100,000 Protestors... Angry mobs of students...

[innerSpaceman]

Personally, I doubt I could adjust the moral-lacking society I proposed hypothetically. I was simply trying to illustrate a point about morals not being absolute. We as humans decide what is moral. There is no morality in nature.

But now I'm curious. Were tens of millions nazis, slaveholders, machete-wielding genociders?

What about the case of Abdul Rachman? He is (if he hasn't truly escaped) likely going to be executed for converting to Christianity where that's the moral standard in Afghanistan. If the Afghan muslims truly adopt that morality (rather than being complicit with in under threat of death), then who are we to say it should be otherwise in their society?

[tracilicious]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Were tens of millions nazis, slaveholders, machete-wielding genociders?

Were they what?

[scaeagles]

I thought you "tens of millions" number was just meaning a large number.

Let's say there are 30 million people in the US taking part in prostitution. I'm figuring that's pretty inflated. That's only 10 percent of the population. I would figure that there was a much higher percentage of slave owning households in the south, and pro-nazis in Germany, and machete wielding genociders in Rwanda. Whether there were (or are) tens of millions is doubtful simply due to the sizes of the populations.

I have heard the man in Afghanistan has been freed and he is in the process of trying to gain assylum in a European nation. Understandable, as I would figure he's a dead man in Afghanistan.

As far as the Afghani society, I do NOT think we have the right to tell them to change. However, political and diplomatic pressure is an every day part of international relations, so I think the efforts of our government (and various other governments) are fine.

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by tracilicious

Were they what?

He's asking if there were that many -

"Were (there) ten of millions (of people who were) nazis, slave owners, etc..."

[Alex]

Considering that the total population of the United States in 1850 (including territories) was 23,191,876 I'm guessing that no, there were not tens of millions of slaveholders.

Heck, even in the south the percentage of actual slaveholders among the white population was small (small farms generally couldn't afford them). But the percentage of people who either owned slaves or approved of the people who owned them (and would have owned them if affordable) was high.

[innerSpaceman]

Well, I was really just trying to find a significant number that would, in relation to the general population, make something ... anything ... ipso facto accepted by society. Or rather, something that - by virtue of said numbers - should be accepted by society.

I picked "tens of millions" out of my hat because - in deference to the actual topic of this thread - the estimated number of illegal immigrants currently in the U.S. is between 11 and 14 million. Is that a significant enough proportion of our population such that criminalizing them is distinctly out of whack with reality?

I suspect it is. I have a real hard time with making a felony of something that 12 million people are doing. Fortunately, I think cooler heads are going to prevail in the Senate ... and that's why we have the Senate (and why I almost think the House of Representatives should simply be abolished; it's practically an institutionalization of mob mentality).

[SzczerbiakManiac]

Originally Posted by tracilicious

My dad has his own special accent that includes, pitcher (for picture), ambliance (ambulance), antanna, waint (wait). I could go on. Annoys the living crap out of me if he uses a sentence that combines any two of those words.

Waint while I git my camera out sos I can take a pitcher of the antanna on that there ambliance!

Originally Posted by tracilicious

Your post made me think of something though. Is it supposed to be Feb-roo-ary? Because I've been saying Feb-ew-ary my entire life.

A few years ago, just out of mock protest, I started pronouncing it FEB-roo-airy. I don't know if it's correct or not, but sometimes I just like to stick-it to my mother tongue.

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

I'm glad to see any kind of protest anywhere in this country of that magnitude.

Really!?! Any protest, huh? So you'd be glad to see half a million Westboro Baptists picketing the funeral of a gay man? Or how about 500K KKK members marching through The South protesting miscegenation?

Originally Posted by scaeagles

there is a HUGE percentage of protesters who don't even know what they are protesting.

Witness the gullible throngs who blithely sigh petitions banning dihydrogen monoxide.

Penn & Teller: Bullshït had a great segment on the desire for many to protest just for the sake of protesting, regardless of weather they believed in—or even understood—what was being protested.

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

What does woot mean anyways?

Other than an exultation of joy, there doesn't seem to be a consensus.

[Prudence]

w00t!

sorry, carry on.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

I suspect it is. I have a real hard time with making a felony of something that 12 million people are doing.

I suppose we'll find you on the front lines of the march to legalize wife beating then?

[Alex]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Well, I was really just trying to find a significant number that would, in relation to the general population, make something ... anything ... ipso facto accepted by society. Or rather, something that - by virtue of said numbers - should be accepted by society.

So, with the illegal immigrants we have 5% of our total population engaging in illegal immigration. I think it safe to say that at least 5% of the U.S. population was in some way involved with slavery. Should society as a whole have supported slavery. Regardless of the should, for the most part it did. But were the minority opposed to slavery wrong to promote its abolition?

Is that a significant enough proportion of our population such that criminalizing them is distinctly out of whack with reality?

Of course there is the question of whether illegal aliens should count towards the total population when considering official government policy. There are 32 million Canadians who presumably prefer a parliamentary system of government to our system. If they all took 8 steps to the south I don't think they're opinion suddenly becomes relevant.

it's practically an institutionalization of mob mentality).

But you're advocating the institution of mob mentality. Namely, that if enough people do something it is moral.