Is the name "Kempeitai" insensitive?

I'd like it if they touched on a lot more of PanO as a sort of "inverted totalitarian state", playing up the corporatist angle - boardroom meetings with people talking about how happy people don't buy enough, how stable families don't create good consumers, that kind of thing, and talking about social media strategies to make people's lives more miserable so they'll be better consumers. Big Data has created a personal semi-AI "guardian angel" to advise you... which, though the use of various algorithms is incredibly good at manipulating you into buying things and generally being a "good PanO citizen."

 

Yeah, I'd call that a relatively bright future. Considering that someone in the US with $10 in their pocket and no debt is richer than about 75% of all humans alive....

Explains a lot. What was that political cartoon about the Iraqi Army back in 1991? "Welcome to Iraq, home of the World's 3rd 4th 7th 32nd largest army" with some guy standing there with a paintbrush to keep updating the sign...

You forgot the idea that 'durable goods' are only designed to last 3 years anymore, so people are re-doing their kitchens every 3-5 years.

 

Humans, though, are very sensitive to relative inequality, perhaps more so than absolute inequality.

 

There's still the PanO book which we should be seeing shortly as it's with CB for review right now. Unfortunately there's only so much space in the core book.

 

You've been grossly misinformed about the Black Panther Party. Both they and the Black Power movement in general are often misportrayed in media. The word 'power' in english has different connotations. It can mean domination, but it can also be the active form of the word freedom. If you are free, you have power. If you are a slave, you do not.

Even the name, which is often portrayed as menacing, came from a response to a white supremacist movement that chose a white rooster as their symbol. Choosing a black feline as the symbol of the party that organized to protect african americans from a group that openly espoused hateful rhetoric and voter suppression was an act of defiance, not intimidation.

While it would be pretty silly to say that no member of the party has ever committed a terrorist act, terrorism has never been part of the aims, statements, or structure of the Black Panthers.

(also, as has been said, the comics character was named a year or two before the party, and it's more likely that he was inspirational to the group than the other way around)

 

Let's not forget that the Black Panther Party established in 1966 was dissolved in 1982, and the people currently calling themselves the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense are a whole different organization disowned by all surviving members of the original Black Panther Party.

While I'm willing to agree that the original Black Panther Party was not a terrorist organization (despite the ambushing of police officers), I cannot say the same about the NBPP. After all, their leader publicly states that he wants all white people dead, and attempts to organize violent 'protests' to accomplish the goal of dead police officers.

 

The old Black Panther party was far from innocent either, with fairly long lists of crimes, murders of internal membership, and fraud as well.

I'd generally not consider them a bright spot in the civil rights struggle.

 

Ok, you guys were successful in triggering me.

We should also not forget that in the USA, police officers can murder black people with impunity.

I argue that the Black Panthers were fighting against state terrorism, against a racist government. The police harrassed, tortured and killed black activists. Therefore, I argue that cops were legitimate military targets for the Black Panthers. To put this in American terms, the BP carried out their second Amendment rights and duties, to fight against a tyrannical government. The internal killings may have been committed by police and framed on the party members, or they may really have been snitches. Obviously I don't know what exactly happened, but the US police, army and secret services kill innocent people on a daily basis and are somehow not considered terrorist organisations.

It is not that a group is magically absolved of all crimes just because it calls itself a government. It is not illegitimate to use violent force against governments. If that was the case, the USA would not exist.

 

I'd argue you need to get out of the propaganda swamps for a bit and talk a walk.

You're obviously emotional about this, so there is no point trying to discuss it in this forum - I encourage you to investigate the issue further and seek statistical confirmations of the rhetorical points that are bandied about - what you find may surprise you.

Either way, I hope you have a nice evening.

 

@prophet of doom
Luckily for us, many user on the forum are not US citizen.
Maybe that's why we feel things differently

 

This forum really isn't the place for that discussion.

Was it this thread where I admitted I was about 5000 yards and 9lbs pressure away from killing a bunch of civilians? Because they were presenting themselves as an immediate threat to my sub and myself.

