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Author Topic: Vin Diesel = Dork? Huh?  (Read 16883 times)
Shockeye
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Skinny-dippin' in a sea of Lee, I'd propose on bended knee...


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Reply #35 on: March 09, 2005, 07:38:26 AM

Quote from: Ynet News
Army frowns on Dungeons and Dragons

IDF says players are detached from reality and automatically given a low security clearance
By Hanan Greenberg

Does the Israel Defense Forces believe incoming recruits and soldiers who play Dungeons and Dragons are unfit for elite units? Ynetnews has learned that 18-year-olds who tell recruiters they play the popular fantasy game are automatically given low security clearance.

“They're detached from reality and suscepitble to influence,” the army says.

Fans of the popular role-playing game had spoken of rumors of this strange policy by the IDF, but now the army has confirmed that it has a negative image of teens who play the game and labels them as problematic in regard to their draft status.

So if you like fantasy games, go see the military psychologist.

Dungeons and Dragons (also known as “D and D”) has been a popular role-playing game for decades and is based on a fantasy world.
 
One player assumes the role of “Dungeon Master” which entails directing the game and controlling the labyrinth, while the others select from a large selection of characters that includes warriors, magicians, dwarfs and thieves.

The game focuses on the results of decisions made by the players as determined by the roll of the dice.

In a more "active" version of the game, players leave the table and go out, dressed as the characters they assume for the game, along with the requisite equipment of swords (not real) to play outside, usually in the forest or woods.

'Simply detached from reality'

Thousands of youth and teens in Israel play "D and D", fighting dragons and demons using their rich imaginations. The game has also increased in popularity due to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

However the IDF does not approve of this unusual hobby and prevents "D and D" players from being considered for sensitive army positions by labeling them with low security clearance.

"We have discovered that some of them are simply detached from reality," a security source told Ynetnews.

Game enthusiasts are aware of their problematic image in the army and prefer to maintain their anonymity. Many of them are from the former Soviet Union where the game is very popular.

In Israel there are thousands of players, between the ages 16 to 35, and include lawyers, high-tech workers and businessmen. Matan, 22, and Igor, a 21-year-old IDF soldier, organize activities for groups of players. Soon hundreds of fans are expected to meet in a forest in the southern part of Israel for a two-day game of pure fantasy.

"It's not a game of winners and losers," Matan says, "but rather entry into another world with stories and plot changes."

He is aware of the game's problematic reputation, especially in the IDF. The army is not indifferent to the unique hobby and is trying to locate soldiers who in their free time dress up as witches and play in forests.

'The game indicates a weak personality'

A security official tells Ynetnews there are specific criteria for deciding the level of a soldier's security clearance.

"One of the tests we do, either by asking soldiers directly or through information provided us, is to ask whether they take part in the game," he says. "If a soldier answers in the affirmative, he is sent to a professional for an evaluation, usually a psychologist."

More than half of the soldiers sent for evaluation receive low security clearances, thus preventing them from serving in sensitive IDF positions, he says.

Igor says exposing soldiers who play the game could result in the soldiers being sent to a military psychologist or even being kicked out of the army.

"Exposing them could also harm their chances at being accepted to other military courses," he says.

Matan says he has personally met soldiers whose military career was harmed due to their connection to the game. Most soldiers who play Dungeons and Dragons simply do not admit to it while they are in teh army, he says.

Why does the IDF believe the game is so dangerous?

"These people have a tendency to be influenced by external factors which could cloud their judgment, a military official says. "They may be detached from reality or have a weak personality – elements which lower a person's security clearance, allowing them to serve in the army, but not in sensitive positions."

Unsurprisingly, Igor, Matan and thier friends do not approve of this IDF policy. They say the game is only a colorful, non-violent hobby.

"Many people who play served in the most classified units," David says. "They are intelligent and any attempt to label them as 'weird' is incorrect and unfair."

