The Last to Fall

[GGT]

Metrics can be useful especially if you're interested in measuring something rather than trading annecdotes.

Crappy or not, its relevant - much more so than what else you say. So yes or no? Is humanity as cruel and violent to itself, or more so, today as it has been over its history? If Nessus is right and we have learned nothing then the answer should be obvious. Why won't you answer it?

I thought I'd answered. It's not about right or wrong, but if you prefer, I'll answer "Same".

Cultural evolution is part of the Human Condition. I don't believe humanity can't get better vis a vis cruelty and violence. I think to deny we are better today than we were 30 / 60 / 90 / 500 / 2000 years ago completely flys in the face of observed reality. And Free Will? No, we don't have Free Will, but that doesn't mean we don't change and evolve.

Then we view it differently, that's all. More lifestyles are better, more people are educated, more live longer than ever before--I already said that. We still have domestic violence, rape, murder, child molestation, road rage, chemical weapons, biological weapons, suicide bombers, etc. We know better and should behave better, we can't use the excuse of ignorance any more.


'Observed reality'? Funny you mention that, since I just turned on CNN to find a simulated exercise, a cyber attack with massive loss of electrical power (cyber.shockwave) and a panel of experts discussing the hypothetical responses. Retaliation, intelligence gathering, infrastructure collapse and rioting, civil unrest, rationing, medical triage, the whole bit.

[EyeKhan]

I thought I'd answered. It's not about right or wrong, but if you prefer, I'll answer "Same".

OH COME ON! The SAME?!?!?! Do you have any idea what went on in WW2? What about when slavery was open and legal world wide???? European colonization? What about the two-continent-spanning genocide of the native Americans from the day Columbus and crew moved into Hispanola and started using the people with less care than we use a kitchen appliance? You really think humanity is as cruel to each other today as the Romans were to their conquered people? To their slaves? With gladiators murdering and fighting to the death in the arenas for everyone's amusement? Their criminals nailed to crosses? Genocide use to be the rule for settling human differences, today its very much the excption.

We still have domestic violence, rape,

A hundred years ago women were still treated as property everywhere, not just the "backward" cultures of the world. You think Western Culture's about the same in that regard as it was 100, 300 or more years ago?????

chemical weapons,

except in ww1 they actually USED them. BIG difference than just keeping them in a warehous somewhere as a detterant.

We know better and should behave better,

We DO behave better, on balance. A LOT better.

'Observed reality'? Funny you mention that, since I just turned on CNN to find a simulated exercise, a cyber attack with massive loss of electrical power (cyber.shockwave) and a panel of experts discussing the hypothetical responses. Retaliation, intelligence gathering, infrastructure collapse and rioting, civil unrest, rationing, medical triage, the whole bit.

This has no bearing on actual mutual human cruelty. Its emergency preparedness ffs. Not actually DOING it.