• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

One Bullet that changes the course of history

Status
Not open for further replies.

bishoptl

Banstick Emeritus
FrenchMovieTheme said:
brettwater.jpg



what a dream it would be fellas
I saw the picture before I saw the poster name, yet I knew immediately it was you FMT. :lol
 

Moose

Member
Nerevar said:
Well, keep in mind that at the time it was roughly 1/3 of the population of China. Are you saying we need another Mongolian invasion now?

Okay, prevented overpopulation, no, delayed it to the point of where it'll probably be an issue after my death, yes.
 

Loki

Count of Concision
Moose said:
And if those 40 million lived... @_@

So the ends justify the means? We'd be justified after the fact if we just, oh, murdered a billion people or so right now? What kind of bullshit rationale is that?
 
Let chaos be. Wonderful and horrible stuff will happen anyway, intertwined.

I'd use my 30 seconds for fun, like shaving Hitler's moustache off or happy slapping Sun Tzu.
 

Moose

Member
Loki said:
So the ends justify the means? We'd be justified after the fact if we just, oh, murdered a billion people or so right now? What kind of bullshit rationale is that?

Just looking at the bright side.

I'm not exactly for killing random people, myself.
 

Nerevar

they call me "Man Gravy".
Loki said:
So the ends justify the means? We'd be justified after the fact if we just, oh, murdered a billion people or so right now? What kind of bullshit rationale is that?

I thought it was more of a response to my "had no long-lasting effects on society" comment than anything. I mean, when you manage to kill nearly half the population of the most populous country in the world, you're clearly going to have some effect. But the man depopulated China and central Asia like it was his job. I meant that, unlike other brutal despots whose actions resulted in the deaths of millions, Ghengis Khan really didn't change the "culture" of the regions of the world he conquered. He brought about greatly improved military tactics and good administrative systems to rule the conquered people, but nothing like the effects of Hellenic Greece, Roman culture, or even the dramatic effects that "Hitler's war" brought about in Europe.
 

WARCOCK

Banned
"Well, keep in mind that at the time it was roughly 1/3 of the population of China. Are you saying we need another Mongolian invasion now?"

I was thinking more along the lines of America+europe. OPERATION PREVENTING ZERG RUSH! KEEKEKEKEK!
 

Moose

Member
Nerevar said:
I thought it was more of a response to my "had no long-lasting effects on society" comment than anything. I mean, when you manage to kill nearly half the population of the most populous country in the world, you're clearly going to have some effect. But the man depopulated China and central Asia like it was his job. I meant that, unlike other brutal despots whose actions resulted in the deaths of millions, Ghengis Khan really didn't change the "culture" of the regions of the world he conquered. He brought about greatly improved military tactics and good administrative systems to rule the conquered people, but nothing like the effects of Hellenic Greece, Roman culture, or even the dramatic effects that "Hitler's war" brought about in Europe.

Since I lack the intelligence to come up with such a response as he did... What Nerevar said!
 

demon

I don't mean to alarm you but you have dogs on your face
This is currently the most monitored internet thread by the Secret Service and FBI...
 

Loki

Count of Concision
Nerevar said:
I thought it was more of a response to my "had no long-lasting effects on society" comment than anything. I mean, when you manage to kill nearly half the population of the most populous country in the world, you're clearly going to have some effect. But the man depopulated China and central Asia like it was his job. I meant that, unlike other brutal despots whose actions resulted in the deaths of millions, Ghengis Khan really didn't change the "culture" of the regions of the world he conquered. He brought about greatly improved military tactics and good administrative systems to rule the conquered people, but nothing like the effects of Hellenic Greece, Roman culture, or even the dramatic effects that "Hitler's war" brought about in Europe.


Here's how I read the progression:


Boogie9IGN said:
Overpopulation? There's 1 billion there right now

And if those 40 million lived... @_@


This, when coupled with his initial remark, would seem to indicate that he was viewing the deaths of 40 million people as a good thing, which is a shaky way to look at things imo. One cannot go about justifying things after the fact in such a manner.


