Anonymouse

THREAD RECAP: What we have learned from this thread so far is that: If you are Armenian, never admit you want to marry your cousinIf you admit you are in love with your cousin, expect to be heckled but not from Nairi because she never heckles anyone unless they happen to be 19th century malesNever ever under any circumstances reveal to any rabies that you are in love with your cousin - you will regret it physicallyIf you are in love with your cousin and she is in another land far, far away, you are better off talking to a lawyer, than you are posting on an internet forumIf you are in love with your cousin, and Shahan Araradian responds to your thread, consider it a successIf you are in love with your cousin, and you have not yet posted a thread, please do so, or alternatively, post in this thread to conserve disk space and go easy on our dear Admin who dedicates his time and money to this website.

How convenient! Just as I thought you'd reply. When called upon to uphold the veracity of your statements, instead what you do now is you fuse the idea of how something like Friends creates culture into the general framework of Chomsky's manufacturing consent. And by the way, having read it, I can tell you, he is talking about foreign policy generally, and domestic policy. It has nothing to do with culture. It is about politics and the political system. You made the bold claim of how the entertainment produces culture. You have not supported any evidence for this claim. And while I have never denied that the media can influence public perception on foreign policy (notice I am leaving the possibility open), you have come out and entirely claimed it is an all-or-nothing deal. Moreover, you have buried your claim that "TV shows & other "entertainment") which manufacture/create American "culture" as well as foreign policy." Do you realize what culture is? Have you bothered to look at the definition of what culture is? To show you the idiocy of your claim we will define culture as Merriam-Webster has: "the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also : the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time c : the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization d : the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic" http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture To make the bold claim that the only way that culture as defined above is shaped is through the media is not only Marxian in its effrontery, it is completely devoid of and denies man's free will and individuality; to say nothing more than that man is an automaton, an empty soul, a tabula rasa to be inscribed upon by his puppet masters. This is an epistemological error that Marx committed and which was pointed out by many of the classical and Austrian economists. There is nothing new under the sun here. You have not provided any evidence of this, and nor have I read that Chomsky claimed this "specific mode of media-producing-consciousness". If I have missed anything Chomsky has said, then why don't you point it out? It's been a while since I have had the book from the library in my formative years, but don't you run away or think you can get off the hook by simply referring to a link which is a torrent at that. You have made a bold claim, and like you made a bold claim in the International forum, you have been called upon it, and now you run away. So this is how you dismiss my argument? You whine about the supposed personal attack (which was actually a fact, you are economically ignorant) and thereby you think you're off the hook? You have not addressed my point about minimum wage laws and how they create more problems than they solve, and in fact, are more harmful to the poor people you claim to protect. Consider these two links: http://www.ncpa.org/studies/s190/s190c.html http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/3...kes_create.html As Murray Rothbard put it best, "The low wage of migrant farm workers is not a sign that they are "exploited" (whatever that term may mean), but precisely that they are low-skilled and easily replaceable. And anyone who is inclined to weep about their "exploitation" should ask himself why in the world these workers emigrate seasonally from Mexico to the United States to take these jobs. The answer is that it's all relative: what are "low wages" and miserable living conditions for Americans, are high wages and palatial conditions for Mexicans--or, rather, for those unskilled Mexicans who choose to make the trek each season." Wow, you are so deep and philosophical and esoteric. You and you alone know the truths from the lies and everyone else is an ignoramus. This is a sure way to end any debate, as it really shows and convinces people you are telling the truth, and in fact, know what you are talking about. *taking notes*

