Biggest Criminals in History

[Jon Miller]

but he did commit metagenocide (where the definition has been expanded to include creed, culture, socioeconomic group, etc)

JM

[curtsibling]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse


Neither of which are groups whose systematic extermination qualifies as genocide under any definition presented yet.

Do I see evasive tactics?

If you read my posts, I never called it genocide.

I named it misguided social engineering...'You' can call it what you want.

But Pol Pot was still a blood-coated beast, no matter
how many middle-class, trendy commies glorify him.

.

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse


a) I'm not sure that Pol Pot didn't commit genocide (though this wasn't his main crime). He might well have (in fact, probably did) commit genocide against Catholics, ethnic Chinese, etc, whose killings forms a minority of the total killings

Could be, I don't know either.

b) The current country of Cambodia may be applying the term genocide to actions which would not be tried as genocide under international law. Just because Cambodia calls it that doesn't make it so.

Read how the entire thing with those tribunals there started, it has all to do with international law. It is not that Cambodia does this without international help or without international monitoring.

[KrazyHorse]

Yes, if you want to include things such as socioeconomic class, then he did commit genocide.

Again, this wasn't really his main crime.

Most of his killings were not against these minority groups (which, of course bore more than their share of the atrocities). Most were, in fact, against the same people he thought he was saving. The culture of violence he promoted, originally aimed at specific groups, spread without regard to barriers of race, class etc.

It was madness without method by the end. 1 in 4 Cambodians died. It was possibly the most insanse orgy of violence we've had the misfortune to see in modern times.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by curtsibling


Do I see evasive tactics?

Not at all. I just like to keep definitions crisp and clear. Confusing the language by heaping all the negative words we can think of on a despicable person does nobody any good. It reminds me of the spread of the word "terrorist" in the last decade.

By the way, I'd like to point out that I'm the one who originally pointed out Pol Pot as one of modern time's worst criminals. I think he falls close behind Hitler as number 2. He had less victims than Mao or Stalin, but his actions seem to be more depraved.

[Sprayber]

And the conversation goes round and round, round and round so early in the morning...



robber: give me your money or i'll blow your head off

Poly Poster: excuse me sir but while you may kill me, the caliber of weapon you are pointing at me can not actually blow my head off

robber: What?

Poly Poster: the caliber sir, it isn't suffcient to literally blow my head off

robber: listen *******, give me your money or i'll blow your ****ing head off

Poly Poster: Sir, I have already told you that the weapon cannot possibly blow my head off although it may result in my death.

robber: *pulls trigger and shoots Poly Poster *

Poly Poster: *laying on ground bleeding* See sir, my head is clearly not been blown off, I am mearly suffering a mortal wound to the face.

robber: *walking off with wallet*

[KrazyHorse]

Sorry, spray. I didn't realise Pol Pot was still killing Cambodians.

Not bad, though.

[DaShi]

Originally posted by Sprayber
And the conversation goes round and round, round and round so early in the morning...



robber: give me your money or i'll blow your head off

Poly Poster: excuse me sir but while you may kill me, the caliber of weapon you are pointing at me can not actually blow my head off

robber: What?

Poly Poster: the caliber sir, it isn't suffcient to literally blow my head off

robber: listen *******, give me your money or i'll blow your ****ing head off

Poly Poster: Sir, I have already told you that the weapon cannot possibly blow my head off although it may result in my death.

robber: *pulls trigger and shoots Poly Poster *

Poly Poster: *laying on ground bleeding* See sir, my head is clearly not been blown off, I am mearly suffering a mortal wound to the face.

robber: *walking off with wallet*

If only more posters were that logical and reasonable. :sigh:

[KrazyHorse]

That reminds me of the priest, wino and physicist joke

A priest, a drunkard and a physicist were condemned to die by the guillotine. The priest is led up to the guillotine and is asked if he prefers to be facing up or down. He replies "I would like my last earthly sight to be of heaven". The executioner than fastens him in face up and releases the guillotine blade. It falls, but stops just within an inch of his throat. "A miracle!" the crowd of spectators shout in unison, and the priest is released unharmed.

Next, the drunkard is led up the steps and he is asked if he prefers to face up or down. "Upward", he replied, "so that I can drink, one last time, some good wine you pour down my throat!" After the drunkard is given a drink, the huge blade is released and plummets downward, but stops within an inch of his throat. "Mon dieu! A second miracle!" the crowd cheers, and he is released unharmed.

Finally, the physicist is led up to be executed. He also chooses to be shackled to the guillotine faceup. The crowd is placing bets left and right about whether a third miracle will take place. As he lies faceup, he ponders the death apparatus above him. Raising his hand, moments before the executioner releases the blade, the physicist declares, "Wait, wait! ... I see what your problem is!"

While we're on it, I just found this gem:

A man flying in a hot air balloon realizes he is lost. He reduces his altitude and spots a man in a field down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts, "Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?" The man below says, "Yes, you're in a hot air balloon, about 30 feet above this field." "You must be an engineer," says the balloonist. "I am. How did you know?" "Everything you told me is technically correct, but it's of no use to anyone." The man below says, "You must be in management." "I am. But how did you know?" "You don't know where you are, or where you're going, but you expect me to be able to help. You're in the same position you were before we met, but now it's my fault."

[JohnT]

This thread reminds me of the scene in Hotel Rwanda where Don Cheadle is listening to the radio, listening to Clinton officials (I couldn't determine if it was Albright or Hilary herself) parse the word "genocide."

[KrazyHorse]

The difference is that they were doing it to avoid responsibility, and while they were bickering people were dying.

While we're bickering Pol Pot continues to moulder in his grave.

[Bosh]

Originally posted by JohnT
This thread reminds me of the scene in Hotel Rwanda where Don Cheadle is listening to the radio, listening to Clinton officials (I couldn't determine if it was Albright or Hilary herself) parse the word "genocide."

There's nothing wrong with being against the politicization of language. Using genocide to mean "killing people in a way I don't like" cheapens the term, just like the use of the term "terrorist" as "irregular combatant that I don't like" cheapens it.

[JohnT]

I didn't say it was a 1:1 match, KH.

[KrazyHorse]

I don't particularly like being compared to that weasel...

[BeBMan]

I'm not a weasel!