Disney blocks next Michael Moore film

[Ali]

I'm glad the American government asked our government to join the team!

Yeah, it was sweet of the US to ask Britain to join in too. We would have felt completely left out if they'd gone down to the park to play war without calling on us.

On the subject of the French, I'd like to point out that the States went to the UN for a resolution that would support their invasion of Iraq. Any attempt to block the resolution would be reffered to by the US as a 'reckless veto'. By saying, the States successfully scuppered any attempt to prevent the war and disenfranchised other members of the UN. It was a cynical and supremely arrogant move which really shows what little interest the Bush administration has in the troublesome matter of other nations.

And if freedom fries was meant as a joke, I assume the war in Iraq was the punchline.

[Andail]

Sutebi, that ballpark allegory was the most arrogant and ignorant thing I've heard in ages....the US completely overrides the UN (which leads to years of war and tens of thousands of Iraqi casualties) and you make it sound like some bloody picnic.

And don't try to hide the fact that the popular consensus in america was that all of France could be nuked back to stoneage for all they cared. The Freedom Fries thing was indeed a joke, but not intended as one; it was a sincere attempt to display the resentment people felt towards the french. That's how childish some americans are, sad but true.

Nosiree, we're not laughing at your jokes, Sutebi

[Sutebi]

Clue:
"Professor Plum, you were once a professor of psychiatry specializing in helping paranoid and homicidal lunatics suffering from delusions of grandeur."
"Yes, but now I work for the United Nations"
"Then your work has not changed."

The reason I mention this quotation is twofold: first, Clue was a pretty funny movie, and second, it's completely true. The UN is filled with, frankly, a bunch of bureaucratic fools who have their heads so far up their asses, and up Kofi's ass at times that they don't know what they are doing. The UN is nice in theory, but in practice is a joke. Like Communism, and look how that always ends up.

Also, come on guys, it's the French.

[DGMacphee]

Yeah, I base all my political assumptions on movies based on board games too.

Wait until you hear what I think of the Sudan civil war based upon my knowledge of Jumanji!

What I'm saying Sutebi is you have no idea how politics work, having based everything you know on a mythical land of magic and fairies. Go back to playing Snake'n'Ladders, cause I really think you're out of your depth here!

[Darth Mandarb]

Also, come on guys, it's the French.

I hope you're kidding ... the French have given us some great things!

Julie Delpy for one ...

Edith Piaf ...

And French Kissing is tops!!

I think the whole 'freedom' fries things was stupid.Ã,  So many people immediately hated the French ... and for what?Ã,  I've often said that I can't stand how a lot of the world hates me because I'm an American, when in fact, what they really hate is the American government.Ã,  It's ignorant to judge/hate me because you hate GeeDubya just as it was ignorant for Americans to hate the French because their government wouldn't back a U.S. war.

I admit (not proudly) that I was mad and made some anti-french comments at the time.Ã,  But when my blood settled I realized it was stupid.Ã,  Just to clarify!

Ignorance all around IMO.

Wait until you hear what I think of the Sudan civil war based upon my knowledge of Jumanji!

Children's Games are better than schooling!!Ã,  I've always known I can solve the world's hunger problems because of my years and years of playing 'Hungry Hungry Hippos'.

[DGMacphee]

Children's Games are better than schooling!!  I've always known I can solve the world's hunger problems because of my years and years of playing 'Hungry Hungry Hippos'.

Together we can solve all health care policy with our knowledge of Operation!

[Andail]

Sutebi, your contributions to this political debate don't merit replies anymore.
I don't know if you're just trying to make us annoyed or something.
Whatever.

[Sutebi]

Even though it was based off a board game, the satire was still present in the film, and there is no way you can say it wasn't there. In fact, it is my knowledge of politics that allowed me to find the political satire thrown into Clue actually funny.

Also, yes, there are some very nice things that came from France, and as I said before, I know a lot of French whom I like very much, but there is a general atmosphere in France that I do not like.

That and the smell.

[DGMacphee]

Even though it was based off a board game, the satire was still present in the film, and there is no way you can say it wasn't there. In fact, it is my knowledge of politics that allowed me to find the political satire thrown into Clue actually funny.

I'm glad you found a movie funny. I really am. However, quoting lines from a movie doesn't suddenly make you Professor Genius from WhoopdieDoo University. And it sure doesn't give you the necessary background for explaining how the UN works. Granted if you posted something like your political science degree, or maybe quote a few news articles, perhaps I would have shown a slight interest in what you've got to say.

But since you quoted lines from a wacky 80s comedy movie to demonstrate your case against the UN, anything you say is now suspect and dubious.

[Sutebi]

You forget, I'm a Republican, I'm always right.

[Professer Genius]

I actually have a degree in quotes from wacky 80's comedy movies.

[Sutebi]

Hahaha

[Ali]

The UN is nice in theory, but in practice is a joke.

Your argument begs the question. The UN was proven ineffectual, or "a joke" because the US disregarded it in the run-up to war. You argue that the US disregarded it because it was "a joke".

And you might want to give up on this line of argument:

Also, come on guys, it's the French.

