Your own personal crusade

08-04-2021 10:52am

Foweva Awone wrote: »

I also support a hedgehog rescue. Hedgehog Rescue Dublin on Facebook, if anyone wants to get involved. So many rescues out there looking out for bigger animals, which is great, but hedghogs are seen as pests and often ignored. Big supporter of the underdog I am!! (Or underhog, if you will!!)

Doesn't the guy who has the "Critter Shed" podcast in Dublin also support that? Love that guy. Collie Ennis his name is. Think he supports something on frogs too. So frogs and hogs.

08-04-2021 11:08am

completedit wrote: »

Elon Musk. There's something about fawning over a multi billionaire that just irks me. It almost feels as if I have a personal vendetta against the man which might be more bizarre than the fanboys who idolise him.

He’s also loved by people who are into Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency. Another group of appalling humans.

EmmetSpiceland · 08-04-2021 11:18am

[Deleted User] wrote: »

He’s also loved by people who are into Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency. Another group of appalling humans.

The “Tony Stark” masked slipped long ago and now he’s proven himself to be a bigger, and more shameless, self-promoter than Edison.

His environmental “credentials” are, now, in the toilet with his adoption of cryptocurrencies and NFTs. He is a disgrace.

keano_afc · 08-04-2021 11:53am

Like a couple of others who've posted, very passionate about gender woo-woo and the damage its causing to kids.

If you told me 5 years ago that we'd have to campaign to stop children being prescribed drugs that will make them sterile because they have mental issues with who they are, I wouldn't have believed you.

08-04-2021 11:56am

Am determined to get more allotments and community gardens set up throughout the country and also locally. Going to be a long road (given how poor we are on this compared to other countries) but will be good for so many people when more are made available.

PhilOssophy · 08-04-2021 12:12pm

My own personal crusade is raising the issue of "charities". For every decent charity, there is a bunch of charlatans who realised they were on to a good thing. There is more than 1 "Console" style charity and weeding them out has to become a priority.
€213m being spent by DCC on homeless services in the capital alone, on top of the 80m spent to directly fund the plethora of homeless charities it is the ultimate waste of money. Where.is.all.the.money.going.
Turn off this tap, spend it on housing people, and forget about funding these charities. See how quick these CEO's on 250k squirm when they realise people are on to the industry they have created.
Unpopular opinion which will probably be lit upon. I don't care.

Feisar · 08-04-2021 12:18pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I think the closest thing I have now - though covid seriously curtailed it - is the little "Jedi Acadamy" I set up for some local problem kids which turned them around from absolute gouriers to really genuinely nice people. All under the guise of an "actual" Jedi curriculum.

But thats more a project than a crusade.

Pretty cool nonetheless.

EmmetSpiceland · 08-04-2021 12:25pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I think the closest thing I have now - though covid seriously curtailed it - is the little "Jedi Acadamy" I set up for some local problem kids which turned them around from absolute gouriers to really genuinely nice people. All under the guise of an "actual" Jedi curriculum.

But thats more a project than a crusade.

When you say “actual”, is this something that is George Lucas “approved”?

Or something you got from an online ‘Star Wars’ site or, even, a “fan site” or did you come up with your own Jedi “rules” based on the films, novels, cartoons and, other, “iterations” of the story?

kowloon · 08-04-2021 1:21pm

Finally, worthy opponents for my Sith academy.

Also, Elon Musk is a businessman who used money he made from finance to buy an electric car company and take credit for the intellectual achievements of others. In agreement with EmmetSpiceland, calling the company Tesla is really disrespectful to Tesla considering how much he behaves like the man who screwed him over.

08-04-2021 1:21pm

Feisar wrote: »

Pretty cool nonetheless.

Thank you - yeah I think it is too. It has brought me a lot of personal pride and well being and a feeling of achievement.

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

When you say “actual”, is this something that is George Lucas “approved”?

Or something you got from an online ‘Star Wars’ site or, even, a “fan site” or did you come up with your own Jedi “rules” based on the films, novels, cartoons and, other, “iterations” of the story?

Well I put "actual" in quotes for that very reason. There is nothing "actual" about it. I made it up myself. Basically I looked at the Jedi and what they do and I came up with a curriculum that taught them the same things were possible - and substitutes were not.

