| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/23/2009 2:52:31 AM |
Thus a civilised society ensures that the elderly, the poor, the disabled, the young have access to the things they need – healthcare, education, assistance in daily living – without complaint from those who are able to contribute to the society via financial means.
Don't disagree, but on that basis the UK has only been a civilised society for the last 50 years or so!!!!!!! | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/23/2009 3:12:40 AM |
During an hour's swimming at your local public pool you will ingest 1/2 litre of urine.
In an average day your hands will have come into indirect contact with 15 penises (touching door handles etc.)
An average person's yearly fast food intake will contain 12 pubic hairs.
In a year you will have swallowed 14 insects - while you slept!
Annually, you will shake hands with 11 men who have recently masturbated and failed to wash their hands.
In a lifetime, 22 nosey workmen doing work in your home will have examined the contents of your dirty laundry basket.
At an average wedding reception you have a 1/100 chance of getting a cold sore from one of the guests. (Mouth herpes.)
Daily you will breathe in 1 litre of other peoples' anal gases.
Civilised ??????
Have a great day you all !!
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/23/2009 5:36:34 AM | I find it interesting that the "dirty habits" are only performed by men, I fear this above was written by a viscious feminist of a man with some nefarious form of agenda...
Let's change this shall we?
During an hour's swimming at your local public pool you will ingest 1/2 litre of urine.
In an average day your hands will have come into indirect contact with 15 vaginas (touching door handles etc.)
An average person's yearly fast food intake will contain 12 pubic hairs.
In a year you will have swallowed 14 insects - while you slept!
Annually, you will shake hands with 11 women who have recently masturbated and failed to wash their hands.
In a lifetime, 22 nosey women doing work in your home will have examined the contents of your dirty laundry basket.
At an average wedding reception you have a 1/100 chance of getting a cold sore from one of the guests. (Mouth herpes.)
Daily you will breathe in 1 litre of other peoples' anal gases.
Civilised ??????
Have a great day you all !! | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/23/2009 7:55:34 AM | What makes a civilized society? The key features would be strict behavioral boundaries and tough penalties for stepping out of line - a society in which rights and responsibilities go hand in hand, and the common good of the people takes priority over the rights of the individual.
Adults are essentially oversized children – if we’re allowed to get away with something, we’ll do it – hence, for example, the scourge of repeat offenders and Asbo kids. I reckon crime would plummet if dire consequences were a certainty. The same principle applies on a personal level – politeness would probably make a speedy comeback if anti-social behavior suddenly resulted in social exclusion.
At the moment, criminality is repaid with a slapped wrist or, at worst, a brief, cushy stretch at taxpayers’ expense; thuggishness is rewarded with street cred and public apathy; laziness is repaid with a guaranteed income on benefits; and rudeness is met with indifference. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/23/2009 9:20:06 AM | What defines a civilised society?
Well, releasing the Lockerbie bomber is a good indication of one. He was released even though he was convicted of a heinous crime.............because those were the rules he was imprisoned under. And the fact that we may not like it did not stop him from being released.
Playing by the rules you set down is a big marker in being a civilised society in my opinion. | |
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JTFN
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Joined: 12/30/2008
Msg: 31 | |
| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/23/2009 7:20:50 PM | Can we be called a Civilised Society ? What Defines ?
We are getting better at it but still have a long long way to go
Rules to live by. . We do need rules in order to be free. The rules get changed and shaped over time to keep pace with public thought and increasing common sense.
General public behaviour and General public safety. The in your face aggressive type really do need a new kind of punishment. Where there is 100% cctv proof then the perpetrators should be made to pay extensively for their crime by court orders (none of this not bothering etc). The bad guys / bullies out there do need to be taken off our streets and confined to solitary working seven days a week for however long to match their crime. A tap or slap on wrist will never bring about change. Probation starting at a 5 years minimum term would be good for starters.
Terrestrial public broadcast TV. The spread of information and public entertainment.
