I've never done one of these, but as the second user to cast 250 votes to earn the Professional Voter medal, I figure it's time...
Given my extremely unique history, this may prove highly educational.
Ragnar, first gold, AMA
Posts
Total:
50
I want to hear about “combat medic”
What do you think of turtles?
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@oromagi
After I escaped my evil upbringing and started college, the anti war sentiment at school (things like the count of the dead Americans for the war, and that number passing those for 9/11) made me feel the patriotic need to do something. I've never been a believer in the power of thoughts and prayers, so that something turned out to be enlisting as a medic to decrease the death (if even by a little).
I took my training seriously, earning triple honors and a spot in Ranger School. Sadly, a lazy bureaucrat I was forced to use for citizenship processing waited a whole extra month before turning in my documents (I could have done all that myself without the delay, and wanted to...), which ended up costing me the spot in Ranger School (security clearance required, and citizenship required for said clearance), but not Airborne School (they send you to Airborne first as a prerequisite).
Airborne school was pretty intense, more so due to breaking a rib during PLF training, and refusing to drop out and wait for another class.
I got stationed at Fort Bragg, in the 82nd Airborne Division. Which since I was not a high school reject, ended up being a poor fit. Still, I served my time, deployed to Iraq on a high intensity mission set. There I saved plenty of locals, but got nicknamed the Rabbit's Foot since none of our guys got more than a scratch no matter where they put me, or how many extra patrols I volunteered.
After deployment, I got blacklisted for refusing and questioning the order of putting dirty needles in the ground at a public park right by the playground... And yes, the 82nd Airborne is so culturally broken that the problem there is that someone talked about it, making the NCO who gave the order look bad (he got zero punishment for his attempt to harm children).
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@Barney
as far as I’m concerned this makes u the coolest guy on this site.
Was the needles incident stateside? Do u know what effect was intended?
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@oromagi
Thanks!
It was state side, at Fort Bragg, in a family housing area (hence the playground).Was the needles incident stateside? Do u know what effect was intended?
So we carry sharps containers in our aid bags, to safely dispose of needles. He ordered that no one get one out, and specifically that we just stick them in the grass, because we wouldn't worry about that downrange and we train as we fight (common army rhetoric)... I assume his intention was to save 15-30 seconds...
Evil actions commonly have a fine intent, what makes them evil is usually disregard for the very obvious consequences. Brock Turner for example, only wanted to have some fun, and insists it's "completely unwarranted and unfair" that he should face consequences for raping someone while in pursuit of that. Incidentally, I was opposed to the sergeant in question being promoted to a leadership role, due to his predatory behavior towards locals during deployment. I can't say for sure if he raped anyone, but during combat operations he believed in carrying condoms in case he could get any local girls to put out; I believe consent down the barrel of a gun is impossible, and even if you are not pointing one, having a half dozen buddies in the next room with them (especially with them in proximity to the girl's family) blurs those lines beyond the possibility for clear positive consent (not even getting into the language barrier).
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@bmdrocks21
What do you think of turtles?
They're fine animals. The last one I met I referred to as an "angel baby turtle," which got a rebut from the owner, because it's a tortoise and should be called that for how special it is. So I admit I am not enough of a turtle guy to know the breed names on sight. I will probably never own one, but I do admire them when I see them.
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@Barney
I broke a couple of ribs skiing once and pretty much just sat in a comfy chair for about six weeks- just the idea of training, esp. jumping in that condition makes me cringe.
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@oromagi
ribs
I would not suggest it. I was extremely stubborn, and took egotistical pride in out-preforming people at their best when I was at my worst. Admittedly, I did not notice it during the landings, but the morning runs were brutal (particularly the 5-mile one to which they kept adding extra miles).
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@Barney
Well, tortoises are turtles... just a specific kind of turtle. I own a Russian tortoise named Yurtle. Nice fella :). If you want a lifelong companion, I recommend them.
Also, dude, you were a combat medic?!?
How'd you come to DART? (why)
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@bmdrocks21
They seem genuinely really cool. I was watching videos of them playing a bit ago. I don't think they will replace cats to me, but hearing about their incredible life expediences, means they might be a pretty ideal family pet.turtles
medic
Yeah. A one line summary of my life is: Born in Canada, immigrant to the USA. Former combat medic, recent graduate of business.
Second user?
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@NotClub
How'd you come to DART? (why)
I was made aware of this site... I believe it was a forum post someone made, or maybe a private message? It's been a long time now, and I'm grateful to whomever it was, but my memory betrays me on this (I would check my forum history from DDO, but that site is down right now...).
As for why, without going too far into the infinite regression... it boils back to me being an introverted intellectual. I discovered online debating while finishing my associates (a writing teacher had us check out debate websites, to broaden our horizons and to serve as low end form of peer review). I looked at the different available ones, and DDO was the only one with a setup that appealed to me (structured formal debating, not just endless back and forth in the forums, or a meaningless list on each side of a topic).
Needless to say, I got hooked on DDO. Nearly a hundred debates and undefeated (without just grabbing the cheap wins). After awhile I took mentoring new members to the next level, by outright making the the unofficial guide for them (it was better than any official resources, which tended to be outdated to an extent that they wantonly mislead people). While never popular enough to be in the Hall of Fame, I feel it's safe to say I was a greater site contributor to most (not all) who were.
All good things end. DDO died. The closest other viable option was Edeb8.com, but there are regular hosting issues with that one, which greatly limit the population it can support (a real shame, as it's very innovative). Others came and went without really getting off the ground. I did not even mean to get so active here, but when I was going through some relationship problems, escaping into the realm of logic and counterpoints helped me through it.
Second user?
This certainly refers to my statement that I am the "second user to cast 250 votes to earn the Professional Voter medal."