So for example the Jedi are trained swordsmen and hand to hand combatants. So since I am trained in fighting for over 15 years I worked with some other higher level trainers and then with some people who train actual sword fighting to come along and help.

The Jedi are also trained ambassadors and sometimes multilingual. So since one of my girlfriends is a translator / interpreter in German and Spanish we worked on giving the kids a grounding in the history and cultures of a few nations on our planet and some basic formal and informal greetings and phrases from each. So they could be dropped into nearly any country on earth and they'd be able to get some basic greetings / appeals for help / points across in any of them.

When it comes to the mystical mindcontrol and making objects float - of course that can not be trained. But I and a few of my contacts have a grounding in magic and illusion and sleight of hand and such forth. So where Jedi things are not possible - we have been teaching them showy substitutes.

And so on. You get the idea without me writing a novel

Mostly though its just giving the kids attention and guidance and entertainment and an outlet - where they were otherwise neglected and bored. And I found that kids that others had written off as "irredeemable" and "gouriers" and "ferral" and "wild animals" were anything but. They were just - lost. They have literally gone from the kind of kids who would physically accost and intimidate little old women trying to carry their shopping home - - to kids who now periodically visit those same little grannies to see if they are alright during covid and need any help or work done around the house or garden.

Dublin Spur · 08-04-2021 1:35pm

Mostly it's the judiciary that gets me excited, mainly in the area of sentencing, in particular

The abolishment of concurrent sentencing in the courts, consecutive should be the default.
A Life sentence should always mean incarceration for the rest of your Life, no exceptions.

beerguts · 08-04-2021 1:37pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Thank you - yeah I think it is too. It has brought me a lot of personal pride and well being and a feeling of achievement.

Well I put "actual" in quotes for that very reason. There is nothing "actual" about it. I made it up myself. Basically I looked at the Jedi and what they do and I came up with a curriculum that taught them the same things were possible - and substitutes were not.

So for example the Jedi are trained swordsmen and hand to hand combatants. So since I am trained in fighting for over 15 years I worked with some other higher level trainers and then with some people who train actual sword fighting to come along and help.

The Jedi are also trained ambassadors and sometimes multilingual. So since one of my girlfriends is a translator / interpreter in German and Spanish we worked on giving the kids a grounding in the history and cultures of a few nations on our planet and some basic formal and informal greetings and phrases from each. So they could be dropped into nearly any country on earth and they'd be able to get some basic greetings / appeals for help / points across in any of them.

When it comes to the mystical mindcontrol and making objects float - of course that can not be trained. But I and a few of my contacts have a grounding in magic and illusion and sleight of hand and such forth. So where Jedi things are not possible - we have been teaching them showy substitutes.

And so on. You get the idea without me writing a novel

Mostly though its just giving the kids attention and guidance and entertainment and an outlet - where they were otherwise neglected and bored. And I found that kids that others had written off as "irredeemable" and "gouriers" and "ferral" and "wild animals" were anything but. They were just - lost. They have literally gone from the kind of kids who would physically accost and intimidate little old women trying to carry their shopping home - - to kids who now periodically visit those same little grannies to see if they are alright during covid and need any help or work done around the house or garden.

Jesus buddy I have a combination of admiration for you and also feel like you need professional help. This sounds like a grown ass man larping with a plastic light saber toy in a field

WrenBoy · 08-04-2021 1:38pm

completedit wrote: »

Elon Musk. There's something about fawning over a multi billionaire that just irks me. It almost feels as if I have a personal vendetta against the man which might be more bizarre than the fanboys who idolise him.

He's companies have developed some some serious kit though in fairness. He's like Lex Luthor that forgot to be evil... so far anyway.

kowloon · 08-04-2021 2:01pm

WrenBoy wrote: »

He's companies have developed some some serious kit though in fairness. He's like Lex Luthor that forgot to be evil... so far anyway.

His companies, yes, but nobody goes around calling Jeff Bezos a genius because of all the money Amazon are pumping into AI.
Musk knows just enough to fool people into thinking he's the ideas man. Listen to him talk about hyperloop for an example of him buying into a bull**** idea that will never work.

beerguts wrote: »

Jesus buddy I have a combination of admiration for you and also feel like you need professional help. This sounds like a grown ass man larping with a plastic light saber toy in a field

I don't know, seems like he has successfully tricked some kids into education.

