elfpirate

I wanted to pose this question because someone recently described himself to me as a nerd, but when I asked him what it was that made him decide that he was a nerd, I got no reply. Hmmm... Plus- there's the old stereotype that anime and games' fans are nerds, as well...though I don't understand why. When I was in middle school, it was the fashion-challenged, grades- obsessed kids that everyone picked on...(in other words- I was a nerd...) I don't remeber the word being used after middle school, though... SO- what makes someone a nerd? Is it a tangible thing or is it a state of mind or what?

[QUOTE=doukeshi03. Everything is a shade of grey, Evil and Good are just the product of fairytales and childrens books. Grow up. Okay- I'm not an idiot- I understand that good and evil are relative and subjective concepts- I wasn't really intending people to define good or evil for me. So thanks... And I don't wanna grow up so nyah! :p Seriously, though- I'm well aware of the perspective issue... that's actually why I started this topic... to check out the different perspectives of our species... I was interested in finding out where people saw the human race on the "good vs evil" spectrum of things. And I know that all individuals make their choices throughout life, good or bad...free will and all that...we've all explored both sides of the spectrum, haven't we? So do you think (based on YOUR OWN definitions of good and evil actions/choices/etc) that the human race more often chooses or acts in an evil manner or a good manner--overall?

DDarko is one of my favorite movies...though I had a hard time with his (Jake's, of course) character because he's A LOT like my *sniffles sadly* ex-boyfriend used to be, and it made me want to bring my bf back... but he is gone forever from this existence... "Why are you wearing that stupid rabbit suit?" "Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?"

*HEH*- Cat Stevens... I used to be into his music... seems like a long time ago. I find it ironic that he went from writing things such as Peace Train to putting bounties on the heads of authors for their "infidel" content- yeah, somehow, paying someone to kill an author for their freedom of speech, etc... doesn't quite mesh with what he was saying when he recorded "Peace Train". Last I heard, he was in hiding because the goverment wanted to question him about possible Al-Quaida links... because Cat was converted to a Muslim extremist religion or something (which was why he had raised a bounty on said-author's head- the book went against his new religious beliefs). If you were just curious about the music, however, I can't deny that he once wrote some good songs...

I'm addicted to Inuyasha...I'll admit... It would have been great fun to have been a part of the creation of the show. I am not, however, one of those obsessive fanatics who will be ruined for months if Inuyasha ends up with a girl other than the one they wanted him to. Personally, the only female I really like on the show is Sango...so I don't really care who Inuyasha ends up with. It would be fine with me if he remained a bachelor and continued to smite demons...

OK- this topic is getting muddied, I admit. The question was referring to the entirety of the human race- no single culture, religion, race, or individual-- and it was posed as inherent human traits... so, individual examples are unnecessary, and I should have PMed my response about Hitler instead of posting it here. My bad... So... here's another way of looking at the question- if aliens were trying to decide whether or not we as humans were good or evil as a whole, and they were going to destroy us if we were deemed to be evil by our very nature and spared if we were decidedly good by nature, would we be annihilated or not?

[QUOTE=doukeshi03 [B]Adolf Hitler [/B] was not an evil man, he just did evil things. *Ahem*-- I'm sorry, but if Hitler wasn't evil, then "good" and "evil" do not exist... or, at least, good and evil no longer have any relavent meaning, because Hitler's deeds were evil, yes- but his deeds were determined by his will and his desires... and by who he was--EVIL. Is there a more prime example of evil than someone such as Adolph Hitler? I mean, have you ever seen evil incarnate itself more distinctly than was seen in Hitler? I think it's not only crazy to claim that he wasn't evil, but also disrespectful to the victims and families of the Holocaust. I think that if I could transport you through time and send you to the center of Dachau or Auscwitz (sorry 'bout the spelling) ,or any of the other camps,so you could see, smell, and hear the horrors of Hitler first-hand, you would see where I'm coming from on this. Hitler was evil- and I don't think anyone can sway me from that opinion. I'm deeply offended by the claim that he was not. "Stripped of our culture- Robbed of our names Raped of our freedom And thrown into the flames... Torn from our families Taken from our homes Torn from our god And burned of our bones- Never again... ...baby clenched tight to her chest, cryin' who would have guessed-dyin' another life lost to count the cost another body gassed, burned and tossed in the Holocaust never again..."