I have heard of Chomsky and I have read and heard of many of his works, including this one. However, you are missing two things: 1) I never denied that the media can alter or have an effect on public opinion or public perception. So in that sense, you are shadow boxing as this is not even a legitimate issue at contention. 2) I have claimed that the medias influence on public consciousness is not all pervasive and all influencing, whereas you are. I have asked for evidence of your absolutist claim. You have not offered any. Instead, you have offered links to Chomsky's work, which albeit very informative, does not reach an absolute verdict, since one of your specific claims was how American shows produce culture, aside from how the media influences public perception on foreign policy. So what happened to your claim that American shows produce American culture? I don't seem to recall Chomsky every addressing this distinctly, and neither he nor you have offered evidence of this nor explained why certain shows get "canned" for lack of ratings. It's interesting how you have quietly dropped one of your claims to the sidelines hoping it won't get noticed by burring it under the giant issue of how the media manufactures consent. There is no evidence here that migrant workers are slaves. What we have here is a few statements meant to paint a picture of migrant workers as slaves by taking bits and pieces of random factoids and weaving it together to come up with the "proof" of how migrant workers are slaves. But as far as proof required to vindicate your statement, it is lacking. In fact, because of your economic ignorance you actually believe minimum wage is a good thing. The precise reason for many of the unemployment problems and why these migrants are in such bad living or working conditions is because of state laws, like minimum wage laws which create a barrier to entry, and thereby contribute to unemployment or force individuals to resort to these desperate measures. Wages should be determined by the market, just like everything else, not government fiat. Your point above is tangential and irrelevant to the point I was making. My point was in relation to the Federal Reserve system, and in response to the point you were making that America is full of debt slaves. I was explaining the reason for that debt slavery was because of the Federal Reserves policies of cheap and easy accessible credit which fuels these artificial booms and busts, such as the dot.com boom, and more recently the housing bubble. As an analogy, I talked about public choice, such as freeways to make the point that when something is cheaper or easier to access, or hell, free, like the freeway, you have what economists and social scientists call, tragedy of the commons, i.e., a conflict over scarce resources between individual interests and the 'common good.' You have not proven any of your blanket assertions yet. You have made several claims and I have asked verification of these assertions. Nothing yet...

Yes, my cousin's name is Hovo. Haha. Small world, eh?

I want to point out that it's not the problem with adhering to or prescribing to certain conspiratorial views, but the problem is one of evidence and proof to corroborate and verify the cohesiveness of ones paradigm. A paradigm based on nothing much other than what you want things to be, is not much of a worthy paradigm or world view. Conspiracy is recognized in all legal systems and it's a legitimate concept of law. In modern usage it has gathered a more pejorative tone, and is often applied dismissively when assertions are made that powerful or influential individuals consciously plot and plan in secrecy. You will note that this is exactly what goes on, as the sole tissue that connects most of what we call government, is conducted in secrecy. The problem is one of proofs, not the nature of the crime.

I wonder if the media is influencing Shahan Araradian's mind and perception about U.S. "culture". Hmmmm? Wow, that would be irony!

By the way Sip, the guys who own Argo Tea are my cousins best friends. I happen to have some Red Tea and Raspberry Tea as we speak! Damn that stuff is good!

I disagree and I think you will find that this is one thing Nairi and I can agree on. But since you're offering, can you provide a drawing? No need to be very artistic or photo shop savvy. MS Paint will do just fine.

If I could make one request, kind sir, is that if you may, for at least a few seconds, pull your head out of your arse, and wake up from that Marxian dream of how "culture" and "consciousness" are produced and implanted into the minds of people. That this phenomenon exists, does not defeat the notion that it is also a product of the people. There are many false assumptions and loaded phrases in all of your posts, and I got a taste of this when debating you about the U.S. in the International forum. First, you make a bold claim that the media (including TV Shows & other "entertainment") produce American culture. Do you have any evidence of this other than a mere assertion? It can just as well be stated that the television shows and entertainment are nothing more than a reflection of Americans' values, and not the other way around. After all, in order for something to be successful there has to be a market for it, i.e. supply must meet demand. It's a basic principle of economics, and that you do not understand this and make such erroneous statements that these TV shows "produce culture" is indicative of your economic ignorance my friend. As horrible as the show Friends was, it appealed to a large cross section of the white liberals who made the show popular. And why is it that shows get canceled in the first place? Lack of ratings. Wow, that's some culture producing power right there! Second, you state that the media produced the justifications for going to war in Iraq. While the media is no innocent darling in America, and no sane mind listens to Faux Snooze or CNN, the media merely supports what it gets from the official insiders and administration hacks. In that sense, the media is guilty for collusion, but not for fabricating the lies. They originate from the politicians and planners and senior analysts and think tanks, etc. Third, your assertion that migrant workers are slaves is another leftist-socialist-Marxist cliche. There is nothing to indicate that and you have not proven they are slaves by merely stating they are. You do not describe the way things are, but the way things ought to be, and it's similar to Marxism. Things ought to be a certain way in order to come out with a validated theory, or world view or paradigm. Lastly, Americans are debt slaves because of a fraudulent institution known as the Federal Reserve and the fractional reserve banking system. There is nothing just about it and it is a scam. By allowing people access to cheap and easy credit, people naturally take it. What is cheap or free is always going to be abused. The grossest example of this is all things that are publicly owned, such as freeways. Because they are publicly owned (which I am guessing you're an advocate of judging from your leftist-socialist views), there are abuses and overuse, i.e. tragedy of the commons.