It might work with other bigoted, always-right-republicans. But you're going to have to try harder when dealing with people who think.Ã, 

[Panda isnt logged in]

Clue:
The UN is nice in theory, but in practice is a joke. Like Communism, and look how that always ends up.

I'll have a crack at this. I fully support the UN as an orginazation that is totally needed for a peaceful society. It have done great work with humanitarian projects. It could really help with world peacekeeping. I think that right now, its becoming so caught up in beucratic messes that it cant really do that job.

Example? Sudan.

Sudan is a grade A 100% human rights abuser. Textbook case for somebody the world needs to open a can of whoop-ass on. the US isnt interested, partly because there isnt much in it for them, and partly because of they stupid way we've tied up our armed forces, we wouldnt be able to help anyways. This looks like a great project for the UN to tackle, to bring some legitimacy back to its military and peacekeeping programs in the face of the world.

Its argued. They've fought amounst themselves, producing resolution after resolution. Now they threaten Sanctions. Ok, thats on the right track. Whoops! China says they will veto any sanctions! Guess a few thousands troops by Germany, France, Spain, Turkey, the US would be out of the question then huh?

Therein lies the problem. The veto power is killing the UN's chances to get anything done. The US does it. France does it. China does it. and until that veto is removed, the UN isnt going to be able to do its job, keep the peace and make sure leaders play by the rules.

[Kinoko]

It's very true about the right of veto. I remember years back leading a class debate in uni against whether the UN has done it's job or not. We won by a landslide but that doesn't mean I would ridicule or dislike the UN. They're EXTREMELY important and a lot of their problems come from people not respecting them.

I LOVE Clue, it's a freaking hilarious movie - but I think, Sutebi, that you're just trying to be funny with your opinion. Not that any major decisions are gonna be made in this thread, but it's important we all keep our braincells going about all this.

[Nacho]

Mmmm... It's a pity, but unfortunately I must say that the UN, in spite of being a good idea, does not work. I blame those who unaccomplished a resolution of the UN in first time.

Anybody knows who they were? Mmm... I remember that there was a UN plan to create a Israelian and a Palestinian state in the place of a former british protectorate, but someone [Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordania and Iraq] started a war against the Jews (who, no matter what sympathies or not they make you feel nowadays, but in that time were a population crushed by the holocaust).

So, when now the poor arabs come crying to the UN, I jusn't can do more than thinking "Was the UN in your head when you had the oportunity to save the life of the semi-terminated Jew population?"

Of course, even not agreeing in many of the vengeative attitudes of the Jews against the palestinians, I can perfectly understand the feeling that they must do something for protecting their own life, because the first example of "how the UN came to deffend them" in 1948 does not give a lot of room for hope.


A nice example of how some people sees how effective the UN is...   

[George]

Err… I just sat down and decided to read this thread from start to finish and to say the least; I don't want to see another political statement for reasons regarding my sanity. Because… c'mon on people! Trying to sort out everything that's wrong in the world into one neat little folder is like trying to herd cats!

The only way a world run by intelligent beings can peacefully operate requires it to be populated by same gendered, same opinioned, same featured, same natured and overall a people with the same religion… and while there is variation, there will always be conflicts…

“A brave new world… the people in it…”
                               -A brave new world

P.S: please don't hold it against me if I just resurrected a dead thread…

[Andail]

Farlander, those aren't just "some people", those are Cox and Forkum, and they're more patriotic than a flock of inbred rednecks.
Why don't you buy one of their t-shirts:
http://thoseshirts.com/patriotic.html

Yes, diplomacy takes time. But it's hard to carry through disarmament when another country is standing ready to invade.
In Iraq, UN sanctions had led to the destruction of several illegal missiles - this was at the time of the UN inspections. Both the disarmament and the inspections were cancelled due to you-know-what.
Oh wait, I tell you; america started a war.

The UN-inspectiors were well organised, they had established long-term relations with native informers and had a web of intelligence.
The american inspectors didn't even have interpreters at first.

Whatever you reply with, just please spare us other pro-war, pro-bush cartoonists.

[Nacho]

They're funny And whereas I see some of their cartoons are so extreme-righted that they reach the state of ridiculous, I totally agree with this one.

About the t-shirts, I preffer the one in which a taliban asks giggling to an american Soldier

"Where were you the 9/11?"

And he replies

"At the Pentagon"



EDIT: I don't want to offend anybody, but putting cartoons in the middle of the posts for explaining opinions, or putting a funny strokes at the end has been used many times in the past, DG's ones are really lovely examples of that. I don't want to extract the conclussion that the level of plurality of this forum has decreased to the point that only left-oriented cartoons are accepted, because that would make me feel vey sad.Ã, 

C'mon guys, let's take all this more easy...

[Ali]

That is fair Farl, and these Cox & Forkum fellows do at least make Michael Moore look sophisticated, but some of their work is appauling.

For instance this 'Bring it on Allah' tee-shirt. http://thoseshirts.com/sam.html

The intention was to induce 'spluttering impotent outrage' among lefties.

Well, I'm not spluttering.

I suppose the difference is, an extreme left-wing cartoon would be more likely to feature bunnies getting along with one another than its right-wing counterpart.