Personally, if one believes that overpopulation is a problem, I'd prefer to concentrate on how to curb consumption of resources (particularly among post-industrial nations), how to maximize resource generation (particularly in developing nations), and how to allocate wealth more equitably (the top 1% currently controls ~80% of the world's wealth). I would not start looking at the deaths of millions of people as "an acceptable loss" on some level. That's just silly. Like I said, would we be justified in wiping out a billion people right now? Nobody would agree with that, I'd hope; how are his comments any different?


Perhaps I'm missing something, but I also fail to see how his "and if those 40 million lived?" comment was a response to your earlier remarks as opposed to the "China has 1 billion people" comment by Boogie9IGN.


EDIT: Ah, you mean that his original comment ("his empire prevented overpopulation") was a response to your "had no long-lasting effects" comment. I get it now.


Still, the emoticon after his statement (as if to say, "how can you not see this obvious benefit?") led me to believe that he saw it as a situation where the ends justified the means, which I took exception to.
 

Moose

Member
You people look into emoticons too much. :) ;) :p


Still, the emoticon after his statement (as if to say, "how can you not see this obvious benefit?") led me to believe that he saw it as a situation where the ends justified the means, which I took exception to.

Its more of a "look on the bright side" kind of :/.

I know, its not that bright, but you see what I mean...
 

Iceman

Member
NinSoX said:
i would kill Flavius Valerius Constantinus

Constantine can rightfully claim the title of Great, for he turned the history of the world into a new course and made Christianity, which until then had suffered bloody persecution, the religion of the State


he has to go!!!

I don't know where you are coming from here.. is this an anti-Christian sentiment or a pr-Christian one? If you are opposed to the influence Christianity has had in the world then Constantine is one of your champions (albeit unwittingly). By making it a state religion (along with paganism) he all but destroyed Christianity. When he tried to force the people to sway to Christianity through the government pagans rebelled (in a way) by merging pagan practices into it. It also changed the outward manifestation of the local church. It went from small, intimate (and underground) and informal gatherings to large congregations that physically separated leaders from the rest.

It basically altered everything about the early Christian church and gave way to the corruption and savagery that would later define the large Christian churches and states.
 

Piecake

Member
Nerevar said:
As a result of Ghengis Khan's two invasions 40 million people died in China alone. And his empire really had no long-lasting effects on society (besides maybe facilitating the travels of Marco Polo and pushing Europe towards imperialism in the far east). I'd say it's a pretty easy answer from my perspective.

Edit: Didn't realize I hit the "quote" button instead of the "reply" button. Whoops.


Dont know if someone mentioned this, but i believe that the Mongol empire greatly stimulated trade along the Great Silk road because the Mongol presence made it peaceful, and thus possible for merchants of varrying nationalities to cross it for trading purposes.
 

Loki

Count of Concision
McLesterolBeast said:
You sure showed him. He'll think twice before he tries to recognize a benefit of an evil despot's rule again.

You bet your pockmarked ass he will! :D ;)


Moose said:
Its more of a "look on the bright side" kind of :/.

I know, its not that bright, but you see what I mean...

I suppose. But there are a lot of "overpopulation loonies" out there, and believe me when I tell you that I've heard a lot worse than what you said come out of their mouths, so I figured you were of a similar mind. :)
 

J2 Cool

Member
Person? :( I always wanted to see if a bullet could take down a dinosaur

TRex2.jpg


"'Rawr!' to you too, you son of a bitch."

Not that I really think he's a son of a bitch. Just for added effect.
 

ohamsie

Member
I would go back in time and shoot myself, not because I hate my life or anything, but to see (or not see) how the paradox unfolds.
 

Jdw40223

Member
Mermandala said:
Let chaos be. Wonderful and horrible stuff will happen anyway, intertwined.

I'd use my 30 seconds for fun, like shaving Hitler's moustache off or happy slapping Sun Tzu.

I agree. I would kill a random bird with a gun, on the grassy knoll, just before JFK rounds the corner, causing a hellacious scene, thus saving the Pres. Or shave his head, like u said, so he cannot make a public appearance.
 
