Unpopular Opinions You Hold

[Carl the Llama]

51 minutes ago, Nalis said:

When they get challenged on it they turn their attention to banging on about still being under rations when they grew up instead.

Are these those 'good old days' they're dragging us back to?

[Sampson]

20 hours ago, Voll Blau said:

It's actually become more of an "event" (ugh) than it used to be when I was young. It's not the solemn two-day commemoration it once was.

 

My unpopular opinion is that I feel like not wearing a poppy these days because of what it's become.

I am the same. I always used to wear the poppy as I was always lead to believe Remembrance Sunday was about remembering all those in every country around the world, both military personal and everyday citizens who had died in conflict and had nothing to do with Britain or British soldiers specifically.

But it definitely feels like it has an undercurrent of British nationalism nowadays and that a lot of it feels like the general support of the British military and the decisions made by politicians to take Britain into conflict regardless.

I have the upmost respect for rank-and-file members of the armed forces and I genuinely believe most people go into the armed forces because they want to help and see a better world and that it is not their choice that they are dragged into conflict often and I still buy a poppy every year as I want to donate money to mental health charities or housing charities which support members of the armed forces and veterens, but I never wear it anymore. The actual symbol has lost its meaning now for me.

[Izzy]

3 hours ago, ealingfox said:

 

Indeed. In fact one of the big issues with our country is that everyone over the age of about 55 thinks they fought in WW2.

What a strange theory. Most of my peer group are 55 and over and I’ve never heard any of them say that. 

[Carl the Llama]

22 minutes ago, Izzy said:

What a strange theory. Most of my peer group are 55 and over and I’ve never heard any of them say that. 

Only because you can't hear anything over the tinnitus from fighting in the trenches 

[ozleicester]

1 hour ago, Izzy said:

What a strange theory. Most of my peer group are 55 and over and I’ve never heard any of them say that. 

im over 55 and most of my peers... died in the big one

[Tim'llFixIt]

The admins should not have closed the weed smoking thread if they are willing to keep the "your last pint" thread open ....

[Carl the Llama]

1 hour ago, Tim'llFixIt said:

The admins should not have closed the weed smoking thread if they are willing to keep the "your last pint" thread open ....

It's literally 1984

[Samilktray]

Why was it closed? The thread title alone should have kept it safe 

[tom27111]

7 minutes ago, Samilktray said:

Why was it closed? The thread title alone should have kept it safe 

Presumably because its illegal, kind of.

 

That is of course an entire other debate.

 

But it's unlikely there'd be a thread on what type of cocaine you're snorting or heroin you're injecting.

Edited 31 October 2021 by tom27111

[jgtuk]

The thread wasn't illegal...

[Carl the Llama]

Talking about cannabis classification under UK law always gets me irate.  Imagine a world where seatbelts are illegal and multiple governments used taxpayer money to fund research into their impact, then after being told that introducing them will reduce overall harm to society they still keep them on their prohibition lists and sack the chief scientist in one high profile case.  That's the world we live in.

[BenTheFox]

Social media is absolute poison and the world would be a much better place without it (I do acknowledge that this forum is technically social media but I am referring more specifically to conventional social media eg. Facebook, twitter, Instagram etc.)

Edited 31 October 2021 by BenTheFox

[bovril]

6 minutes ago, BenTheFox said:

Social media is absolute poison and the world would be a much better posce without it (I do acknowledge that this forum is technically social media but I am referring more specifically to conventional social media eg. Faceboo, twitter, Instagram etc.)

It gives a voice to lots of people who wouldn't have one, and helps make people aware of a lot of issues that could more easily be buried. I think some people who are very anti social media might deep down be uncomfortable with that. 

[BenTheFox]

12 minutes ago, bovril said:

It gives a voice to lots of people who wouldn't have one, and helps make people aware of a lot of issues that could more easily be buried. I think some people who are very anti social media might deep down be uncomfortable with that. 

The whole process is one of pure manipulation. It is designed to get you addicted to it. We spend so much time online trying to perform to eachother and we lose site of what is really important. Bar the very occasional post, I have given up social media completely and I have never felt better for it. I acknowledge that I do not speak for everyone but I find myself asking how much better my life could have been without wasting hours on it. 