But in the struggle between the Lord of the Rings and the Minister of Defense, the latter wins, or at least this is the case in the real world of the IDF.
stray
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Reply #36 on: March 09, 2005, 07:45:48 AM

There are probably many cases where it'd be hard to disagree.
« Last Edit: March 09, 2005, 07:47:30 AM by Stray »
Paelos
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Reply #37 on: March 09, 2005, 08:19:06 AM

They are too closely lumping DnD players and LARPers into the same mold. Not the same AT ALL

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Polysorbate80
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Reply #38 on: March 09, 2005, 08:53:26 AM

LIGHTNING BOLT LIGHTNING BOLT LIGHTNING BOLT!

They're in the military, why bother with lightning bolts?

GRENADE! GRENADE! GRENADE!

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Llava
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Reply #39 on: March 09, 2005, 09:49:32 AM

I'd like to point out that I was TOLD about the stomach tattoo thing.  I didn't research it myself or anything.  Someone was telling me that Diesel was a big nerd and I was skeptical, and they related that anecdote to me.

As for why you can go from disliking someone to liking them because of this:
You want to like the actors in movies you watch.  When you watch someone like Vin Diesel, it's really easy to start seeing all the douchebag characteristics that we all hate.  He looks like a giant jock who probably calls people fags and is a prick to everyone who isn't a jock.

When you hear something like that, it makes you think "Huh, maybe I was wrong about all that."  Suddenly he sounds like he might be a cool guy.  It feels like you've got someone else on your team.

It's not just nerds who think this way.  It's just typical "Us VS Them" mentality that comes from old scars left by high school.  Most of us were geeks, and most of us will never really stop thinking of ourselves as anything but.  This guy gets that, too.

I know I, for one, went from thinking "I will NEVER watch one of his movies" to "Well, maybe I'll give Chronicles of Riddick a try..."  Still didn't like it much, but he went from an obnoxious, uncharismatic personality to someone with whom I might have something in common.  Like it or not, that's how our minds work and we view those things as important.
« Last Edit: March 09, 2005, 09:54:24 AM by Llava »

That the saints may enjoy their beatitude and the grace of God more abundantly they are permitted to see the punishment of the damned in hell. -Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica
stray
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Reply #40 on: March 09, 2005, 09:57:11 AM

It's not just nerds who think this way.  It's just typical "Us VS Them" mentality that comes from old scars left by high school.  Most of us were geeks, and most of us will never really stop thinking of ourselves as anything but.  This guy gets that, too.

Yeah, I know it isn't just nerds who do it. That's why it irritates me. Take Christians for example, I'm sure Brian "Head" Welch has made a whole slew of fans in a matter of one week -- and it has nothing to do with his work or his talents.

It's especially irritating when it has the reverse effect. Someone could be the biggest fan of an artist's work, then they found out said artist is gay --- So it's off to the shitlist with them!
Llava
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Reply #41 on: March 09, 2005, 10:43:27 AM

<shrug>

Like I said, you want to be able to relate to and like the people of whom you're a fan.  It's only natural.

That the saints may enjoy their beatitude and the grace of God more abundantly they are permitted to see the punishment of the damned in hell. -Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica
Riggswolfe
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Reply #42 on: March 09, 2005, 12:06:45 PM

That Israeli army article is disturbing. It shows a total detachment from reality (ironic considering the content of the article) and a blatant stupidity that is laughable. That and lumping table-top guys and LARPers in the same category kinda insults me. (As a table-top player I always viewed LARPers as a little weird.)

"We live in a country, where John Lennon takes six bullets in the chest, Yoko Ono was standing right next to him and not one fucking bullet! Explain that to me! Explain that to me, God! Explain it to me, God!" - Denis Leary summing up my feelings about the nature of the universe.
schild
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Reply #43 on: March 09, 2005, 12:14:03 PM

The article is...odd. It blatently says: Creative people can't be trusted with anything. We need people we can mold into robots.