Guess I should go turn myself in to the Hague for War Crimes.

 

Some of us are US Citizens and have a different view of our history.

 

Well that escalated quickly :bomb:

 

I should ask @Knauf, that originated this very "Hot Topic" thread, if the O.P. wild derivation is a problem for Him. . .

Aside from being ported from the Yujing thread, then J.S.A. thread to finally land here in the "Kitchen Sink" of Off-Topic-English, this very Thread has become sinonimous of "Hate Speech". . .

First @Section9, one of the "Forumites" with the most worldwide widepread experience (being born in Rural U.S.A., servicing in the U.S.Navy Submersible Fleets, stationed for so much a lenghty time in Japan that He found easy working there after Honourable discharge and transition to that Culture as a "Yankee Immigrant" and being a GENERAL Excellent Human Being !!) is scatingly attacked for "Suspected Homophoby" with generic, baseless speculation on its uncomprised words (unsupported theses that I, an "Eurotrash Bisexual" tried to defuse with My own PERSONAL experiences !!). . .

Then there are a lot of generic "Virtual Poo Slinging" towards Warcors and Moderators (the EXCELLENT @psychoticstorm first among these !!) for various thesis about "Generic Freedom" and opposite ideals. . .

Then We are here to accuse the FUCKIN UNITED STATES OF AMERICA to be a FASCIST REGIME. . .??

The "Home Of The Brave / Land Of The Free" is NOW a "Police Terror Place" where sociopathic "Hollywood Cops" shoot for FUN any Black Boy that dare to exit the Ghettos. . ??

The issue of "Trigger Happy Cops" is as old as Armed Officers, and is a very serious problem that Afro-American are "Shot On Sight" by Corrupted / Stupid "Crooks with a Badge" (as opposed to less easily "Targeted" Hispanics or Orientals) but HAVE YOU EVER BEEN to a Totalitarian Regime "Home Turf". . .??

I HAVE. . .

I went to South Africa when Apartheid was full on; where "Black Zulu Cops" were employed as Riot Shocktroopers against Matabele Ethnic Group people revolting for disgusting conditions on their "Bantustans Ghetto Nations" AND Matabele Soldiers went in the Bush to shoot at Nigerian Smugglers, all paid for a few Rands (S.A. Money) to have "Niggaz Shooting Niggaz". . .

I went with the Italian Carabinieri "Peacekeepers" in the Balkans, where (after the "Happy Yugoslavian Socialist Paradise" envisoned by Tito simply EXPLODED !!) then Croatians shoot Serbians, Serbians that raped Albanian Muslim Women, Albanian whose Brothers / Fathers / Husbands happily smuggled Drugs & Weapons to the Italian Crime Families, all the WHILE the Local Politicians smiled, nodded and put "Pocket Money" on their off-shore banking accounts. . .

I went to Mexico, where a lot of Private Police Enforcers (guarding and defending the Tourist Havens) are Young Mexican WOMEN (often with a Family on their shoulders, as Them being SOLE Legal Income) because Young Mexican MEN often are not considered
"Reliable Enough" by the Non-Mexican owners of the Exclusive Resorts (really when a Couple of 20 / 25 Years old Young MOTHERS need to do 12 Hours Shifts, with ASSAULT RIFLES and Kevlar Jackets to guard a Supermarket, then You know something is NOT GOOD in that Place). . .

I went to Israel, where the Cousin of one of My Italian best friends (an Italian Jew of Orthodox Family) said to Me: "Steven, You are Christian Catholic, so You will Work on Saturday, rather than Sunday; My crew need reliable Armed Guards when we make our DAILY MORNING MINE SWEEP of the Most Popular Beach of Tel-Aviv, to check if no one has left "Presents" during the night! Do You want to consider Immigrate there to work as Non-Jew Private Enforcer. . .??"

