Ever hear of *tourism*, geniuses? (Speaking of the "drive to explore")

I just read through the most sickening thread I've ever laid my eyes
upon. Sure, I laughed, lots of times -- but the fact that people can
actually be so stupid is not just funny, it's also sick.

The "argument" that people don't have a drive to explore would have
just gotten a laugh out of me, and nothing more, except some people
really seem to believe it. What "evidence" do they give in support of
their "argument?" That most people don't live like Christopher
Columbus!!!

Well, guess what, geniuses... LOTS of people would if they could afford
to do so. As a friend put it, we're talking a lack of resources here,
NOT a lack of desire. This is shown by the fact that tourism is a
massive multi-BILLION dollar industry: people who can afford to explore
faraway lands, do exactly that! If people had no drive to explore,
there would be no tourism industry. None, nada, zilch. People would all
just sit and stagnate 24/7 in corroded trailer houses (sans wheels of
course, who needs 'em? just like the idiots who claim that people
have no drive to explore.

I swear, these people with no curiosity just sit around, stuff their
faces, and collect checks from Big Brother. Inbred hicks, all of them.
They're too bloated, brain-damaged and *lazy* to get off their asses
and do *anything.* It's funny, but it's scary, and more than a little
disgusting.

In my office, I have books from at least two dozen countries. I have
works of art from China, Thailand, France, and a few from other parts
of America for good measure. I have music from the world over. I have
hand-bound books from the kingdom of Lichtenstein. I have militaria
from Israel (relax, it's legal, nothing controlled). And this is just
my office. All this is testimony to the fact that I am a curious person
with a healthy drive to explore the world at large. I shudder to even
think of how boring my office, my house, my friends, and my life would
be otherwise.

As busy as most people are working, surviving, and paying bills, they
still help to sustain a giant tourism industry. That should tell you
something. Without the drive to explore, the cash for tourism just
wouldn't be there. Tourism shows that not only do people love to
explore, they'll PAY for the privilege. The more independently wealthy
the tourist, the more s/he will spend and the more s/he will travel.
Stats consistently back this up. When people are able to explore, they
usually will. Lots of people would love to "travel the world and the
seven seas", explore the world to the fullest, but can't because they
lack the necessary resources. So saying that the drive to explore isn't
important just because many people lack the resources to explore is a
non-starter. LACK OF RESOURCES =! LACK OF DESIRE.

LOL, the thread even had one idiot (Alan Anderson, I think) giving us
the revelation that most people in the Middle Ages died within a few
miles of where they were born. He presented this datapoint as
"evidence" that the drive to explore isn't a major motivation in
humans! Wow, Alan! You mean most serfs weren't able to go roaming to
faraway lands to satisfy their curiosity? REALLY? THEY WERE CHAINED TO
THE LAND ON PAIN OF DEATH, YOU DIP****!

Duh!

Man, people can be so stupid. In this world where tourism is the #1
industry for many countries, we have idiots saying that people have no
drive to explore. It's like we're dealing with three year olds trapped
into adult bodies. Then again, I take that back: I've never known a
three year old to say something so stupid.

--Bill

P.S. I just discovered that Rand Simberg, one of the "Exploration
Deniers," is supposed to be involved with the space tourism industry.
LMFAOPIMP! And his space tourism venture isn't doing so hot. If he
doesn't believe that the desire to explore is a major human motivation,
no wonder his venture is failing! Rand, you idiot -- tourism is
exploration under another name. If you think exploration is boring, how
are you going to sell it to people? Most likely, you'll bore them to
death before they'll ever get a chance to read through your brochures!
What a moron.

Bill Harris wrote:

I have hand-bound books from the kingdom of Lichtenstein.

Ah, finally there's at least some allohistorical content.


Cheers,
Jalonen

Holy resurrected thread, Batman!

"Bill Harris" wrote:

The "argument" that people don't have a drive to explore would have
just gotten a laugh out of me, and nothing more, except some people
really seem to believe it. What "evidence" do they give in support of
their "argument?" That most people don't live like Christopher
Columbus!!!

