Briton beheads American

[scooterscot]

For I moment I wonder why the strange looks - The Great Escape

Playing the soundtrack to the The Great Escape in Bavaria,

I did ski into Austria from Germany once, that was cool. No fence to jump though.

[fullyautomatix]

How awful. Beheading a journalist is so cowardly. Just how someone can do this to a completely innocent human being I do not know. Arent these guys just a waste of oxygen ?

[original PM]

How awful. Beheading a journalist is so cowardly. Just how someone can do this to a completely innocent human being I do not know. Arent these guys just a waste of oxygen ?

Well that attitude will not mean your imaginary mate will give you 4 and 20 virgins when you die will it now.

[fullyautomatix]

Well that attitude will not mean your imaginary mate will give you 4 and 20 virgins when you die will it now.

Is that virgin theory actually working ? I mean, they are barbarians alright, but with some sort of common sense ?

[Mich the Tester]

Is that virgin theory actually working ? I mean, they are barbarians alright, but with some sort of common sense ?

http://forums.contractoruk.com/gener...ml#post1981378

[original PM]

http://forums.contractoruk.com/gener...ml#post1981378

But none of that really explains why people from the UK are going over there.

I can sort of understand if you live there then potentially you see no escape or option

But when you are sat at home in England munching a Domino's and watching the footy why would you give that up to go and commit atrocities.

Must be something more - unless it is literally in the ethinc make up of some people (Islamists? Arabs?) to continually strive to commit violence and enjoy bloodshed.

[Mich the Tester]

But none of that really explains why people from the UK are going over there.

I can sort of understand if you live there then potentially you see no escape or option

But when you are sat at home in England munching a Domino's and watching the footy why would you give that up to go and commit atrocities.

Must be something more - unless it is literally in the ethinc make up of some people (Islamists? Arabs?) to continually strive to commit violence and enjoy bloodshed.

I think the people who've gone there from the UK perhaps see themselves as an ' out group' in the UK, and therefore not British, but seek to be part of an 'in group' in ISIS.

As for the last bit, I think the Professor shows in his article that it's in every ethnic group, every 'nation' or any group with which one can choose to identify.

All of us identify with some ´in group´ because we have some moral values handed down to us from that group; I, and I assume you, am unlikely to commit criminal offences, because I identify with the in group that has made the laws and the standards of behaviour expected here. But both of us can be disgusted by acts against those laws and moral standards; when the guy from ISIS cuts the journalist's head off, or the two kids from London murdered that soldier, we probably both instinctively thought 'hang them by their goolies' because they had placed themselve in an 'out group' for us, namely murderous assholes.

Our society (our in group) encourages the repression of some primal instincts and control though secondary, supposedly more 'rational' behaviour; most of us don't go and pull our pants down in front of the horny secretary even though we'd love for her to know we have enormous assets. However, we do release our primal instincts in other contexts that we see as less harmful; supporting a sports team, joining in with the crowd at a concert, having a few extra drinks on a pub crawl. Likewise the ISIS people seem to have been trained by the 'in group' they've chosen to join to repress some primal urges, like some sexual practices (although there's evidence of rape of young boys and girls), or the urge to show their faces, and show secondary, more considered behaviour in the discipline of praying and reciting the Koran, but are encouraged to allow free reign to other primal urges, namely the primal urge of 'revenge' or violence.

At least, that's what I deduce from Prof Ian Robertson's analysis. But then I'm just as shocked and disgusted by all this as anyone else and am just trying to understand it. I don't really have a clue how to solve this.

[Spartacus]

most of us don't go and pull our pants down in front of the horny secretary even though we'd love for her to know we have enormous assets

Speak for yourself, sunshine.

[Mich the Tester]

Speak for yourself, sunshine.

Yeah sorry, I forgot about the people that don't have an enormous dong.

[Spartacus]

Yeah sorry, I forgot about the people that don't have an enormous dong.

Some women (e.g. Victoria Coren) really like men with small penises. They find it less threatening. At least that's what I hopefully tell myself.