James

[font="Palatino Linotype"]This looks so bad that it might just be good.[/font]

[quote name='eleanor' date='01 August 2010 - 08:42 AM' timestamp='1280612529' post='698369'] therein lie the seeds of racism and more support for my economy breeds racism argument that reply wasn't directed at you btw, it was a general statement [/quote] [font="Palatino Linotype"]The only question I'd ask, though, is that if Gavin's example is an indicator of what breeds racism...then who do you blame for that? Nigerian scammers or non-Nigerian people who try to avoid Nigerian scammers? (And who, in doing so, probably end up avoiding many perfectly innocent, above-board taxi drivers). It is probably true to say that the "blame" may initially be caused by Nigerian scammers, but then perpetuated by those who decide to judge an entire nationality (or, worse, [i]ethnicity[/i]) on the fear that they might become a victim of scamming. The difficulty I have with this whole discussion, though, is that the definition of the word "racism" is being gradually expanded by various groups in an effort to either stifle certain kinds of debate, or in an effort to provide cover for certain kinds of apologists. To go back to the fear of Islam in Europe: this is often cited (especially by the usual ambassadors of extreme political correctness) as "Islamophobia", which itself now seems to have become intrinsically tied in with racism. The attempt to link these two very different points of view is very deliberate, but also very misleading. I say this because it should seem obvious to say that "Islam" has absolutely nothing to do with ethnicity. The worst you could say is that Islam is bound up with nationality - but even then, you would be betraying significant ignorance about Islam. To be against Islam is not to be against the Middle East or to be against a particular ethnicity - it is, rather, to be opposed to a [i]religion[/i] and a set of [i]religious ideas[/i] or even cultural ideas. To go further, it is true to say that I am personally opposed to pretty much all religions, at least on the most fundamental basis. So if you wanted to insult me by calling me, say, a "Mormonophobe", then you may very well be making a legitimate observation. But being a Mormonophobe has everything to do with opposing a particular religion, rather than actually believing that a certain group of people are inherently inferior for hereditary reasons. I say this because it is just valuable to remember what racism actually is and what it really means. To be racist, you have to essentially believe that races have distinctive cultural characteristics that are based on heredity, therefore demonstrating that one race is intrinsically superior to another. Actually believing something that absurd is very different than trying to have a pragmatic discussion about something like illegal immigration. As I said earlier, those who simply label everything as racist are sometimes guilty of perpetrating a kind of "reverse racism" themselves. If we're to actually achieve any kind of genuine equality, I think we do have to step back from that and try to take a more pragmatic attitude in general.[/font]

[quote name='Heaven's Cloud' date='30 July 2010 - 02:57 PM' timestamp='1280462234' post='698263'] [color=indigo] One of the biggest problems with passing any law in the US is getting past the crybaby special interest groups that cry discrimination and racism regardless of the bill. It is a real mind**** that is constantly targeted by our media. I actually think that this is part of the reason why so many other "first world" nations think our country is so racist. Growing up I sure thought the US was full of them. However, after doing quite a bit of international traveling, I have realized that we have our fair share of bigots, but damn, some of these so called progressive European countries trump us one hundred times over. [/color] [/quote] [font=palatino linotype]It's interesting you say that. I think the irony is that sometimes American attitudes are [i]so[/i] sensitive to race, that this itself creates a race problem. It's kind of like a reverse-racism scenario. There's an episode of South Park that exemplifies this beautifully. From memory, they have a school teacher who is disfigured in a very obvious way and, in an effort to be ultra-P.C., they throw a parade in her honour and they go out of their way to make her feel "special". The irony, of course, is that in pursuing this very noble goal, they actually place great emphasis on her entirely superficial difference. In turn, this makes her very uncomfortable and gives her a heightened awareness of that superficial difference. In my country, there are certainly racist people. But in all honesty, I suspect some Americans would be quite horrified by some of the things we have on TV or some of the things we do in daily life that they would perceive as racist. The problem is not that these things are [i]actually[/i] racist, but that they are being viewed through a very two dimensional prism. This comes back to the point I made earlier about debates, especially political debates. While it's very fair to point out the racial dimension of a given debate, it can also be far too easy to shut down constructive, practical discussion by simply labeling a subject or a person "racist". Sometimes this tactic mirrors the very intolerance that it ostensibly opposes.[/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]I personally wouldn't compare the illegal immigrant situation to the prison population. I actually think the two are very different. The illegal immigrant population of America will always be made up of a large majority of people who have come from south of the border - that's just a simple statistical point. I don't think that the breakdown of the prison population can be compared on that basis, though. Having said that - and without getting into a specific debate about these laws - even as a citizen I'd feel more than a bit uncomfortable if a police officer was always asking me to "show my papers". Even if I have nothing to hide, there's something a little sinister about the idea. Maybe that's just me, though. *shrug*[/font]