The original argument was about exploration as motivation. Someone
claimed that the need to explore is a fundamental human trait, which
triggered a bunch of reasoned responses to the contrary.

The argument started out being that people in general don't have an
*overriding* drive to physically seek out and explore unknown lands.
That the vast majority don't give up a secure existence in order to
discover new places is a valid observation. There's no denying that
people are basically curious, or that they enjoy novelty, but the
existence of tourism is hardly compelling evidence that humanity has a
"drive" to explore. For the average person, it's a luxury, not a need.

I wouldn't claim that liquor sales proves that people have a basic drive
to drink alcohol, or that the existence of skydiving clubs proves an
inbuilt drive to plummet through the air. Similarly, tourism proves
only that there are people who are both willing and able to travel, not
that to be human one *must* feel the need to explore.


(Warning to readers -- be alert for sock puppets. I received private
email about this topic from an unsigned yahoo email address overnight.)

wrote in message
oups.com...
Bill Harris wrote:

I have hand-bound books from the kingdom of Lichtenstein.

Ah, finally there's at least some allohistorical content.

It also sounds like a song fragment.

J/

"Bill Harris" wrote in message
ups.com...
Well, guess what, geniuses... LOTS of people would if they could afford
to do so. As a friend put it, we're talking a lack of resources here,
NOT a lack of desire. This is shown by the fact that tourism is a
massive multi-BILLION dollar industry: people who can afford to explore
faraway lands, do exactly that! If people had no drive to explore,
there would be no tourism industry. None, nada, zilch. People would all
just sit and stagnate 24/7 in corroded trailer houses (sans wheels of
course, who needs 'em? just like the idiots who claim that people
have no drive to explore.

Tourism != Exploration. Sorry.

So the rest of your counter-argument pretty much falls apart.


P.S. I just discovered that Rand Simberg, one of the "Exploration
Deniers," is supposed to be involved with the space tourism industry.
LMFAOPIMP! And his space tourism venture isn't doing so hot. If he
doesn't believe that the desire to explore is a major human motivation,
no wonder his venture is failing! Rand, you idiot -- tourism is
exploration under another name.

Just because you call a dog's tail a leg doesn't mean the dog has 5 legs.

Tourism != exploration.

Get over it. Calling it that just doesn't make it so.

Do people love being tourists? Hell yeah. Americans have it down to a
science. Pick up the brochures, get your latte and check out the sites.

But that's a far cry from exploration.


If you think exploration is boring, how
are you going to sell it to people? Most likely, you'll bore them to
death before they'll ever get a chance to read through your brochures!
What a moron.

Bill Harris wrote:

I just read through the most sickening thread I've ever laid my eyes
upon. Sure, I laughed, lots of times -- but the fact that people can
actually be so stupid is not just funny, it's also sick.

Right, you're normal, everyone else is weird.

The "argument" that people don't have a drive to explore would have
just gotten a laugh out of me, and nothing more, except some people
really seem to believe it. What "evidence" do they give in support of
their "argument?" That most people don't live like Christopher
Columbus!!!

But you do, therefore you're normal. No, you're GREAT!

Well, guess what, geniuses... LOTS of people would if they could afford
to do so. As a friend put it, we're talking a lack of resources here,
NOT a lack of desire. This is shown by the fact that tourism is a
massive multi-BILLION dollar industry: people who can afford to explore
faraway lands, do exactly that! If people had no drive to explore,
there would be no tourism industry. None, nada, zilch. People would all
just sit and stagnate 24/7 in corroded trailer houses (sans wheels of
course, who needs 'em? just like the idiots who claim that people
have no drive to explore.

And don't forget, everyone should be JUST LIKE YOU!

I swear, these people with no curiosity just sit around, stuff their
faces, and collect checks from Big Brother. Inbred hicks, all of them.
They're too bloated, brain-damaged and *lazy* to get off their asses
and do *anything.* It's funny, but it's scary, and more than a little
disgusting.

