Evil

Some very obvious signs of evil going on is the greed on Wall Street. Listen to the CEO testifying about their lavish life style s while honest Joe Blow who was a year a way from retirement has no retirement fun and no money and no job. I hopethe they would all do some time in LA county jail!

Another story, a pharmacist has been ripping of customers by diluting their cancer medicine so he could make more money!

I suppose I am judging but this butter pisses me off!

It really REALLY urks me the way Americans throw the word 'evil' around. Good...evil....don't even get me started.

Everything that doesn't sit within your comfort box or is not socially acceptable, or can not be understood b/c of ignorance and people brainwashed by propoganda, is considered evil.

UGH! Can't respond fully now....but may later.

This is not personally directed at you Suzy Q, just an observation about the American people as a whole.

I think that the word "evil" and it's uses and definitions has nothing to do with what country you're from. I think it's an individual thing. I for one know I'm not brainswashed, I make up my own mind about everything. In fact I don't really even believe that brainwashing someone is possible. It's all about how strong you are as a person and how resistant to influence you are. I always thought of the idea of brainwashing as sort of a fantasy thing...not possible in the real world IMO.

I don't know if I would use the word evil to describe those fat cats, but I would certainly classify them as greedy S.O.B.'s...

I disagree Heather, I think the word 'evil' definetely has a connection to which country you are from. And am surprised that you say it is an individual thing especially when the leader of your country, the President, uses the word 'evil' extensively. I don't know how much travelling you have done, or how much world news you watch, but I can assure you the word evil is used much more in the States than anywhere else in the world.

It pleases me that you believe you have not been brainwashed. I disagree with you that you think it is not possible. Perhaps you ARE a strong individual, but the world and its people should not be measured by yours or my standard....

Cults brainwash people...proven fact....to the point of mass suicides b/c they believe the Plutonians are coming to take them away in a giant spaceship...one example....the American people in the majority (although I believe figures are tilting the other way) believe the States are justified in 'bombing the crap out of Iraq'. Newsflash....there is no other nation in the world that agrees with that policy.... so where does the population get its ideas from...their leaders....and this brings me back on point....the word evil is accepted and used as a norm b/c the government endorses the use of the word.

However, I do realise that about 90% of the people in the states go to church (figures from a few years back), unlike here, where it is only about 20% . Therefore it makes sense that this notion of good and evil filters through all levels.

My initial point was that I really have a problem with that word being used...full stop... The perpetrators of 9/11 are said to be evil, yet it is in the name of GOD that America will bomb Iraq (and of course I don't mean this literally; equating it with the word 'good'). No disrespect to ANY VICTIM is meant, this is just an example to try and explain myself.

I hope you understand the point I am trying to make, whether you agree or not. I don't think you can really categorise anything in terms of good or evil. It's all relative to your perspective.

"the President, uses the word 'evil' extensively. I don't know how much travelling you have done, or how much world news you watch, but I can assure you the word evil is used much more in the States than anywhere else in the world."

So, you have a problem with not the word but with George Bush using it so much.

The word has a meaning and has been around to describe wickedness for a long time.

No reason to fill up a page about it!

There is alot of evil butter in this world what do you want to call it? Call it what you. It is want it is!

Call it what you want! It still means the same thing, doesn't it!

um...no...not really - evil is a word that has been bandied about so as to apply to so many different things, that it really has lost its impact and credibility. When I hear someone seriously use the word evil, I can't help laughing. It's such a qualitative term designed to invoke an emotional response (ie. Suzy) and I believe Lawgoddess (forgive me if I'm wrong) was alluding to the gullibility of americans' who are more likely to blindly absorb the information they are fed eg. bush and his over-use of the word evil.

I'm not going to keep writing because I just can't do another slanging match, however, phoenix, please...please...go and live in another country for a while...anywhere...

We also use the word treetrunk alot too! So what? This is our culutre. You dont have to like it! But we do and that is what counts. Do your own thang and we will do it our way!

I do think Suzy-Q is over emotional I wonder if there is something she can do or take to calm her down some??

Maybe stay off astrological messageboard if you are a zealot!!!

Suzy...I have a problem with anyone using the word...(look to Cortica's post)..