[quote name='CaNz' date='30 July 2010 - 12:18 PM' timestamp='1280452721' post='698244'] if they want to route out all illegal immigrants than i dont think we should stop with Hispanics... if we want to stop this then we should do it 100% of the way. make everyone everywhere show papers... or no one at all. [/quote] [font=palatino linotype]This is what Heaven's Cloud said about it:[/font] [quote]It requires that all immigrants carry immigration paper or have a current application in process (which an immigrant receives paperwork for), not just the brown ones.[/quote] [font=palatino linotype]Assuming that's true, then obviously a specific ethnic group are not targeted. Of course, if one ethnic group makes up the majority of illegal immigrants, then they will encounter these laws more often than others - that's just an obvious mathematical point. But I can understand that if one group is in the majority by default, there will always be a risk of a racist element (i.e. especially with some police who are enforcing the laws).[/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]As somebody who is a complete outsider (and therefore I don't have the deeper understanding that many Americans have), my comments probably aren't very valuable. But I did want to make a couple of quick observations. First and foremost, I think it is entirely possible that there is a racial dimension to Arizona's laws or at least this may be a factor when it comes to some of the private citizens who are pushing for these tougher restrictions. I'm sure we've all seen blatant examples of that. However, I do think one has to be careful about simply labeling various large groups as racist, or being racially motivated. Those kinds of statements have the effect of disabling any real debate and they also over-simplify what is obviously a complex question. After participating in conversations about Islam and its influence on western society recently, I have become very conscious of the tendency to immediately discuss issues as being about race, when that is not necessarily the case (or at least, not the whole case). It is obvious that discussions about border protection are pretty much always going to relate to the U.S.'s southern border - not for race reasons necessarily, but for obvious practical purposes. In that context, there are certainly going to be people who are racially motivated and there are going to be people who can only see the debate in racial terms. Unfortunately - and again, this is an outsider talking - I think sometimes the back-and-forth over race can not only distract from the issue, but it can also prevent serious politicians from coming up with realistic and pragmatic solutions. The second point I quickly want to make is simple. Quite a few of the people who are in favor of extreme measures (like literally shipping everyone back to Mexico and building a giant wall) actually remind me of those who have similarly extreme views on things like abortion or drug control. They do not see the world as it is, but rather, as they want it to be. I keep hearing people saying "but we have to uphold our laws!" - and that's fine, but this kind of argument is often made in a reality vacuum as well. Even if you want to actually ship millions of people out of a country (and if you actually think that this is morally and ethically acceptable), you still can't escape the practical implications of such an approach. The reality is that any solution to this problem will likely be as complex as the problem itself. And there's no doubt in my mind that it will involve serious compromise on all sides. [/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]I agree with much of what has been said here. I also agree that the criticism of the U.S. government in terms of its response to the gulf oil spill is, at best, misplaced. You can criticise the lack of regulation or inspection leading up to the spill - that is reasonable. But I don't quite understand why so many people seem to be expecting President Obama to personally fly down and plug the oil spill with his bare hands or something - I'm just not sure what people expect the president to do post-spill, other than apply substantial pressure to BP. It's ironic that some Americans don't think government has any responsibility for healthcare, yet they expect government to bear so much responsibility for an enormous natural disaster. Weird.[/font] [quote]But I am tired of the Nigerias, the Darfurs, and the Rawnadas.[/quote] [font=palatino linotype]You'll find, in the case of the Rwanda genocide at least, that it was actually a major western church that played a very substantial role in supporting the violence. Sometimes western involvement in the internal politics of African countries creates an initial problem that we must then sometimes take responsibility for (in some measure) later on. In any case, I'm of mixed view when it comes to Nigerian oil. On the one hand, if you are a big purchaser of their oil, I think it's fair to expect you to have some involvement in how that oil is procured and to be involved with the associated risks to a degree. On the other hand, it's very easy to actually blame America or any other western power for what is essentially a domestic law and order problem. Sure, support the Nigerian government to do its job - but be prepared to blame that government when the money disappears through a complex system of corruption, rather than being used to ensure the safety of oil lines.[/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]I've just been playing Majora's Mask on Wii and, speaking of graphics...wow. It's easy to forget how terribly Nintendo 64 games have aged. When sitting next to Twilight Princess, the difference is quite remarkable. Haha. That doesn't stop it being a great game, of course, but it does highlight how quickly 3D graphics age (especially from the previous two generations).[/font]

