Very interesting and so actual. Isaac Asimov is one of my favorite writers.
Review of 1984 by Isaac Asimov (1980)
161–170 of 186 posts
Re: Review of 1984 by Isaac Asimov (1980)
#162Earlier quoted context omitted.
A 'right' in this context by definition means government (agencied) will not persecute you for the activity protected by this right. If that's not the case you don't have the right at all, period. Note though, I do not agree with this particular right (that of bearing arms, visibly so, at a protest), but the so called right leaning people are very enamored by this one and were very vocal about it just yesterday. Sudd…
In this specific case, considering the video evidence, I agree with you 100%. There was no valid no justifiable reason to murder that man. I still think, in general, when going out looking for confrontation (whether that be against the police or even just a bar fight) that the firearms should be left at home.
In complete agreement regarding carrying fire arms to an emotionally charged protest.
Re: Review of 1984 by Isaac Asimov (1980)
#163Earlier quoted context omitted.
In my country, lifting a finger against an officer on duty will land you in big trouble. If you got a gun on you and you resist arrest, like happened in this case, you are absolutely getting shot. I can’t really understand you Americans. What do you think an armed person reacting to arrest is going to do with that gun given the chance? If you were a cop would you take chances?? If you did you wouldn’t be here complai…
1. In the United States, we have Constitutional rights, including the right to carry a gun with proper permits. Like other rights, the state can't murder you for having a gun on your person, but if they have a credible reason to think that you are an immediate threat, they can shoot you. The legal standard for "immediate threat" does not cover this scenario because (1) Pretti wasn't resisting (2) the police stripped…
He clearly resisted otherwise what was the struggle about when he felt on the floor ??
Re: Review of 1984 by Isaac Asimov (1980)
#164Earlier quoted context omitted.
1. In the United States, we have Constitutional rights, including the right to carry a gun with proper permits. Like other rights, the state can't murder you for having a gun on your person, but if they have a credible reason to think that you are an immediate threat, they can shoot you. The legal standard for "immediate threat" does not cover this scenario because (1) Pretti wasn't resisting (2) the police stripped…
He clearly resisted otherwise what was the struggle about when he felt on the floor ??
He was tackled on the ice and was trying to keep his face out of the pavement.
Re: Review of 1984 by Isaac Asimov (1980)
#165Earlier quoted context omitted.
That’s just gate keeping. How hard does science fiction have to be in order to be considered worthwhile? Why does it matter?
Asimov's sci-fi has both hard and soft parts (especially his later works). The main thing is that Asimov was more of a bright person(mensa member and professor) and good at making conjectures about development based on technology and it's impact on humans, rather than a great writer per-se (there's some famous interview from the 70s that makes a fair bit of things that weren't obvious at the time). Like how he immedi…
> Asimov's sci-fi has both hard and soft parts (especially his later works).
Yeah I know Asimov. I actually really like his writings, which is why I am a bit surprised because this review is short-sighted and mean, and I think, misses the point.
> Like how he immediately goes to the feasibility of non-human total surveillance when concluding that the total surveillance of a population on the level of 1984 by humans is infeasible.
Right, but he still misses the point. As a physicist I can think about a dozen reasons why positronic brains make little sense. I accept this as some of the disbelief I have to suspend to get to the actual substance of the books. It’s no different. Me being a nerd does not mean that I have to be a jerk just because someone writes something I find implausible.
Re: Review of 1984 by Isaac Asimov (1980)
#166Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have read a lot of Asimov. That's why I said there's better stuff out there. Even his contempories were better - Bester and Simak run rings around him.
Feel free to make more recommendations. I record every single one I get and usually read them eventually.
if you like fantasy Tigana was pretty good.
The first book Orwell wrote is pretty good as well. Down and out in paris and london. It's a good picture of life in the slums at the time, and much more raw than other accounts - Orwell seems to have simply recounted his experiences.
It's a bit low for Asimov to just say Orwell was slumming it like a modern hippie. He was slumming it like in the olden days, and starved for weeks.
Re: Review of 1984 by Isaac Asimov (1980)
#167Earlier quoted context omitted.
Orwell and Asimov are talking about something entirely different than drawing flawed conclusions due to inexperience—they’re talking about people with access to the facts and choosing not to believe them. For instance, Alex Pretti’s murder was recorded from several angles and yet the American right still broadly claims that he attacked the agents, that he pulled his gun on them, etc. You don’t need to be an expert in…
These Minessota videos are classic examples of what Scott Adams used to call "two different movies being played on the same screen", in this case quite literally. From the point of view of a left leaning person, that movie shows a man being assassinated for no reason at all, nothing justify what happened. From the point of view of a right leaning person, Alex Pretti was actively interfering with law enforcement, and…
You're being far too generous by saying the video is a matter of interpretation.
Re: Review of 1984 by Isaac Asimov (1980)
#168Earlier quoted context omitted.
You seem to be using the terms "left leaning person" and "right leaning person" when you actually mean "normal people" and "sociopaths." Left and right have nothing to do with it.
Yep, no rational argument can be used to make you (or me) see the same movie.
The video itself and the facts it supports are objective.
Re: Review of 1984 by Isaac Asimov (1980)
#169Earlier quoted context omitted.
1. In the United States, we have Constitutional rights, including the right to carry a gun with proper permits. Like other rights, the state can't murder you for having a gun on your person, but if they have a credible reason to think that you are an immediate threat, they can shoot you. The legal standard for "immediate threat" does not cover this scenario because (1) Pretti wasn't resisting (2) the police stripped…
He clearly resisted otherwise what was the struggle about when he felt on the floor ??
Reflexes. When you're attacked without provocation by several people, you put out your hands involuntarily to fend them off. When you are knocked down, you involuntarily try to get back up. On icy ground you are also trying to maintain your balance.
You are demanding that the victim maintain a clear head under stressful conditions, while holding his attackers to no such standard. But you knew that.
Re: Review of 1984 by Isaac Asimov (1980)
#170Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, actually, it seems to me that Americans support Israel because we have the same system of values (democracy, human rights, rule of law), and have the same enemies who wish to destroy both our societies.
> enemies who wish to destroy both our societies. How can you say this, out loud , and not immediately hear yourself as the villain? This is such a cartoonishly deluded and paranoid belief, it truly boggles the mind.
He's not wrong, he just stopped going through the "Five Whys" process about four whys too soon.