Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

Jessica Gonzalez said:I'm not quite sure what you mean by that. I haven't actually gone anywhere, though I suppose I've had plenty of chances. Is the solution to every problem just for everyone to move to Germany? Honestly, it feels like all of Eastern Europe thinks that way—like everyone should just give up and take a bus to Munich for a few extra hundred bucks. I guess the difference is that Germans didn't build their country by running away after things went south in World War II. That seems to be the distinction between them and many migrants. Some people focus on building something, while others maybe just wait for someone else to do it for them.

Walter Grant5 said:Talking about stuff hypothetically is one thing, but actually being a refugee from Syria is a whole different ballgame. So, you armchair experts scrolling on your iPhones, just back off. You’re lucky enough to have been born where you were, which means you can spend your days messing around online, grabbing coffee with friends after work, catching a game or a movie at night, doing whatever hobbies you want... if a better life was actually offered to you, you’d take it in a heartbeat. So quit your whining.

Sandra Johnson58 said:It’s not like Harry Potter waved a magic wand and turned Europe into what it is today—so much blood has already been spilled for this. Besides, some EU countries are already digging their heels in against taking economic immigrants, and others, like the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Denmark, are basically exempt from these imposed quotas. The Germans will take in as many as they can handle, but even now, Angela Merkel is hinting that not everyone can stay in Germany. If they can't be moved to other countries, they’ll just be sent back or stopped before they even reach the EU. And if stopping them doesn't work? Well, then it’s whatever—it's like when the Bulgarians lined up tanks along the border; if people don't like it, too bad.

Walter Grant5 said:Look, you're definitely in no position to judge where the US stands right now. I'm assuming since you're even hanging out on this forum typing away, your actual survival isn't on the line. Don't go pointing fingers at people who are just out here trying to hit the bare minimum to get by.

Walter Grant5 said:Look, I don't really see people through the lens of being Americans, Germans, Brits, or whatever else. To me, everyone is just an individual stuck with whatever nationalistic nonsense they were fed growing up. I know my way of thinking is probably too utopian and impossible to actually pull off in the real world, but I honestly believe that kind of mindset is the only way we ever move past these endless cycles of bullshit.

Also, comparing my own situation—or even the idea of me packing up and moving to somewhere like Australia—to this massive global crisis is just pointless.

Sandra Johnson58 said:Man, I feel you. It sucks that life isn't basically Star Trek, but whatever.
Anyway, I get what you're saying about how comparing you to them is a stretch, but let's look at it theoretically for a second. Like, imagine if suddenly 800,000 Syrians showed up at the borders of the USA or Australia, and a huge chunk of them had zero ways to even prove who they were. How do you think their requests would go over? Just as an example, I actually know someone who ended up in the States as a refugee from Canada through family connections. He first went to Germany in '93, then moved to the US with his wife and kids in '95. And he’s definitely not the only one; there are tons of people like him. I don't even need to go into all the hoops he had to jump through during the process, regardless of him being a refugee.

Walter Grant5 said:I get that, but just because it's the way things are doesn't mean it's right. Most global power players were basically violent migrants and conquerors themselves back in the day. This is just the fallout. Deal with it.

Walter Grant5 said:The chaos in Syria is being funded. What else is there to say?

Sandra Johnson58 said:Man, screw this, this is basically the first proxy war in history.😁 Personally, it just drives me crazy how everyone focuses so much on Syria while nobody gives a damn about Ukraine. Not that I'm trying to be mean, but honestly, compared to the people coming out of Syria or Africa, Ukrainians are on a completely different level of civilization. Call me a racist if you want, I don't care, but I'm just saying.

Sandra Johnson58 said:Man, screw this, this is basically the first proxy war in history.😁 Personally, it just drives me crazy how everyone focuses so much on Syria while nobody gives a damn about Ukraine. Not that I'm trying to be mean, but honestly, compared to the people coming out of Syria or Africa, Ukrainians are on a completely different level of civilization. Call me a racist if you want, I don't care, but I'm just saying.

Robin Fox2 said:Walter Grant5, don't overstate things. Sure, nobody alive today is responsible for anything, but we are all heirs to some nation, culture, or civilization—call it whatever you like... We might not be that here, but if we're being honest, there are other nations in the European Union at much higher levels of cultural and economic development, which is actually more relevant to our discussion. A group of Danes certainly doesn't owe anyone anything, and from what I can see, they aren't looking for a fight or trying to dominate anyone; they used to give the Germans hell regularly, but aside from that, they aren't imperialists. Neither are the Slovaks, the Czechs, the Poles, or any of those other groups.

Of course, you could walk up to them and say it with a straight face—that what they have isn't their own doing—but that’s just ridiculous and pointless. Especially since history itself proves you wrong...

Robin Fox2 said:So, if we’re going to move past the constant chatter about refugees, I find this news regarding the death of that child far more compelling...

It is the inevitable result of the total degradation of the medical profession's importance and purpose; people now attempt to self-diagnose via the internet while shunning actual medicine because they believe "Big Pharma is just chasing extra profits" or that "they're being poisoned," opting instead for alternative remedies that are, in 99% of cases, absolute nonsense. Fortunately for no one, this isn't just an American phenomenon, but one felt across the entire Western world, where everyone suddenly considers themselves an expert on everything, leading us to a point where science, medicine, and pharmacy are being held hostage by half-witted conspiracy theorists...

However, a single death simply isn't enough; we'll need more of them, and the real entertainment will begin when preventable diseases start sweeping through the population again—that will be quite the spectacle. I'll just make sure to have my popcorn ready... ☕