Me Ne Frego

[Verv]

I think more people need to adopt this motto.

It is an old, Italian fascist motto (hear the alarm bells?) that Mussolini pointed out as defining very much the sort of attitude that must be embraced. He was inspired by seeing a photograph of an Italian WWI soldier who wrote 'Me Ne Frego' (I don't give a damn) on his bandages with his own blood. Songs, patches, badges and pins have been emblazoned with a skull and a knife between its teeth (sometimes a skull with a rose between its teeth) and the words 'Me Ne Frego' boldly inscribed.

Regardless of how you think of the origins, I find the use of this motto to be inspiring -- these three words help sum up the winning spirit, the warrior's tenacity.

It is an attitude that I think more people ought to be raised with. No more laying down. Just standing up, moving forward, facing the hopeless night with knowledge of one's impending doom and going forward boldly.

I remember every difficult circumstance which my father faced in his struggle for a decent job was encountered with such an attitude -- some things are out of control, sometimes we fall on our faces; me ne frego.

The hypersensitivity and the victimhood that people ascribe to themselves makes me sick.

Our military is not full yet we have able bodied idiots taking hand outs from the government -- is this what society should be made of? These people squander the life that God has given them and cheat the rest of the citizens.

In hard times, why do we turn to the government? Why do we look for a bailout? Why do we desire a sob story?

There is no dignity in inactive, self-pitying attitudes. There is no dignity in passivity.

If us humans are animals, spawned forth from the chaos and brutality of the Kingdom of the Beast, how have we come to such a point where we are so stripped of our fighting spirit?

Life must be nurtured at times, but there is also the hour of blood, the fight for survival; the strength to move on in the face of resistance and to feel the courage of one's own despair.

It is as Henrik Ibsen wrote in his play, Enemy of the People, that the strongest man is he who stands most alone and cares not for the support of others but with certainty of his own rightness and propriety to face the indolent masses.

No respect for the quiet conformist following the mainstream line of thought, safely tucked away in the recesses of a group that he is not really a part of. No respect for the silent masses walking slowly as cattle to the graves that all our lives lead to.

So you are born gay; so you are handicapped; so you are poor or tired or defeated. Why care? Why victimize yourself and accuse others of your position -- why not fight for what is yours, ignoring your wounds? Why not tattoo it on your wrists, wear it on your sleeve -- why not be You, in front of the Normals, heart full of pride, eyes full of rage?

I am sick of sob stories and sick of people pretending that humanity was meant to walk lightly on egg shells pampering every corner of our society.

I am sick of Peace. I am sick of people capitulating to the forces of evil -- a good man without a backbone is about as useful as a lame horse. How can someone accept limitations and weakness in their personal lives -- are you so pathetic and prideless to receive your handouts, your bread and circuses?

Nations die when they accept quiet servitude and pamperings.

We must be helpful and sympathetic with others... But the notion of feeling sorrow for onself is disgusting. Being the helpful and sympathetic person makes one the triumphant, the Mighty; it is they who receive as much, laying down, being nursed, that are the pathetic creatures that need to readjust their aim and rekindle the fire within themselves.

There should be an inherent desire in the human spirit to face impossible opposition in the name of proving oneself, in the name of overcoming and the feeling of triumph. It would be hard to wake up without viewing this life of ours as a war against unknown forces and a long campaign against the nature of the world itself...

It is disheartening to think we live in a society that deals in pitiful condolences, handing out sympathy coins and welfare checks.

I am not happy unless I feel my triumph or face my battle.

Earn your lot; ask for nothing more; stand defiant in the face of defeat. Ask for nothing else.

I am disgusted by the blind beggers walking up and down the subways looking for their handouts... There are others, who are blind, who forge their futures defying their handicaps. I toss you my change and hope you understand that this is no way to spend your existence.

When you receive my sympathy and my hand out, you should feel embarrassment and not satisfaction.

I am disgusted by legislation meant to baby and protect, meant to nurture a warm, tingly feeling of "tolerance" because you feel isolated or alienated.

There are some of us who seek social alienation and tribalistic fraternities because that is what builds up our identities and our strength, what feeds the animal within us and insures us, in our youth, of our firy spirits and determination.

This is your life and by pursuing such pathetic goals you prove your own pathetic nature.

Me ne frego.

I cannot respect any person who cannot look me in the eye and speak with honesty about themselves, who conceals facts and who avoids unpleasant situations and would rather give up

Everyone should strive to be hard as nails.

