Skeptic Project

What's this adoration with Scandinavian countries that TZM members seem to have, especially with Iceland? In general, homogeneous populations tend to organize well for various reasons, namely the lack of inter-ethnic and religious conflict.

I imagine the reason 'they' keep PJ alive is, he is perfect for making sure we don't get organised..

Part of me even wonders if he is being paid to make sure we remain ineffective and powerless..

I think the Scandinavian connection is that many of the more cooperative TZM folk come from there!

Iceland I think is only a blip because of its geothermal power generation, TZM members seem to think that makes it paradise, forgetting about the volcanic risks, the I've heard them decribed as mainstream population (eg. your probably not going to find them awfully sympathetic to TZM/TVP type hippy solution parts..) types, and a lack of much other industry. (Not to mention the climate isn't peachy for building in your shorts..)

> In general, homogeneous populations tend to organize well for various reasons

Agreed.

Is why I'm keen to help maintain that homogeneous part and expand on it, rather than let communities fragment as they are so often doing at the moment with our multiculturalism effects, and equality laws, leading to inequality, anger and resistment from the indigenous populations. (Or at least, whoever came before them..)

>> I suspect that Scandinavians habour a special cooperative domestication gene(s) that enables them, even if born in other countries

I figure that highly unlikely, after all, look at anarchist Spain.

>> Where as most UK/US'ers tended to be the worst possible people you could ever meet, liers, cheats, scam artists, and so lazy!

The US and UK also have a long history of dire poverty, inequality, and tons of other problems.

>> It was, and is interesting to spot little pockets around the world of cooperative folk and try to figure out which parts are due to genetics and which are environmental.

There are isolated tribes all over the Earth that are so egalitarian that they make Scandinavia look fascist by comparison.

*Chi-pow* Shoot from the hip.

How do you explain that sharp difference between those from Nordic countries (And of nordic stock) and the rest of Europeans who generally are far less cooperative ?

I did find a spot in the UK whose population is 50%+ of Nordic stock, who having settled here some 500+ years ago, still show a marked difference to the general population in their helpful and intelligent nature, even though they are surrounded on all sides by barbarians!

Think Galapagos Islands when it comes to other tribes, is how I think it could explain it.

I also notice that Chinese folk for example are often cooperative and helpful. (I found out recently it appears some of my genetic history is from northern China, perhaps that explains my youthful looks and intelligence ;-) also perhaps my stamina..)

It interests me to try and replicate as close as possible the ideal conditions to encourage a cooperative community to be built and expanded upon.

I'm not sure what tests one would do for newcomers to the community to test for cooperative nature, any thoughts ?

(Its perhaps a more interesting question than you might imagine, as going by the vast majority of TZM folk, very few I would say fit into that catagory, so I would hope any tests can weed out those that say they are cooperative, compared to those that actually are..)

Its a bit like 'friends' you want a lift off you all the time, but when you have lost your car, suddenly are unable to give you a lift..

>> I did find a spot in the UK whose population is 50%+ of Nordic stock, who having settled here some 500+ years ago, still show a marked difference to the general population in their helpful and intelligent nature, even though they are surrounded on all sides by barbarians!

I think you're just using confirmation bias. Nordic societies themselves have ample proof there's no genetic basis for being more cooperative than any other human society. All one need to do is look at the last 1,000 years of Nordic history, and you see Vikings, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Denmark, et al. and they spend a hell of a lot of time fighting each other and others.

Human beings, given the right situations, can be very cooperative with each other, but given another situation be the exact opposite.

>> I also notice that Chinese folk for example are often cooperative and helpful. (I found out recently it appears some of my genetic history is from northern China, perhaps that explains my youthful looks and intelligence ;-) also perhaps my stamina..)

The Chinese are very insular and it's a part of their culture, which may do more to explain why Nordic people act the same way.

>> It interests me to try and replicate as close as possible the ideal conditions to encourage a cooperative community to be built and expanded upon.

I'm not sure promoting homogeneity is the best way to do it, there have been people over the last 100 years or so that tried to promote these things, and even though most had the best intentions, it always ended extremely badly.

If you take another example, gender balance.

Your need a 50/50 mixture or so of the genders, or you risk getting the population falling!

So, if you have 100 job openings, if more women apply than men, you will have to stop taking women at 50 positions and fill the rest with men. (Sort of reverse positive discrimination..)

You might well allow some leyway, say 5% to 10% more of one than the other, but as some places are very lacking in women say, you will need to address the balance or the place will end up as a dust bowl..

Eg. I'm after sustainable community design that is more stable than the current market response types that move rapidly from boom to bust, resulting in a lot of wasted resources as say structures are built, demolished, and rebuilt as demand ebbs and flows, rather than being in constant use decade in, decade out.

Nah, it's about 52 women, 48 men.

That's a shame, 60/40 would have upped the chances of me pulling off a threesome.

>> Ask Matt ?

He won't respond to my many advances.

>> Speaking of threesomes. I wonder if Peter Merola has zeitgeist groupies ?

Maybe guys, girls it's remotely possible, but I imagine it's 95% men in the movement.

Usually good things = crazy personality, at least in my experience.

Yeah, us skeptics and debunkers are the hottest pieces of ass out there.

"He won't respond to my many advances."

Your dick is too small.

duncan, are you suggesting that the FED as explained by Mercola has international effects?

No, I'm just saying if peter was right (which he isn't)
Inst his scope of knowledge only pertain to the states, he never talks about other country's financial systems.

"I wonder if Peter Merola has zeitgeist groupies ? "

Well, we have to take into account some things... such as the movement is mostly male. So the first challenge is finding a female, then making sure the female is attractive enough. Now I doubt even these two criteria could be met... but if they were, THEN the female has to want a threesome! Just doesn't seem very likely.