Wonderbox...I think I made it clear in my post that the over extensive use of the word by Americans is creligiously based through your culture...er der...if you read my post properly you would also have noticed that it is the WORD and its use that I despise.

LawGoddess,

I was the one that asked the question, and you are right; I dont read the enitre post. usually I try and skim through the really long wordy posts! I apologize but I somtimes get bored!

I think Lawgoddess and Cortica are just looking for any reason to insult Americans.

J/K lol! I'm feelin a little anxious tonight! Just playin wth ya, LG!

I can't do it. Cortica has said this before about me, and she really has NO idea how I am. She only sees the surface.

I dont have a problem with a word. I was being evil when I posted my last comment to you. There is Evil Knevil and he is not evil, just crazy.

I guess it would only bother me if it was truthful.

What is it about one word that messes you up?

Do like Cortica does, and laugh it off!

George Bush calls people he doesnt like evil, and they call him a stupid cowboy! I think this shows the mentality on both side of the world! This makes for good late night TV! Saturday Night Live has gotten alot of mileage off this president!

i agree, that ppl can be brainwashed. Even though it is possible for us to have our own judgements and stuff, but look at whats happening right now, we are in a way kinda getting brainwashed. I mean, even at school kids are saying how they f*ckin hate afghanistans and its so stupid because they dont know jack sh*t. It's like americans are brainwashing eachother lol and in the same way, lil afghanistans are being brainwashed too, cus in their history books, it tells them how america is so bla bla bla etc etc. You know? So either way, the same sh*t is happening to eachother.

Let me ask you what would offend you more- to be called evil or a religious zealot?? You have used the word zealot for the very same reason people use the word evil, to put down others you dont approve of. You use it all the time trying to persecute me and what I believe in. The difference with me is I dont care.

Hi Luz!

How was your day today?

Where is the party?

Austrailia was right there in Afganistan too ya know? We never act alone. As a matter of fact, Austrailia has some of the most elite Special Force Units in the world!!. Trained to kill.

"I mean, even at school kids are saying how they treetr*nkin hate afghanistans and its so stupid because they dont know jack b*tter."

It will never end. There will always be evil in the world, and that is not my opinion that is history.

im fine suzy Q ^^ you?

I'm fine! Do you enjoy stuffed animals? I do! I collect Mooses. Very hugable!!

LOL i'm not really into the whole fluff doll thing but sure, thats kewl ^^ i draw anime, who likes anime here!?

No, you dont like? I have one with me right now! I find them very cozy! I dont have a huge collection, but I think they are reindeer and not mooses because they have sweaters on and scarfs on. All i know is they have antlers they are soft and they are very cute! I'm gonna make some pizza!

I like anime! Like cartoons you mean?

Romeclone, on the contrary, Americans are my favourite race of people...seriously. The main problem I have is with your government and the way it operates

P.S. Suzy Q...there's no implication about armed forces...including yours..they only act under orders and am VERY supportive of them regardless of whether I think they should be in a particular country or not....Vietnam taught me that...it was about 20 yrs before the vets were even formally recognised in both our countries and that is a bloody disgusting shame!

I heard that Lawgoddess! I am with ya! I am thinkin how frustrated your posts sound and its not good to always be in that state of mind. It is good to be passionate about your beliefs but everything needs to be in balance.

I also couldnt agree more and understand about the memorial, but I rather see more effort goin to them being taken better care of and to get the care and benifits they deserve and havent gotten! They didnt sign up for that war they were sent.

Acouple of summers ago, I worked at a friends liquor store when she had to have a hysterectomy, and most of the customers were Vietnam Vets. I cant tell you all the friends in Oregon and California we had that died of Heroin overdoses and most of them were Vets. Very sad indeed and they didnt want any part of that war.

Well ....it looks like it will be happening again. We have not exhausted all of our negotating abilities out but congress gave Bush his head on this one. There is no excuse to stop the dialouge. I think this is the sorriest excuse for political leadership I have seen in the history as long as I can remember and then some. This is chicken butter politics and everyone knows it!

"Americans are my favourite race of people...seriously. The main problem I have is with your government and the way it operates"

Now for the rest of the story...

