Batman - Its bound to happen sooner or later

We all know the story of Batman, and I was thinking the other day that eventually, someone is going to pull something like this.

It wouldn't be hard to get into that kind of attitude and decide the police aren't doing a good enough job (hey that can be said for some places already) and that you are going to solve this problem.
But what i wonder is why hasn't it happened already? YES there are vigilantes in America, but not spectacular ones, more the ones who parade around in their mothers basement all day in their costume and occasionally foil a convenience store robbery.
What I wonder is why there haven't been any spectacular vigilantes who actually make a difference to the world, like Batman seems to in his world.
Probably because of the immense amount of time and money that would need to be put into it to achieve the skills that you would need to fight these types of criminals.
You wouldn't just show up to work the next afternoon "BOB Why so late?!" "sorry boss I just stopped three muggings and a robbery last night", someone would notice and that is why it would make more sense for someone with a lot of money and a lot of time on their hands.
A rich person in other words, only problem with this is that I think you will find a majority of people with that amount of time and money are fat, bald, and hungover.
So that I think explains why it hasn't happened yet, but no doubt eventually it will.

Something FAR more likely is for a vigilante like Rorshach to emerge.

A man who started off fighting crime, and in the midst of it drove himself to insanity yet continues to fight crime but with much more brutality and in a no b******t way, which may often involve killing the criminal he has found.
Yes.
That is much more likely.
You want to know why? Because undoubtedly the things you would find in certain crime cases would drive a man insane, yet be so determined to continue his work that he takes out much more severe punishment on the criminals.

What is the role of conflict in society?

To solve problems.
It may sound quite big headed of me but this is my belief on the matter.
Look at wars for example, what is their purpose? in many cases to try and solve problems.
WWII, i would say, to make sure Hitler didn't stay in power.
Now if he had stayed in power, that would be a problem would it not?
It really depends on your view of the world, but in most people's views it would have been a problem.
But in an "ideal" society there wouldn't any conflict would there? but of course in an ideal society there would be no problems.

But we do NOT live in an ideal society.

look to modern times however, with conflicts such as the gulf wars. Why were they caused? because in Americas eyes there was a problem.
I believe i am correct in saying it was caused by Iraq invading Kuwait. Now there is a conflict already, because Saddam needed oil.
A problem.
This caused a conflict, Saddam thought hey i can solve this problem by getting it from Kuwait.
So of course the rest of the world does not like this, they feel there is a PROBLEM.
There by they start a conflict to sort out this problem, see what I'm saying?
This could be said to be a stupid line of thinking though, and in some ways it is.
Many would say we do not need this conflict because we can solve this by diplomacy. This is true, but you must also take into consideration all of these various peoples (in this case leaders) motives.
I think you would find in these wars ALOT of these leaders are not interested in the slightest in diplomacy.
Hitler was not interested in diplomacy, i think this is very easily shown by how arrogantly he waltzed into various European countries and called them his own.
And the only way to deal with these kinds of people (in my view, and in most cases), is force. Its sort of like VERY disobedient children, and why the Anti smacking law is so damned stupid, they aren't interested in empty threats so maybe all you can do is smack em.

I got a bit side tracked, anyway. What about the gulf war? you could say it was too late for diplomacy, the US got involved because Kuwait asked for help from the invaders.
They had already invaded, its a little too late to send a UN representative to the front line "Hey everyone! just CALM down! no reason for all of this everyone just needs to chill out!".
I somehow don't think they would listen, it would be much more likely for them to change the angle of their gun barrels and, well....
But really, it is sad that these kind of people exist, that we do have to resort to this kind of conflict, but as i have said before it is necessary.
And for as long as differences of opinion exis there will be conflict.

Don't like it, Don't buy it

I am SICK to DEATH of hearing people whine about products they feel ripped off by.
They cannot comprehend they do not live in Nazi Germany and are not being forced by the market SS to buy whatever this is.
Now if you know me, you know something always provokes me into this kind of rage.
Well earlier today Capcom announced Super Street Fighter IV (YESSSSSSSSSSS).
Now this is essentially and upgraded version of Street Fighter IV, coming with new characters and so on.
However SOME PEOPLE (well alot of people) feel "ripped off" and "cheated" by capcom because they already bought SFIV and they don't want to have to buy another game.

Hell, is it just me? I haven't seen the market SS in years.

Anyway, this brings up the first point.
People fail to damn listen.
In the announcement Capcom said "the game will not be full priced" and "we are offering a bonus to people who bought the original SFIV".
Does this not bring up some walls to these peoples arguments?
You aren't being ripped off, they are not selling it to you at full price AND you will recieve a bonus for being such good little consumers.

BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER.

No, not to these people.
You can still keep your original game, and you are NOT being forced to buy this update.
They say this is what happened with SFII (well it did).
But thats not the point of my argument, yes it did happen with SFII but you want to know why?

