Flashback, a new dystopian novel by Dan Simmons

[Lanius]

Simmons has written a novel, a new dystopian one. Novel has interesting drug(Flashback, allows one  to relive any memory again), social commentary(SHTF in the US several times totally), free Republic of Texas, a resurgent Islamic Caliphate, and a hero who keeps living most of his time with his dead wife (really).

In case you'd like to know more, the writer has put together an essay explaining why he wrote the book (in essence, to share with us what it'đ like to come home from college to find both of your parents have incurable cancer. Except in this novel, the US has cancer..)..


Personally, it's buy on sight. He can do all kinds of stuff, but the short story on which the novel is based is one of the bleakest, most hopeless and depressing pieces of fiction I've ever seen. The kind of thing that makes people who are less manic than I weep..

[Tallpine]

I just read the news for dystopian stuff 

[Lanius]

This novel shows where it's all headed(roughly).. you know, so you can get depressed now, and when the real $hit$torm hits, you'll be just relieved the $hit future is already here..

[Tallpine]

This novel shows where it's all headed(roughly).. you know, so you can get depressed now, and when the real $hit$torm hits, you'll be just relieved the $hit future is already here..

I'm already plenty depressed.

The End of the World As I Used to Know It has already come and gone.

[Lanius]

The End of the World As I Used to Know It has already come and gone.

The end of the world I know keeps  coming each time I go to sleep. I mean, when I wake up, the world's usually different. Stuff has happened, and has changed 

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BTW, I've gotten banned from Simmons's web forum. Apprently, criticing the catholic church, that rotten* bunch of totalitarian medieval throwbacks isn't appreciated there.  Disrespectful. I have ceased to have any respect whatsoever towards the CC once I heard the catholic marriage vows. You basically promise that all of your future kids have to be good catholics, you'll have to be a good catholic, and a bunch of other crap. I'd sooner have a chilli enema than get married by one of their priests. I cannot totally understand why anyone would consent to that..

The forum is mostly boring, I mean, what you get if you have about two slightly libertarian people and half a dozen conservative statists agreeing with one another that China is dangerous, and that Obama sucks. The one token liberal there is totally dispirited.

Overall, for all their wit, these guys totally failed to see the housing bubble back in '06. Speaks volumes about what intellectuals are worth I think.

*they are secretive, self serving, and just untrustworthy.

[TommyGunn]

...China is dangerous, and that Obama sucks....

Well, they got that part right ....can't speak for the rest. 

[Devonai]

If you used that kind of language, then I can see why you were banned.  There is a difference between structured criticism and unstructured ranting.  You are entitled to your opinion, but you should consider your audience, too.  I am no fan of the Catholic Church but I would hardly expect a level-headed discussion if I went in with a crappy attitude from the get-go.  If you didn't start out that way, and you were dragged down by other, less rational posters, then I'll take your word for it.

Larry Correia mentioned Simmons during his latest podcast.  He said he was not a fan of all of his writing, but thought he was one of the best wordsmiths out there, to paraphrase.  Just one more reason to check out his stuff, I suppose.

[Perd Hapley]

I have ceased to have any respect whatsoever towards the CC once I heard the catholic marriage vows. You basically promise that all of your future kids have to be good catholics, you'll have to be a good catholic, and a bunch of other crap. I'd sooner have a chilli enema than get married by one of their priests. I cannot totally understand why anyone would consent to that..

I struggle to understand why that bothers you so much.  Why would you expect a Catholic not to raise their kids as Catholics? 

[Lanius]

Why? I mean, kids are persons, they are not something you should mold into the image you desire. Not to mention that catholicism is mostly.. just wrong. Dogma? Original sin? Confessions? *expletive deleted*ing church hierarchy topped with an 'infallible' pontiff?

Sounds like something out of Monty Python..

If you used that kind of language, then I can see why you were banned.

I suppose so. But really, the author re-posted a pro-catholic article that talked about how he have to take a pause and see whether we're not doing anything Weiner-like, and once I read the word 'truth' , connected to CC hierarchy I just snapped.

I mean... truth. The flipping truth is that the former Archbishop of Slovakia was a state security agent, and has mishandled, i.e. probably paid out as blackmail around 30 million $. Archbishop Sokol.
Catholic Church was firmly behind the WWII catholic fascist Slovak state. Which was headed by a flipping priest, msgr Jozef Tiso, who was not 'excommunicated' even when it was revealed he 'gave' our Jews to the Germans very eagerly indeed. Paid to have them killed even.

Catholics.. no thanks. They are better than Hamas or Hizballah (which organisations too do a lot of charity work), I'll give you that, but still.. no thanks. Keep them elsewhere.

[Perd Hapley]

Why? I mean, kids are persons, they are not something you should mold into the image you desire.

But you are supposed to mold them into good, healthy, decent people. Believe it or not, some parents honestly believe that Catholicism is the way to do that. In other words, they believe that Catholic doctrine is true. You really don't understand that?

