techie population. Which generation(s) contribute heavily to FOSS, and which generation(s) put all their effort into get-rich-quick phone/tablet apps that harvest user/subscriber data and serve ads?
Maybe instead of turning this into a young versus old flamewar, we should be identifying technological and political solutions to the advancing statist strangehold.
(Score: 2) by zugedneb on Friday April 24 2015, @12:50AM
So if the elders do not like Snowden, it might be because they know the value of "remaining united" and deal with internal affairs with some "grace" when the go out of proportion,
Other elders stand up for historical lies, because they know that exposing them will lead to ruthless retaliation, and the truth is not worth the cost in violence...
If you take a look at east europe, and see the hatred, violence, poverty and political failure that was an all to intimate company for many of the "old" people, mostly those 40+, you might understand why the statement "they are ruined for life" might apply.
Indeed, they make decisions reflecting anger or hate or fear, because they actually are in a more or less permanent state of anger. hate or fear. Of course, they may be good people, but still, ruined good people.
They have to be more or less completely die out and replaced by the younger, more optimistic, and more technology oriented people, before the course they set for the ship can be turned around.
As to the mentality "not like them/him" here is the deal: the phenomenon of "not liking" is today tainted with unfairness: common examples are dislike against niggas just for the sake of it, dislike of gays just of prejudice, religion or aversion... Hmm, are we trying to make "disliking" a cultural crime?
But, in other parts of the world, there is more to it. People are. for ethnic and historical reason dangerous to eachother,,, In other parts of the world, people dont like others for reasons.
In east europe, if someone does not like gipsys, russians, serbs, a politicians (politicians) or the church, there probably is a more intelligent reason for it, then just being racist or idiot.
old saying: "a troll is a window into the soul of humanity" + also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ajax
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 24 2015, @03:30AM
"Not liking" somebody solely because of the color of their skin, or other traits they were born with and can do nothing about, is pretty much the definition of bigotry. And yes, that should be a cultural crime. Everyone should have equal opportunity; people should not be allowed to remove others' freedoms or opportunities because they were born with the misfortune of not being a straight, white male.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 24 2015, @03:39AM
So if the elders do not like Snowden, it might be because they know the value of "remaining united" and deal with internal affairs with some "grace" when the go out of proportion
If the government is violating the constitution, remaining united with them is highly unpatriotic and cowardly. There is no value in that.