Complaints are what you receive from prepubascent children. Hard looks and obstinate refusals to be helped, stoic determination and death-like glares are what you receive from people who value their lives and value their efforts to the extent that they seek not your help.

I respect criminals and gangsters more than I respect welfare cases.

When life gives you lemons... Buy tequila, rub some salt in your wounds and tighten your helmt chord.

No more generations raised on their mother's teats crying over spilt milk and social alienation.

I will not ask you to fight my fights -- I may ask to borrow your knife.


Ever since my youngest days I have desired to butt heads and seek out conflict with those around me.

I need no law meant to protect me, I need no consideration from bureaucrats in ties; I need no salvation from any human source.

Me ne frego.

 

[Tenka]

That's cool brah, I'm sick of right wing nutters with a hard on for the apocalypse, myself.

 

[sidhe]

The issue with this position is that the person espousing it generally assumes themselves to be one of the "hard as nails" types, and is the first to start complaining when put in a position where they're genuinely tested at all.

No offense, but the reason it's important to give a damn is it protects people like you - who think you don't give a damn - from people who really don't give a damn. You've made statements about "honor" before, but you subscribe to a certain version of honor where deceit isn't honorable. While you may feel that is more noble, that puts you at a certain disadvantage against anyone who either a) really doesn't give a damn or b) thinks deceit, trickery, and acts of pure cleverness are signs of honor.

Read what you wrote: you do give a damn. You give a damn about your principles.

 

[quatona]

Seems like it´s one of those mottos that you can fill with pretty much any meaning you like to fill it with.
It seems to be a response rather than a statement in its own right, and its meaning appears to entirely depend on that which it is a response to.
E.g.:
People who think of themselves as having a warrior mindset? Me ne frego.

 

[Autumnleaf]

I think more people need to adopt this motto.

It is an old, Italian fascist motto (hear the alarm bells?) that Mussolini pointed out as defining very much the sort of attitude that must be embraced. He was inspired by seeing a photograph of an Italian WWI soldier who wrote 'Me Ne Frego' (I don't give a damn) on his bandages with his own blood. Songs, patches, badges and pins have been emblazoned with a skull and a knife between its teeth (sometimes a skull with a rose between its teeth) and the words 'Me Ne Frego' boldly inscribed.

Regardless of how you think of the origins, I find the use of this motto to be inspiring -- these three words help sum up the winning spirit, the warrior's tenacity.

It is an attitude that I think more people ought to be raised with. No more laying down. Just standing up, moving forward, facing the hopeless night with knowledge of one's impending doom and going forward boldly.

I remember every difficult circumstance which my father faced in his struggle for a decent job was encountered with such an attitude -- some things are out of control, sometimes we fall on our faces; me ne frego.

The hypersensitivity and the victimhood that people ascribe to themselves makes me sick.

Our military is not full yet we have able bodied idiots taking hand outs from the government -- is this what society should be made of? These people squander the life that God has given them and cheat the rest of the citizens.

In hard times, why do we turn to the government? Why do we look for a bailout? Why do we desire a sob story?

There is no dignity in inactive, self-pitying attitudes. There is no dignity in passivity.

If us humans are animals, spawned forth from the chaos and brutality of the Kingdom of the Beast, how have we come to such a point where we are so stripped of our fighting spirit?

Life must be nurtured at times, but there is also the hour of blood, the fight for survival; the strength to move on in the face of resistance and to feel the courage of one's own despair.

It is as Henrik Ibsen wrote in his play, Enemy of the People, that the strongest man is he who stands most alone and cares not for the support of others but with certainty of his own rightness and propriety to face the indolent masses.

No respect for the quiet conformist following the mainstream line of thought, safely tucked away in the recesses of a group that he is not really a part of. No respect for the silent masses walking slowly as cattle to the graves that all our lives lead to.

So you are born gay; so you are handicapped; so you are poor or tired or defeated. Why care? Why victimize yourself and accuse others of your position -- why not fight for what is yours, ignoring your wounds? Why not tattoo it on your wrists, wear it on your sleeve -- why not be You, in front of the Normals, heart full of pride, eyes full of rage?

I am sick of sob stories and sick of people pretending that humanity was meant to walk lightly on egg shells pampering every corner of our society.

I am sick of Peace. I am sick of people capitulating to the forces of evil -- a good man without a backbone is about as useful as a lame horse. How can someone accept limitations and weakness in their personal lives -- are you so pathetic and prideless to receive your handouts, your bread and circuses?

