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The Forbidden Island

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Re: The Forbidden Island

#271

Post by itsybitsycoder »

aaron695 wrote: post #142
geuis wrote: post #45

I'm pretty late to leaving a comment, so it won't get a lot of exposure. Let's just leave these people the fuck alone. What threat are they under? Curious assholes like us. There are probably less than 1000 people on that island, all descended from people tens of thousands of years ago. There are more people than that that visit an Apple store on a Tuesday before 2pm. Leave them alone. We don't need to assuage our 10…

This sort of comment is exactly what is wrong what the world. What is your expertise in this area? Are you a anthropologist?? I suspect you are just one of these sick people who like the idea mini zoos with humans in them. These are human beings. They deserve access to modern medicines like the rest of us of the world even if you lose this precious zoo. How are their women treated? That is the ones who don't die in c…

Are YOU an anthropologist? Because the men in many primitive societies had to be taught by the colonists to treat women as inferiors, and that's well-documented by anthropologists. It sounds like you have a single caricature of what "primitive societies" are like, and using that as a basis for a lot of assumptions about the Sentinelese.

Re: The Forbidden Island

#273

Post by fc2 »

newnewnew wrote: post #257
Anderkent wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But if a man is jumping of a cliff because he thinks he can fly, you should not respect his 'NO' when trying to catch him. Your serious argument is one of the little valid points raised so far. And I agree, we might not be in a position to help them now. But the statements that even if we could bring them to our society in a humane manner we still shouldn't, because they're clearly fine as they are... That just disgu…

Would they be better off with a desk job in some western city? That's likely out of grasp, as they would have no competitive skills compared to westerners that have trained for our economy for their whole lives. They would likely be wards of the state in a strange land, and so would their children. Or, you know, they could live a life that makes them happy.

What about their grandchildren? They could get a good education, integrate into modern society and have the opportunity to live a way happier life than if they had stayed in the island.

Re: The Forbidden Island

#275

Post by eshvk »

danparsonson wrote: post #184
nitrogen wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm thinking more of math and science. I suppose if the island's leaders are aware of the outside world and all it can and can't do, then I'd be less concerned about the "oppressed" minds of the island's inhabitants. I feel similarly about ultra-sheltered children in cultish societies.

I would say those are two different examples though - children in cultish societies are removed from society at large while the cult remains embedded in and aware of it; the islanders on the other hand have deliberately chosen isolation rather than having isolation forced upon them by any external agent. I would say it's really up to them to head into the outside world rather than for us to do anything, if they want…

> the islanders on the other hand have deliberately chosen isolation rather than having isolation forced upon them by any external agent.

There is an implicit assumption that they are a democratic society where a decision was taken with the consent of everyone. You have no way of knowing that. For all you know, they could very well be a cult with some old fogey launching attack troops at the evil invaders whilst the young struggle mightily against the oppressive regime.

> I can't picture them building a particle accelerator or sitting around all day puzzling over integrals.

That is rather patronizing. You have no way of knowing if they are interested in that. No one knows if they like blueberry pie unless they actually try blueberry pie.

Re: The Forbidden Island

#276

Post by fc2 »

ctdonath wrote: post #150
Chris2048 wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If a girl refuses to go out with you I think you're unnecessarily conflating this with another topic entirely.

I think he made the point quite well. "No" means "no", and they're saying "no" pretty emphatically and consistently - and no amount of "but I'll make your life so much better" trumps that.

The adults are saying "no", the children just have to go along with that choice that was made for them. This is arguably a form of coercion because the children are being denied the opportunity to a better life.

Re: The Forbidden Island

#277

Post by namenotrequired »

yread wrote: post #93

> They've never invented oars, without which they cannot leave the island. Hmm so how did they get there ?

Possibly with primitive sail boats, or over land before the sea cut them off. It´s also possible they did have oars but forgot about them at some point over the thousands of years because they didn´t need them.

Re: The Forbidden Island

#278

Post by chrischen »

wazoox wrote: post #110
chrischen wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If an asteroid hits the Earth, who do you think will be best equipped to survive? Pretty sure whoever dies in that circumstance is the loser. I'm sure the dinosaurs were happy by their standards as well, but they're basically irrelevant now.

> If an asteroid hits the Earth, who do you think will be best equipped to survive? Them, obviously. You and I would die a painful death in a few days without sanitation, proper housing and supermarkets. They on the other hand, are perfectly used to manage with extremely scarce resources.

Er... no. We would have a better chance of deflecting the asteroid if our technology is sufficiently advanced. Therefore, technological progress is objectively superior for survival.

Re: The Forbidden Island

#279

Post by Kynlyn »

Anderkent wrote: post #87
userulluipeste wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The (Star Trek's) Prime Directive is not something worthwhile to be considered here? The representatives of these people (the ones with bows and other kind of weapons that dare to face the outsiders) are stating clearly their policy. Maybe it is us that must get over our desires to intrude supposedly on someone else's benefit.

The representatives of these people are hardly in a situation where they can make an informed decision. Even if they were, they have no right of condemning their children to such life.

"Even if they were, they have no right of condemning their children to such life"

So who does? You? Western society? Don't you find that thinking a bit arrogant?

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