08-04-2021 2:18pm

beerguts wrote: »

Jesus buddy I have a combination of admiration for you and also feel like you need professional help. This sounds like a grown ass man larping with a plastic light saber toy in a field

Hah thanks. It's funny you should say that because I was only last weekend all over the field covered in 5 different kinds of Nerf gun and ammunition. So you are probably not far off

But there is nothing childish about learning actual Jujitsu - fencing - sparring - or knife combat. Some of them are olympic sports you know.

But it is interesting that a simple space opera like star wars can wrap up what is essentially "education" in a wrapper that gets children engaged in things they otherwise might not be. When was the last time you tried to get mid-teenagers to sit down and learn some history and culture of morrocco - learn how they would greet the king of morrocco if they ever met him in his own language - and then move on to sitting still for 30+ minutes of mindfullness meditation

And then after all that to want to come back for more the next day?

EDIT: Tricked into education - nice way to put it Kow.

08-04-2021 3:20pm

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

When you say “actual”, is this something that is George Lucas “approved”?

Or something you got from an online ‘Star Wars’ site or, even, a “fan site” or did you come up with your own Jedi “rules” based on the films, novels, cartoons and, other, “iterations” of the story?

Best run of scare quotes yet.

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

The “Tony Stark” masked slipped long ago and now he’s proven himself to be a bigger, and more shameless, self-promoter than Edison.

Tony stark was, to be fair, an arms dealer. Maybe not the analogy you wanted there.

JustAThought · 08-04-2021 3:35pm

Not sure I agree at all with ‘ex’ delinquents being taught how to spar with knives. At ALL.

Proper bee in my bonnet about crime and sentencing and no consequences for juvenile crime .

Also about the rising self entitlement of many on the backs of work and taxes of others.

Occasionally do the rounds and ring politicians offices to carp on - no point complaining about what you have if you don’t strive to change it.

zanador · 08-04-2021 3:35pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I have none. My life is busy enough without needing to champion the underdog or promote a cause or shout about an injustice.

What if you were the underdog or suffered injustice?

08-04-2021 3:52pm

I think taxAHcruel is missing a trick here by not selling this inspirational story to Disney. Could see a movie being made about it, or, at the very least, an animated series.

William H Macy (or even Mark Hamill!) plays a man walking home from the shop one day in a less salubrious part of New York when he is set upon by some unruly teenagers. Battered and bruised he returns to his apartment where he considers phoning the cops. Instead he opens a beer, and puts in place a plan to change the lives of these kids for the better by teaching them in the way of the Jedi.

Along the way he faces ridicule, suspicious parents, visits from child protection agencies, and numerous other barriers. Yet he doesn't give up, as he is already versed in the way of the Jedi, and understands that he can change the lives of these kids for the better. And he succeeds. I'm talking lots of montages and cutaways here - maybe more than in any other movie ever. The final one being the most poignant. He's in a nursing home, and while watching TV, sees one of the kids he taught in the way of the Jedi get up on stage and get sworn in the President of the United States. A brief smile, as his fragile fingers gently grasp a lightsabre.

kowloon · 08-04-2021 3:59pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Tony stark was, to be fair, an arms dealer. Maybe not the analogy you wanted there.

But the whole point of Tony Stark is he's this genius inventor. Elon wants to be seen that way, he even has a cameo in one of the Iron Man films. But Elon isn't that genius inventor and some people seem to lap it up anyway.

08-04-2021 4:13pm

zanador wrote: »

What if you were the underdog or suffered injustice?

I've been the underdog, in a way. I've suffered an injustice. I've been bullied and cast aside.

I care about people and their experiences but I'm not in a position to champion a cause or promote change. I'm a regular flawed person.

There can be an abundance of ego among crusaders.

EmmetSpiceland · 08-04-2021 4:16pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Tony stark was, to be fair, an arms dealer. Maybe not the analogy you wanted there.

Tony Stark is not real, F.

AdrianBalboa · 08-04-2021 4:23pm

Deleted User wrote: »

They have literally gone from the kind of kids who would physically accost and intimidate little old women trying to carry their shopping home - - to kids who now periodically visit those same little grannies to see if they are alright during covid and need any help or work done around the house or garden.