And I went to the Italian Versions of "Ghettos / Barrios / Favelas" of Scampia in Napoli and Palermo in Sicily, where the STATE POLICE dare NOT put feet unless in big numbers, Riot Gear, S.W.A.T. Wheeled-Tanks, and Heli Support all of Us armed with Military Guns, Heavy Flak Suits and especially FUCKING NINJA BALACLAVAS because if a Mafia Criminal whose Crackhouse we raided will perchance recognize Us, then surely our Spouses / Partners / Children / Roomies will risk a "Night Time Surprise Rape" AT BEST and a merry Car Bomb, when bringing sons and daughters at School in the morning AT WORST. . .

Are YOU REALLY KIDDING ME. . .??

There are "Bad Cops" everywhere. . . . .I personally took part in putting Manacles on two of My Colleagues, later revealed to be FULL FLEDGED "Mafiosi" (as in Old Styled "Blood Oath" swearing of fealty to the "Padrino" Godfather !!) but that paraded as "Loyal Public Officers", BUT DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT the "Blue Bloods" of the U.S.A. are there on "Open Season" on any Blackfaced Youths. . .??

. . . . .

Do ANY Young American of the Forum Base (culture & ethnicity notwithstanding, Lead Bullets does not discriminate between Black, White, Yellow, Red, Brown, Young, Old, Rich, Poor, Straight, Gay, Catholic, Muslim, Jew. . .!!) wants to exchange place with one of the Co-Age of the Places that I visited in the last 25 Years. . . . . ???

Pleeease, what ALL OF THIS have to relate with a Tabletop Miniature Wargame of Cyberpunk Soldiers. . . . . . . ??????

 

Well man, if nothing else, you've definitely seen some real shit in your time...

 

To be entirely honest you are going way out of my waters, I am reading/ watching some American history this period, but my views on it are not only limited, but are also purely academic and from the perspective of somebody who not only is not living there, but who has lived in entirely different places.

Experience has taught me countries and individuals are always two entirely different things and accusing countries for things that individuals did or individuals for things countries did is never a good idea.

Ultimately each one of us is shaped by the experience we accumulated as we grew up similar experiences group people together and this can lead to different realisation in perspective and understanding of events, what makes or can make us better in coexisting is understanding that and finding common grounds,

 

To paraphrase, you're entitled to your own feelings, you're not entitled to your own facts. I understand that you're not from the US, but that doesn't remove the responsibility to speak from a place of knowledge. Literally everything I know about Italy comes from ancient history or gangster movies ... I wouldn't presume to make statements in this forum or elsewhere about modern Italian history, because I don't have any facts to base my opinions on.

I'm asking you to show the same courtesy about US history.

 

@locksmith. . .

Believe Me, as an Ex Military Police from Italy. . . . .ANY Kind of Movie / Book (ranging from Masterpiece to "Penny Dreadfuls" kind of crap) will NOT give justice to some UNCANNY VALLEY shittyness that I have seen, faced, battled, raged impotently upon or (in few, Few, FEW precious small, rare moments) helped stomp. . .

Sometimes I think that when Ancient Classical Rome made the 100% Conquest of Europe before Christ, the WHOLE COLLECTIVITY of the Shamans / Druids / Pagan Priests / Witch-Doctors of the conquered states had made a "Generational Stupidity Curse" that JUST NOW is starting to take root in My Country, after gaining strenght in 2000 Years of "Slow Cooking". . .!!

There are Young People in italy that behaves like the "Guidos & Guidettes" of Jersey Shore are RELIABLE LIFE-ROLE MODELS (!) and there are Older Persons that act as if the "Sopranos" are just a funny kind of representation of their Culture, that could Help foreigners understand them better. . .

Let's not even speak of the FUCKING, THRICE-DAMNED "Gomorra" T.V. Serie, where the horrible, nasty people of that serie (Unfortunately based on REAL Criminals from "Scampia" the Ghetto-Barrio of Napoli / Naples !!) are considered by Young Gangster Wannabe as a sort of excellent portraits of what "Is Best In Their Life" (much as in chagrin of the great performance of Al Pacino in "Scarface" the totally awful, urremedeable Character of Tony Montana has become a "Ideal Archetype" for Southern American "Vatos" everywhere). . .

 

WTF happened to this thread. I last looked at page 8 and I don't even know what I'm looking at anymore.