No one has mentioned Christopher Columbus yet. I probably wouldn't shoot him though. Maybe arrest him for some crime my time machine/history textbooks might find and lock him up in the 15th century version of the Hague. Assuming that no one else "finds" the Americas, then a lot of lives might not be so screwed up from:
1. Disease
2. European occupation and its impacts on the indigenous populations.
3. African slavery

This also ignores:
1. Any the brutality that the American indigenous populations could inflict on each other.
2. An even larger population that may die from non-American diseases. Perhaps if the American continents were "discovered" when there are better medical practices, then there wouldn't be as big of a problem.
3. Anything else history decides to pop up.
 

Ash Housewares

The Mountain Jew
I don't want to change history and I doubt I could

you can't prevent world wars or mass murder with one bullet, so then it will have to be something petty...

hmm...
Gary Suter before his cheapshot on Kariya?
Marty McSorley before his stick got too big?
Patrick Roy...

guess I could go shoot somebody that get's assassinated anyway and steal the credit, or go after Reagan and blow it...
 

tenchir

Member
Nerevar said:
As a result of Ghengis Khan's two invasions 40 million people died in China alone. And his empire really had no long-lasting effects on society (besides maybe facilitating the travels of Marco Polo and pushing Europe towards imperialism in the far east). I'd say it's a pretty easy answer from my perspective.

Edit: Didn't realize I hit the "quote" button instead of the "reply" button. Whoops.


There was a documentary about Ghengis Khan on the history channel. Basically his positives far outweigh the negatives. Khan did killed a lot of people, but the people he killed were the ones didn't surrender or were against him. Those that surrendered to him, prospered a lot under his rule. Because of him, many countries began trading with each other, he actively encourage them to trade with each other. He really did have a long lasting effect on society.
 
tenchir said:
There was a documentary about Ghengis Khan on the history channel. Basically his positives far outweigh the negatives. Khan did killed a lot of people, but the people he killed were the ones didn't surrender or were against him. Those that surrendered to him, prospered a lot under his rule. Because of him, many countries began trading with each other, he actively encourage them to trade with each other. He really did have a long lasting effect on society.


Pretty much and you act like there was no other Khan that would have done roughly the same thing he did. I did he crush 40 million people? Yes but the ones left sure learned how to work with each other.
 

ParkPace

Member
I'd go back in time and shoot whoever had sex with the monkey that brought the HIV virus to humans. What a motherfucker. :lol
 

Lathentar

Looking for Pants
I'm surprised no one has said Mohammed yet.

That would lead to a very, very interesting and different Middle East.
 

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
Lathentar said:
I'm surprised no one has said Mohammed yet.

That would lead to a very, very interesting and different Middle East.
And a different world, overall.


From the bith of Mohammed up through the renaissance, the Middle East was the central power of the world. Lots of advancements were made by the Islamic Empire in mathematics (and medicine, if I recall correctly).

This whole thread reminds me of that one Animorphs book where Visser Two completely fucks around with human history. :lol
 

Deku

Banned
Change cannot come without cost.

Many of the history's great figures killed many people to achieve their goals. Even Abraham Lincoln had his war.

I'm not condoning senseless violence or mass genocide, but in many points of history, it takes war, and physical violence to destroy an opposing world view which allows the victorious world view to become dominant and create a peace which cultivates progress.

This is just the truth of human history. Yes, wars are bad, death is bad, but to have change to society, violence is sometimes useful. Of course, we are evaluation after the fact and it is easy to say such things.

As for saying Ghengis Khan is not good, it depends on who writes the history. Western history books naturally emphasizes the achievements of the west, but that doesn't mean for example that Caesar is any more worthy than Ghengis to live. It's too subjective.
 

Spencerr

Banned
The man who invented the gun...(before he invented it of course) then the universe would cave in on itself.

Or maybe the guy who invented the time machine I was using, before he invented the time machine.
 
ToxicAdam said:
But, if not Pontius Pilate, then it would be some other Roman leader. So, killing JC while he is some unknown carpenter would have a greater effect.


For most of these world reknowned figures, you would have to get them VERY young. Skynet had the right idea when they went after our (future) savior John Connor.

