If fantasy could be true (contains some RotE spoilers so beware)

['thul]

These beings have a question for you danieladamsmith. Would you Still be pro-life if a good (female) friend of yours was assaulted and raped by a person convicted of multiple crimes in the past and became pregnant from that rape?

Also, on that cruelty. If the act of, say locking a child in a closet for 8+ hours a day is cruel. Then imagine a world where such is unconceivable. Would it not then be cruel to lock a child in its room for one hour? Would it not be cruel to deny someone access to his (or her) favorite toy?

These beings also remember one incident from about 8-10 years ago. A child died in a minor car accident because he (or she, 'thul cannot remember gender) was not locked in the seat by a seatbelt.
The reason and the defense of the mother? "I didn't want to be a meanie!"
In essence, the mother did not want to be cruel to the child by forcing it to wear a seatbelt, and thus ensured its death.

When the great evils of the world are gone, the minor evils automatically become redefined as great evils.

[danieladamsmith]

Thul...first of all you can put your knee back down. THe answer is in my statement. Politically I am pro choice and would think that in many cases rape, incest, the life of the mother or simply a mistake that abortion should be legal and safe. I never said that. I can't explain this to someone that isn't a parent. It just changes your feeling about abortion. I am total leftist but personally in my life with my wife there is no question that if she gets pregnant we are having the baby whether it has Down Syndrome or is totally healthy. That is a decision for my life...

I am a left voter. I have never voted for a Republican or a Conservative Democrat in my life...but I think arguing the extremes is always dangerous. In the case you stated I have no problem with the person terminating the pregnancy. I'm an atheist. I am not pro-life because of religion but only because I have a child. Now many conservatives argue that we should torture people because it might stop a ticking time bomb. Using your Arguing the Extremes" logic that would and should be okay because who likes a ticking time bomb...

Now you can fritter away and pull at the threads of what I am saying and compare seatbelts to the horrific crime that occurred here in Austria a few years ago where a man locked his child in a hidden basement and continued to rape her and deny her the freedom to leave all the while she was bearing his children from incest.... You can compare those two. You have the right...but you're not RIGHT. I am talking about cruelty. Okay in public school they tend to make you stay in a room for 8 hours. Is that the same? Please...

Cruel is cruel. And hey many animals that are eaten are subjected to cruel treatment, without a doubt. I wouldn't deny that.... Seatbelts are not cruel. I get your intellectual arguments but just because you can make an argument does that mean you always should?

And please remember this is with ALL DUE RESPECT...

[Mervi]

Note from the admin:
Folks, I think the current discussion has strayed quite far from the original idea of this thread. Moreover, I think the tone is becoming a bit too tense. Please remember this is a forum for discussing _mainly_ Robin/Megan related things, _then_ topics that are related such as fantasy in general and only a tiny portion of it is reserved for off-topic conversation. As stated in the forum rules, this is NOT a general or political or religious forum (although it's impossible to completely avoid those topics in any discussion) so the emphasis should not be on those things. There are plenty of other places online to debate these matters. Please get back to the original matter of this topic or leave it be. Thank you.

['thul]

hmm... right... sorry mervi...

It would seem to 'thul the discussion was over anyways... Danieladamsmith was not in possession of the extreme views that these beings thought at first, and 'thul do not enjoy poking holes in reasonable views as much as they enjoy it with unreasonable views.

So... Back to topic...

There are many aspects of fantasy that would be interesting if were true, but not all are practical...

[danieladamsmith]

But I sure would love Dragons to exist...

Thanks Thul...

['thul]

extremists are fun to argue with... in a nonsensical fashion, of course... not that the extremists always know it is nonsensical, though...

Dragons are many things... There are dragons like the RotE dragons, who are simply bigger and more arrogant than humans, and there are dragons like the Tolkien dragons, who were truly evil, born of the mind of Morgoth himself. There are probably good dragons as well, but 'thul do not have a good example ready for that.

There are also flightless dragons that often appear... and some exist in the world, like the komodo dragon. Specifics are important...


Would you really want a Tolkien dragon to take up residence near you?

[danieladamsmith]

I was thinking more of the Naomi Novik, appreciate a good pavillion, a well spiced meal type...(hehehee) but imagine how the world would come together if dragons were raining hell on us all...

['thul]

Full of fun times?

[Omie]

The very last thing I would wish to be real is magic. Magic is... the opposite of nature. Some people would say that of science, but only because they are ignorant of what science actually is and what it means. Nature is stuff happening. Science is why.

The world is amazing, wondrous, beautiful, devastating and powerful enough already. Bees buzz, birds call, leaves fall and tides happen and none of that requires even a glimmer of magic. I will never understand the people who say 'There's more to the world than what you see!'. Have you seen the world? How could you possibly ask for more?

But... I'm still a sucker for fantasy. I don't read fantasy to escape into impossible worlds, just to experience them for a little bit. Sometimes I wish I could walk in the landscapes described by some authors. I love walking. Robin Hobb's books are particularly descriptive of the landscapes and I tend to get an overwhelming urge to go hiking while I'm reading her books. Sometimes when I do hike I look around and imagine its a fantasy place, too. Not that that would make it better, it's just fun to imagine I'm doing something epic for a while. There's a place quite near me called Blackstone Edge and I know I'll not be able to look at the plateaus of black rock again without thinking 'Memory stone!'.

Oh, and I get very envious of the hardiness and self-suffiency of some fantasy characters. If I was picked up and plopped down into a fantasy quest I think I'd die before the first night was over. For starters, i have no idea how to hunt or light a fire from scratch. I could hold a sword the right way up, but that's about it. The only traditional skill I possess is knitting, and that probably wouldn't help me much if I was a fantasy character on some epic quest. Oh no, a dragon is coming towards me! Do you suppose it wants a bobble hat?!

[redchild]

Would you really want a Tolkien dragon to take up residence near you?

I think they make the best pies.