Coup leaders urge Thai soldiers to smile Military coup leaders in Thailand — often called the "Land of Smiles" — apparently don't want to ruin that image. They've ordered soldiers to smile. Army radio broadcasts are reminding soldiers to be friendly and courteous, especially to children. Many Thais have described this as the friendliest coup ever seen in a land with a history of violent coups.
posted by dwarfplanet on Sep 25, 2006 - 45 comments

Hey you on the couch! Isn't it time to cozy up to your favourite pitch battle? Yes, warm to such classics as "Birmingham vs. Wigan 94" or the great classic "Wolverhampton vs Luton 89". Yes, go back to a time when the game meant nothing and wearing ya Fila or Burberry was everything. & Who can forget those cheeky Tonge Moor Slashers, Mongoose Cuckoo Boys, and Billy Whiz Fan Club So, get out ya "Headhunters for life" pre-shrunk and free from animal testing tee, put the kids to bed, and relive those glory days of mindless violence from the comfort of your suburban semi-detached.
posted by Mr Bluesky on May 30, 2005 - 15 comments

Disturbing Video Footage of Ambush in Iraq
posted by furiousxgeorge on Feb 23, 2005 - 44 comments

Just fill the catapult with one or more cupids, pull the trigger, and aim at the person of your dreams! This "love gun" alarms me, but maybe I overreact as a parent about my kid's exposure to violence. Is this just a harmless novelty, or a disturbing example of how desensitized we are to guns? At least it's for kids over 3.
posted by margarita on Feb 4, 2005 - 23 comments

More than rhetoric... As the campaign gets more divisive and time grows short incidents of violence are breaking out more and more often. Shots have been fired on more than one occasion, swastikas burned, intimidation and just plain kicking. Hopefully it gets better from here, but somehow I don't think so.
posted by soulhuntre on Oct 7, 2004 - 73 comments

Start saving for your childrens future therapy. What they learned this month is dead bodies being burnt and strung up on a bridge is ok to print on the front page of a newspaper, and watch on the news at dinner time; but you better not see any nipple, even for a half a second.
posted by CrazyJub on Apr 3, 2004 - 67 comments

This guy has more credibility than an effete intellectual like me when it comes to talking about violence and football (as opposed to music and breasts).
posted by kozad on Feb 6, 2004 - 19 comments

The Daily Herald is running a piece on Violence and Videogames, and to any person who plays games, it may marr their opinion of the Daily Herald for a while. In fact, Steve from www.HardOcp.com (november 18th link) wrote the author a letter to explain that what he wrote doesn't hold weight in the real world. "If a parent wanted their children to develop attitudes like Gary Ridgway, the confessed killer of at least 48 women, these games might provide a good training ground." Seems to me like the author doesnt play video games, especially considering there are other games besides first person shooters. "Video games are expected to reach $20 billion in sales this year. That is a sizable piece of the growing economy everybody is hoping for, and it works directly against what most parents want for their children." A little opinionated, but so am I. What do you think?
posted by Keyser Soze on Nov 18, 2003 - 44 comments

Violence against women is one issue where the current administration aligns itself with the "axis of evil" and "known terrorist supporting countries." I suppose they might feel it's oo bad the Taliban doesn't still rule Afghanistan so they could have one more ally.

"For too long, the feminists have been pushing a radical, special-interest agenda under the erroneous mantra made rhetorical cliche by Hillary Clinton: 'Women's rights are human rights,'" writes Janice Crouse, an official of the conservative group Concerned Women for America and a member of the U.S. delegation. ...
The alliance isn't new - it took root when the Bush administration took over. But it is often unseen. The United States has frequently sided at the UN with countries such as Algeria, Libya, Sudan, Iran and Iraq - when it was still controlled by Saddam Hussein - in battles over language involving women and children's rights.
posted by nofundy on May 2, 2003 - 15 comments

Body Pleasure and the Origins of Violence. If this 1975 article from the The Bulletin of The Atomic Sciences were written today, the "Body Pleasure" bit would have probably been left out. But that doesn't mean this article isn't worth the time to read. Also see this cite of James W. Prescott's work in Carl Sagan's bestselling book and PBS series in chapter 13: Who Speaks for Earth?
posted by crasspastor on Mar 2, 2003 - 12 comments

"In the game, the player plays the role of a character called The Postal Dude. He lives in a town where there are all kinds of people, white, black, skinny, fat, straight and gay. You can play the game in a passive role without killing anyone," Desi said.

"We are not political," he added.
posted by donkeyschlong on Jan 23, 2003 - 17 comments

Now, this is just odd... The case, which has shocked France, came to light on Saturday with police saying the 19-year-old man had been beaten with a baton, burnt with an iron, raped, had his nose smashed, his ears half torn off and starved. I have read of some strange stories of people taking advantage of others, though this strikes me as odd. Again, those questions of WHY smack you in the forehead!
posted by Kodel on Sep 2, 2002 - 11 comments

Be careful how you sing "My Way" After being ridiculed for an off-key version of My Way, the irate singer kills one heckler and wounds another. Philippine karaoke bars have begun to remove the song from their playlists as this was the climax of several violent incidents when this song was played.
posted by Lanternjmk on Feb 19, 2002 - 8 comments