The only users who have earned said medal are Ramshutu, and myself. Of the first page on the leaderboard, we respectively account for 27.5% and 12.5% of the votes (two prolific spammers are removed from this calculation).
A third user is technically in possession of said medal, but he did not cast the actual votes to earn it. He instead opting to spam countless ballots of "Kiss my goddamn ass." And later even more one's of "It's a tie." Both in compete disregard for debate content.
That he is unlikely to understand the difference between things earned and not, is little surprise given that he's so bad at math he thinks 1-1=2 (and apparently anyone who says otherwise is just a troll trying to harm his alpha wolf feelings).
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@Barney
Well that is fantastic! Thank you for your service!
It's cute how superior you think you are to others Ragnar. I'm sure you were the type of kid who cried 'but my A is realer than yours!' in school.
You're jealous and entitled and can't stand that others find other ways to earn things than you do. You will likely stagnate in life, as in wherever you are career-wise etc and constantly blame the system and rivals for outdoing you or equalling your achievements by other means that let them get their faster, with less drawbacks for less or equal effort.
Your jealousy and anger are your own obstacles, you seem like a crybaby in what you posted to me just now.
I know I shouldn't feed the troll, he is after all so desperate for my attention that he came here long after I blocked him; but he's just so entertaining...
It's cute how superior you think you are to others Ragnar.
In terms of debating, I've never distinguished myself by losing to Crossed (ranked 222 on the leaderboard) like you have; so yeah I give full credit to how superior you are at losing to incompetents. Also when it comes to failing at even kinder-garden level math, you're the reigning champion!
I'm sure you were the type of kid who cried 'but my A is realer than yours!' in school.
What a nice imagination you have. As a self proclaimed "Alpha Wolf," when you repeatedly go running to the admins begging for an enforced safe space, does it help you feel primal and independent?
You're jealous and entitled and can't stand that others find other ways to earn things than you do
Your functional illiteracy is showing again, or do you actually think me praising someone for that 27.5% of the active voting was somehow out of resentment toward them? If not functionally literate, please demonstrate the plural "others" my words indicated jealously toward.
Your jealousy and anger are your own obstacles,
What anger? ... I'm guessing you're projecting your own emotions, if not simply unable to separate your imagination from reality.
you seem like a crybaby in what you posted to me just now.
If I've already made you cry, you may want to embrace your alphaness by going running to the admins again...
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@bmdrocks21
Well that is fantastic! Thank you for your service!
You're quite welcome.
To get this thread back on track, any more questions?
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@Barney
Most difficult voting decision on DART? Have you ever just walked away from a debate because you couldn't decide?
When you say lost to crossed, it was Ramshutu who was the sole voter there. Also, it's easy not to lose to crossed when you've only vs'd him twice on really easy topics.
You are just an arrogant supremacist who thinks he has the right to determine who does and doesn't deserve things, earn things and feel pride.
I earned my medals, I feel proud of them. You can shut the absolute fuck up about any opinion you have of me or talk to yourself in a corner about it. Don't walk around loud and proud like you're some 'truer earner' of the medal. You are the third to earn it, that's objective proof. You're busy telling me I suck at math, you're confusing third for second and that's worse than a math error; it's ego in defiance of objective truth.
Damn RM DESTROYING people with FACTS and LOGIC
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@Barney
HOw doES IT FeEL LikE tO gEt DaBBeD oN bY RM'S biG BrAin?
--> "Alpha Wolf"
When you say lost to crossed, it was Ramshutu who was the sole voter there.
Do you have any evidence to support your accusation that three of the top five debaters on this site (Speedrace, Ramshutu, and Oromagi) are all secretly the same "sole voter"?
it's easy not to lose to crossed when you've only vs'd him twice on really easy topics.
First, you've lost to him more times than I've debated him; it's not a fluke. Second, all topics from him are really easy, that's why I stopped at two.
You are just an arrogant supremacist who thinks he has the right to determine who does and doesn't deserve things, earn things and feel pride.
I would not deign to play any role in controlling your sense of apex pride at hiding in safe spaces talking about how your IQ is measurable to canine levels. Which is not to say I'm going to respect it; merely that your perceived god complex on me has no basis in reality.
You can shut the absolute fuck up about any opinion you have of me
Then why come into this thread to beg for my opinion? Did you not being mentioned hurt your wolfy completely non-crybaby feelings?
I earned my medals, I feel proud of them
And no one is saying you can't feel whatever you want. You're such a special boy!
You're busy telling me I suck at math,
Sucking is an understatement, but on the correct sentiment: you're abysmally horrid at math.
you're confusing third for second
I have confused nothing; rather I explained my standard for the ordinal measurement above. I'm sorry that your alpha wolf feelings are hurt because some random guy online doesn't count your pathetic cries to attention as equal to real contributions to be celebrated.
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@RationalMadman
@Barney
Some of you guys take this stuff far too seriously.
Have you nothing better to be getting on with?
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@zedvictor4
Some of you guys take this stuff far too seriously.Have you nothing better to be getting on with?
Yes, Ragnar's AMA is what we are supposed to be getting on with. I think u should ask Ragnar a question to make sure we are getting on with it.
In trying to humilate me into silence, you instead have exposed yourself for the sadistic bully that you really are.
You have lost this no matter what now.
--> "Alpha Wolf"
In trying to humilate me into silence, you instead have exposed yourself for the sadistic bully that you really are.
You admit to being here solely in an effort to harass, or even to bully into silence, but then snivel that your actions were criticized... Hilarious!
No Ragnar. I never admitted to that at all. You bullied me from the very beginning by saying 'second' and I asked what you meant by 'second'. You were the bad guy throughout this thread.