This country has a good government! This country is compassionate, united, strong both economically and militarily it has it all and that is why other coutries turn for our support and leadership in the world. I have heard comments about how this is all about oil but that is not the whole story; yes, part of it has to do with oil but not for our consumtion. We only receive 2% of our oil supply from the Middle East; 50% we get from right here in our own country; 25% we get from South America, and the rest from Mexico. Why do we go and defend Kuwaiti and Saudi Oil fields, because Japan derivives 60% of all of theirs from the Mid East, and so do many other countries including yours and the ones we do business with.

This is many nations conspiring together, not just the US Gov. If for some reason we go into the days of embargos like the in the 70's, Japan for example would be forced to buy at what ever price a barrel it had to; which would force the prices sky high driving the cost of oil up everywhere. We all friend everytime the prices go up 25 cents, but what we dont think about is life without it. So much is based on the black gold, economically makes or breaks nations. It IS about oil but not for us; it is for the rest of the world. We are really a self contained country. We dont need the two percent. We could get it somewhere else but we are in it together at least the 8 riches countries that is. We cant just look at American government this is alot bigger than us. We do have alot of power, but that isnt enough; we have to have others with us! And they are!!!

I'm not sure that Iraqi oil makes much difference in the scheme of it all. They turned off the spikets before and it didnt matter one way or another, they really only hurt themsleves. I tend to believe that he (Saddam) has an addiciton to bio and chem weapons and is not to be trusted because he has used them before-

I think YOU are all evil. You know why? Because I am batman.

Wow! hehehehehe!!! I love batman! I liked Zorro better! Something about being branded!

Where are my very funny peoples this morning—? I need to laugh!!!

i think evil and good make a balance, if that makes any sense.

No, I am not sure! Tell me what you mean, please!

The only reason other nations turn to the states is due to America being THE world power in regards to economics...not maily due to any policies the nation has.

They may have the policy of good responsible government (which encompasses what you have stated) but there is much that needs addressing. For instance, the health care system, issues in regards to children (to which I am a huge advocate of) to name but a few.

AS for the oil, Australia too doesn't need oil from anywhere else in the world, and we actually supply it to other nations. We have territorial rights to a huge percentage of Antartica which has enough oil to last us for basically ever..(not literal). The treaty we have with the UN in regards to Antartica will expire soon (in the next couple of yrs)and we are then free to deplete resources from that unique environment.

I have never really based an arguement based on oil as being the reason of America's interests in the middle east. Your point is valid, but not related to my reasons for not liking the way your government operates. There are many domestic policies that suck and need bringin up to date with the rest of the world in international law.

Gotta go, talk later.

I agree with you LG, that the U.S. government is not perfect and the Health Care Reform always gets put on the back burner (or buried!) which would include issues regarding children and the elderly. Something needs to be done...but, change is terribly slow to occur unless forced...and war changes everything.
I am not saying we are forced to go to war...
I do not agree with killing innocents....it seems to make us no better than the terrorists...
I think every country has some propaganda...but, Australia is one of the more realistic countries.

I know nothing of your government structure, however...
How does health care work in your country?

You make good points Lawgoddess. By no means does the U.S. being a superpower make it flawless, not at all. We have our share of problems, this I know. Sometimes, it just seems like there are too many problems and not enough solutions, effective spending, that sort of thing to fix them all. My biggest annoyance with the way our government is, is the waste factor. Money is always being misused, overused, not used, "lost"...hmmm, I smell corruption...lol. Of course, a degree of corruption is to be expected to crop up in any government, as a government is made up of people, humans who are flawed.

I too am curious, like Star, about Australia and how it works...they didn't teach us much about it in school (at least not my generation), which I think is a shame. Unfortunately, I know almost nothing about it, except your typical stuff like Kangaroos and Koala Bears, and the climate is hot...and the men are too...lol 🙂 Love your accents by the way!

Quickly...the health care system here is one where it is free. (except for elective surgery). There are private health care funds but it is better to go through the public heath care system b/c then and ONLY then are you guaranteed they will do every test etc...available to sort out your problem. (Private means they will only go as far as your policy allows- and most ppl are unaware of this fact) Here private health care is more of a status thing meaning, "we have more money than you and are therefore better". Though, there are long waiting lists in the public sector of course and this is probably the most pressing issue (due to not enough staff). The hospitals are well equipped and no one is turned away b/c they don't have coverage or redirected to a 'county' hospital (there are no such thing here- a hospital is a hospital). Aussies pay about 1.something % in tax to cover this basic human right- for free health care. Meds are about $ 3.60 if you have a health care card..which is given by means testing on your yearly wage. So that means that EVERYONE can afford to buy medication. And if you rely on medication on a regular basis, there is a cap, and once you reach that all meds are free for the rest of the yr...

