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> Despotism and gun control are invariably tightly linked "Linked" is a tabloid weasel word in this context. It may or may not be true that most despots favou

> Despotism and gun control are invariably tightly linked "Linked" is a tabloid weasel word in this context. It may or may not be true that most despots favour gun control. I'm not familiar with the evidence in that case. But the reverse is not remotely true. Tight gun control has been hard fought for by citizenries of many democracies, and as with other rational policies (eg. real health care systems), once won, populations are loathe to allow corporate lobbies to remove it. Armed citizenries have a measurably lesser chance of usefully opposing a government (and its military) than do unarmed ones (again, see Chenoweth and others). The post-revolutionary consequences of armed rebellions are invariably unending tales of multigenerational trauma and reciprocal violence.

rjf72 8y ago
What is the point of discussion? I'd say it's presumably to convey our ideas and ideally influence one another. I mean we all think we're right about the things that we believe - or we wouldn't believe them. So why don't other people think the same way? Well they must just not be privy to the logic, evidence, and other information that you possess! And so of course the key tools in this are rationale, logic, and evidence. And so let's imagine I'm coming from a different perspective from yourself. Do you think your post is going to help me see your world view in any more clear a fashion? For instance, I've never heard of Chenoweth. I'd assumed it was some significant revolutionary event I was not familiar with. Search results turn up an actress I've also never heard of. With some degree of effort, I surmise you are talking about some person who wrote some book. Why not share what you find to be the most compelling incident from the book? Major modern events every child is familiar with, from Vietnam to Iraq, demonstrate the power of an armed population. I'm sure your author must have covered this, so why not summarize their logic in practice, offer examples you found particularly compelling and representative, and ultimately perhaps persuade me to their merit?

rjf72 8y ago

What is the point of discussion? I'd say it's presumably to convey our ideas and ideally influence one another. I mean we all think we're right about the things that we believe - or we wouldn't believe them. So why don't other people think the same way? Well they must just not be privy to the logic, evidence, and other information that you possess! And so of course the key tools in this are rationale, logic, and evidence. And so let's imagine I'm coming from a different perspective from yourself. Do you think your post is going to help me see your world view in any more clear a fashion? For instance, I've never heard of Chenoweth. I'd assumed it was some significant revolutionary event I was not familiar with. Search results turn up an actress I've also never heard of. With some degree of effort, I surmise you are talking about some person who wrote some book. Why not share what you find to be the most compelling incident from the book? Major modern events every child is familiar with, from Vietnam to Iraq, demonstrate the power of an armed population. I'm sure your author must have covered this, so why not summarize their logic in practice, offer examples you found particularly compelling and representative, and ultimately perhaps persuade me to their merit?