[Carl the Llama]

16 minutes ago, BenTheFox said:

The whole process is one of pure manipulation. It is designed to get you addicted to it. We spend so much time online trying to perform to eachother and we lose site of what is really important. Bar the very occasional post, I have given up social media completely and I have never felt better for it. I acknowledge that I do not speak for everyone but I find myself asking how much better my life could have been without wasting hours on it. 

Maybe it would be but then how would you tell everyone?

[leicsmac]

57 minutes ago, BenTheFox said:

Social media is absolute poison and the world would be a much better place without it (I do acknowledge that this forum is technically social media but I am referring more specifically to conventional social media eg. Facebook, twitter, Instagram etc.)

You're not wrong.

 

However, to add to the points @bovril  made above, social media is like a lot of other tech, just a force multiplier and only as good or as bad as its utilisers.

 

Perhaps the problem lies more with people.

[Buce]

9 hours ago, Samilktray said:

Why was it closed? The thread title alone should have kept it safe 

 

9 hours ago, Carl the Llama said:

It's literally 1984

 

11 hours ago, Tim'llFixIt said:

The admins should not have closed the weed smoking thread if they are willing to keep the "your last pint" thread open ....

 

9 hours ago, jgtuk said:

The thread wasn't illegal...

 

Tbf, there was only one way it was going to go once someone posted a link to an online marketplace.

[Buce]

 

I'm not sure if this opinion is unpopular or not, but the Beeching 'reforms' to the railways was one of the most egregious acts of cultural vandalism in human history.

[SpacedX]

12 minutes ago, Buce said:

 

I'm not sure if this opinion is unpopular or not, but the Beeching 'reforms' to the railways was one of the most egregious acts of cultural vandalism in human history.

Didn't it take away the direct rail link to Coventry though? 

 

...so not so much. 

[jgtuk]

3 hours ago, Buce said:

 

I'm not sure if this opinion is unpopular or not, but the Beeching 'reforms' to the railways was one of the most egregious acts of cultural vandalism in human history.

I wish I could like this comment more, I'm not sure it's unpopular though.

As an aside, in the late 90's I mapped out some of the old disused lines in parts of North Wales and walked as many of them as I could, taking notes for evidence of Mammals, plants, insects and birds. It's unbelievable what this habitat sustains.

Edited 1 November 2021 by jgtuk

[jgtuk]

3 hours ago, Buce said:

 

I'm not sure if this opinion is unpopular or not, but the Beeching 'reforms' to the railways was one of the most egregious acts of cultural vandalism in human history.

I live in a small town in N. Wales which suffered from the line closures. We had a thriving commercial and tourist industry served by the railway, even had trains arriving from St Pancras as early as 1900. It gave links to the main coast line (which still exists) and inland to N.E Wales, S.Wales and England.

The line opened on 4th August 1868 and closed to passengers on 18th January 1965 as a result of the Beeching Axe. Our transport links are some of the worst in the country and as a result we have to travel to England to go to S. Wales or N.E Wales by train. Our Bus and Coach services are also poor so massively underused.

Of course, nearly everyone here drives and most families have multiple cars so our roads have become much busier. In the summer, my closest coastal towns population goes from around 3,000 to 30,000 + people, nearly all arriving by road.

Don't get me started on the cost of rail travel either...

 

[murphy]

Greta Thunberg has a voice like a gattling gun and would really get her message across a bit better if she threw in the odd joke or at least a smile.

[Fox92]

19 hours ago, BenTheFox said:

The whole process is one of pure manipulation. It is designed to get you addicted to it. We spend so much time online trying to perform to eachother and we lose site of what is really important. Bar the very occasional post, I have given up social media completely and I have never felt better for it. I acknowledge that I do not speak for everyone but I find myself asking how much better my life could have been without wasting hours on it. 

I noticed you disappeared from twitter. My interaction on there has become less and less. 

 

I ditched Facebook years ago, absolute shit of a place, just people pretending their life is better than yours. 

 

Never had Instagram.

[Nalis]

I like Diamond Lights by Hoddle and Waddle

 

Not in an ironic or so bad its good kind of way, I genuinely think its a good song.

[ozleicester]

On 02/11/2021 at 02:39, murphy said:

Greta Thunberg has a voice like a gattling gun and would really get her message across a bit better if she threw in the odd joke or at least a smile.

People need to pay more attention to what people say.. rather than how they sound when they say it.