Well people knew he was the son of god at his birth am I not correct. The three wise men weren't just stopping into town of shits and giggles. I think perhaps Mary would be your intended target.
 

kIdMuScLe

Member
I would kill Constantine the Great for creating the "official" Catholic Bible and locking or burning away the other stories of Jesus life. So much history in the Vatican and yet nobody is allowed to read it. So much for the Vatican stance of "All of the stories of our beliefs will be published, never keep a secret to the people". Fuckers.
 

kIdMuScLe

Member
ParkPace said:
I'd go back in time and shoot whoever had sex with the monkey that brought the HIV virus to humans. What a motherfucker. :lol


wtf? that's true? shit, i always thought a human virus evolve and teh monkeys had the anditote.........what sick fuck
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
The person that suggested we send criminals to Australia. Then I would take his place and leave the cons here and move the whole UK population there instead.




Oh, and props to Jill Sandwich's avatar. No no no, my wife's gonna kill me now!
 

ParkPace

Member
kIdMuScLe said:
wtf? that's true? shit, i always thought a human virus evolve and teh monkeys had the anditote.........what sick fuck

No, it's not true, just an urban legend. However, it's only not true because it really can't be proven that it IS true. It's accepted that the HIV virus did come to humans from monkeys though.

Googled it for more info. Here's what I found. Apparently monkey stew was the culprit:

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node=HIV

Origins of HIV/AIDS

It is widely believed that HIV entered the human population as a result zoonosis, the process where a disease jumps the species barrier. In this case SIV, the monkey form of HIV is believed to have jumped the species barrier. The stronger strain of HIV, HIV-1, is almost identical to SIVcpz. SIVcpz is found in a species of chimpanzees known as Pan troglodytes troglodytes which can be found Central-Western Africa. Some researchers claim that this species of chimpanzee was responsible for HIV-1 and at some point SIVcpz jumped the species barrier. However, this theory is often questioned as SIVcpz is a rarer strand that does not often infect chimpanzees.

The other main theory of how SIV jumped the species barrier was published in 2003 by Professor Paul Sharp of Nottingham University and Beatrice Hahn of the University of Alabama. Their research idicated that a red-capped mangabey and a greater spot nosed monkey, both infected with their forms of SIV, had sex and the two strands of the virus combined to create a 3rd type of hybrid virus that was capable of infecting humans within them both. Chimpanzees became infected with this disease when they hunted and killed the smaller monkeys. When humans killed the chimpanzees and ate them, they became infected with the virus.


http://aidscentral.com/Origin.html

What this means is that the origin of HIV has, in all probability, been identified and that HIV most likely originated in chimpanzees. For the longest time, scientists have suspected that HIV originated in monkeys but they were missing a direct link. The Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV), which infects monkeys and causes symptoms in monkeys similar to HIV in humans, is a virus in the same class as HIV (lentiviruses). Certain SIV types bear a close resemblance to HIV-1 and HIV-2. Prior to this study, the closest counterpart to HIV was known as SIVcpz, which had significant differences to HIV. The above study found that a certain sub-group of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes), once common in west central Africa, sometimes carried a version of SIVcpz that is almost identical to HIV-1.

It is important to note that there is still some debate as to whether chimpanzees were the original reservoir for HIV-1 since they are only rarely infected with SIVcpz. It is possible that a third primate species passed the virus on to both humans and chimpanzees.

At AIDSCentral we are often asked how monkeys could have passed the virus on to humans. Some people ask whether a person had sex with a monkey and became infected that way. The answer (to the best of scientific knowledge) is NO, a person did not get HIV from having sex with, or sharing a dirty drug needle with, a monkey. It is a commonly known fact that certain viruses may be passed from animals to humans (this is known as zoonosis). The above study suggests that HIV may have crossed over from chimpanzees as a result of a human hunting & killing a chimp (for food) & coming in contact with its blood.
While it is not known how long ago HIV-1 may have been introduced into humans, some scientists have suggested that it may have been in the 1940's - 1950's and others have stated that it may have been as long as 100 years ago (or before). The truth is that we will probably never know exactly when the virus first emerged (just as we don't know exactly when chicken pox, hepatitis, EBV, or human papilloma virus started),

I certainly hope the chimp stew was tasty that fateful night, because whoever it was that got hungry for (infected) monkey meat really fucked us all over.
 

Truelize

Steroid Distributor
Ryudo said:
Mark Chapman. Then lennon would still live and make music.

That's really the only person I could think about. Him and the dude that shot up Tupac.

I'm a big believer that everything happens for a reason. The past is the past. Learn from it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom