Mass Shooter or American Duelist?

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kybkh
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Mass Shooter or American Duelist?

Post by kybkh » Sat Feb 16, 2019 1:15 am

My understanding of 18th century duels is that if a gentleman felt so greatly agreived he could demand ultimate satisfaction.

Is that not what these shooters are doing?
“I've got a phone that allows me to convene Americans from every walk of life, nonprofits, businesses, the private sector, universities to try to bring more and more Americans together around what I think is a unifying theme..." - Obama

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Otern
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Re: Mass Shooter or American Duelist?

Post by Otern » Sat Feb 16, 2019 3:43 am

kybkh wrote:
Sat Feb 16, 2019 1:15 am
My understanding of 18th century duels is that if a gentleman felt so greatly agreived he could demand ultimate satisfaction.

Is that not what these shooters are doing?
A duel involves the other guy consenting to it, and being equally armed himself. So no, it's not what these shooters are doing.

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BjornP
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Re: Mass Shooter or American Duelist?

Post by BjornP » Sat Feb 16, 2019 5:50 am

Otern wrote:
Sat Feb 16, 2019 3:43 am
kybkh wrote:
Sat Feb 16, 2019 1:15 am
My understanding of 18th century duels is that if a gentleman felt so greatly agreived he could demand ultimate satisfaction.

Is that not what these shooters are doing?
A duel involves the other guy consenting to it, and being equally armed himself. So no, it's not what these shooters are doing.
And generally there's the whole individual wrong vs collective wrong thing to unpack here, as well. A duel happened if a specific individual was felt to have insulted the duelist's honor or the honor of someone the duelist was protecting. If Bob Bobson was being disrespectful the challenge would be issued to Bob Bobson and not random bystanders.
Fame is not flattery. Respect is not agreement.

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GloryofGreece
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Re: Mass Shooter or American Duelist?

Post by GloryofGreece » Sat Feb 16, 2019 10:12 am

The mass shooter archetype is the man *(its always a man) hatred for being itself. They maybe and often are self avowed atheist and still usually hate creation and life itself. They might as well be blaming God. They are cowards.
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kybkh
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Re: Mass Shooter or American Duelist?

Post by kybkh » Sat Feb 16, 2019 10:33 am

I’ll concede “duelist” does not quit work here by definition. The search for satisfaction, even at the cost of sacrificing one’s life is the same.

Just considering the great Stanley Kubrick movie Barry Lyndon. I have not done enough a reading to know if individuals like that even existed but the idea that anyone could be called to the mat over the smallest of insults seemed to result in a quite civil society.
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jediuser598
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Re: Mass Shooter or American Duelist?

Post by jediuser598 » Sat Feb 16, 2019 11:40 am

kybkh wrote:
Sat Feb 16, 2019 10:33 am
I’ll concede “duelist” does not quit work here by definition. The search for satisfaction, even at the cost of sacrificing one’s life is the same.

Just considering the great Stanley Kubrick movie Barry Lyndon. I have not done enough a reading to know if individuals like that even existed but the idea that anyone could be called to the mat over the smallest of insults seemed to result in a quite civil society.
Might doesn't make right.

Just because you're a good shot doesn't mean society should allow you to go around and pick fights with everyone.
Thy praise or dispraise is to me alike:
One doth not stroke me, nor the other strike.
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Montegriffo
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Re: Mass Shooter or American Duelist?

Post by Montegriffo » Sat Feb 16, 2019 11:53 am

jediuser598 wrote:
Sat Feb 16, 2019 11:40 am
kybkh wrote:
Sat Feb 16, 2019 10:33 am
I’ll concede “duelist” does not quit work here by definition. The search for satisfaction, even at the cost of sacrificing one’s life is the same.

Just considering the great Stanley Kubrick movie Barry Lyndon. I have not done enough a reading to know if individuals like that even existed but the idea that anyone could be called to the mat over the smallest of insults seemed to result in a quite civil society.
Might doesn't make right.

Just because you're a good shot doesn't mean society should allow you to go around and pick fights with everyone.
Which is why duelists have been criminals (in England and France) since the 16th and 17th centuries.
For legal reasons, we are not threatening to destroy U.S. government property with our glorious medieval siege engine. But if we wanted to, we could. But we won’t. But we could.
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Speaker to Animals
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Re: Mass Shooter or American Duelist?

Post by Speaker to Animals » Sat Feb 16, 2019 12:40 pm

The system worked pretty well for its time and what it preserved. Southern culture was a lot more courteous than Yankee culture, which was organized around shame and social isolation.

Where it went off the rails was men dueling just to see who was the better fighter (e.g. Bowie).

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kybkh
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Re: Mass Shooter or American Duelist?

Post by kybkh » Sat Feb 16, 2019 1:09 pm

What the shooters have in common is the belief that they have been treated unjustly by an individual or society and they are in search of Reparation.

And now it is entirely one’s perspective as far as how unjustly an individual could be treated before you would expect him to react this way but this very well could be a case that individuals have become so unvalued by society and we are treating people so poorly in our communities that people are being pushed to a point where they can Justify this type of act.

IRL, there are just more crazy people with guns and there ain’t nothing you can do about it. Freedom ain’t free, better to ensure individual freedom and risk having a crazy person show up at work with the gun.
“I've got a phone that allows me to convene Americans from every walk of life, nonprofits, businesses, the private sector, universities to try to bring more and more Americans together around what I think is a unifying theme..." - Obama

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Speaker to Animals
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Re: Mass Shooter or American Duelist?

Post by Speaker to Animals » Sat Feb 16, 2019 1:15 pm

kybkh wrote:
Sat Feb 16, 2019 1:09 pm
What the shooters have in common is the belief that they have been treated unjustly by an individual or society and they are in search of Reparation.

And now it is entirely one’s perspective as far as how unjustly an individual could be treated before you would expect him to react this way but this very well could be a case that individuals have become so unvalued by society and we are treating people so poorly in our communities that people are being pushed to a point where they can Justify this type of act.

IRL, there are just more crazy people with guns and there ain’t nothing you can do about it. Freedom ain’t free, better to ensure individual freedom and risk having a crazy person show up at work with the gun.
You are terribly stretching this analogy, Ky.