Newsweek

  • vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org
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    1 year ago

    No, if you kill everybody on the other side, you don’t have to sit and talk. Or if you can kill enough so that they’ll themselves guess what you want and give it to you so that you wouldn’t kill the rest.

    This quote ignores the issue of sociopaths, which may constitute up to 10% of people in every group.

    So to prevent bloodshed you have to be strong enough to defend yourself. No other way.

    Weapons usable in war should be as easy to get as notebooks and pens. Or at least as smartphones. Then we’ll see some kind of peace (the medieval way, there’ll be more small-scale violence, but less large-scale violence as in war, and less death all things considered).

    • Akasazh@feddit.nl
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      1 year ago

      Weapons usable in war should be as easy to get as notebooks and pens. Or at least as smartphones. Then we’ll see some kind of peace

      The one country in which this is a reality shows the exact opposite. There’s more small scale hun violence in the USA as any other place in the world. It’s not even close.

      • vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org
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        1 year ago

        I think you’ve just demonstrated inability to read. I literally said that there’ll be more crime with such instruments involved, but fewer large-scale wars.

        And I wasn’t talking about small arms, I was talking about FPV drones, small mortars and other such things.

        • steltek@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          You were applying “a well armed society is a polite society” to geopolitics. I disagree. Weapons are what you fall back on after all the other options have failed. A “ballot box, jury box, ammo box” sort of deal.

          Education and tolerance are the tools of peace. If your leaders are extremists who can’t compromise, pointing fingers for who you should hate more, jump to labels and teams, and issue ultimatums rather than dialogue, then you are on a road to war.

          • vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org
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            1 year ago

            Weapons are what you fall back on after all the other options have failed.

            Again you may, others may not think this way. It takes only one side to start a war.

            Education and tolerance are the tools of peace.

            Because real education and real tolerance make you stronger in war.

            If your leaders are extremists who can’t compromise, pointing fingers for who you should hate more, jump to labels and teams, and issue ultimatums rather than dialogue, then you are on a road to war.

            You are also on a road to war indefinitely if this is how the neighboring society’s leaders are.

        • Akasazh@feddit.nl
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          1 year ago

          Yeah if there’s anything the united states isn’t involved with its large scale wars…

            • Akasazh@feddit.nl
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              1 year ago

              You see the main weapon of war is capital. It’s hideously expensive to wage war, that’s why it’s not for individuals. Whatever weapons you have you won’t have the ability to wage any kind of war against your country of origin. Whatever weapons you buy.

              • vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org
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                1 year ago

                It’s hideously expensive to wage war, that’s why it’s not for individuals.

                You haven’t been paying attention in the last few years. Most effective innovations of modern war (and that’s not what Northrop-Grumman or IAI advertise, that’s what Shia combatants in Syria, Ukrainian military in, well, Ukraine, etc actually use to fight their enemies) are very cheap.

                Anyway, it’s not unheard of in history of wars for a completely outclassed economically side to emerge victorious.

    • Nine@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      This quote ignores the issue of sociopaths, which may constitute up to 10% of people in every group.

      How so? You don’t have to have empathy to see the non-human costs. Or do I not understand what you’re saying?

      Weapons usable in war should be as easy to get as notebooks and pens. Or at least as smartphones. Then we’ll see some kind of peace (the medieval way, there’ll be more small-scale violence, but less large-scale violence as in war, and less death all things considered).

      Correct me if I’m wrong. What I’m understanding from this is that your claim is that more weapons means more peace on a larger scale? I could agree, in theory, if we were still fighting with sticks and blades. However it seems like you’re claiming that making modern weapons of war accessible as notebooks and pens is the solution to large-scale violence?

      • vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org
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        1 year ago

        How so? You don’t have to have empathy to see the non-human costs. Or do I not understand what you’re saying?

        For humans, including sociopaths, costs are subjective. Wiping out their enemy completely may be preferable to having some economic gain simply due to satisfaction.

        I could agree, in theory, if we were still fighting with sticks and blades.

        Pay attention to what they use now in actual war zones. These are definitely not sticks and blades, but in many cases commodity hardware.

        Also, to be honest, typical Soviet field artillery pieces and ammunition for them are not so expensive and complex to produce or even buy. They’d still have uses.

        However it seems like you’re claiming that making modern weapons of war accessible as notebooks and pens is the solution to large-scale violence?

        Yes, because of the weaker side always being able to inflict some damage on the attacker.

        Notebooks and pens were an exaggeration, of course, and I meant not things like tanks and jets, but, again, small drones, small mortars, dumb MLRS like Soviet M-8 (“mountain Katyusha”) and similar guerilla stuff.