I'm sure the people in the middle east just love our soldiers being there.
I probably used the wrong word, I should have said "outside assistance" instead of "outside intervention". I'm not at all a supporter of invading a country to "bring freedom" to it. But if there's an uprising brewing in a country and the rebels are requesting assistance, it should be given to them (provided the revolution is for a just cause).
In any case, my point was more that you can't just give everyone a gun and expect a happy ending. Much more important is organization. This is one reason why I find nonviolent resistance preferable: it can work without organization, with lots of isolated "cells" working to change the system from within. Properly organized, it could be even more successful.
Not that I'm planning a revolution or anything, but if I did, I'd shy away from violence.
For some reason, what now comes to my mind is the Occupy incident where cops were repeatedly pepper-spraying (it's a food product, essentially ) nonviolent, sitting protesters in their faces.
I seriously think that those protesters should have been allowed means to defend themselves from this. I mean, sure, it's the police and the police are tasked by society to protect us, but what do we do when they overstep their authority? Yes, we can record their actions now with cell phone cameras, but if that wasn't a cop you could have beat the tar out of him for spraying you for no reason.
if that wasn't a cop you could have beat the tar out of him for spraying you for no reason.
Well, actually... even then it wouldn't be legal to do so in most places. You're allowed to defend yourself to a reasonable degree, but usually kicking the living daylights out of someone is considered to be a bridge too far.
In any case, what you'd have to do is gather evidence (for instance by filming with cell phones, as you said) and present that to a judge. Then you hope for the best. It's not an ideal system, but way better than some sort of Wild West, where you shoot first and ask questions later (or not at all).
EA were promoting real-world weapon sales off the back of their new Medal of Honor game, which totally respects the soldier. What does everyone make of all this?
The promotion was part of an initiative known as Project Honor, a partnership between EA and, according to its website , "many elite weapon and gear manufacturers who equip the Special Operations Community" to sell weaponry and other gear to raise money for veteran's organizations.
When Project Honor was first announced in June, EA made the partnerships clear but did not elaborate on what each of the partnered brands would be selling either through their own websites or through the "Medal of Honor" website itself.
"Through unique partnerships program with EA for 'Medal of Honor Warfighter,' elite weapon and gear manufacturers who equip the Special Operations community, including Kaenon, London Bridge Trading, Magpul, SureFire, Mechanix Wear and others, will donate to the Navy SEAL Foundation and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation for the benefit of Project HONOR," a June 13 press release stated. "These esteemed weapon and gear manufacturers will also have their products featured in the game to help deliver the most authentic video game warfare experience this holiday season."
Oh man, that's really a bridge too far. Just look at this quote from the article:
In the essay, writer Ryan Smith explained that the gamers (or really anyone in the general public) could "visit the official website for 'Warfighter' and click on a sponsored link that will take you to McMillan, the manufacturer of the gun. There you may purchase a real-life TAC-300 to your own specification (night-vision kit is optional!) and have it shipped to your local federally licensed gun dealer for pickup."
I'm glad they decided to cancel it. Gamers are a notoriously unstable bunch, and to give them such easy access to weapons is just asking for trouble.
And on another note, if EA cares so much about veterans, why don't they just donate a portion of the revenue from each copy of the game they sell?
And on another note, if EA cares so much about veterans, why don't they just donate a portion of the revenue from each copy of the game they sell?
I totally agree with that. It would be a better sentiment and it would lead to much better press for EA. I have a feeling it was just an idea between manufacturers in both industries to mutually increase their sales and their market visibility through charity.
But combining real life gun sales with a video game brand isn't a very smart thing to do, however, charity or not, due to the fact that there is still a lot of people out there who still believe that video game violence leads to real world violence (it may not be mentioned as much after Jack Thompson's disbarment, but the widespread belief is still out there).
Comments
In any case, my point was more that you can't just give everyone a gun and expect a happy ending. Much more important is organization. This is one reason why I find nonviolent resistance preferable: it can work without organization, with lots of isolated "cells" working to change the system from within. Properly organized, it could be even more successful.
Not that I'm planning a revolution or anything, but if I did, I'd shy away from violence.
I seriously think that those protesters should have been allowed means to defend themselves from this. I mean, sure, it's the police and the police are tasked by society to protect us, but what do we do when they overstep their authority? Yes, we can record their actions now with cell phone cameras, but if that wasn't a cop you could have beat the tar out of him for spraying you for no reason.
In any case, what you'd have to do is gather evidence (for instance by filming with cell phones, as you said) and present that to a judge. Then you hope for the best. It's not an ideal system, but way better than some sort of Wild West, where you shoot first and ask questions later (or not at all).
I'm glad they decided to cancel it. Gamers are a notoriously unstable bunch, and to give them such easy access to weapons is just asking for trouble.
And on another note, if EA cares so much about veterans, why don't they just donate a portion of the revenue from each copy of the game they sell?
But combining real life gun sales with a video game brand isn't a very smart thing to do, however, charity or not, due to the fact that there is still a lot of people out there who still believe that video game violence leads to real world violence (it may not be mentioned as much after Jack Thompson's disbarment, but the widespread belief is still out there).