Hmm... I've gotta give this a go as well...or I'd have to change my screen name :smirk: In the dark o' the alleyways of this blighted town, I caught site of a sailor in shackles. Bein' that 'e was tresspassing me sleeping quarters, I gave him a kick in 'is trousers to wake him. "Oi!" says I..."Who be you to take claim of one's bed?" 'E says not a word, but smiles and holds out 'is shackled hands in an apology. "You're a sailor- that is as plain as your scurvy carcass" says I,"but ye must be also a pirate, for no other reason would a sailor in these parts be shackled". "Aye" 'e answers, cautiously. "I will loose your shackles if it would guarantee passage on your ship. I myself have lost me crew- they were captured by the armada and hanged as entertainment and as warning to all pirates. So allow me aboard, and I will release ye. Deny me passage, and I will leave you shackled... to be hunted and hanged." "Gladly, I accept" said 'e "but only because we are in need of crew. I could get to me ship by me onesies, shackled or no". And so I have gained passage on me next ship... with a new crew. I will be glad to leave these shores and be at the ropes and riggings again... not to mention leaving behind the waiting gallows as me captain had not destroyed the ship's manifest before our vessel was seized and I will be hunted as the only pirate of the vessel unaccounted for. They'll be thirstin' for vengence and for a taught rope to accompany me neck... and this bein' the first port they'll be looking to find me in... I'm at home again as the sails are hoisted and begin to billow. I don't care much about the scurvy or the starving... it's the running out of rum and grog that gets to me... and the fear that I could be hanged at any port... so I says to meself: "Out of port and back at sea- no noose to hang (for all to see)- the wind is strong and sea is fair- the grog is good- the rum is rare- it's a pirate's life for me!"

Tee hee! Blanko's story reminded me of one of my less- dramatic stories of rescue/survival. I was about 5 years old and my parents had taken my brothers and me to a zoo. Like an idiot, I was climbing up on the stone walls that run along the edge of the cages, and had turned my back to the pack of panthers on the other side of the wall to ask one of my parents something. The next thing I knew, my dad had ahold of the collar of my shirt and was violently yanking me down from the wall. At that precise moment, I heard an angry growl from behind me... one of those panther "screams"... I turned my head, and the panther was swatting the air where the back of my neck had been just a split second before that. My dad said that the panther had crouched and then lunged at me... he moved me just in time... There were bars there, but they were far enough apart for the panther to put it's paws and legs through, so it could have easily gored me through the bars. It's not very dramatic, but, oh,well... I've got a lot of survival stories and not enough time... I'll post more later... I just had to throw this one in because I had forgotten about it until I read Blanko's post.

RIP... It's truly a loss after so many years of brilliance... When Johnny announced his retirement years ago, the El Paso news team was filming the public reaction to the announcement, and they asked my dad how he felt and his answer was something along the lines of "the man is irreplaceable... and 30 years of his entertainment just isn't enough...he will be greatly missed" Emphysema is a horrid way to go- we can all be reassured that his suffering has ended...

I already have a boy, and, although I could love a girl just as much as I love my son, I was glad that I had a son, because I think my personality is more like a guy's and I would probably screw up a little girl... because I just can't get into Barbie's and lace and crap like that. I much prefer being able to take my son along skateboarding and sparring with him and things like that in comparison to dance recitals and tea parties... not that gender prevents anyone from doing those things, but society puts a lot of pressure on little girls to act like little girls... And I should know- I was teased mercilessly for playing with my GIJoes and for hanging my one and only doll with a jumprope... after cutting off all her hair... and I got into many fights for taking up skateboarding and other "non-traditional" activities for my gender. Having a son just makes it easier for both of us to bond... and to find activities that we both really enjoy. I think I'd have to tone down my aggressive nature a lot and learn how to do the more girlie things... unless my daughter ended up being a lot like me... If I ever choose to have another child, it won't matter what gender they are, but I'll be glad to have learned to be a good parent with a son first.

