There are going to be, in any society, a certain number of people who are prone to acting like barbarians.

How society chooses to deal with these people is important.  People who gleefully smash windows, burn cars,  and  loot stores are the same sort who,  if suitably manipulated and directed by those in power, will mindlessly herd people into gas chambers.

Jun 21, 2011 -- 1:13AM, Roodog wrote:

Howard actually admired and preferred barbarism as opposed to civilization which he considered to be decadent.

That just proves an insurmountable bias on his part.

I have grown to appreciate the arts and letters associated with civilization.

However I do have a dark view of humanity in which if humanity is left to itself, it will destroy itself and all other life with it. It is even truer now than in Howard's time.

Those seeking power will destroy. Those seeking to feed their families - the vast majority of humanity - just wants to be left alone. What you, and Howard, say has never been true. It's just looking at humanity through black glasses and blinders. You see only what you want to see.

Jun 21, 2011 -- 10:25PM, mountain_man wrote:

Jun 21, 2011 -- 1:13AM, Roodog wrote:

Howard actually admired and preferred barbarism as opposed to civilization which he considered to be decadent.

That just proves an insurmountable bias on his part.

I have grown to appreciate the arts and letters associated with civilization.

However I do have a dark view of humanity in which if humanity is left to itself, it will destroy itself and all other life with it. It is even truer now than in Howard's time.

Those seeking power will destroy. Those seeking to feed their families - the vast majority of humanity - just wants to be left alone. What you, and Howard, say has never been true. It's just looking at humanity through black glasses and blinders. You see only what you want to see.

Howard died in 1936.

 Since that time the abilility of human civilization to utterly self destruct has grown geometricly with the advent of nuclear weapons. Everyone and their dog wants nukes and eventually someone will pull the trigger.

Getting back to the topic of the Vancouver riot, no one has mentioned that there was not a single shot fired and that no one was killed. I attribute that to the comparative lack of guns and gun nuts in Canada.

Jun 22, 2011 -- 7:16PM, Roodog wrote:

Humanity has thus far been unable to avoid warfare.

Humanity has. Those in power have not.

It is only a matter of time before a nuclear exchange ensues.

Not because the majority of humanity wants it.

You're still painting with too big a brush for your argument to make any sense.