"The pen is mightier than the sword."

[jmdrake]

Let us submit to a test of reason. I have an offer for people who believe in the power of the pen.

Let's each agree to bring $100 to a clandestine meeting.
We shall each set our $100 in one pile between us.

You bring a pen. I will bring a sword. The tool of whoever walks away with $200 shall be considered mightier.

If it turns out the pen is truly mightier than the sword I will concede the second amendment has no useful purpose.

Up the ante to $10,000. I'll use my pen to write a $5,000 check to a "goodfella" who will be hiding in a tree with a sniper rifle. We'll see who walks away with what.

 

[Live_Free_Or_Die]

Up the ante to $10,000. I'll use my pen to write a $5,000 check to a "goodfella" who will be hiding in a tree with a sniper rifle. We'll see who walks away with what.

I will tell my generals when they are securing the perimeter to inform anyone they catch loitering their checks might bounce because the sword had to rob a few banks to pay the troops. The troops are pretty motivated because once the pen has been conquered by the sword they are looking forward to bonus checks.

 

[jmdrake]

I will tell my generals when they are securing the perimeter to inform anyone they catch loitering their checks might bounce because the sword had to rob a few banks to pay the troops. The troops are pretty motivated because once the pen has been conquered by the sword they are looking forward to bonus checks.

How are you going to rob a bank with a sword in the 21st century? I'd expect you'd get shot.

 

[Live_Free_Or_Die]

How are you going to rob a bank with a sword in the 21st century? I'd expect you'd get shot.

Oh don't be silly the sword for purposes of this conversation is just a symbol of weapons.

Expand your literal thinking to include the spirit of the phrase and apply it to the 21st century.

 

[jmdrake]

Oh don't be silly the sword for purposes of this conversation is just a symbol of weapons.

Expand your literal thinking to include the spirit of the phrase and apply it to the 21st century.

Ok. I'll give you a lightsaber.

Anyway, your whole "general and troops" scenario rests on the power of the pen. Or rather the power of persuasion that the pen symbolizes. Yeah you might have brought your army together via text messaging or video conferencing or whatever. But if you have me "out manned and out gunned" then it's because you've "out penned" me. Checkmate.

 

[andrewh817]

So, the Continental Army was fighting to enslave who, exactly?

They were fighting to give certain people in the colonies control over the taxpayers that were at the time stolen from by the British.

 

[Live_Free_Or_Die]

Ok. I'll give you a lightsaber.

Very generous, but your interpretation of sword does not fit a necessary and proper definition of the symbol to understand the implied contexts.

Anyway, your whole "general and troops" scenario rests on the power of the pen. Or rather the power of persuasion that the pen symbolizes. Yeah you might have brought your army together via text messaging or video conferencing or whatever. But if you have me "out manned and out gunned" then it's because you've "out penned" me. Checkmate.

I think it rests on the fact I can steal with the sword and let the loot do the persuading.

 

[Akus]

You need both.

A Pen to write ideas, a sword to defend those ideas.

Yeah, man. That's like asking which pair of wheels is more important, the one that steers or the one that drives...

 

[Live_Free_Or_Die]

Yeah, man. That's like asking which pair of wheels is more important, the one that steers or the one that drives...

Would that only apply if the both sets of wheels are controlled by the same car?

 

[jmdrake]

Very generous, but your interpretation of sword does not fit a necessary and proper definition of the symbol to understand the implied contexts.



I think it rests on the fact I can steal with the sword and let the loot do the persuading.

And what keeps your fellow looters from seeing your loot and deciding "I'm too lazy to go find all this loot myself. I'll just steal it from this guy!" If there's only one of you and an army of them....

 

[Live_Free_Or_Die]

And what keeps your fellow looters from seeing your loot and deciding "I'm too lazy to go find all this loot myself. I'll just steal it from this guy!" If there's only one of you and an army of them....

Nothing.

 

[John Taylor]

Nothing.

Come on now, you're forgetting about a written contract we'll call "the constitution", interpreted by a foul group of knaves whose power increases in direct relation to the looseness of their interpretation of the contract.

 

[SWATH]

A pen is happiness

say it 3x fast