A Plea For Realism This is the first time I have seen an on-line or paper eminating from the Arab states and serving the Arab/Muslim community suggest a new approach that is peaceful for bringing about a resolution the the chaos that has marked this past year in that area of the world.
posted by Postroad on Dec 31, 2001 - 8 comments

"It wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't World War III" Watch the Browns/Jaguars game? Maybe it was a bad call, but throwing plastic bottles full of beer? Anybody who knows me knows I speak out loudly and firmly against the ridiculous sports culture we have in this country. This incident makes me ashamed to be a Clevelander, even a transplanted one. What is it that gets people this riled up and stupid?
posted by starvingartist on Dec 17, 2001 - 120 comments

Anti-Arab violence going in Australia: It's not just in the US - In Brisbane, a schoolbus packed with Islamic children was damaged by stones and bottles and there had been abusive calls to mosques. In Perth a mosque was defiled with human faeces and obscenities were shouted from a car doing wheelies in its carpark. The Australian Arabic Council today said a hotline for people to report racist attacks had been swamped by calls. Unconfirmed attacks included children being physically harmed and racially vilified at school. Muslum women being spat on and had their veils pulled off.
posted by Jase_B on Sep 13, 2001 - 22 comments

A repulsive article via Salon concerning protests and at a mosque outside of Chicago today. Thousands of rubes seem poised to act of their narrow conception of what an "American" looks and acts like.
posted by ryanshepard on Sep 13, 2001 - 28 comments

Texas student kills self after holding class hostage. I brought that up in order to bring this up: the Colorado Governor commissioned ten people to get together and write up a 200 page report about what actually happened at Columbine, and then tell everybody what we're supposed to do about it. I'm reminded of that scene in The Matrix when Neo notices DeJaVu the black cat. And for those tired of talking about this pathetic school shooting crap, I can sympathize. Here's a cute story about Thud the dumb grey cat.
posted by ZachsMind on May 15, 2001 - 22 comments

is this justifiable? i'm sure that both sides have their own reasons. but, honestly ... all the fatalities. how can there be any possible rationale for the loss of so much?
posted by a11an on Apr 10, 2001 - 15 comments

Young people today are not just getting their hands on guns and killing people, but are using any means necessary, including cars. Let's outlaw all dangerous items so that crazy kids can't do anybody any harm!
posted by OneBallJay on Mar 7, 2001 - 50 comments

To much acclaim and publicity, a town in Illinois organized a program where people could bring in their violent video games, and trade them for other merchandise at local retailers. The program ran for 6 days.

Not a single person took advantage of it.
posted by Steven Den Beste on Dec 20, 2000 - 7 comments

Parisian Attack Monkeys used by thugs in place of guns. What would Charlton Heston say?
posted by stbalbach on Oct 15, 2000 - 12 comments

Indianapolis minors can't play violent videogames anymore.
posted by skallas on Oct 13, 2000 - 10 comments

S26 protests get violent. Once again, those bloody radicals are blamed for turning a nice nonviolent protest bad. I seem to recall someone dismissing my criticism of the movement for not being on the same ideological page.
posted by norm on Sep 26, 2000 - 19 comments

E/N Everything / Nothing is a type of blog I've just become aware of, with the running theme buying young guys that blog porn and violence. What do you guys think?
posted by owillis on Sep 6, 2000 - 15 comments

Indiana restricts violent arcade games No more Mortal Kombat for kids. I'm sure we are all aware of the many dangerous games out there. Didn't anyone make a point about the good things these games offer Indiana kids.
posted by john on Jul 20, 2000 - 4 comments

More Stupidity.
Now when little Billy goes to get that violent video game he can check out the latest issue of Juggs Magazine too!
posted by Nyarlathotep on Jul 13, 2000 - 14 comments

things just keep getting sicker and sicker. anyone have a url for this game?
posted by cadence on Jun 1, 2000 - 4 comments

A Scourge of Small Arms "The root causes of ethnic, religious and sectarian conflicts around the world are of course complex and varied, typically involving historical grievances, economic deprivation, demagogic leadership and an absence of democratic process. Although small arms and light weapons are not themselves a cause of conflict, their ready accessibility and low cost can prolong combat, encourage a violent rather than a peaceful resolution of differences, and generate greater insecurity throughout society--which in turn leads to a spiraling demand for, and use of, such weapons."
posted by Calebos on May 31, 2000 - 7 comments

ottawa boy, obsessed with columbine, stabbed several people and slit his own wrists with a steak knife because he longed to be famous. "'We'd be on the phone or walking and he'd say, 'Seven days til Columbine, 11:21, six days til Columbine, 11:21', a witness said"
posted by palegirl on Apr 22, 2000 - 5 comments

Who stands to benefit from the growing hysteria over school violence -- especially since school violence is actually dropping? That's the question posed by the USA Today story, spotted originally by Brennan at Considered Harmful. I think it's an excellent example of the general principle: always question their motives.
posted by baylink on Apr 12, 2000 - 6 comments

Do you *really* want to ask Tech Support a stupid question? I've heard my fair share of silly, stupid questions, and most of the tech support questions I've been asked could have been answered by the user reading the manual. Apparently this tech support guy couldn't take it anymore and stabbed his coworker for asking a question, then was shot by police. Nuts.
posted by mathowie on Oct 22, 1999 - 1 comment