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Comment by homosaur | Hacker News Reader

Fascism is very effective.

It's about values and freedom. If you don't care about that, safety is easy.

Corporal punishment of petty crimes == fascism. Is that your thesis?

I believe you to be quite misinformed in your understanding of fascism, freedom, and everything else. As far as I can see, the only "freedom" on offer in the society you hint at is the freedom to not be punished effectively for your crimes.

Please, Americans: if you have to mention the word "freedom" in your argument then you are probably talking shit. Think about it.

I was hoping after editing this reply like 5 times, you were going to come up with something here...

So you only address the punishment issue, but you don't say a thing about the sham elections. And yes, I'd prefer to step in gum once a year than have some 20 year old kid get beaten because they didn't conform to my narrow societal goals.

This is the difference between the west and the east. It is a chasm in philosophy that will never be bridged.

Sham elections? What are you talking about? Corporal punishment and sham elections go hand in hand?

And have it your way. I'd prefer to ride in clean, non-vandalised trains, and the 20 year old would-be vandal was beaten after their first indiscretion, and never did it again.

Seems to be it's less an unbridgeable chasm between east and west, and more a chasm between lazy Berkeley ideology and pragmatism.

Since you're resorting to catty little twat comments, this discussion is over. Just so you know, I come from dirt farmer immigrants in the Midwest, but keep assuming stuff. It's cute when people like you try to claim some sort of superiority due to your VASTLY superior logic.

TL;DR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc0mxOXbWIU

> This is the difference between the west and the east. It is a chasm in philosophy that will never be bridged.

The US kills its own citizens without trial using hellfire missiles in drone strikes. So what's the difference?

If the US is fucked up, that makes it okay for others to be fucked up as well?

Surely you don't mean that, so I don't understand what you are trying to say here.

I was responding to his statement "This is the difference between the west and the east. It is a chasm in philosophy that will never be bridged."

If you're looking for me to defend the U.S., you're going to be looking for a very, very, very long time. I'm as anti-drone, anti-police state as you will ever find a US citizen.

BUUUUUT, I will bite on one thing.

How many Americans have been killed by drones? A handful? How many of those were actively fighting for terrorist organizations? All of them.

Now I do think it's only a matter of time before the US turns that power inwards and starts flying drones over the US. The NYPD already has drones and no one is quite sure whether they're able/willing to equip them with "non-lethal" weapons very soon, but it hasn't happened yet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Singapore

This guy above me loves the fact that people are executed for marijuana possession, which is almost completely harmless physically, of negligible harm to society, and largely beneficial to health if not abused.

LOVES IT.

> How many Americans have been killed by drones? A handful? How many of those were actively fighting for terrorist organizations? All of them.

(American born) Anwar al-Awlaki's 16-year old son was killed in a separate drone strike, 2 weeks after his father was killed. No suggestion was made that the son was guilty of anything, but that 'he should have had a more responsible father'.

> How many Americans have been killed by drones? A handful? How many of those were actively fighting for terrorist organizations? All of them.

How would you know? There were no trials.

> This guy above me loves the fact that people are executed for marijuana possession

No, I'm pretty sure he never said that, and I'm almost as sure he doesn't.

Your political opponents are not evil.

Petty crimes such as vandalism and littering are offenses against property. corporal punishment is an attack upon the person. Most people don't consider injury to property to justify injury to the person.

Large parts of the East consider injury to property, especially "public" property the same as an injury to society. Like apparently the fellow I'm debating with up here.

Are you familiar with Sinclair? I've long been a fan of his definition of the term.

As he puts it, fascism is one part capitalism and one part brutality (if I recall correctly I believe he specifies murder, but I think the relation and general sentiment is clear.)

Okay okay, we get it, you're an autocrat. You love power and the powerful. You wrap your lips around the cock of the state. Nice work.

I don't know much about Singapore, but I think it's worth pointing out that while sometimes Facism can be effective, more commonly Facism claims to be very effective, and punishes those who publicly say otherwise.

Like every political system. I suppose that the way I see it is that a fascist systems punishes in a way that is worse than the character assassination and innuendo that western democracy offers.

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