Nations die when they accept quiet servitude and pamperings.

We must be helpful and sympathetic with others... But the notion of feeling sorrow for onself is disgusting. Being the helpful and sympathetic person makes one the triumphant, the Mighty; it is they who receive as much, laying down, being nursed, that are the pathetic creatures that need to readjust their aim and rekindle the fire within themselves.

There should be an inherent desire in the human spirit to face impossible opposition in the name of proving oneself, in the name of overcoming and the feeling of triumph. It would be hard to wake up without viewing this life of ours as a war against unknown forces and a long campaign against the nature of the world itself...

It is disheartening to think we live in a society that deals in pitiful condolences, handing out sympathy coins and welfare checks.

I am not happy unless I feel my triumph or face my battle.

Earn your lot; ask for nothing more; stand defiant in the face of defeat. Ask for nothing else.

I am disgusted by the blind beggers walking up and down the subways looking for their handouts... There are others, who are blind, who forge their futures defying their handicaps. I toss you my change and hope you understand that this is no way to spend your existence.

When you receive my sympathy and my hand out, you should feel embarrassment and not satisfaction.

I am disgusted by legislation meant to baby and protect, meant to nurture a warm, tingly feeling of "tolerance" because you feel isolated or alienated.

There are some of us who seek social alienation and tribalistic fraternities because that is what builds up our identities and our strength, what feeds the animal within us and insures us, in our youth, of our firy spirits and determination.

This is your life and by pursuing such pathetic goals you prove your own pathetic nature.

Me ne frego.

I cannot respect any person who cannot look me in the eye and speak with honesty about themselves, who conceals facts and who avoids unpleasant situations and would rather give up

Everyone should strive to be hard as nails.

Complaints are what you receive from prepubascent children. Hard looks and obstinate refusals to be helped, stoic determination and death-like glares are what you receive from people who value their lives and value their efforts to the extent that they seek not your help.

I respect criminals and gangsters more than I respect welfare cases.

When life gives you lemons... Buy tequila, rub some salt in your wounds and tighten your helmt chord.

No more generations raised on their mother's teats crying over spilt milk and social alienation.

I will not ask you to fight my fights -- I may ask to borrow your knife.


Ever since my youngest days I have desired to butt heads and seek out conflict with those around me.

I need no law meant to protect me, I need no consideration from bureaucrats in ties; I need no salvation from any human source.

Me ne frego.

Everyone should not strive to be hard as nails. We should be open and agreeable with others; and frankly, that means you have to give a damn and spare their feelings sometimes. If you saw the movie Gran Torino I think you could see where not giving a damn got the old veteran and how when he started to care he realized he had to change some to be agreeable with others.

As a former Marine I understand there are times to be hard for some people. Those people do so at a great cost ie stuffing down emotions which leads to stuff like alcoholism. Thankfully they are there so the rest of us don't have to live like that. Hopefully they can find constructive ways to deal with the issues they have to deal with.

 

[Lobster]

Isn't this a Linkin Park song?

Also, I thought that Christianity was all about the 'turn the other cheek' and 'love one another' type stuff.

 

[PsychMJC]

Isn't this a Linkin Park song?

Also, I thought that Christianity was all about the 'turn the other cheek' and 'love one another' type stuff.

That mushy, love thy neighbor type of Christianity seems to have gone out of style long ago.

 

[Verv]

The issue with this position is that the person espousing it generally assumes themselves to be one of the "hard as nails" types, and is the first to start complaining when put in a position where they're genuinely tested at all.

No offense, but the reason it's important to give a damn is it protects people like you - who think you don't give a damn - from people who really don't give a damn. You've made statements about "honor" before, but you subscribe to a certain version of honor where deceit isn't honorable. While you may feel that is more noble, that puts you at a certain disadvantage against anyone who either a) really doesn't give a damn or b) thinks deceit, trickery, and acts of pure cleverness are signs of honor.

Read what you wrote: you do give a damn. You give a damn about your principles.

I am not talking about dissolving the government and allowing murderers to run the streets, and you know I am not talking abou tthat.

I am talking about welfare cases; I am talking about people who get their fweelings hurt because they are different.

Society unites to punish the people who make crimes. And that's right. No single person can act as a law enforcement agency against the criminals, nor can a society exist divided entirely and purely individualistic and protect itself.

Seems like it´s one of those mottos that you can fill with pretty much any meaning you like to fill it with.
It seems to be a response rather than a statement in its own right, and its meaning appears to entirely depend on that which it is a response to.
E.g.:
People who think of themselves as having a warrior mindset? Me ne frego.

