Yet another wall

[htpcl]

Welcome to my mid-20th century world, you fellow chauvinistic xenophobians (sic?!) peace-loving tolerant folks who want nothing but love and harmony throughout the Universe! Let's begin today's rant with a picture. Yep, this is a wall. OK, let's say it's a fence. But we call it a wall. Anyway. Could you try to guess where it's located? Palestine?

Comments

[notmrgarrison]

And the parallels don't stop there. At least nominally, the Berlin Wall...

Unlike the walls you're complaining about, the Berlin Wall was to keep people in, not out, like the Great Wall of China.

[htpcl]

Here, have some geography.

[notmrgarrison]

Who built the wall?
What was it for?

It was built by the Soviets to keep East Germans from escaping into West Germany.

Four astoundingly ignorant replies. Awesome day.

[htpcl]

I already told you what the wall was for. To keep East Germans OUT of West Berlin, and ultimately IN East Germany, yes. So things are not as simple as you're trying to present them.

I'm beginning to sense a few hundred brain cells dying the more this conversation proceeds.

I suggest you have some geography for dinner. It's delicious.

[notmrgarrison]

and ultimately IN East Germany

You told me that? Thanks. Now what did I say?

Unlike the walls you're complaining about, the Berlin Wall was to keep people in, not out

[htpcl]

Like I said, I offer you my limitless gratitude for your extremely invaluable and very relevant input. Ba-bye now.

[dexeron]

I've heard a few sources claim that the Great Wall of China was built not merely to keep invaders out, but to slow the escape of any enemy raiders (ostensibly on horseback considering the source of most raids) who would be loaded down with plunder, and thereby easy pickings when a response force could finally arrive.

So I guess if that hypothesis is true, the wall was meant to both keep people out (invaders) and keep people in (invaders who were fleeing with plunder.)

What this has to do with your OP, I have no idea.

[htpcl]

No problem, I've gotten used to tangents.

Apparently, technically the Chinese Wall was also meant to keep people in, if at least for a few minutes (until they got caught). So, if we're to remain "technical" about these things, the Berlin Wall was meant to keep East Germans out of West Berlin, no? I mean, just technically.

Therefore I win one Internets! Or something.

[dexeron]

I guess a wall that keeps people in also keeps them out... keeps them in... out...

To quote Rush (the band): "The way out is the way in."

[htpcl]

In and out and in and out. This started sounding a bit stimulating.

[notmrgarrison]

Its quite simple.

The OP is whining about governments building walls to keep out illegal immigrants and whatnot, and tries to compare these walls to the infamous wall - the Berlin Wall. I'm pointing out that they are quite different. The Berlin Wall was like a prison wall, built to keep people from escaping the Soviet Union (keep people in). The walls in the OP are nothing like that. The walls in the OP are like the Great Wall of China, built to keep people out of the country that built it.

[htpcl]

When Syria is surrounded by walls, doesn't that make it a prison?

Ultimately, what's your end-game here? "The OP is stupid to whine about something that's unrelated to that other thing"? Well, boo-hoo, thanks a lot for pointing that out! I guess you should also write a very sarcastic and intellectually sounding letter to all those politicians and journalists across Europe who've made the allusions to the Berlin Wall that I was citing. I promise to be waiting with bated breath the result of your immensely precious feedback.

This conversation has been as worthless as a bored armchair-warrior killing a couple of hours by whining about people whining on the Internet. I guess I owe you gratitude for that, too. So thanks, and cheers!

[notmrgarrison]

When Syria is surrounded by walls, doesn't that make it a prison?

Is Assad building the walls? And are people not allowed to leave by air? If that were the case, then yes.
But hey, you have journalists on your side.

[htpcl]

> are people not allowed to leave by air?

The ignorance radiating from this statement is causing me physical pain.

> Is Assad doing that?

This is plain dumb. It was fun playing for a while, now go play with someone else.

[notmrgarrison]

Your question was dumb, Syria isn't going to be surrounded by walls. And your responses have been quite dumb as well. I''m guessing the topology of East Germany/Berlin along with the word "in" confused you initially, and you'll never admit error, and so you just keep going.

[htpcl]

Your responses have been nothing short of first-grade simplistic, so we're even, I guess.