This is slowly going further and further downhill. We are being presented on TV with CCTV footage of aggressive over the top behaviour by the public as a television programme of entertainment. Eastenders and the aggressive nature of some of the actors consistently shouting out their acting scenes with OTT drama is just plain boring and appalling prime time television. I could go on and on on this.. No I do not want to see another property show, or another nature show. I do want to see decent and clever drama that has more than a dumbed down and stupid in your face approach.
This country can and should be doing a lot better for the money its receiving from the licence fee and advertising. Civilised Society TV – Only just !! 
Divorce is not yet civilised. Henry VIII first changed the law about marriage church and divorce I think.. Henry had the best idea… 
Its is quite laughable that individuals can gain from a divorce. And its legal..
This country can and should do better by standing up for common sense on this point
This country is very understanding of the personal needs of others as far as a religious belief goes. The inhumane acts that are contained within some religious orders that are considered unacceptable by our government, are just that, unacceptable.
This country can and will do better by standing up for common sense on this point.
Health Care. I am also pleased I live in this country. Paying for health care by insurance premiums (other than our National Insurance stamps / payments) seems to be so antiquated and very un-civilised. Health tourists should be made to pay for our free service. They can work their debt off before they are deported. 
This country still has some way to go, but it is getting better and better with our Health Care. (You can thank Labour on that one)
Education. I can’t sign up to the idea of paying for our Uni education. However I agree that we should not give our education away to education tourists. Take note that we are giving it away to education tourists. Free hardship grants and other things are in free play to our education tourists. (Clarke was right when he said that)
Freedom of speech. For the most part we are free to discus and publicly debate.
Unless your considered a terrorist of course. 
I am sure there are more examples but its getting late... 
Can we be called a Civilised Society ?
We are getting better at it but still have a long long way to go | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/23/2009 8:42:21 PM | What defines a civilised society?
Define civilization is more fitting!
Time for some 4am raving - Banzai!!!!!!
The concept of civilization is nothing more than a human construct - nothing more than a thought, an idea , and more importantly a point of view. The british version of civilization today is far different than that of 1000 years ago and yet those people would have thought them selves as civilized as any other. As times change so will the definition, the ideals, and values placed upon it but it will never be an actual "thing" - always fluid and differing from person to person. In another 1000 years will people look back and call us un-civilized? would they be right? Its just a lable for something that cannot be controled or catagorised- our attemp to put everything in its own little box with a name tag on. So when it comes down to it - why worry about being civilized when all it takes to to be nice! Its free and takes a lot less effort to understand!! Now, time for an icecream before whats left of my mind melts. And a kip - still up at 4.30am again - god i need a girlfriend!!!!
javascript:smilie(' ') | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/24/2009 2:22:46 AM | Making us pay more in our taxes so we can hire mini Stalins to parade around and stop cycling on empty pavements and when asked what law one is breaking they don't have a clue, then get a car with two police persons to drive up and quote the wrong law...Whilst criminals are dealing in drugs, auld women are getting beaten up and robbed, cars getting smashed the law enforcers would rather revert resources into stopping a person cycling on the empty no pedestrians pavement...All signs of a good civilised society...NOT!!
Harsh Punishments for the simplest of crimes is not the way forward, just go to any soviet bloc, or muslim country and you will see a society ruled by fear...
Give the people decent jobs, decent housing, and a decent retirement to look forward to and you will see a change, but no...the usual, beat them into submission, and ye wonder why they rebel, why they emulate?
I think a lot of folk forget they where young...
Go figure.... | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/24/2009 2:51:45 AM |
What, in your opinion (i.e. no dictionary definitions, please!), are the characteristics a society should display to be truly called civilised?
A high degree of technological and social advances, a body of law, citizen participation in elections, tolerance and division of church and state. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/28/2009 5:36:32 AM | Interesting topic Anne,
and I agree with everything you said about Human Rights in Msg 24
Also the insomniac Msg 32 makes some good points!
I think it depends "where you're standing"
Definitions are, by definition, subjective.
