Wapsi Square Forum

KnightDelight wrote:

DilyV wrote:As such, you have to ask yourself this: Do we, as humans try to understand mosquitoes? No. When one lands on us, we crush it without thought and probably with more than a few explatives. I'd say that puts all of us in the same mindset as Phix from time to time.

This is true but if that mosquito started to talk to me (assuming I'm not crazy) I would not just swat it without a second thought. I would realize it is a fellow sentient being and worthy of more respect than that, no matter it's size or species, making it a far different case. I think that's the great difference. Phix is not dealing with actual bugs, but thinking beings. Even for her, that should deserve a slower approach than thoughtless killing, but it doesn't.

What if those intellient mosquitoes continued to suck blood and spread disease? Would you still be tolerant of their behavior?

EDIT: I before E issues...

I'm kind of low on tolerance for the behaviour of some actual (allegedly) human beings, myself.

Talking mosquitoes would not rate all that high on my "cool people to get to know" scale.

Jabberwonky wrote:

KnightDelight wrote:

DilyV wrote:As such, you have to ask yourself this: Do we, as humans try to understand mosquitoes? No. When one lands on us, we crush it without thought and probably with more than a few explatives. I'd say that puts all of us in the same mindset as Phix from time to time.

This is true but if that mosquito started to talk to me (assuming I'm not crazy) I would not just swat it without a second thought. I would realize it is a fellow sentient being and worthy of more respect than that, no matter it's size or species, making it a far different case. I think that's the great difference. Phix is not dealing with actual bugs, but thinking beings. Even for her, that should deserve a slower approach than thoughtless killing, but it doesn't.

What if those intellient mosquitoes continued to suck blood and spread disease? Would you still be tolerant of their behavior?

EDIT: I before E issues...

"If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason." - Jack Handy

Mark N wrote:
When passing judgment on the Apos actions we must remember that first and foremost there is an undeniable (well to the people paying attention to history at least) truth;
"Civilization is an illusion; a game of pretend. What is real is the fact that we are still animals driven by primal instincts. Civilization crumbles whenever we need it most. In the right situation, we are all capable of the most terrible crimes. Imagine a world where this was not so; imagine a world where every crisis did not result in new atrocities, where every newspaper is not full of war and violence. This is to imagine a world where human beings cease to be human." From the film The Invasion.

"A game of pretend." Not to get all Biblical - well, just a little - has anyone else noticed that The Ten Commandments reads kinda like rules for "playing civilization" ? And it's only ten items long.....
Just sayin'......

Moses Fudged... It's REALLY supposed to be FIFTEEN...

scantrontb wrote:Moses Fudged... It's REALLY supposed to be FIFTEEN...

well actually, I hear that it is a lot more, spread around the bible.... it's only hollywood making it up and 'tidying it up' ... :/

Yeah, it's a bit longer than just the top 10.

But would you go bats#!+ crazy if a couple of mosquitos flew through your yard?

This is more like the invisible buzzing in a dark room while you're trying to sleep...

scantrontb wrote:Moses Fudged... It's REALLY supposed to be FIFTEEN...

Mel Brooks reference FTW!

Julie wrote:

scantrontb wrote:Moses Fudged... It's REALLY supposed to be FIFTEEN...

Mel Brooks reference FTW!

Here!

Jabberwonky wrote:This is more like the invisible buzzing in a dark room while you're trying to sleep...

Of course, the ones that sing (males) don't bite...

Hard to decide which is worse at three AM, though.

Jabberwonky wrote:What if those intellient mosquitoes continued to suck blood and spread disease? Would you still be tolerant of their behavior?

Ah, but that's the thing. Intelligence changes the whole dynamic. We can now reason with them and ask they not suck human blood. Could even reach a mutual accord on the diseases they can carry in that we work together to eliminate them. Many things would be possible. Of course if they refuse, it would become self defense and we would kill or repel them. But at least the possibility exists to come to a mutual understanding. Much like Phix has with humans. You don't do anything bad with the access you have to the Library, and I don't kill you. Unless, of course, you become a vampire. Even that may be about to change, however. Something much less likely if the vampires were just nature programmed animals with no ability to communicate on a higher level.

KnightDelight wrote:You don't do anything bad with the access you have to the Library, and I don't kill you. Unless, of course, you become a vampire.

The Library power to provide a master record of a person should go a long way to eliminating the curse of vamprisim.

Brandi has placed Pratt & McBride as witnesses to history for a reason.

KnightDelight wrote: Unless, of course, you become a vampire. Even that may be about to change, however. Something much less likely if the vampires were just nature programmed animals with no ability to communicate on a higher level.

I agree with you on all points but there is a very big possibility with regards to vampires, what if the young ones are not in control of themselves. Maybe they start off as nothing more than rabid animals and some, over time develop something along the lines of a conscience.

Mark N wrote:

KnightDelight wrote: Unless, of course, you become a vampire. Even that may be about to change, however. Something much less likely if the vampires were just nature programmed animals with no ability to communicate on a higher level.

I agree with you on all points but there is a very big possibility with regards to vampires, what if the young ones are not in control of themselves. Maybe they start off as nothing more than rabid animals and some, over time develop something along the lines of a conscience.

Yikes! A world filled with scores of vampire Connies...

Mark N wrote:I agree with you on all points but there is a very big possibility with regards to vampires, what if the young ones are not in control of themselves. Maybe they start off as nothing more than rabid animals and some, over time develop something along the lines of a conscience.

how about this one for a thought... we know that if the soul of a person disappears but the demons remain, we get something akin to Tina, (i only say LIKE Tina because the demon collective, as we know her now, seemed to have been stuck as a corpse until Nudge was the one who got the body moving again) what about if the DEMONS left the SOUL alone in the body? the soul would tend to go thru something similar to sensory deprivation and go insane... and similar to how Monica's and Jin's demons were shared when Bud poited Doubt into Jin, the soul of the vampire-to-be is trying to reconnect with her old demons in their new hosts bodies or even just anybody's demons by drinking the blood, in order to get the demons into a time-share kinda thing... thus as we see in most movies that they can pass for almost being human again, and are sated... at least till the demons leave again, and they get hungry again... they are feral to start off with because they haven't learned to control their need yet, the longer they stick around the more control, not necessarily a "conscience" per se' just good survival skills.

...When did Bud poit Doubt into... OH.

Wow, that was a loooooong time ago.

NOTDilbert wrote:

Mark N wrote:
When passing judgment on the Apos actions we must remember that first and foremost there is an undeniable (well to the people paying attention to history at least) truth;
"Civilization is an illusion; a game of pretend. What is real is the fact that we are still animals driven by primal instincts. Civilization crumbles whenever we need it most. In the right situation, we are all capable of the most terrible crimes. Imagine a world where this was not so; imagine a world where every crisis did not result in new atrocities, where every newspaper is not full of war and violence. This is to imagine a world where human beings cease to be human." From the film The Invasion.

"A game of pretend." Not to get all Biblical - well, just a little - has anyone else noticed that The Ten Commandments reads kinda like rules for "playing civilization" ? And it's only ten items long.....
Just sayin'......

The second edition has just two. And even of similar form to each other, so they are easy to remember.

And the one's been put to music a few times, so it's even easier.