And really, it's probably true.
Arnold
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Reply #44 on: March 10, 2005, 01:15:49 AM


It's not just nerds who think this way.  It's just typical "Us VS Them" mentality that comes from old scars left by high school.  Most of us were geeks, and most of us will never really stop thinking of ourselves as anything but. 

You think that's bad?  Try being a geek AND a jock.  You've got one foot in both worlds and don't exactly feel at home in either.  You want to hang in both crowds, but you don't want either crowd to know what's going on when you aren't around and hanging with the other.
stray
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Reply #45 on: March 10, 2005, 03:11:10 AM

I'm glad I bypassed this "old scars from highschool" thing. If anything, I guess I identify with dropouts and freaks.

I suppose the one good thing about that is that we come in all shapes and sizes.
Llava
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Reply #46 on: March 10, 2005, 10:11:30 AM

(As a table-top player I always viewed LARPers as a little weird.)



As you can see, your statement is proven by the Geek Hierarchy.

That the saints may enjoy their beatitude and the grace of God more abundantly they are permitted to see the punishment of the damned in hell. -Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica
stray
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Reply #47 on: March 10, 2005, 10:31:56 AM

"Comic Book Fans" and "Video Gamers" are on their way of being taken off. Video Gamers for sure. Or so I hope. The Hierarchy will then begin from whatever proceeds next ("Superhero" fans and "RPG gamers" respectively). Sorry, Anime and Fantasy/Sci-Fi literature fans -- You will always remain.

Damn you* geeks for ruining good things.



* "You" as in "you" in general terms. Not YOU.
« Last Edit: March 10, 2005, 10:47:50 AM by Stray »
Train Wreck
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Reply #48 on: March 31, 2005, 01:50:39 AM

(As a table-top player I always viewed LARPers as a little weird.)

As you can see, your statement is proven by the Geek Hierarchy.

According the the Geek Chart, furries are the equivalent of child molesters in prison.

What's a furry?
Trippy
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Reply #49 on: March 31, 2005, 03:38:27 AM

As you can see, your statement is proven by the Geek Hierarchy.
Hey that's a pretty good chart. They left out a few categories like people who play with miniatures and CCG players. I also don't agree with the placement of the Sci-Fi readers and Sci-Fi TV show viewers boxes -- I think they should be swapped.
Murgos
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Reply #50 on: March 31, 2005, 05:20:23 AM

According the the Geek Chart, furries are the equivalent of child molesters in prison.

What's a furry?

Sir Bruce.

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SirBruce
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Reply #51 on: March 31, 2005, 06:35:38 AM

I'm not really a furry.  I just know a lot of them.

Bruce
Furiously
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Reply #52 on: March 31, 2005, 12:01:52 PM

I'm not really a furry.  I just know a lot of them.

Bruce


Is that like not really being pregnant?

schild
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Reply #53 on: March 31, 2005, 12:08:36 PM

Is that like not really being pregnant?

More like not realling being a troll.
SirBruce
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Reply #54 on: March 31, 2005, 12:44:22 PM

I'm not really a furry.  I just know a lot of them.

Bruce


Is that like not really being pregnant?

More like not being a Star Wars geek, even though you wen to see Episodes I and II opening night.

Bruce
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Reply #55 on: March 31, 2005, 12:44:49 PM

Is that like not really being pregnant?

More like not realling being a troll.

Swing and a miss!

Bruce
schild
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Reply #56 on: March 31, 2005, 12:46:44 PM

I've typed realling instead of really 5 times today.

I must have a case of the Mondays.
HaemishM
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Reply #57 on: March 31, 2005, 12:47:53 PM

"Why, I believe saying that around somebody like me'd get your ass kicked."

schild
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Reply #58 on: March 31, 2005, 12:50:03 PM

You mean:

"No. No, man."

*pause*

"Shit, no, man. I believe you'd get your ass kicked sayin' something like that, man."

I loooooooooooooooooooooooooooove me some Office Space.
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