Vegetarians may consider omnivores like myself "un-civilised"
We define the ancient Egyptians as a "civilisation", As were the Maya, The Incas etc
but they did many things we would define as un-civilised (Incest, slaves, sacrifice etc)
The Romans supposedly brought civilisation to the countries they conquered,
Including this one. And some far more civilised ones like Persia etc.
(Did anyone see the series "Barbarians"? - With Terry Jones, - fascinating, and enlightening in this context.)
Are we yet civilised?
In many ways yes, as others have said, and hopefully becoming more so.
But the self-proclaimed "Most Civilised" countries are the ones with the WMD's
And Nuclear Weapons.
(And the resources to develop ever more ingenious and "cost-effective" methods of killing.)
And we appease our civilised consciences by inventing words like "collateral damage"
(I always thought "blanket bombing" would be a lovely fluffy way to go?)
And "we" (The civilised) attack other countries, (uncivilised)
for suspected unauthorised possession of WMD's (Iraq)
Would the people of Afghanistan describe us as civilised?
And then there's the thorny issue of Israel and Palestine,
Who is more civilised there?
I would say, when Human Rights are ENFORCED Universally, then we'll be civilised
IMO | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/28/2009 7:00:46 AM |
What, in your opinion (i.e. no dictionary definitions, please!), are the characteristics a society should display to be truly called civilised?
I take "civilised" as a measure of how people interact and live with one another, not what material possessions they have or the particular rules they live by.
A group of people living by and upholding the fundamental rules of their society is the basis for a civilised society but with one caveat:
Those key rules should be freely chosen by the people and not imposed on them and everyone should have a say in what those rules are - equal rights for all. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/28/2009 10:26:51 AM | Te hee mac msg 27
I will certainly be appreciating the well mannered civilized chappies who opens doors for me, but I might be thinking twice about holding hands without latex gloves.
If a civilised society is made up of civil individuals then maybe, like communism it's just a fantasy. Still, as they say hope springs eternal.................. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/28/2009 11:30:07 AM |
Annually, you will shake hands with 11 men who have recently masturbated and failed to wash their hands.
Sometimes that's the closest I get to having sex.
Queueing. As soon as that breaks down, we're doomed.
H.x | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/29/2009 7:59:15 AM | OP Civilised society refers to the arena of uncoerced collective action around shared interests, purposes and values, the ethics and morality of which are derived from a collective shared outlook, thus if society fragments in terms of individual morality in becomes by definition less civilised.
This is not just happening in Britain, but throughout the western world, its often termed " the cecline of the west", civilisations are cyclic, in terms of their accent and fall ours is no different then others which have preceded. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/29/2009 1:26:29 PM | The Victorians had manners and strict codes of conduct that masked dire poverty inequality and disregard for the poor the sick and the elderly.
A society can be judged on whether it provides equality of opportunity and how well it cares for its young, infirm and elderly. We do well on the infirm and badly on the elderly compared to most other nations. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 9/25/2009 9:56:19 AM | I was talking to a friend the other day, and this topic sort of came up,
in the context of travel.
We often judge the level of "civilisation" of other countries,
not on their laws, infrastructure or material wealth.
but on the way we are treated,
as "outsiders" by the people within a society we are visiting.
So the answer to the OP, "What Defines a Civilised Society?"
May be "people from other societies, -outsiders"
Perhaps the definition of "civilised" is how we interact with those from outside our own societies.
How welcoming and hospitable/helpful we are to visitors/refugees etc., those in need.
On that basis, (apart from a few bnp/national front types, -there will always be exceptions!)
the majority of people in this society are civilised I think,
but.....
Perhaps it's like beauty, or intelligence, - best decided by others? | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 9/25/2009 10:34:43 AM | | One in which you can critisize the genocide being carried out by another country and not be taken to court. The persecution of Rowan Laxton suggests that we don't live in a civilised society. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 9/25/2009 10:51:54 AM |
The Victorians had manners and strict codes of conduct
The Victorians were also some of the horniest buggers ever to have inhabited the UK! Dirty little sods they were.
Victorian message may not be posted because they are too short. This will elicit the much vaunted phrase "We are not amused" | |
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