I, too, am a huge fan of The Princess Bride, [and pirates in general--note the screen name ;) ] so this immediately caught my attention, though I must admit, I am new to both RPG's and computers in general, so you might have to put up with some general stupidity from me. I would like to join as: Name: Rowan Macpherson Age: 17 Gender: female Role: sea dog (possibly the True Love?) Specialties: Swordsmaster, stealth, and expert of weapons and infiltration Weapons: Though proficient with any weapon, her duel swords are her weapons of choice. Appearance: Beautiful as a young woman, though she bears a scar across her cheek and brow, and is able to disguise herself quite well as a male, despite her beauty. Personality: Mysterious and quiet, though extremely intelligent. She is always there when her crew needs her and tends to watch over them vigilantly even when they don't realize that she's there. She would give her life for her crew in an instant, though there are few that can match her in her skill, and it is unlikely that she would be bested in battle. She is loyal to her shipmates, but lethal to her enemies... and not one to be trifled with. Bio:Orphaned at a young age, Rowan (out of necessity for survival) learned quickly the art of stealth and theivery... an art that she had nearly mastered when she was unexpectedly caught by one of her victims. After beating her rather harshly and leaving her with a scar across her cheeck and brow, the man then took pity on her for her malnourished and pathetic state. He decided to take her in and nurse her back to health. During that time, he became attached to her and decided that he would train her in weaponry. Seeing her as an adopted daughter, he feared for her life if she were ever captured by someone less forgiving than himself, and knew that if she were going to survive, she would have to know how to properly defend herself. She trained under him for several years until the old man fell ill and died. Having nowhere else to go, she took a job on the docks and quickly fell in love with both the sea and the ships that sailed them. She made up her mind to set out to sea and leave her homeland and all of her painful memories behind. She knew that the sailors would never allow her on their ships, as females were considered bad luck on any sea voyage, so she disguised herself as a boy and joined a crew bound for a whale-hunting voyage in Greenland. In the middle of the night, their ship came under attack by the Dread Pirate Robert's and his crew. She fought to the teeth, and was the only member of her crew that was spared- simply out of respect for her fighting prowess and expert swordsmanship. The pirates took her on as one of their own, though haven't yet discovered that she is female. She keeps her secret, believing that she will be killed if her identity is discovered. She soons becomes an indispensible member of the crew and is well-respected ( and somewhat feared) by all of her ship-mates-- and dreaded by their victims for her skills. She discovers that piracy is like second-nature to her and takes to it immediately. She is quite mysterious, however, and doesn't speak a whole lot to anyone, lest her voice reveal her gender. Although this bothers her shipmates a bit, they know that she is an excellent pirate and that they can count on her in any situation. They constantly try to get her to share her thoughts but she rarely says a word. After a while, they learn to read her expressions quite well and seem to understand what she's thinking... but they constantly try to get her to open up and speak...or to join in a shantie... but they know when to stop pushing her when they see a flash of irritation behind her eyes (- she is not one to be messed with...) Her crew is always being startled by her presence... suddenly, they'll catch sight of her sitting in the darkness, watching the sea or the stars... and they'll swear that she wasn't there a second ago... though she had been sitting there for quite some time... just watching everything around her... as silent as the shadows themselves... She loves and respects her shipmates deeply ( after all... they've become her family), but she won't reveal her feelings to anyone... at least not intentionally...

Perhaps the oil companies are testing us to see where we'll draw the line... and trying to see how much they can rob us for... before we absolutely rebel and decide that we're just going to walk the grueling, laborious 5 blocks to the neighborhood store... ;)

I was thinking about the "Would you help or not" thread, and it made me wonder about the flip side of the question. Have you ever had someone rescue you? I also wanted to know what kind of survival stories were out there... you know- have you ever come close to dying or had to escape a seriously frightening situation? Don't forget to tell what the situation was and how you were able to survive it...

When I was a wee lass I collected beach glass and sea shells...it was always a treat to find the little pieces of ceramics that had washed up on shore. I also collected Hello Kitty stuff... purchased at this little shop in Hilo, mostly... and I collected stuffed animals. Hundreds of them- which I gave names and personalities to and invented elaborate stories about. And GIJoe stuff- lots and lots of GIJoe stuff... GO JOE! These days, I collect Raggedy Anne and Andy dolls(- the antique variety), video games, musical instruments (I can play pretty much anything), and different kinds of cloth and material to make clothes out of. I would collect more Star Wars stuff and movie posters (of the horror variety) but I don't have anywhere to put them right now to keep them safe because the house I live in right now is not my own... Video games are the only "collection" that I put any money into, though... and occasionally some music equipment...when I'm feeling a little manic and have some cash in me pocket. I agree with some of the others that it's wierd to collect things that you don't do something with. I make art out of my dolls, play my video games, and play my musical instruments until my fingers are raw...

I'm a descendent of Florence Nightingale (my mom's maiden name was Nightingale, so that one was easy to trace) and my great grandmother was a Kennedy... yeah...THOSE Kennedys... it made it rather disturbing to watch my relative get his brains blown out over and over in History class... And I guess one of my Scotch-Irish ancestors was a famous (or possibly infamous) military general/ mercenary... there's a huge museum somewhere in Scotland or Ireland that was built in his honor and bears my last name. Other than that, I'm not sure because much of my family's history lay hidden from me and from my parents... a lot of information was unshared and carried to the grave as a secret to never be revealed... like the true identity of my paternal great-grandmother, who was ostracized and rejected by my forebears because she was Cherokee and they were racist ****s. There are many lies regarding who people really were in my family... [COLOR=DarkRed]Be careful about the language. I edited out a word since it is inappropriate for the boards. Thanks! ~Panda[/COLOR]

[QUOTE=Baron Samedi][ Then again, if you've put up with it for a few years, why is it bothering you so much now? Because now I have a nice tattoo across the back of my left hand which will eventually end up with a blotch of scar tissue through the design if I don't do something to prevent it. Otherwise, I wouldn't really care... it's not like it hurts terribly bad or anything... I don't want to ruin one of my artworks with another of my art forms... that's all...