As for our government...I basically hate it...lol..John Howard is a bit of a dick. The 2 major parties are the Labor party and the Liberal party. When you get down to it both really are not much different to each other. Labor is more right wing while Liberal is left. Labor doesn't win that much, but when they do its usually b/c of a specific policy issue which they either do or don't get done but stuff up other things in the process. Liberals are concerned more with business and capital and trying to 'keep up with America'..which is crazy b/c we are too small and could never really compete.

The climate ranges from hot (where I am) to cold. We have everything here, just like you guys over there...we are becoming more 'americanised' through TV and music but have a strong multicultural flavour to everything we do...the 'white is right' policy of the 50s is out and reconciliation is in.

Historically our roots are the same (England) and we have also committed atrocities against the indigenous peoples here..some say are still happening. We have a compassionate nature as a nation and mateship is prized above all. Our families are disfunctional but we find solace with our friends and Australia seems to have a problem with 'closet smokers'...they need to come out! LOL. We support environmentalism with a passion and our justice system is rather fluid and trys to keep up to international standards. Howard, as our leader, has so far not used the word 'evil' against the perpetrators of the Bali bombing, and as a nation there has been no talk of revenge only justice. The ppl here (families of the victims) are more peeved with the government b/c they want the bodies back asap so they can bury them. Ummm...wages are ok, but the standard of living is expensive as compared to everywhere else in the world. Sydney is NOW the most expensive city in the world (beating New York even) as far as real estate is concerned.

We have great school systems, health system, religious freedom. Every yr there is a cull of our national symbol the Kangaroo (they kill thousands) b/c of farmers wishes (and numbers being too high). We have Steve Irwin, lol, who keeps putting all his money back into buying land for conservation...thereuth ends the history lesson for today.

It is early, so I have dribbled on abit...

Lawgoddess! Not dribble in the least, I just learned about a million new things about Australia that I didn't know before, I find it VERY interesting. It is 12:57 a.m. here...I don't know the time diff between the US and Australia, but I gotta crash, but I will be coming back to this thread...feel free to go on, I am curious about your family structure, your cultural traditions, your style of dress even (not in a superficial way, but out of curiosity), oh gosh, let's put it this way: there is nothing I'm NOT curious about, except for maybe the most popular brand of toilet paper or whatever. lol : )

Looking forward to returning but will come back later. Take care Lawgoddess 🙂

Thank you Lawgoddess!
I appreciate it very much!

Sorbent - probably the most poular brand of toilet paper here - at least the most advertised - they use labrador puppies in all their ads.

I have to go to bed now, but I can fill in any trivial australia questions you may have.

One of the things that I find most interesting about Australia is the inherent nature of its social structure. Don't know if it's a result of a nation formed from a convict society (our first form of currency was rum!) but we have a strange relationship with authority/institutions ie. there is no blind faith in political leaders/religion (we all think John Howard is a bit of a dick) and there is almost a sense of distrust of such institutions. We have a general apathy/relaxedness in our outlook and aren't afraid to say something if we think someone is full of s h i t (ie. George W - he is often reffered to in the national media as B2 and his father as B1 after two popular children's television characters called Bananas in Pyjamas, or B1 & B2).

We have the 'Tall Poppy Syndrome' to describe the way we cut public figures down to size - contributes to a larger sense of equality. Acually we all tend to pay out on ourselves a bit and no one (except for sydney eastern suburbs) really takes themselves too seriously.

There's no great sense of patriotism for the nation itself, but rather the australian character - very easy going with emphasis on the 'mateship' motif. We celebrate our defeats (such as gallipoli) rather than our great victories (not counting sport - on a per capita basis we are the most successful sporting nation). One of our greatest national heros is a horse, Phar Lap - quite funny when you think about it.