[quote name='chibi-master' date='27 July 2010 - 05:18 PM' timestamp='1280211526' post='697980'] Ah, such a tragedy, no? The epitome of American-ness living in a place that is so totally not American. I salute you, James. [/quote] [font="Palatino Linotype"]Yeah, I know... I'm being as American as I can be in foreign territory. At least now it's looking a bit more summery here though. So at least we're trying. [/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]I'm not very knowledgeable about manga piracy, but it seems obvious that no matter what attempts are made to close down sites and/or individuals who scan copyrighted material, there's also an underlying need to improve the delivery system for manga. I absolutely can't imagine sitting and reading a full manga or comic on my computer screen, in the same way that I can't imagine reading a novel on my computer. But I'd certainly buy either or both for my iPad, especially if the price is lower (ala iTunes Music Store). While the adoption of digital platforms is still taking some time even for western publishers, it seems to me that the publishers listed in this topic need to get their heads around this concept. Digital distribution would allow for lower prices [i]and[/i] it would allow publishers to release more material in English than they otherwise might. Perhaps after a few big attempts at plugging the holes created by pirates, these companies may come to the realisation that a multi-pronged approach is required (including an approach that actually provides a solid compromise between the need to earn revenue and the need for better accessibility on the part of consumers).[/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]We're finally getting to a point where it's sunny at 5pm. Thank god winter is nearing an end here![/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]Welcome, everyone. I hope you enjoy your stay. If you need help with anything, you should first try the Soapbox forum and then the Help page (you can find the link on the nav bar at the top of the site). Failing those two things, feel free to send me a private message or an email at any time and I'll do my best to help you. [/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]I think the nerdiest thing I've ever done is buy a Virtual Boy (I could understand buying one new, but buying one fifteen years later? And in a country it was never released in? Ugh). Even I can hardly stand the nerdiness of that.[/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]I've kept most of my PMs over the years, so I still have a huge amount of v3-related stuff. Unfortunately all the pre-v3 stuff was lost. (Well, [i]fortunately[/i], in many cases, haha).[/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]Yep, you are right about that. Orange and blue are complimentary colours, which is why they are used so regularly. From a design perspective, they "work" together extremely well. Then again, I think white and blue is used just as regularly - but perhaps for different reasons. The difficulty we had with OB XL is that we did not have time to design our own custom skins (and historically, OB has nearly always had a custom skin design). That is partly why this version of OB has a bit of an alien feel for a lot of people. So with that said, the choice was either a) just leave the default IPB skin or b) invest in some designer skins. I chose the latter. Once we've done our next upgrade - which itself will be quite large - we'll be in a position to go back to producing full custom skins again. [/font]

[quote name='Inuyasha Fandom' date='21 July 2010 - 06:39 PM' timestamp='1279697949' post='697574'] Hump war????? Do I want to know???? [/quote] [font=palatino linotype]Three words: Big Pappa Hump. His infamy is probably second only to Shinji.[/font]

[quote name='Blue' date='21 July 2010 - 03:27 PM' timestamp='1279686461' post='697567'] Did someone say S&M? *Eyes start getting bigger* [/quote] [font="Palatino Linotype"]Un-widen those eyes! On a totally unrelated subject, my family is planning a big surprise present for my little sister this weekend. That should be fun. Whenever we're planning something she always seems to be oblivious about it. I've never actually planned a surprise party as such, but I've planned some big surprise gifts. I love doing that. :D[/font]

[quote name='Heaven's Cloud' date='21 July 2010 - 02:25 PM' timestamp='1279682719' post='697564'] [color=indigo]Really? I thought your banner was meant to show your extreme passion of American themed S&M. C'mon you can't tell me that guy doesn't have a zippered leather mask in his hand off shot. [/color] [/quote] [font=palatino linotype]Normally I'd agree with you...but then, this:[/font] [quote name='CaNz']what are you talking about? the only acronyms he understands are [size="5"][b][size="7"][color="#ff0000"]U[/color][/size][size="7"][color="#c0c0c0"]S[/color][/size][size="7"][color="#0000ff"]A[/color][/size]![/b][/size][/quote]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]I think it takes real manliness to use a Hamtaro banner. You're only girly if you have a banner like mine, which obviously covers up some serious insecurities.[/font]