I feel your pain, they're not JUST LIKE YOU!

In my office, I have books from at least two dozen countries. I have
works of art from China, Thailand, France, and a few from other parts
of America for good measure. I have music from the world over. I have
hand-bound books from the kingdom of Lichtenstein. I have militaria
from Israel (relax, it's legal, nothing controlled). And this is just
my office. All this is testimony to the fact that I am a curious person
with a healthy drive to explore the world at large. I shudder to even
think of how boring my office, my house, my friends, and my life would
be otherwise.

Prepare for GREATNESS ... uh ... I forgot your name.

As busy as most people are working, surviving, and paying bills, they
still help to sustain a giant tourism industry. That should tell you
something. Without the drive to explore, the cash for tourism just
wouldn't be there. Tourism shows that not only do people love to
explore, they'll PAY for the privilege. The more independently wealthy
the tourist, the more s/he will spend and the more s/he will travel.
Stats consistently back this up. When people are able to explore, they
usually will. Lots of people would love to "travel the world and the
seven seas", explore the world to the fullest, but can't because they
lack the necessary resources. So saying that the drive to explore isn't
important just because many people lack the resources to explore is a
non-starter. LACK OF RESOURCES =! LACK OF DESIRE.

Tourism should be MANDATORY!

LOL, the thread even had one idiot (Alan Anderson, I think) giving us
the revelation that most people in the Middle Ages died within a few
miles of where they were born. He presented this datapoint as
"evidence" that the drive to explore isn't a major motivation in
humans! Wow, Alan! You mean most serfs weren't able to go roaming to
faraway lands to satisfy their curiosity? REALLY? THEY WERE CHAINED TO
THE LAND ON PAIN OF DEATH, YOU DIP****!

They're inbred morons, they really can't help themselves.

Man, people can be so stupid. In this world where tourism is the #1
industry for many countries, we have idiots saying that people have no
drive to explore. It's like we're dealing with three year olds trapped
into adult bodies. Then again, I take that back: I've never known a
three year old to say something so stupid.

But not you, you're just WONDERFUL. All that stuff you have!

P.S. I just discovered that Rand Simberg, one of the "Exploration
Deniers," is supposed to be involved with the space tourism industry.
LMFAOPIMP! And his space tourism venture isn't doing so hot. If he
doesn't believe that the desire to explore is a major human motivation,
no wonder his venture is failing! Rand, you idiot -- tourism is
exploration under another name. If you think exploration is boring, how
are you going to sell it to people? Most likely, you'll bore them to
death before they'll ever get a chance to read through your brochures!
What a moron.

I agree, it's terrible. These people need to go to ... America!

http://cosmic.lifeform.org

"westprog" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
Bill Harris wrote:

I have hand-bound books from the kingdom of Lichtenstein.

Ah, finally there's at least some allohistorical content.

It also sounds like a song fragment.

Tom Waits, I think.

"Mr. Limpet" wrote in message
...

I have hand-bound books from the kingdom of Lichtenstein.

Ah, finally there's at least some allohistorical content.

It also sounds like a song fragment.

Tom Waits, I think.

That's the one. 'Big In Japan' I think.

J/

"Bill Harris" wrote in message
ups.com...
I just read through the most sickening thread I've ever laid my eyes
upon. Sure, I laughed, lots of times -- but the fact that people can
actually be so stupid is not just funny, it's also sick.

My take on that whole debate was: Yes, we do have a drive to explore. No,
that all by itself will not ensure large-scale settlement.

--


Regards,
Mike Combs
----------------------------------------------------------------------
By all that you hold dear on this good Earth
I bid you stand, Men of the West!
Aragorn

Bill Harris ) wrote:
: I just read through the most sickening thread I've ever laid my eyes
: upon. Sure, I laughed, lots of times -- but the fact that people can
: actually be so stupid is not just funny, it's also sick.

: The "argument" that people don't have a drive to explore would have
: just gotten a laugh out of me, and nothing more, except some people
: really seem to believe it. What "evidence" do they give in support of
: their "argument?" That most people don't live like Christopher
: Columbus!!!