We're generally a fairly well informed nation - I think everyone makes an effort to see pay attention to what's going on in other countries as we are at the arse end of the world.

There's about 20 million people here scattered mostly around the coast and we're around the same size as the us without alaska (i think). There's also a strange sense of isolation/emptiness about australia in terms of a collective identity/conciousness (hey maybe that's just me! lol) don't know if it's to do with geographical placement or the idea of the red centre/dead heart - great desert spanning the continent and an inability for most people to identify with a sense of belonging beyond the short history of white settlement - maybe that's why we travel so much.

Anyway - I've babbled long enough - LoL@how a post called evil has turned into the australia tourism board - must......sleep......

wow....this is so interesting. LOL@ "Sorbent"...sounds very "absorbent"...lol. I did not know how large Australia was, I also didn't know you started out as a convict society...explain? Also, would you say most Australians are mostly "Liberal" or mostly "Conservative"? (I know you don't have a "conservative" political party, but hopefully you know what I'm trying to ask.) What sort of music do you all listen to? Same stuff as the US, or what? I find your emblems to be interesting, btw forgot to say that I love that Steve Irwin guy, I also love the Autralian guy on All My Children (lol) (trivial I know, but just thought I'd share). Yes, this is funny, going from the concept of Evil to talking about the many wonders of your country : )

Lawgoddess I do have a question for you...do you believe that there is anything evil at all? There are some people who believe in that whole "everything is relative; there is no right or wrong" thing, I'm wondering if that's also what you believe.

Well keep that tourism info coming girls...makes me want to visit, actually I already wanted to but this just cements it!! 🙂

Thanks Cortica!

You have an avid listener here!

We use Purex as our preferred dunny paper.

We were colonised in 1788, in New South Wales intitially by the British who used this country for a dumping ground for convicts b/c the jails in England were too full. No one came here to escape religious prosecution as how the United States was intially founded.

The colonies remained independent to one another, much like your States are now, but we became a Federation on january 1, 1900. Eventually ppl migrated here. The Aboriginal ppl's were treated disgracefully and genocide occurred in Tasmania (which is an island state off the bottom east end of Aust.) We now have a policy of reconciliation but have a way to go yet before there is a real equality.

In the 1950s there was a huge push for migration as we needed ppl to help with the Snowy Hydro Electric scheme and incentives were offered to lure ppl here...but only to Europeans and other Anglo-saxon ppl. There was a 'make Australia White policy' but that has since been abandoned and the "Multi cultural" policy was introduced but never reached its full potential. There are many sub cultures here...China town being the typical example but there is also subcultures of Vietnamese, Greek, Italians, etc..which makes it a rich and exciting thing.

The 2 major players in politics are Liberal and Labor. Liberal being conservative left wing and Labor being right wing, but in truth, they are that close to each side of the line that in many areas they overlap. If you talk to ppl on the street, most support labor, but the Liberals win most elections. There really isn't a huge difference. Labor focuses strongly on environmental issues in comparison to Liberal who focus on businesses and capital...but it is all policy spiel and mostly their policies are the same. It is compulsary to vote here, if it wasn't then no one would..we are that apathetic...would rather hit the beach or sleep in.

The music is the same..20 yrs ago we would have had to wait up to 2 yrs for a song from the US to be released here but now in the technological age, it is almost immediate. More likely to follow musical trends from the US than that of England. We have some awesome bands and singers here that are world class. (Killing Heidi, Silver Chair as an example).

Clothes are exactly the same, once again we follow the trend over in the states EXCEPT for swimwear...sorry but your swimwear is the WORST in the world...

So trends are the same....and style ...except for hair style s..you guys seem to be 20 yrs behind there.

Our emblems the Emu and Kangaroo on the sheild- most ppl would not be able to answer that if asked...but if you posed the question, "What are some of Australia's emblems and icons?" they would probably say, "The Ute, the outback dunny, koala's, Steve Irwin (flavour of the mth- used to be Paul Hogan), Phar Lap, a six pack of beer and the great Aussie BBQ".