BECAUSE THEY WERE VALID ADDITIONS TO THE GAME

And SSFIV will have valid additions as well, they aren't stealing your damned money they are giving you more content in return.
These are the kind of people who just like to get in everyone else way, and faces.
Hell i bet a majority of them perfectly understand the situation but just want to have a go at some people who are actually excited about this.
Those damn disagreeable people.
This brings me back to the whole L4D2 boycott, these people have to get in everyone elses way and convince them about why you are being cheated, even those these people actually don't care and just want to use this product.
You don't have to buy it!
For whatever reason this makes me think of an elderly man on the radio the other day speaking on behalf of the people who lost their money to ING, saying how ANZ has made them an offer.
However he saw reason for concern because "they don't have experience it managing peoples money".
Actually Dave, ANZ authors best selling books on how to deal with bad relationships and make kebabs for the prime minister.
Why do i think of this?
Because no one said he had to take this damned offer, he is fretting over something he is NOT being forced into.

I'm starting to wish the market SS did show up, actually force them to buy something.
That'd shut them up.
(And i apologise for two posts in a day regarding Street Fighter)

Street Fighter IV- A harsh lesson of reality

Recently I've been putting alot of time into Street Fighter IV, and after thinking about it for a while, even though this game probably didn't do this intentionally, it shows what the world is really like.
The game is a standard fighter. Essentially hit your opponent till they lose their health and are knocked out, so on the surface level there isn't really much to be thought about.
However that's if you don't want to think about it.
The game in my view raises some points; the government is always telling us about how violence is bad and we shouldn't encourage it in film media and other forms of entertainment. But just look at some of the subtle tones in Street Fighter.

1. The masses of people watching these fights, who cheer and what not
2. The in-game commentary says some very meaningful things
3. Brazilian school children skip school sit under motorway overpasses all day watching fights

Now, I think this in a way shows what society likes. It very simplistically shows that watching people beat the crap out of each other, is quality entertainment for many (Think Tua v Cameron).
The commentator also says occasionally after a fight "I don't care what the critics say, violence is a beautiful thing!".
A game just said what hundreds of politicians have failed to realise.
THIS
S**T
SELLS
No matter what the nannies think, violence is entertainment and well-selling entertainment I think.
Think of how many people find violence entertaining, just about the whole of America, or how ever many people tune into WWE every Saturday night.
Now I refer back to the title of this post.
This is a harsh lesson of reality, it shows in the simplest way, that violence isn't shunned or looked down upon as much as we would like to think it is.
It shows people want to watch it (in a controlled environment(sometimes)), if not pay to watch it because it is entertaining.

BTW if anyone reading this is a avid SF player like i am, comment me, and if you have an XBL GT I'd love to play sometime.

Evening readers/PSA

It has been awhile hasn't it?
Atleast a year.
I must say its been rather dry politically, young labour seemed to have crawled back into their holes and winston has all but dissapeared. The food nazis also have subsided, probably due to the fact national doesn't give a damn (nor should they).
The only thing that remains the i really have to talk about, is the great threat that is socialism and communism.
This 'disease' appears to have breached the reserviours and infected the water supply, there has been a rather large influx of the so called thinking in the youth of today.
Now you may ask "why Robert, why do you come to these conclusions", ill tell you why.
All these people already have some left leaning tendancies, so of course they will drink water as not to support big corporates, and then seeing as this disease is in the water supply they catch it.
There are no symptoms apart from these ideas festering away in your brain of "Everyone is equal" and "we need to redistribute everything", aswell as the occasional "all hail stalin".
You may think i am lying on this sudden rise, however if you are in school (like me) maybe, just ask around.
In my experience, a majority will be at varying stages of the disease taking over their political thinking, it has become increasingly frustrating to see this as no one listens to what i have to say whether it is right or wrong, i just get slammed and called "Racist" or i am told "OH SO YOU THINK THAT NO ONE IS EQUAL AND WE SHOULD HAVE HUGE DIFFERENCES IN QUALITY OF LIFE?".
No.
I never said that, sure i believe in equal opportunity but theres no such thing as equal outcome now is there.
And really, no one is equal.
If we were all equal everyone would own a 20 year old television like me.
We would all live in south auckland (now this would be because of redistribution of wealth, no ones got money now).
And we would all be moaning even more so than we are now, how the government needs to assist more people and what not (hey it just did assist the people, in the form of taking everything away from everyone and the handing it out as "they see fit").
And another thing that has infected the water supply, the "THE GOVERNMENT WAS BEHIND 9/11" belief.... you disgusting disgusting people.
(this was a bit of a piss take in case yáll hadn't realised).

haha winston

If anyone has heard winston peters is being investigated by the serious fraud office... all i can do is say ha-ha winston you've really done it this time. And seriously who is stupid enough to piss off bob jones? you've really gotta be stupid to do that.

One more thing to use in an argument with the local NZF supporters, no hold on theres only one.

Privacy awarness week?

How many awarness weeks are there? I'll tell you, too many. I woke up this morning turned on the television and get some news story about "privacy awarness week", i proceeded to watch it and it just amazed me. Its no secret that people can steal your information but there is no need for an awarness week about it, anyone stupid enough to not be careful about what they put on the internet obviously shouldn't be on there. The woman on the tv went on about how small businesses you don't know might take your information, well she is obviously ignoring one of the biggest companies, most trusted companies that does this.... GOOGLE. Now i'm not completley against this, the fact is they actually develope search profiles then sell it to companies but that isn't the point, don't pretend to know about companies that sell information and then ignore one of the biggest and then continue to lecture people about how to keep their information private, if your too stupid to withhold your own information on the internet and need someone to make an awarness week and teach your about then i've only got one thing to say..... GET OFF THE INTERNET.