X-Message-Number: 10801
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 07:49:20 -0500
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: CryoNet #10795 - #10799

Hi everyone!

To Thomas Nord: I explained why I couldn't get your messages separately.
I am working on getting another netlink. As for differences between 
(say) Sweden and the US, the most striking one which comes to my mind
is that even now Sweden is a LOT more homogeneous. And for that reason
alone, there won't be as much social strife. And social strife includes
the use of guns, legal or illegal.

I will make a general assertion, as someone who has visited various
countries (unfortunately none of them European) for long periods. Lots 
of traits of a country are connected together, and cannot be changed
without changing others. The US is a nation of immigrants, and that 
implies that some segment of those immigrants will have much more 
propensity toward violence than others. Even Lott, whether or not you
bothered to read him or consider him, seems to have only considered
the US. And again for the US, more than 100 years ago now the US
fought a bloody civil war which (though not officially) was over the
issue of slavery. Even now many of us feel differently around blacks
than around whites (and I'm sure the feeling is reciprocated). And so
among the immigrants not only are those naturally inclined to violence,
but also some who did not want to immigrate.

For whatever it's worth, frankly I think that your fear of violence in
the US is excessive. Ask an American what he does about it, places
he does not go to after dark (not that these places are very attractive,
you understand?) and so on. Even most Americans live sedate lives. 

But more than that, any country is all of a piece. One feature simply
cannot be changed without changing others, and by removing some
disadvantages you can easily remove the advantages too.

About popular versions of cryonics, TV etc: Unfortunately there are
still plenty of misconceptions. By becoming a cryonicist we must all
accept that we have put ourselves in a very deviant position relative
to virtually everyone else we might know. To some of us, that's 
continually painful. And even to each of us, it can sometimes be 
painful (I have a sister with a very serious cancer, who has refused
to even consider cryonics). Eventually we get used to it, and adopt
various strategies to deal with it emotionally. AS for myself, as
an example, I would find it very difficult to have a serious discussion
about ANY philosophical issue with anyone who was not a cryonicist.
The assumptions just deviate too much. And yes, my wife is also a
cryonicist.

			Best and long long life to all,

				Thomas Donaldson

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