Hmmm... I guess I'd have to admit that I watch it every time it's on, and I think Ed is a great character... and the alchemy theme is really cool... but I agree with some of you that the plot is a bit mundane... and (this will anger some of you) I can't stand Al's character. He annoys me greatly... he's whiney and I hate it when he interferes as the voice of reason when Ed is losing his temper or freaking out... Basically, I think he's a little too "goodie two shoes" for my liking... Overall, however, I do like FMA a helluve lot and never miss an episode...

I lucked out and have a father who, to this day, still loves cartoons and anime... so I first started watching anime when I was about 9 years old... when we moved back to the mainland and finally lived in a house with electricity and running water :D . My dad rented a few anime back then and my brothers and I really got into it after that.

Alright- I said I would eventually give my opinion, so here goes- After being around many children as they grow and form their personalities, I would have to say that we are designed in a perfect balance of good and evil. For example, a small child or infant has the capacity to love deeply without instruction...but also has the capacity to hurt others without remorse when they are angry. Both seem to be instinctual in nature... and, yeah, environment will shape a person's personality and rid the person of that balance for better or worse, but I do believe that we are designed to be both good and evil... I believe that a child that grows up in isolation from all people will retain that balance... I also believe that it is unhealthy to refuse to acknowledge either trait within ourselves...because there is some of both in all of us...no matter how hard some people try to rid themselves of one side or the other. You can find evil within the most good-natured and you can find good within the most evil...you just have to know how to look for it...

That's strange...I was thinking that there are actually considerably more females on the boards than there are males...I guess we'll find out, neh?

I doubt this thread will get too many responses, but I only need one practical response from someone who knows what I'm talking about...so I'm posting it anyway... When I train with my 'chucks, the pivot pieces pinch and scratch the webbed part of my hands (the part between my thumbs and forefingers). It happens when I do the open-handed free spin around the hands thing... Do any of you know what I can do to make it stop tearing up my hands or if I have to tape my hands before I train or what? I figured that my hands would just toughen up after a while (like how your knuckles callous after shredding them numerous times on a punching bag) but they haven't done so, and I've been training for a couple years now...just putting up with it... There's no one to ask in my lame *** community, so I thought I'd ask you guys...

I don't know if you could classsify my clothing style or not... Hmm... I have blue dreads, piercings, and tattoos, so I almost chose the "punk" classification, but I wear clothes similar to Ayame's from Tenchu WOH... yeah...bracers and all... I even wear a knife and my nunchukkas on my person when I leave the house... my throwing knife fits into a sheath that's built into my left bracer... (For those of you who don't know what bracers are, they're the armour that sheilds your forearms... mine happen to be made of leather...though some are made of metal and other materials.) I like to wear soft, flexible shoes, so I prefer the old school Vans... but I sometimes wear knee-high boots. If it's cold out, I wear my punk hoodie with all the patches and the "Goonies" logo and my 1980's-printed GIJoe hat... I sew most of my own clothes myself, because you just can't buy the kind of stuff I like to wear... and I just got sick of looking. I decided that if I couldn't find exactly what I wanted, I'd make it myself. So as far as classifying my style, it's definitely my own. Makes it hard to find work in this narrow-minded community, though... :(

[QUOTE=doukeshi03][COLOR=DimGray][SIZE=1]Curious choice of wording [i]pacifist[/i] or [i]warrior[/i]. Does the term warrior apply to everyone who enjoys violence over a peaceful way of sorting out problems? Does it include thugs who wander around in packs looking for a fight? I personally wouldn't describe these people as 'warriors' However, that wasn't the question. Can't you be both? Can't you be both a pacifist and a so-called 'warrior'? I HAD to respond to these questions... they're great... and I'm glad that you asked them. No, thugs and warmongers do not fall under the category of "warrior" as far as I'm concerned, as the term "warrior" (to me) implies a sense of honor and justice... and the true warrior will only fight when it is the only option left to them. And, no, I don't think you can be both, because I'm pretty sure that a pacifist will refuse to fight even when the cause is just...I think that they hold fast to the belief that every situation can be solved peacefully no matter what the circumstances. I hope that answers your questions satisfactorily...I'm aware of my habit to assume that everyone's cognitive definitions are the same...it's a terrible habit that gets me into trouble a lot of the time...sorry for not being more clear when posting the thread. --that damnable pirate--

In your opinion, are humans inherently good or evil and why? I'll give you my opinion... but first, I want to see some of your thoughts on the subject. :angel: / :devil: Edit: I asked about INHERENT good or evil- in other words, by design, are we good or evil...or, for you religious-type people who believe that god created humans, did he create them to be good or evil by nature (not by the choices they make)?