New Civil War?

[highnote]

I have seen several PA posts recently where the poster said it feels like a civil war is brewing. Sometimes I feel that way, too.

Then I read this:

A Florida man was shot on Monday after getting into a political argument on Facebook with a man he had never met before. The dispute between the two forty-something men over felon voting rights escalated in private messages with one of the men providing his home address and saying "come on over" if the other wanted to fight. The passionate social media interaction ended with one man wounded and the other facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed gun. "I'm not a bad guy," the shooter said, "but I mean, this guy threatened to hurt my family, and I went off the deep end." — SFC

I couldn't find those other posts about a civil war brewing so I started a new thread. Feel free to move this to an already opened topic.

[chadk66]

I have always said there will be another civil war. And until recently had always said not in my lifetime. Well I’m pretty confident it will happen in my lifetime. And if that’s the case I hope it’s damn soon before I’m too old to participate in it

[FantasticDan]

AWW YEAHH FRIDAY NIGHT CRACKPOTS

[highnote]

Originally Posted by FantasticDan

AWW YEAHH FRIDAY NIGHT CRACKPOTS

When one person kills another person over political views that is a civil dispute.

When tens of thousands kill each other over political views that is a civil war.

Sometimes a single killing can lead to a war.

#Austrian archduke, Franz Ferdinand
# Fort Sumter
# Crispus Attucks

[horses4courses]

I think it has more chance being played out in video games than ever
happening for real. Just plenty of vivid imaginations out there,

[highnote]

Originally Posted by horses4courses

I think it has more chance being played out in video games than ever
happening for real. Just plenty of vivid imaginations out there,

I hope so. VR tech is advancing quickly.

What I mean is that I hope there is no civil war, but that maybe someday VR will be a technology that can be used to prevent war.

[davew]

I do not know if it would be considered a civil war, but I suspect some antifa or black lives matter anti-protestors might die in their line of duty.

[highnote]

Originally Posted by davew

I do not know if it would be considered a civil war, but I suspect some antifa or black lives matter anti-protestors might die in their line of duty.

Good point. Sunday in D.C. will be closely watched.

One person was already killed in Charlotte. So there have been at least two people who have died this year in this country due to political beliefs.

[davew]

Originally Posted by highnote

Good point. Sunday in D.C. will be closely watched.

One person was already killed in Charlotte. So there have been at least two people who have died this year in this country due to political beliefs.

I suspect many more than 2, although attributed to other things.

[highnote]

Originally Posted by davew

I suspect many more than 2, although attributed to other things.

There have been deaths recently due to race relations. There have also been deaths attributed to terrorism. School shootings are mental illness related.

I suppose in a way all killings are a result of some form of mental illness because two rational people should be able to find a way to settle their differences without resorting to killing because if they don't find a solution only one of them is going to get what they want. That's a bad bet, in my opinion, because the downside risk is too big -- you might die.

On the other hand, our forefathers said, "Give me liberty or give me death." So if your political beliefs are strong enough then the possibility of dying is a risk you are willing to take. In that case, maybe risking death is a chance worth taking if the outcome is big enough? I'm not convinced it is, unless an army is invading your country and you need to protect your life and liberty.

Perhaps the Revolutionary War could have been won over the long run by sabotage and economic warfare rather than by warfare? Same with the Civil War. The North could have let the South secede without resorting to war and slavery eventually would have ended. Slavery ended in Brazil in the late 1800s and it didn't take a war to end it.

Had the South been allowed to secede it is quite possible the North and South would have reconciled after slavery ended and again formed a Union. We'll never know, but we do know the country lost a lot of good men. It is estimated that 620,000 men died in the Civil War.

It is said that 600,000 slaves were brought to the U.S. -- that's 5% of the 12 million total that were brought to the new world. Many slaves had children who were also slaves. So there must have been millions of slaves throughout the course of U.S. history.

So in the end, the tradeoff for slavery was that for every slave that came to the U.S. one soldier had to die.

It makes me wonder... would it not have been more rational to pay people a living wage for working on a plantation than to buy slaves, force them to work, and then have one soldier die for every imported slave?

Is irrationality a form of mental illness?

[chadk66]

Originally Posted by highnote

There have been deaths recently due to race relations. There have also been deaths attributed to terrorism. School shootings are mental illness related.

I suppose in a way all killings are a result of some form of mental illness because two rational people should be able to find a way to settle their differences without resorting to killing because if they don't find a solution only one of them is going to get what they want. That's a bad bet, in my opinion, because the downside risk is too big -- you might die.

On the other hand, our forefathers said, "Give me liberty or give me death." So if your political beliefs are strong enough then the possibility of dying is a risk you are willing to take. In that case, maybe risking death is a chance worth taking if the outcome is big enough? I'm not convinced it is, unless an army is invading your country and you need to protect your life and liberty.

Perhaps the Revolutionary War could have been won over the long run by sabotage and economic warfare rather than by warfare? Same with the Civil War. The North could have let the South secede without resorting to war and slavery eventually would have ended. Slavery ended in Brazil in the late 1800s and it didn't take a war to end it.

Had the South been allowed to secede it is quite possible the North and South would have reconciled after slavery ended and again formed a Union. We'll never know, but we do know the country lost a lot of good men. It is estimated that 620,000 men died in the Civil War.

It is said that 600,000 slaves were brought to the U.S. -- that's 5% of the 12 million total that were brought to the new world. Many slaves had children who were also slaves. So there must have been millions of slaves throughout the course of U.S. history.

So in the end, the tradeoff for slavery was that for every slave that came to the U.S. one soldier had to die.

It makes me wonder... would it not have been more rational to pay people a living wage for working on a plantation than to buy slaves, force them to work, and then have one soldier die for every imported slave?

Is irrationality a form of mental illness?

those are some pretty damn good points to ponder.

[boxcar]

Originally Posted by horses4courses

I think it has more chance being played out in video games than ever
happening for real. Just plenty of vivid imaginations out there,

Yeah...and those vid games and imaginations are fed with deep hatred every day -- way too much, in fact, for vid games to assuage within the haters.

[TJDave]

Originally Posted by chadk66

I have always said there will be another civil war. And until recently had always said not in my lifetime. Well I’m pretty confident it will happen in my lifetime. And if that’s the case I hope it’s damn soon before I’m too old to participate in it

Your participation would be short-lived. One side having rifles; the other tanks, missles and aircraft carriers. The ‘war’ would be over before lunch.

[highnote]

Originally Posted by TJDave

Your participation would be short-lived. One side having rifles; the other tanks, missles and aircraft carriers. The ‘war’ would be over before lunch.

The French Resistance was pretty effective.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Resistance

[RunForTheRoses]

YouTube