Should D&D be more American?

[Hardhead]

Hmm. Difference of opinion.

It depends.

Scientifically, you're wrong.

However, the term evolution has been co-opted by popular language[size=-1]1[/size] and undergone a bit of an "evolution" in terms of what it means. I put evolution in quotation marks there because that's the lay use of it, which I'll be the first to admit I use pretty often myself. Evolution has come to mean in everyday speech as a change, usually due to the environment.

In the case of cultures, I can easily see the (lay version) of the word applied, since cultures do indeed "die out." You could argue in a sort of survival of the fittest type deal. It still wouldn't be accurate from the science version of the word, but it's a pretty good metaphor. A hell of a lot better than lots of other times I've seen the word used, definitly.

Also, while I am IN NO WAY supporting the Eurpean settlers systematic wars and pushing back of the Native American population, I really don't think they were any "better" morally than anyone else. The Noble Savage has always been a myth. There's ample archeological evidence that they engaged in just as many bloody wars between each other as modern day humans do. They (probably) hunted the Wooly Mammoth to extinction. In some cases, they preformed human sacrifice. Not all of them did all of this, of course. But that's sort of the point. Some of them were good, others bad. Just like humans today. The only reason they didn't leave a larger footprint on the land is they didn't have the technology we do. Certainly, they clear cut forests (especaially in the jungles), hunted animals to extinction, ect, as far as their technology allowed.

As Depeche Mode said, "People are people."


1. Much like the word "theory," which means a very different thing in scientific terms and is the unfortunate result of a lot of confusion between the lay and scientific worlds. But don't get me started there. Personally, I blame the French. But then, I blame them for everything.

 

[LostSoul]

You had less of an accent? Compared to what? From here in the South, it sounds about the same to me.

I could get away with saying that I was from the Mid-West. I sounded more like the TV blokes than my buddies.

I can still remember the first night I spent down there. Flew down for a job, spent the first week or so living in hotels & B&Bs. I asked the girl at the front counter of the hotel I was at and asked her if there was any place to get something to eat. She offered Friendly's. Once I could understand just what she was saying (is that English you're speaking?), I decided to order in.

 

[LostSoul]

Scientifically, you're wrong, LostSoul. You're free to have your own opinion, but that doesn't make it right.

Yeah, you guys are right. I guess what I'm thinking... hmm, maybe I'm not thinking, just drinking! Wicked. Anyways... no, you guys are right. I guess I'm thinking about evolution as it pertains to cultures, not species. Only the fittest cultures survive. But then, what's the definition of the fittest cultures? Ah, who cares. I'm going out tonight.

Thanks guys.

 

[Hardhead]

Yeah, you guys are right. I guess what I'm thinking... hmm, maybe I'm not thinking, just drinking! Wicked. Anyways... no, you guys are right. I guess I'm thinking about evolution as it pertains to cultures, not species. Only the fittest cultures survive. But then, what's the definition of the fittest cultures? Ah, who cares. I'm going out tonight.

Like I said, it's not bad as a metaphor, if you think of cultures as creatures. Take the Egyptian culture. It was a pretty robust culture. Egypt was invaded and conquered more often than France during ancient times, but Egyptial culture had developed a very strong sense of religion, and a lot of respectability, and these two cultural "traits" ended up getting, well, you might say "selected for." Everyone that invaded Egypt ended up being Egyptian within a couple generations. It happened over and over again, until the Muslim culture finally managed to snuff it out, by having an even stronger "religion" trait. And burning the library at Alexandria (probably the worst intellectual travisty of all time!). By completly toppling and erradicating every trace of Egyptian culutre the Muslim culture flourished in the end.

Certianly, in the Middle East, strong religion seems to be selected for. All the religions that domainate the world outside of the Asian continent came from an area only a few hundred miles across.

Personally, my theory is that in all that desert heat, the brain can't properly do it's job of cooling the blood, thus resulting in dementia. But then, I'm athiest.

 

[Nidome]

2. The small pox blankets story is little better than urban legend and in fact if proven true would point at the British not at Americans since the act happened long before there was an America and was supposed to have been done by British military personel.

The only story I heard involving blankets was Yellow Fever in the mid 19th Century.


A favourite has to be the quote "The United States has never lost a War"

When asked "What about the War of 1812?"
The reply was "Britain did not defeat us"

When asked "What about Vietnam?"
They reply was "That was a peacekeeping action, not a war"

But then, the US military is easy to poke fun at which stops them being hated over here as during the Gulf War the British sufferered far more casualties from American "Friendly Fire" then they did from Iraqi action.
And I must give credit where it is due, we British would have probably have used the phrase "Balls Up" has it not been for the Americans coming up with the phrase "Friendly Fire".

Not to say that Britain hasn't had it's fair share of military incompetence, but at least we admit to most of it.

 

[Victim]

Not only has the United States never lost a war, we also have much better historical propaganda. See the above post for evidence.

 

[jhanzur]

It depends.

Scientifically, you're wrong.

However, the term evolution has been co-opted by popular language[size=-1]1[/size] and undergone a bit of an "evolution" in terms of what it means. I put evolution in quotation marks there because that's the lay use of it, which I'll be the first to admit I use pretty often myself. Evolution has come to mean in everyday speech as a change, usually due to the environment.

In the case of cultures, I can easily see the (lay version) of the word applied, since cultures do indeed "die out." You could argue in a sort of survival of the fittest type deal. It still wouldn't be accurate from the science version of the word, but it's a pretty good metaphor. A hell of a lot better than lots of other times I've seen the word used, definitly.

Also, while I am IN NO WAY supporting the Eurpean settlers systematic wars and pushing back of the Native American population, I really don't think they were any "better" morally than anyone else. The Noble Savage has always been a myth. There's ample archeological evidence that they engaged in just as many bloody wars between each other as modern day humans do. They (probably) hunted the Wooly Mammoth to extinction. In some cases, they preformed human sacrifice. Not all of them did all of this, of course. But that's sort of the point. Some of them were good, others bad. Just like humans today. The only reason they didn't leave a larger footprint on the land is they didn't have the technology we do. Certainly, they clear cut forests (especaially in the jungles), hunted animals to extinction, ect, as far as their technology allowed.

As Depeche Mode said, "People are people."


1. Much like the word "theory," which means a very different thing in scientific terms and is the unfortunate result of a lot of confusion between the lay and scientific worlds. But don't get me started there. Personally, I blame the French. But then, I blame them for everything.

fortunately, they were not so overpopulated as to have near the same effect on the planet globally that we do, my major point from before but totally unrelated to this thread; kill it (the thread I mean).

 

[Piratecat]

This has spiraled down as far as it's going. Say goodnight, Gracie.