Do Not Piss Off the Earthquake Gods!

[Nice Squirrel]

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/westerners-face-prison-alleged-nude-mountain-pics-n373506

Four Western tourists are facing three months in a Malaysian prison after allegedly stripping naked on a "sacred" mountain — an act local tribes believe angered spirits and triggered a deadly earthquake.

Two Canadians, a British woman and a Dutch national appeared in court Wednesday and were remanded on charges of indecent exposure, the local police commissioner said according to news agencies. If convicted they face a fine and a prison sentence of up to three months.

"She knows what she did was stupid and disrespectful and she is very sorry for the offence she has caused the Malaysian people," her father said. "She has never been in any sort of trouble before."

Meanwhile in the United States: naked peakbagging continues its proud march forward.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Outraged tribal chiefs said the tourists' "disrespectful" actions angered spirits and prompted the quake.

Meanwhile in the United States, we discount the claims of silly heathens.
OUR tribal chiefs blame the earthquake on gay marriage...

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Of course. The countries are such prudes that the gods of the mountains never get to see a naked woman. When they do they get their rocks off.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

So, the mountain gods were pissed off at these guys, so they killed a bunch of other people and left them alone?

That's ... well, actually that's fairly par for the course for gods.

 

[ksen]

Don't blame the gods, we all look the same to them.

 

[4321lynx]

If you're stupid enough to piss off people who are stupid enough to believe such stupid things, you may find that they are also stupid enough to punish you in a way that will stop you, and/or other stupid people, being that stupid in their country ever again.

 

[Keith&Co.]

a way that will stop you...being that stupid

The stupid will punish the stupid in the hopes that the stupid will learn from the experience?
That's stupid....

 

[4321lynx]

a way that will stop you...being that stupid

The stupid will punish the stupid in the hopes that the stupid will learn from the experience?
That's stupid....

One can only hope ... but yes, I admit that may be stupid ... that there are degrees of stupidity. I mean even earthworms can learn, I'm told.

 

[Valjean]

Presumably climbers regularly pee and poo on the mountain, and it's fine with that, but it's shocked at a casually bared bum. Strange.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Presumably climbers regularly pee and poo on the mountain, and it's fine with that, but it's shocked at a casually bared bum. Strange.

interesting, yah.

Thirty million Malaysians, some number of which take positive steps to keep the gods happy.
Four tourists piss them off accidentally.
18 dead.

I can just imagine Mark Twain's essay establishing the ass to prayer exchange rate. And how this should influence American diplomacy overseas. "Don't piss us off or we'll bare our behinds. I can have forty US Marine high tensile asses on your soil in a day! And 300 aerobics instructors swinging in the breeze inside of a week!"

 

[Nice Squirrel]

Behold the power of ass.

 

[Kharakov]

In the US, miles away from Disneyland, the Taylor Swift song "Shake it off" was released 6 days before a 6 magnitude quake in Napa. I remember waking up a few minutes before the quake to write something in my journal, about good people being required to help out in certain situations.

Needless to say, the only whine region clean up efforts I participated in were more metaphorical... on the inter net.

 

[4321lynx]

So, as I view the posts here I gather it's OK with the majority of posters here to ignore the customs and prejudices of counties where we go as tourists?Why? becase we are White, (relatively) rich, even the backpackers, spoiled, 'freethinkers' etc? We do this in our countries therefore we are entitled to do it anywhwere we please? The world belongs to us? Does it really take an organization like ISIS to show us otherwise? Good manners and consideration for your hosts is for cissies?
There is a place in Jerusalem called the Holy Mound or Hiil or something. If tourists 'climb' that, not much of a climb I admit, should they be free to strip in public there? Anybody tried it? That place deserves more respect than other "Holy" places? Why?
Just stop your jeering for a moment and think about it.

 

[Keith&Co.]

So, as I view the posts here I gather it's OK with the majority of posters here to ignore the customs and prejudices of counties where we go as tourists?

Why would you say that?
Has anyone said they had a right to do what they did and/or that the state department should free them?
I think it's silly to think that a bared bum caused an earthquake, but I also think it's silly to say hurricanes or wars are caused by how we legislate marriage, abortion or prayer in schools. I don't believe I've expressed any opinion on whether or not they should be held accountable under the existing laws of the state.

Just stop your jeering for a moment and think about it.

Could you maybe quote some posts where posters are jeering at the courts for upholding their own laws?

 

[4321lynx]

Why would you say that?
Has anyone said they had a right to do what they did and/or that the state department should free them?
I think it's silly to think that a bared bum caused an earthquake, but I also think it's silly to say hurricanes or wars are caused by how we legislate marriage, abortion or prayer in schools. I don't believe I've expressed any opinion on whether or not they should be held accountable under the existing laws of the state.

Just stop your jeering for a moment and think about it.

Could you maybe quote some posts where posters are jeering at the courts for upholding their own laws?

So I've got it all wrong? You disagree with the French saying that "C'est le ton qu'il fait la chanson"?
Show me one post, besides mine, that criticises the tourists' actions.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Presumably climbers regularly pee and poo on the mountain, and it's fine with that, but it's shocked at a casually bared bum. Strange.

Normally the bared bums are pointed down in a fairly sheltered situation--the mountain would have to be looking from very close by to see anything. Since it can't be looking everywhere at once it goes unnoticed. Besides, unless you're into toilet stuff what's sexy about a bottom expelling waste??

But is it shocked or simply getting off on the sexy scenery??

 

[Keith&Co.]

So I've got it all wrong?

I don't see anyone criticizing the government for enforcing their laws, no. You seem to be reading a lot into what is being posted by attacking what's not been posted.

You disagree with the French saying that "C'est le ton qu'il fait la chanson"?

I have no idea.

Show me one post, besides mine, that criticises the tourists' actions.

I was asking you for something to support your conclusions, not the lack of anything to counter your conclusions.

 

[4321lynx]

I don't see anyone criticizing the government for enforcing their laws, no. You seem to be reading a lot into what is being posted by attacking what's not been posted.

You disagree with the French saying that "C'est le ton qu'il fait la chanson"?

I have no idea.

Show me one post, besides mine, that criticises the tourists' actions.

I was asking you for something to support your conclusions, not the lack of anything to counter your conclusions.

So you think the majority here, as evidenced by the tone and content of their posts, are disaproving of the tourists actions.

Show me where I said anything about their government or laws. I was talking about countries and their peoples and their customs and prejudices. Do you think that as White, rich tourists, whose money those stupid poor non White people gladly take, we are entitled to expect them to put up with any rude, stupid behaviour, any shit, on our part?

 

[Keith&Co.]

So you think the majority here, as evidenced by the tone and content of their posts, are disaproving of the tourists actions.

I haven't said that, either, have I?

I think we're mostly talking about the alleged connection between nudity and divine retribution. And I think we've been silent on the tourist's actions with respect to the indigenous culture. Your indignation seems, to me, to be largely an artifact of your own invention.

Now, if the thread subject was 'don't piss off the people who believe in the earthquake gods,' the discussion might have gone in the direction of whether or not either side had the superior moral position.

But it didn't.

 

[4321lynx]

So you think the majority here, as evidenced by the tone and content of their posts, are disaproving of the tourists actions.

I haven't said that, either, have I?

I think we're mostly talking about the alleged connection between nudity and divine retribution. And I think we've been silent on the tourist's actions with respect to the indigenous culture. Your indignation seems, to me, to be largely an artifact of your own invention.

Now, if the thread subject was 'don't piss off the people who believe in the earthquake gods,' the discussion might have gone in the direction of whether or not either side had the superior moral position.

But it didn't.

Pity, eh?