to post my position on this recent spiralling thread/threads about
extremism, guns, and gun control/revoking, whether guns are okay to talk
about, recently whether self defense is extropic, etc. i don't know anything
about guns. i've never owned a gun. i really don't know whether they're
neccesary, or if that's a valid question.
having said that, i do have some thoughts.
this list is normally very polite, very intelligent. i can think of very few
people on this list that haven't posted something very intelligent and
thoughtful, that i've taken to heart, or revised for my own use.
i asked a question about guns on this list, i admit. and in retrospect, with
the debate going on, i likely should have done that offlist, just out of
respect to the "non-combatants" as it were. but i wanted to get a range of
opinion.
it's a little surprising to me that some of the attacks that have occured,
did. both pro, and anti gun advocates have made rather ugly statements,
which saddens me a bit.
i really dont' know which side i fall in, or if either position is
particularly valid. it's interesting that a "bigger" issue like nanotech
weaponry, the pros, cons, ability of individuals to control it, etc, is
readily accepted because nanotech is automatically >H, no matter what it's
use. in my view, weapon technology is weapon technology, whether nanoscale,
or macroengineering. if that's to be banned, that sounds fine, but
unneccesarily repressive.
Max sent an email to the point that guns as tools or meta discussion of guns
is not extropic and not relevant to the list. i would disagree, but i
respect his position. this list is high volume as it is, and we should make
an effort to constrict it's topics to provide higher utility to it's
members, as well as avoid unneccesary conflict. on the other hand, i look at
this list as something of a society of friends. i asked the question
innocently, actually hoping that some of the people who had disagreed with
the use of guns would reply, with arguments as to why i, as a undecided
voter, as it were, should not associate or train with firearms.
as a "hopefully" society of friends, associated by a transhuman interest, i
will try to treat you guys/and gals, like i treat my friends. and when there
is a problem between my friends, we think that there are really only two
choices, not to bring up the subject, and be polite, or be a little more
aware, and work it out, finding rules and obeying them, or even just
agreeing to disagree.
so can we come to some to some sort of consensus as to what to do about
this? i dislike unreflective conflict.
justin
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon May 28 2001 - 09:56:18 MDT