TexasCHLforum.com

We just finished watching this movie. Religions and other {stuff} aside, how could thinking people do this to other people?

I haven't seen the movie but I remember reading the book in high school and have seen/read other material on the subject.
I wouldn't pretend that I could begin to answer that question.

I have no illusions about our species, and it doesn't seem to be getting better over time.

I believe a lot of what is going on in our country today could lead to similar events. Learning more about our country's founding, Constitution and history of how people lost their liberty would go a long way to prepare us to avoid a repeat. Many think it could never happen here. I disagree.

If you liked this movie, I recommend you watch "The Pianist".

Oldgringo wrote:We just finished watching this movie. Religions and other {stuff} aside, how could thinking people do this to other people?

They were boiled frogs.

Everyone should spend some time at RJ Rummel's site. Rummel is a political scientist who studied murder by government. In the 20th century, he put the death total (this is not war dead. This is civilians killed by their own governments.) at 625 million. The 21st century was much, much worse. The Soviets killed more than 61 million. The Chinese over 33 million. The Nazis were pikers by comparison.

It's all laid out, very scientifically, including sources for all the numbers, and he gives a low, medium and high estimate for each one.

Man is evil.

EDIT: Well, I botched that. It's ihe 19th and 20th century. We're currently in the 21st..

baldeagle wrote:Everyone should spend some time at RJ Rummel's site. Rummel is a political scientist who studied murder by government. In the 20th century, he put the death total (this is not war dead. This is civilians killed by their own governments.) at 625 million. The 21st century was much, much worse. The Soviets killed more than 61 million. The Chinese over 33 million. The Nazis were pikers by comparison.

It's all laid out, very scientifically, including sources for all the numbers, and he gives a low, medium and high estimate for each one.

Man is evil.

The 21st Century is already the worst?

baldeagle wrote:Everyone should spend some time at RJ Rummel's site. Rummel is a political scientist who studied murder by government. In the 20th century, he put the death total (this is not war dead. This is civilians killed by their own governments.) at 625 million. The 21st century was much, much worse. The Soviets killed more than 61 million. The Chinese over 33 million. The Nazis were pikers by comparison.

It's all laid out, very scientifically, including sources for all the numbers, and he gives a low, medium and high estimate for each one.

Man is evil.

The 625 million number he quotes is for ALL pre-20th century, and is stated to be a hypothetical estimate.

talltex wrote:

baldeagle wrote:Everyone should spend some time at RJ Rummel's site. Rummel is a political scientist who studied murder by government. In the 20th century, he put the death total (this is not war dead. This is civilians killed by their own governments.) at 625 million. The 21st century was much, much worse. The Soviets killed more than 61 million. The Chinese over 33 million. The Nazis were pikers by comparison.

It's all laid out, very scientifically, including sources for all the numbers, and he gives a low, medium and high estimate for each one.

Man is evil.

The 625 million number he quotes is for ALL pre-20th century, and is stated to be a hypothetical estimate.

Hypothetical or accurate, governments have murdered millions of people over the centuries. One person is too many. There are not words to describe millions.

If for every innocent person killed, a dictator/tyrant/criminal were killed the number would be much smaller and the world would be a nicer place.

Anygunanywhere

anygunanywhere wrote:

talltex wrote:

baldeagle wrote:Everyone should spend some time at RJ Rummel's site. Rummel is a political scientist who studied murder by government. In the 20th century, he put the death total (this is not war dead. This is civilians killed by their own governments.) at 625 million. The 21st century was much, much worse. The Soviets killed more than 61 million. The Chinese over 33 million. The Nazis were pikers by comparison.

It's all laid out, very scientifically, including sources for all the numbers, and he gives a low, medium and high estimate for each one.

Man is evil.

The 625 million number he quotes is for ALL pre-20th century, and is stated to be a hypothetical estimate.

Hypothetical or accurate, governments have murdered millions of people over the centuries. One person is too many. There are not words to describe millions.

If for every innocent person killed, a dictator/tyrant/criminal were killed the number would be much smaller and the world would be a nicer place.

Anygunanywhere

I encounter people in person and online who seem like they would go right along with systematic democide if they ever started doing it here.

Redneck_Buddha wrote:

anygunanywhere wrote:

talltex wrote:

baldeagle wrote:Everyone should spend some time at RJ Rummel's site. Rummel is a political scientist who studied murder by government. In the 20th century, he put the death total (this is not war dead. This is civilians killed by their own governments.) at 625 million. The 21st century was much, much worse. The Soviets killed more than 61 million. The Chinese over 33 million. The Nazis were pikers by comparison.

It's all laid out, very scientifically, including sources for all the numbers, and he gives a low, medium and high estimate for each one.

Man is evil.

The 625 million number he quotes is for ALL pre-20th century, and is stated to be a hypothetical estimate.

Hypothetical or accurate, governments have murdered millions of people over the centuries. One person is too many. There are not words to describe millions.

If for every innocent person killed, a dictator/tyrant/criminal were killed the number would be much smaller and the world would be a nicer place.

Anygunanywhere

I encounter people in person and online who seem like they would go right along with systematic democide if they ever started doing it here.

People forget that in every instance of mass murder by governments, citizen disarmament preceded the slaughter.

Anygunanywhere

and increasing the government enforcers.

I agree wholeheartedly with the last four posts...just wanted to clarify the numbers as quoted, because it didn't add up to me given the entire world population at the start of the 20th century was about 1.5 billion. I think Mojo84's last post is especially relevant

talltex wrote:I agree wholeheartedly with the last four posts...just wanted to clarify the numbers as quoted, because it didn't add up to me given the entire world population at the start of the 20th century was about 1.5 billion. I think Mojo84's last post is especially relevant

The 625 million pre-20th century murder tally would not apply to the 1.5 billion population at the start of the 20th century. It would apply to the cumulative population up until the start of the 20th century, which would be something larger, right?