"NO PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION ALLOWED!" - Inside a comic con in the Middle East 2 2

[NoMan]

1 hour ago, stock_rotation said:

I never said he wasn't allowed to share an opinion. I simply pointed out that his "opinion" in this instance was worthless. Just because you can do a thing does not mean you should do a thing.

To quote Henry Miller: "We do not talk, we bludgeon one another with facts and theories gleaned from cursory readings of newspapers, magazines and digests."

I need to read that Air Conditioning book by him. Been sitting on my bookshelf for years.

[stock_rotation]

6 hours ago, newshane said:

Where do I begin? Let me express my "informed opinion" by presenting some facts for everyone. Make up your own mind. I've made up mine. 

* * *

8. During the month of Ramadan, it is illegal to publicly eat, drink, or smoke between sunrise and sunset. Exceptions are made for pregnant women and children. The law applies to both Muslims and non-Muslims, and failure to comply may result in arrest. In 2008 a Russian woman was put on trial for drinking juice in public during the month of Ramadan.

And this is why I made my initial comment. I could smell your intent with your first post, and this confirms it. You just wanted to inject your cut-and-paste politics into a conversation.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=+During+the+month+of+Ramadan%2C+it+is+illegal+to+publicly+eat%2C+drink%2C+or+smoke+between+sunrise+and+sunset.+Exceptions+are+made+for+pregnant+women+and+children.+The+law+applies+to+both+Muslims+and+non-Muslims%2C+and+failure+to+comply+may+result+in+arrest.+In+2008+a+Russian+woman+was+put+on+trial+for+drinking+juice+in+public+during+the+month+of+Ramadan.+&t=ffsb&ia=web

This is just one of your bullet points. I'm sure with a small amount of effort (which I am not at all willing to do), I could find the Reddit post you copied your entire comment from. This isn't your informed opinion on the merits of visiting Dubai, it's just you skimming from whatever swamp you visit and dumping the results here. And this is the last post I'll make about this, as I'm sure extended discussion is going to get this thread locked.

Anyway, thanks to the OP for the original post. It was interesting to read about a situation most of us would not likely experience firsthand.

[newshane]

1 minute ago, stock_rotation said:

And this is why I made my initial comment. I could smell your intent with your first post, and this confirms it. You just wanted to inject your cut-and-paste politics into a conversation.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=+During+the+month+of+Ramadan%2C+it+is+illegal+to+publicly+eat%2C+drink%2C+or+smoke+between+sunrise+and+sunset.+Exceptions+are+made+for+pregnant+women+and+children.+The+law+applies+to+both+Muslims+and+non-Muslims%2C+and+failure+to+comply+may+result+in+arrest.+In+2008+a+Russian+woman+was+put+on+trial+for+drinking+juice+in+public+during+the+month+of+Ramadan.+&t=ffsb&ia=web

This is just one of your bullet points. I'm sure with a small amount of effort (which I am not at all willing to do), I could find the Reddit post you copied your entire comment from. This isn't your informed opinion on the merits of visiting Dubai, it's just you skimming from whatever swamp you visit and dumping the results here. And this is the last post I'll make about this, as I'm sure extended discussion is going to get this thread locked.

Anyway, thanks to the OP for the original post. It was interesting to read about a situation most of us would not likely experience firsthand.

I think you are mistaken on many points, and that you are strangely upset over my opinion. 

[newshane]

24 minutes ago, stock_rotation said:

I never said he wasn't allowed to share an opinion. I simply pointed out that his "opinion" in this instance was worthless. Just because you can do a thing does not mean you should do a thing.

To quote Henry Miller: "We do not talk, we bludgeon one another with facts and theories gleaned from cursory readings of newspapers, magazines and digests."

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

15 minutes ago, stock_rotation said:

I never said he wasn't allowed to share an opinion. I simply pointed out that his "opinion" in this instance was worthless. Just because you can do a thing does not mean you should do a thing.

And that is your opinion...and what is the value of that? Did you use the words "he isn't allowed to share his opinion"...? No. But saying "I've never been to Dubai, and strangely enough, didn't think the thread needed my opinion on the merits of visiting Dubai. YMMV.", and using a bad analogy to illustrate your point, certainly heavily implies it. You didn't even need to write "hint, HINT" at the end of that statement for it to be clear. 

18 minutes ago, stock_rotation said:

To quote Henry Miller: "We do not talk, we bludgeon one another with facts and theories gleaned from cursory readings of newspapers, magazines and digests."

This is a statement with more implication. It implies that opposing opinions are merely the result of "cursory readings of newspapers, magazines and digests", rather than being informed and educated. As has been said, one need not experience something directly to be informed about it. Otherwise...we would have no history, not having experienced it personally. We have libraries filled with books on the U. S. Civil War, for example, despite no one currently living having directly experienced it.

People are allowed to share their opinions...even opposing opinions...without the implication (and, in this case, explicit statement) that their opinion is "worthless" from others.

If you disagree with someone's opinion, make your case. If your only contribution is to tell others their opinions are "worthless" and not welcome...the problem isn't the other person.

[newshane]

6 minutes ago, stock_rotation said:

And this is why I made my initial comment. I could smell your intent with your first post, and this confirms it. You just wanted to inject your cut-and-paste politics into a conversation.

 

Clearly, you are the one politicizing this, and YOU are the one dragging the thread left with negativity. 

Just because Dubai isn't on my bucketlist and I *refuse* to be governed by ANY religious law...ANY...does not mean that I am politicizing everything. 

You are the one who is being nasty here. 

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

8 minutes ago, stock_rotation said:

And this is why I made my initial comment. I could smell your intent with your first post, and this confirms it. You just wanted to inject your cut-and-paste politics into a conversation.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=+During+the+month+of+Ramadan%2C+it+is+illegal+to+publicly+eat%2C+drink%2C+or+smoke+between+sunrise+and+sunset.+Exceptions+are+made+for+pregnant+women+and+children.+The+law+applies+to+both+Muslims+and+non-Muslims%2C+and+failure+to+comply+may+result+in+arrest.+In+2008+a+Russian+woman+was+put+on+trial+for+drinking+juice+in+public+during+the+month+of+Ramadan.+&t=ffsb&ia=web

This is just one of your bullet points. I'm sure with a small amount of effort (which I am not at all willing to do), I could find the Reddit post you copied your entire comment from. This isn't your informed opinion on the merits of visiting Dubai, it's just you skimming from whatever swamp you visit and dumping the results here. And this is the last post I'll make about this, as I'm sure extended discussion is going to get this thread locked.

Anyway, thanks to the OP for the original post. It was interesting to read about a situation most of us would not likely experience firsthand.

This is bad scholarship.

[newshane]

Just now, RockMyAmadeus said:

This is bad scholarship.

It's no big secret that I copied and pasted most of the post, but I made sure each bullet was backed up by verified sources. Most of what I posted is either: 1.) already well-known fact, like the guidelines for Ramadan 2.) Big, international incidents with media coverage from multiple angles. 

If anyone is unsatisfied with my findings, they are welcome to conduct their own research...please PM with your findings, as I am open-minded and willing to change. As for now, I'm more than happy with my decision to avoid the area altogether. 

 

[comicdonna]

I appreciated your posts, newshane.  Actually, I liked the entire thread until the shill came along.  

[newshane]

2 minutes ago, comicdonna said:

I appreciated your posts, newshane.  Actually, I liked the entire thread until the shill came along.  

I didn't mean to derail the thread at all. My apologies to everyone. I've already posted my appreciation for the OP's report. 

I don't hold grudges either. Let's just agree to disagree and move forward already. 

[RockMyAmadeus]

28 minutes ago, newshane said:

It's no big secret that I copied and pasted most of the post, but I made sure each bullet was backed up by verified sources. Most of what I posted is either: 1.) already well-known fact, like the guidelines for Ramadan 2.) Big, international incidents with media coverage from multiple angles. 

If anyone is unsatisfied with my findings, they are welcome to conduct their own research...please PM with your findings, as I am open-minded and willing to change. As for now, I'm more than happy with my decision to avoid the area altogether. 

 

It's bad scholarship because it suggests that opinions are faulty, uninformed, or invalid simply because those opinions may have been expressed somewhere else by someone else. It says "you didn't arrive at these conclusions on your own, you're just parroting what someone else wrote." And while that certainly can be true, it isn't necessarily true...which makes it bad reasoning. I don't need to quote John Miller's excellent biography of Charles II to have a fully informed, fully educated opinion on the Merry Monarch...but if he expresses ideas about the subject better than I can, that also doesn't necessarily mean I've just regurgitated someone else's views on the matter and claimed them as my own.

Edited April 17, 2019 by RockMyAmadeus

[RockMyAmadeus]

10 minutes ago, newshane said:

I didn't mean to derail the thread at all. My apologies to everyone. I've already posted my appreciation for the OP's report. 

I don't hold grudges either. Let's just agree to disagree and move forward already. 

You don't have anything to apologize for. Conversations, like newly formed rivulets after a lively spring storm, rarely follow a predictable path.

[Xenosmilus]

How could anyone have an issue with this, I sure don't 

Edited April 17, 2019 by Xenosmilus

[NoMan]

14 hours ago, Xenosmilus said:

How could anyone have an issue with this, I sure don't 

Perfect way to end a thread!

[theCapraAegagrus]

6 minutes ago, NoMan said:

Perfect way to end a thread!

[speedcake]

On 4/15/2019 at 3:31 PM, NoMan said:

 

Anyways, I here ya tho. It's just not how I live life. As the LAPD will say to you if you ask them if somewhere is a good area: Everything's cool until it's not. 

This is just an illogical way of looking at things. There are many, many, many parts of the world (yes some right here in the good old U.S. of A.) that are incredibly dangerous, and not just if you are an aloof "westerner." It's not just about being respectful of local culture or knowing local laws. Some places are objectively, by all standards, bad and if you go there you are taking your life in your own hands. Being a Pollyanna about it and passive aggressively dismissing facts just seems like a really, really bad idea if you do alot of travelling.

 

[speedcake]

I guess I derailed the thread again. That's what I get for not reading it all.  Anyway, good luck in your travels. Hopefully we get some more trip reports from Comic Cons in far off places.

[NoMan]

1 hour ago, speedcake said:

This is just an illogical way of looking at things. There are many, many, many parts of the world (yes some right here in the good old U.S. of A.) that are incredibly dangerous, and not just if you are an aloof "westerner." It's not just about being respectful of local culture or knowing local laws. Some places are objectively, by all standards, bad and if you go there you are taking your life in your own hands. Being a Pollyanna about it and passive aggressively dismissing facts just seems like a really, really bad idea if you do alot of travelling.

 

ok

[speedcake]

lul that’s what I thought. Be safe out there. 

[NoMan]

1 hour ago, speedcake said:

lul that’s what I thought. Be safe out there. 

I used to publish a zine in my early 20s. My father was an attorney. One day after looking at some of my work, he said, "One of these days you're gonna get sued."

I miss you, dad. RIP.