: Well, guess what, geniuses... LOTS of people would if they could afford
: to do so. As a friend put it, we're talking a lack of resources here,
: NOT a lack of desire. This is shown by the fact that tourism is a
: massive multi-BILLION dollar industry: people who can afford to explore
: faraway lands, do exactly that! If people had no drive to explore,
: there would be no tourism industry. None, nada, zilch. People would all
: just sit and stagnate 24/7 in corroded trailer houses (sans wheels of
: course, who needs 'em? just like the idiots who claim that people
: have no drive to explore.

: I swear, these people with no curiosity just sit around, stuff their
: faces, and collect checks from Big Brother. Inbred hicks, all of them.
: They're too bloated, brain-damaged and *lazy* to get off their asses
: and do *anything.* It's funny, but it's scary, and more than a little
: disgusting.

You describe the folks in Ohio that re-elected Bush given that he won that
state based upon a single issue. No gay marriage. Oh, and while those lazy
SOBs were voting against gay marriage, who do you think they pulled the
lever for or push the button for in the presidential race? Yep, THAT and
that alone got Bush re-elected. Personally I could give a rat's ass about
gay marriage one way or the other.

: In my office, I have books from at least two dozen countries. I have
: works of art from China, Thailand, France, and a few from other parts
: of America for good measure. I have music from the world over. I have
: hand-bound books from the kingdom of Lichtenstein. I have militaria
: from Israel (relax, it's legal, nothing controlled). And this is just
: my office. All this is testimony to the fact that I am a curious person
: with a healthy drive to explore the world at large. I shudder to even
: think of how boring my office, my house, my friends, and my life would
: be otherwise.

I couldn't agree more, but don't these folks have the right to be lazy
that way? Like you, I don't support it, but who am I to claim otherwise?
Now if they claim I'm not allowed to be curious, then that is another
matter.

: As busy as most people are working, surviving, and paying bills, they
: still help to sustain a giant tourism industry. That should tell you
: something. Without the drive to explore, the cash for tourism just
: wouldn't be there. Tourism shows that not only do people love to
: explore, they'll PAY for the privilege. The more independently wealthy
: the tourist, the more s/he will spend and the more s/he will travel.
: Stats consistently back this up. When people are able to explore, they
: usually will. Lots of people would love to "travel the world and the
: seven seas", explore the world to the fullest, but can't because they
: lack the necessary resources. So saying that the drive to explore isn't
: important just because many people lack the resources to explore is a
: non-starter. LACK OF RESOURCES =! LACK OF DESIRE.

: LOL, the thread even had one idiot (Alan Anderson, I think) giving us
: the revelation that most people in the Middle Ages died within a few
: miles of where they were born. He presented this datapoint as
: "evidence" that the drive to explore isn't a major motivation in
: humans! Wow, Alan! You mean most serfs weren't able to go roaming to
: faraway lands to satisfy their curiosity? REALLY? THEY WERE CHAINED TO
: THE LAND ON PAIN OF DEATH, YOU DIP****!

: Duh!

: Man, people can be so stupid. In this world where tourism is the #1
: industry for many countries, we have idiots saying that people have no
: drive to explore. It's like we're dealing with three year olds trapped
: into adult bodies. Then again, I take that back: I've never known a
: three year old to say something so stupid.

: --Bill

: P.S. I just discovered that Rand Simberg, one of the "Exploration
: Deniers," is supposed to be involved with the space tourism industry.
: LMFAOPIMP! And his space tourism venture isn't doing so hot. If he
: doesn't believe that the desire to explore is a major human motivation,
: no wonder his venture is failing! Rand, you idiot -- tourism is
: exploration under another name. If you think exploration is boring, how
: are you going to sell it to people? Most likely, you'll bore them to
: death before they'll ever get a chance to read through your brochures!
: What a moron.

Yeah, tough to sell a product that you yourself doesn't believe in.

Eric