And if these grannies don't want their former accosters coming into the house, what then? Do the younglings "use The Force?"

AdrianBalboa · 08-04-2021 4:29pm

WrenBoy wrote: »

He's companies have developed some some serious kit though in fairness. He's like Lex Luthor that forgot to be evil... so far anyway.

Oh no, he hasn't forgotten.

08-04-2021 4:48pm

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

Tony Stark is not real, F.

I know that, but does Tony Stark know that?

Anyway I do like to troll the Reddit Elon musk channel myself with “did he land one of those rockets yet, lads”, “landing a reusable rocket is 90% of the work, any old fool can send a rocket up” and “bring back the space shuttle”.

zanador · 08-04-2021 5:19pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I've been the underdog, in a way. I've suffered an injustice. I've been bullied and cast aside.

I care about people and their experiences but I'm not in a position to champion a cause or promote change. I'm a regular flawed person.

There can be an abundance of ego among crusaders.

This is true there can be a lot of ego. I was thinking of for example the Gavin Glynn foundation who turned an injustice in their son's medical needs (having to fly to another country for treatment, unfair anyway and defo not affordable for most) into a huge foundation that supports other families in the way they were supported at a local level.

They are crusaders too. I think it's the ones who use more energy expressing their opinion than addressing issues that are annoying?

08-04-2021 8:28pm

JustAThought wrote: »

Not sure I agree at all with ‘ex’ delinquents being taught how to spar with knives. At ALL.

It is interesting that many people who have been trained how to fight are often the least likely to seek a fight out - or they seek non violent ways to resolve situations. It comes with the discipline and the humility that well thought martial arts can bring.

AdrianBalboa wrote: »

And if these grannies don't want their former accosters coming into the house, what then? Do the younglings "use The Force?"

It hasn't been an issue. You might do well to suspect I was delicate in how I approached introducing such an event. I did not just pile them all on to some unsuspecting grannies door step without discussing with her first or anything. I do have some social empathy and cop on you know

08-04-2021 10:08pm

zanador wrote: »

This is true there can be a lot of ego. I was thinking of for example the Gavin Glynn foundation who turned an injustice in their son's medical needs (having to fly to another country for treatment, unfair anyway and defo not affordable for most) into a huge foundation that supports other families in the way they were supported at a local level.

They are crusaders too. I think it's the ones who use more energy expressing their opinion than addressing issues that are annoying?

There certainly are amazing people out there who push the status quo and try to fight injustice and stand up for those who can't. There are also people who do that in small ways, for example speaking up when a friend is being treated badly, making a complaint, reporting a crime.

Power comes in many guises and I think wherever you have the oppressed you will have those who use the situation for their own gain. It's dressed up as caring but really it's feeding their own ego. A simple example would be shouting from the rooftops that you did a nice thing.

Absolutely. You get that a lot here. I've a feeling a lot of the strong opined among us do next to nothing about the cause they hold so dear.

Strumms · 08-04-2021 10:35pm

There are millions spent on drug addiction rehabilitation for people per year. It’s over a billion per decade here in Ireland.

Yet, people through no fault of their own, who have strokes, acquire nerve disorders, and a myriad of other non addiction related illnesses, who need rehabilitation to walk again, function again in society have such a fücking dismal time trying to get funding for the NRH or Doolaghs Park physical rehab facility etc...

There is a great level of education re: addiction that kids are enabled with, constantly from x age, if they still ‘choose’ to walk down a path that actually actively damages their health as they know it will... why the fûck should they be given priority for treatments and healthcare, over say a 35 year old who has a non self inflicted medical condition and worked and contributed through taxes all their life, only to be told...” sorry, funding for your rehabilitation is not available, but we instead are writing a cheque for Anto here to go get the help he needs, to escape a situation he put himself in.”

Not saying we shouldn’t help people who became addicted to whatever but in fairness we need to be looking after people with acquired brain injuries, nerve disorders and other long term illness.

StupidLikeAFox · 08-04-2021 10:51pm

PhilOssophy wrote: »

....
€213m being spent by DCC on homeless services in the capital alone, on top of the 80m spent to directly fund the plethora of homeless charities it is the ultimate waste of money. Where.is.all.the.money.going......

That is incredible if its true. Do you have a breakdown on what its spent on?

Your own personal crusade

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