[Lanius]

But you are supposed to mold them into good, healthy, decent people. Believe it or not, some parents honestly believe that Catholicism is the way to do that. In other words, they believe that Catholic doctrine is true. You really don't understand that?

True, some catholics are decent people. But I know a shitload of atheists, agnostics or just people who don't buy into the whole organised religion thing, who are just as decent.

And I really don't get what's healthy about the whole 'sin doctrine'. Fornication is not a sin, if no one's feelings get hurt. Anger is often constructive. Pride, within reason, is also healthy.
I agree with them on gluttony, but there's no reason for God to punish that.. gluttons keep punishing themselves.

And CC is also against masturbation. Without which the whole western world would go batshit insane. I know. I tried not masturbating for two weeks while in female company and I was halfway to batshit insane despite copious amounts of exercise.

[Perd Hapley]

So your answer is that you don't understand that.

And CC is also against masturbation. Without which the whole western world would go bat*expletive deleted* insane. I know. I tried not masturbating for two weeks while in female company and I was halfway to bat*expletive deleted* insane despite copious amounts of exercise.

That sounds like the sort of struggle that religion is supposed to help you with. 

True, some catholics are decent people. But I know a *expletive deleted*load of atheists, agnostics or just people who don't buy into the whole organised religion thing, who are just as decent.

In your opinion.

And I really don't get what's healthy about the whole 'sin doctrine'. Fornication is not a sin, if no one's feelings get hurt.

In your opinion.

The thing is, other people might have different ideas about what makes a person good, healthy and decent, or they might have different ideas about what makes something sinful. And parents are supposed to pass these things on to their children, whatever they are.

[Lanius]

I don't see why I should keep believing in irrational, preposterous stuff in order to feel okay, if all I need to do so otherwise is fifteen minutes a day  in private and some  dirty pictures.

Compare that to buying into the whole incredible self-contradicting religious bullcrap mountain... really, it's no contest.

I like certain religions, Sikhism, for example, but the problem is their supernatural component and the bull$hit..

And there are no 'no-BS' 'religions' I like and I know of. I'd be happy to be a member of a society that'd be both pro-science, rationalists and that'd require certain ways of behavior, but no such society exists.

[Perd Hapley]

I don't see why I should keep believing in irrational, preposterous stuff in order to feel okay, if all I need to do so otherwise is fifteen minutes a day  in private and some  dirty pictures.

I'd be happy to be a member of a society that'd be both pro-science, rationalists and that'd require certain ways of behavior, but no such society exists.

Looks like straight-up Biblical Christianity would be more your speed. Rational, pro-science, ethical requirements, nothing preposterous. It's got all that stuff. 

[Lanius]

Christianity?

Dead god on a stick? Zombie jesus? I'd sooner worship the Meltdown Madonna..

I mean, Slavs had a better idea. They worshipped the God of thunder, because thunder is badass and really impressive*. No zombies, crucifixions, or stuff like that needed. In fact, the reasons why Slavs are so widespread(I mean, consider central Europe and Russia.,,) is, that they were a downright decent bunch of tribals.

Instead of sacrificing war captives, they gave them some mild forced labor probably, and after a year or two, gave them  a choice: join us and become a full member of the tribe, or go back home, no hard feelings..

*I love storms. All the power and noise, and entirely natural.. and the rain in summer is a blessing indeed.

Really... if there were, say, Followers of the Apocalypse from Fallout, I'd join them. Or a modern day Sparta, which'd probably be like living in a military, but hey, I like guns, exercise and wargames, so I'd fit right in I guess.

Nothing like that exists, so I guess I have to be content with being a loner.

[RevDisk]

Christianity?

Dead god on a stick? Zombie jesus? I'd sooner worship the Meltdown Madonna..

I mean, Slavs had a better idea. They worshipped the God of thunder, because thunder is badass and really impressive*. No zombies, crucifixions, or stuff like that needed. In fact, the reasons why Slavs are so widespread(I mean, consider central Europe and Russia.,,) is, that they were a downright decent bunch of tribals.

As a pagan, I very much understand and support the actions of Simmons's web forum.

There's something called decorum.  You have a right to believe anything you want.  You have a right to not be punished for your speech, by the government.  It does NOT apply to private venues.  You COULD express the same sentiments in a significantly more polite manner.  You are choosing not to do so.  That in itself is a very clear message.

I gather you are somewhat new to this forum.  Our members have a very wide set of beliefs.  However, this is Armed Polite Society.   That is kinda a theme we try to run with.  Please take this into consideration when going on anti-Catholic rants.


Also, paganism is like, even worse than the Catholic Church.  We're like, totally repressive and stuff.  So please do not convert to our ideology.  We kinda have a laid back reputation for the most, and like to keep it that way.  When we're not being all repressive and all.

[Lanius]

Yeah. Could be polite about catholics. Except there is about several million too many of them in my country of origin.. 

I won't mentioned those strange people again...