Heather, tough question...to begin, not everything is relevant and sometimes there definetely ARE right and wrong. To me, the word evil has it's foundations through religion. I think the word should be struck from the English language b/c there is no truth to it. It is a shallow, one dimensional word. To label something / one as evil doesn't make it so. It only is evil from an individual's perspective. For eg., if I said, "Heather you are a dog and I am gonna get you", you may say I am evil, BUT what if I had also been responsible for saving a childs life by rescuing them from a fire and donated all my free time to charity etc... and therefore I am NOT evil...
(it was an example and there's is no truth to that statement). Chrikeys...I hate to say this but eg. 9/11. All we heard was "pure evil"... IT WAS the worst terrorist attack ever...and will be remembered that way throughout history...but it wasn't evil...it was horrendous, devastating, life altering, committed by psycho's, fanatics, zealots and other na

I havent heard you mention anything about the bombing that just killed 180 people in your county; all I have heard is what kind of toiliet paper you use.

Maybe you will know what we have been feeling in the United States unfortunatley it is not just here.

Um Wonderbox...what occurred in the States has been very much felt internationally. You don't hold a monopoly on that. As for the Bali bombing; Australia had a day of mourning yesterday. I don't really know what else you want me to say. Don't you get the news there—?

If not, then there was a few bombs go off, hitting the Sari nightclub which had patrons of all nations there but primarily Aussies. The government received a warning 7 weeks prior to the attack but failed to notify the general public...much like the US government knowing about 9/11 but failing to do anything about it. Aussies are up in arms about it..I imagine and inquiry will be held b/c we hold our government accountable. People died, and at the moment the focus is on healing the injured and getting the bodies back home for burial. That is causing pain in many families b/c they need to do DNA, fingerprint or dental record checks on the bodies to identify them which will take a couple of weeks. What else...oh, the morgue was full so more space needed to be found. They cordoned off an area and just lay bodies in a corridor. The incredible heat over there means the bodies are decomposing at a rapid rate so party ice has been used to try and keep them. When the blast occurred, the usual Aussie mateship spirit sufaced and all ppl could do was get their mates out and help as many as they could rather than focusing on saving their own lives. There have been interviews with survivors. One woman was dancing when it happened and saw her friend disintergrate before her eyes. Many have similar stories. Australia is not into name calling and like to have the facts before we point fingers and blame someone for something so horrendous. Justice will be done IF we ever find out who was responsible. Howard hasn't used the word 'evil' once in the media but has used 'wicked'.

Enough gory details for ya— There's more if you want. Surprised that you haven't heard most of this. Is it b/c your country doesn't give a sheit about the rest of the world or is it b/c you don't watch the news b/c you are that ignorant you think you already know enough?

LG,

Who do you think you are talking to? You should know you arent gonna get away with that!!!

Your damn right I heard about it!! (sick about it)!

I am the one that brought the story up and I did it for a reason. I couldnt believe what I was reading. You and Coritca and whoever else is from over there want to talk about what type of toliet paper you have and how old are you? and what is your favorite soap opera minute and I am sitting here thing what a bunch of BS!!! Now who is really the stupid ones!

After all this is said, your focus is only on the fact that your spreading leader didnt use the word 'evil'! What the hell is wrong with you?? Ask your mother if she had any children that lived because you are obviosly brain dead or so self absorbed all you can talk about is lame s h i t. When so much agony is happening right in your own country! Do you not have any feelings?? I know Cortica is limited,(getting better), but I didnt think all of you were!

lol im from AMERICA, and i do feel pity and sorrow for our country but its not like im gonna only pay attention to the feelings cus sometimes feelings doesnt really get you anywhere and so we should look at the whole picture and i have to go with lawgoddess cus shes paying attention to whats happening right now in the world not about feelings in america... or something like that lol

This is not about picking sides Luz! If you have an opinion, that is good but, dont try to make this personal keep your baby games out of it.

i DId state my opinion did i not? I said that we should look at the WHOLE picture. Maybe you're just getting ur panties up in a bunch just because i didnt go on your "side" when i wasnt even doing that, i was just agreeing with what SHE was saying, and i can agree right? Or are you going to restrict me again?

Ok, dont talk to me you are both vulguar and disgusting little trash mouth, and I wont have anything more to say to little girls who want to act like women and dont have a clue! Go do your homework or clean your nasty rooms up or go bang yourself! I am on here to talk to adults not little girls.

lol okk