Oslo bombed

[Thoth]

Ben moved to Texas.

Ben isn't Canadian.

(even Calgarians know that Texass is worse than the ****hole they're moving away from. Ben isn't that bright.)

[Heraclitus]

Wut?

[Sir Og]

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You are however wrong. I disagree with him, I think genetic engineering is the key to saving the West. Once the genetics of intelligence are figured out the descendent of immigrants will be fixed up to a 100 IQ mean and a better personality profile and then it won't really matter if we speak Arabic or French or if we go to a Church or Mosque or if our skin is Black or White, because culture and civilization will follow the genes. I also don't expect anything like civli war in Western Europe for at least half a century.

You have too much faith in genes...

[Heraclitus]

How genetic engineering is going to influence economic underpinnings is beyond me.

However, the economic situation in the West is still at a peak. In the whole of western Europe people are as wealthy as they and generations before them have ever been. Anybody here could do with a whole less and still live very comfortable lifes. If anything, Norway is probably one of the wealthiest nations on the planet due to their enormous wealth in natural resources that are easily converted into hard cash as well, namely oil and gas. And they have a democratic system too boot, meaning the wealth actually ends up among its citizens and not to a cleptocratic 'elite' such as in the Arabian peninsula.

If anything, greed seems to be the prime motivation for such monstrous acts as on Utoya rather then Ideology or a certain Faith.

I was a bit drunk yesterday, and perhaps overstated an issue or two. Overall I think raising the average IQ of a society, all else being equal, will dramatically increase productivity which will in turn effect GDP per capita.

Pointing out that Norway is pretty much one of the best places in the world to live is a very good point. As is the fact that life is still pretty good in Europe. My case seems much weaker, but there is one thing I'd like to emphasise, genetic engineering could eliminate most of the gaps in academic achievement between various groups, it would also be used to eliminate social pathology such as alcoholism or drug use, reduce violent crime. Consider this would also happen with the underclass and the lower class natives.

Don't you think this would reduce ethnic conflict?

[germanos]

Don't you think this would reduce ethnic conflict?

Primarily I share Sir Og's view:

You have too much faith in genes...

I have little knowledge on the feasibility of Genetic engineering in humans, let alone in such complex fields as 'social pathology' as you put it. I doubt it's possible in the near or even far future. The primary root of violence is probably a hardcoded discrepancy between the individual instinct of survival as a 'unit' and the needs we have as a social animal to give and take for the good of the group. Good luck with engineering that out of our genes.

Breivik's deeds have little to nothing to do with ethnic conflict. He uses it as an excuse, but since his prime targets are his ethnic fellow Norwegians (those are the ones he loathes most!) eliminating ethnic conflict via Genetic Engineering is not going to bring a solution to the crime at hand.
And furthermore, ethnic conflict is just one of the many reasons to engage in struggle between groups. Was the US civil war an ethnic conflict? I don't think so. Was WW2 an ethnic conflict? I'd say no, as the prime combatants in Europe are ethnicly identical. Nationalism was the prime driving force there. Religion has been a good source for conflict, as well as class, wealth or simply 'you say tomato-I say tomahtoh' kind of nonsense.

So no, I don't think genetic engineering is going to solve conflict in general. Education, wealth distribution and mutual cooperation will do a much better job.

[Cort Haus]

This genetic engineering riff is silly and misguided. Apart from sounding sinister and implying a horrifically authoritarian state, intelligence isn't necessarily going to solve social problems - as it can often mean people just coming up with cleverer ways to be highly unpleasant to each other.

[Riesstiu IV]

I am the master race.

[BeBMan]

I am Spartacus.

[Ben Kenobi]

Ben moved to Texas.

I'm not from Winterpeg.

[Ben Kenobi]

(even Calgarians know that Texass is worse than the ****hole they're moving away from. Ben isn't that bright.)

Toronto is better than Calgary? Explains why the only growing part of Canada is in the west. I'd venture more opportunities in Winterpeg than in TO.

[Guynemer]

I am the master race.

Your avatar:

[Dr Strangelove]

What I don't get is how he would manage to run a successful business to finance his sachem or join the Freemasons (or is that like a Chess club these days? - btw conspiracy nuts must be obsessing about this ) without any social skills. Perhaps not autistic, but a sociopath who can mimic socialization when needed.

According to the latest report from the Norwegian police he was unemployed.

[Thoth]

Toronto is better than Calgary?

Calgary is ok in a quaint "cowboys and rednecks" kind of way, but I wouldn't want to live there.

Explains why the only growing part of Canada is in the west. I'd venture more opportunities in Winterpeg than in TO.

Oil sands + high oil prices keep Alberta afloat. Chinese imports and cannabis production keep BC going.

[Ben Kenobi]

Calgary is ok in a quaint "cowboys and rednecks" kind of way, but I wouldn't want to live there.

Of course not because Toronto is so much cooler.

[Hauldren Collider]

Your avatar:

Is that the guy from that anthropomorphic fast food show (Aqua Teen Hunger Force I think) on Adult Swim? I feel like that show is probably only funny with large quantities of marijuana.