Yeah, you can put any meaning you want. Isn't that the beauty of it?

It is not something that ought to divide theists and non-theists but rather this is an attack on the welfare nation we've created.

Atheists and theists alike can unite behind the notion of destroying the new welfare and feel-good nation we're creating.

Everyone should not strive to be hard as nails. We should be open and agreeable with others; and frankly, that means you have to give a damn and spare their feelings sometimes. If you saw the movie Gran Torino I think you could see where not giving a damn got the old veteran and how when he started to care he realized he had to change some to be agreeable with others.

As a former Marine I understand there are times to be hard for some people. Those people do so at a great cost ie stuffing down emotions which leads to stuff like alcoholism. Thankfully they are there so the rest of us don't have to live like that. Hopefully they can find constructive ways to deal with the issues they have to deal with.

I haven't seen Gran Torino yet though it has been highly recommended.

I think the welfare state is disgusting.

Isn't this a Linkin Park song?

Also, I thought that Christianity was all about the 'turn the other cheek' and 'love one another' type stuff.

First, I do not know if it is a Linkin Park song or not because I listen to other kinds of music.

Second, I am not sure if I am a Christian anymore.

That mushy, love thy neighbor type of Christianity seems to have gone out of style long ago.

Yeah, and maybe for the better.

 

[sidhe]

I am not talking about dissolving the government and allowing murderers to run the streets, and you know I am not talking abou tthat.

I am talking about welfare cases; I am talking about people who get their fweelings hurt because they are different.

Society unites to punish the people who make crimes. And that's right. No single person can act as a law enforcement agency against the criminals, nor can a society exist divided entirely and purely individualistic and protect itself.

But, if you're saying "I don't give a damn", then you have to accept that I might not give a damn about you, or your right to live. Or the law. Or anything.

And, while welfare is abused, it also exists for hard-working folks who fall on hard times. Would you deprive a laid-off auto worker of help with food and bills just because someone else might take advantage of it?

What I'm sick of is people who want to be such individualists that they fail to realize man is a social creature.

Second, I am not sure if I am a Christian anymore.

'Bout time you admitted it. Your words are antithetical to Christ's.

Yeah, and maybe for the better.

It won't work until they excise the "turn the other cheek", "servant of all", "love thy neighbor", "love thy enemy", "give your coat too if someone requests your shirt", and "the greatest of these is love" bits. Of course, people work harder at redefining those than anyone does with any of the gay bits, so it's just a matter of time...

 

[sidhe]

We're Posting In R'lyeh Again!! Ia Ia Cthulhu F'taghn!!

 

[sidhe]

*

 

[Lobster]

I am talking about welfare cases; I am talking about people who get their fweelings hurt because they are different.

Nothing helps keep crime down like making people desperate.

Atheists and theists alike can unite behind the notion of destroying the new welfare and feel-good nation we're creating.

I actually like the idea that people aren't starving to death. I'm willing to throw my tax dollars at that.

I think the welfare state is disgusting.

I wake up every morning and yearn for the good life under Mussolini, when men were men and dissidents were disintegrated.

 

[Autumnleaf]

I think the welfare state is disgusting.

Would you rather support your grandparents on your salary if they run out of money to pay their bills in retirement? If the people you work for downsize and lay you off would you rather collect unemployment or have to steal to get food in a tough job market? There is something to be said for having a system in place to help people who fall upon hard times.

 

[Jade Margery]

Methinks, Jmr, that it hath been a long time since you were truly cold, or sick, or helpless, or hungry, or desperate. That is an easy attitude for one who is at the top of the food chain, but for those of us who have been at the bottom, or near it, the importance of helping and protecting the 'spineless' is a little more apparent.

One may measure the worth of a society by the living standards of its lowliest residents, by how it takes care of its own.

 

[Verv]

But, if you're saying "I don't give a damn", then you have to accept that I might not give a damn about you, or your right to live. Or the law. Or anything.

And, while welfare is abused, it also exists for hard-working folks who fall on hard times. Would you deprive a laid-off auto worker of help with food and bills just because someone else might take advantage of it?

What I'm sick of is people who want to be such individualists that they fail to realize man is a social creature.

Man is a social creature and we are dependent on one another; I would prefer if this happened on far more localized than on federal levels.

By putting so much power into our federal government we really do set ourselves up for failure.

'Bout time you admitted it. Your words are antithetical to Christ's.