That is untrue. Many factors go into taking a case, not just money.

What?

I never knew that! Thanks for pointing that out. Now you can imagine Nairi's keyboard is covered in puke thanks to you, and Arpa Papa is grinding his teeth with sparks flying out because he just witnessed me make yet another post here on this forum. You're an evil, evil man Domino, which is why I like you. And why are you making a lame joke in a thread dedicated to helping gdavidyan solve his romantic problems? Show some concern! Oh, and stick to your day job.

Why don't you talk to a lawyer already? And please keep the "I love her, she is my only love and REAL love" stuff to a minimum. He just wants your money, so be prepared to pay up. I'd say it's a price worth paying for a love of this nature. I'd reckon that the forbidden aspect of this avant-garde relationship makes it seem more "hot", ergo, more likely for you to think you will never love anyone and you are in love so deep. EDIT: I just want to point out that I am happy, I just made the posts to take this thread to page six.

I'm so jealous. Every time I keep thinking "Damn, I FINALLY got her, THIS is the one! I KNOW it! I just KNOW it!" And pretty soon it's over. What am I doing wrong? I think it might be because there is no blood relation between my failed loves and I. Of course, Nairi would disagree and point to the fact that I am a spirit of the 19th century trapped in the body of a 21st century male.

Woah! I NEVER KNEW THAT! You mean, planted, like as in I planted some cannabis in my backyard? JESUS!

Oh noes! Shahan Araradian strikes again! http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/z/zorro1.jpg No, but on a more serious note, we were having so much fun and being friendly and stuff in the "Need help" thread where gdavidyan was seeking advice and now I am afraid I am going to have to be your foe again. There is absolutely nothing to indicate to any rational thinking fellow that in 40 years man will be independent thanks to robot helpers like something out of Isaac Asimov's I, Robot. Maybe, if we are lucky, people will figure out who Shahan Araradian is and his message and elect him to the throne of the new World Government and you can slowly begin to implement your new new new 5-year-plan. Goal: in 5 years, man will have robot helpers (a.k.a. a euphemism for Mexicans) working and tilling the fields for free, so we can achieve our goal of removing the shackles of evil capitalist American oppression. As Apocalypse from the X-Men said: "Then shall I begin anew, recreating the universe in my own image. A perfect universe, where I shall rule, unchallenged. What was once, now will never be. What will be, I shall determine."

Well then that's the problem. It's sort of your first dip into the horror of love (if you can call it that). Kyank che tesats siraharvel es. May I also ask how old you are and if you have ever had sex? The reason I ask these questions is not to be offensive, I just want to get an idea of where you are approaching this from and at the same time either verify or disqualify my assumptions on this issue.

Have you ever had a girlfriend prior to this falling in love reverie?

Wow! Shahan Araradian is posting about miniature sculptures and not Satanic States of America. On a side note, wouldn't it be cool if you can contact him and have him design sort of an American Wasteland, and buttressed by the ideal society you envision?

Have you ever had incestual thoughts toward your cousins? Be honest, not even once? Come oooooooon.

Man sometimes I wish I had a hot cousin who I fell in love with and it was mutual. Easier to find a soul mate when it's 'all in the family', so to speak.

Stop with your trickery and deviations you usurper! Stop engaging in Araradianism and help the world with its fair share of incestual problems. How can you be so selfish? Maybe we can take this all the way to the Supreme Court. Alternatively, we can take it on Maury or Jerry or one of them. But I would reckon an Armenian on one of these shows might be over the top and I would actually fear for gdavidyan and the love of his life with some angry rabies crowds stinking of cigarettes and body odor looking and chasing for them in their salvaged mercedes'.

Kim Kardashian was in the Potsdam Conference and met Arpa Papa whereby she turned down his gestures for a date. He has been mad ever since.

I'll be marrying a cousin. Just not sure whether it will be mine or yours. I'm kind of eyeballing your cousin. I will build her a fort with a nice garden that will have all sorts of fruits and vegetables so we can "live off the land" and not be slaves to the corporate power structure that Shahan Araradian so rails against. By the way, if I need advice on marrying your cousin, I will come and post in this thread, or alternatively I can make a new one if by then this one is buried to deep and is too old. My best men will be Shahan Araradian, Arpa Papa, Ara Baliozian and the Bridesmaid will be Nairi (if she decides to come since she doesn't like weddings, but I'll make a formal free dresscode.)

Great, so you read a few forums and you think you know my taste in women. But I'm glad you are looking out for me! Between you and Arpa Papa I don't know who to thank more for the attention.