Yeah, that is the only problem that I have.

It won't work until they excise the "turn the other cheek", "servant of all", "love thy neighbor", "love thy enemy", "give your coat too if someone requests your shirt", and "the greatest of these is love" bits. Of course, people work harder at redefining those than anyone does with any of the gay bits, so it's just a matter of time...

Yeah, well, these things go against the nature of humanity. We are all willing to pay lip service to it but no one is willing to do it.

Would you rather support your grandparents on your salary if they run out of money to pay their bills in retirement? If the people you work for downsize and lay you off would you rather collect unemployment or have to steal to get food in a tough job market? There is something to be said for having a system in place to help people who fall upon hard times.

Yeah, actually; I would rather be responsible for my family than have someone else be responsible for them.

I am also confident that my grandparents are resposible enough to have saved during their lives.

Old people shouldn't be encouraged to stick around too long, anyways; no offense, but I think it is a huge drain on the society to have people sitting in nursing homes for a decade.

Nothing helps keep crime down like making people desperate.

What breeds crime is making people idle, with nothing to do; idle youth are a huge factor in crime.

I actually like the idea that people aren't starving to death. I'm willing to throw my tax dollars at that.

Well, I don't.

Some people should starve to death. Some people should die.

It is hygiene for the world.

The weak, moronic and impoverished die off and we do not have to spend decades supporting them and their offspawn.

I wake up every morning and yearn for the good life under Mussolini, when men were men and dissidents were disintegrated.

I don't.

 

[sidhe]

Man is a social creature and we are dependent on one another; I would prefer if this happened on far more localized than on federal levels.

By putting so much power into our federal government we really do set ourselves up for failure.

Yeah, well, these things go against the nature of humanity. We are all willing to pay lip service to it but no one is willing to do it.

See right there? You expect people to be kind to one another, generous, and giving, and simultaneously say these things are against human nature, and promote individualism. Then later...

Well, I don't.

Some people should starve to death. Some people should die.

It is hygiene for the world.

The weak, moronic and impoverished die off and we do not have to spend decades supporting them and their offspawn.

...you demonstrate that you, personally, place no value on community or human life if you judge it to not be worthy of continuance.

By what authority do you judge another? Your own strength? What precedent does that set, when one stronger than you comes to judge?

Really, I think that's a pretty depressing way to go through life. It'd make me paranoid about someone stronger and smarter than me deciding I wasn't worthy of living, or about a large group of very stupid people assuming collective power.

You make a big deal about individuality and doing that which goes against the majority out of one side of your mouth, and then talk about being unable to defy "human nature" on the other. Which are you dedicated to? The hard path of the individual, or the easy road of the masses?

Yeah, that is the only problem that I have.

Nah, your problem is that it's really easy to look at people and say "evil, weak, stupid, unworthy, and lazy". It's hard to look at the homeless guy or the drug addict or the prisoner and say "brother" or "sister" or "that could be me, had I made a different choice".

I was talking about this whole subject with a buddy of mine. There are a few ways of approaching the world and the "evils" that exist within it:

1) "Evil" is something separate from me. It is the realm of demons/the flesh/devils/monsters/etc. I am not part of that, it is not part of me. I cannot be of that. Those who practice evil are monsters, they deserve nothing but contempt and death. They are not men. I am good, so long as I am unsullied. I must feel guilt for any feelings I have that makes me close to the monsters. I must rend my garment and repent of it.

2) "Evil" is something inside me, too. In order to control it, I must indulge it.

3) "Evil" does not exist. "Evil" is within me. I am capable of the very things I abhor. The murderer, the pedophile, the rapist, the racist, the thief...these all dwell within me, the capacity for violence, lust, power, hatred, and greed. I am stronger than these things, I need not indulge them. I control my desires totally, and use them to further myself. I am a king, whether in fine robes or in rags. Yet, I can see myself in the Other. The Other is within me. They are my brothers and sisters. They are not "evil", they are not "weak", they have succumbed to the same desires I have, and been changed by them. They are still men and women, they are still of my family. They deserve the mercy I would desire, whether they can be redeemed, or must be destroyed.

...tell me, which one of these requires the most strength of character? Which of these would be the path of the strong individual which you so praise? Which is the easiest way out, so far as society and self is concerned? Which are you willing to take?

 

[Andreusz]

Sidhe, you have made some fantastic posts in this thread!

 

[sidhe]

Thanks.

These are the benefits of a non-traditional liberal education and background.