thirdworld19

OK, so you want to keep this thing going. When you ask these questions, give me a point in time as the reference so we can have an actual discussion. Things are shittier since when? And then we can discuss each of your points...

I would be curious, of those that believe that racism is prevalent in the American society, what specific acts they see that they consider to be racist. I don't mean those things that they saw on the news or heard from a friend of a friend.

America is nothing compared to some other countries. In Egypt, it is typical to pay people based on their race - and that is a well-known and published fact. For instance, if your housekeeper is Egyptian, you pay her next to nothing, but you also expect less work and a fair amount of stealing. An Ethiopian is paid a bit more, but works a bit harder and doesn't steal as much. If you really want a good housekeeper, hire a Pilipino. You'll have to pay more, but you also get a clean house and no stealing. Racism is very much out in the open in many other countries. Some media publications (again, in Egypt) state that their target audience is the "A" class Egyptians (not those from Upper Egypt - with darker skin). And many Egyptians don't treat other races well at all. The Sudanese refugees here suffer horribly, but for many, it's better than being killed in your home country. Once you travel or live outside the West, you realize how good you actually have it.

Sounds like a great trip. Can't help with the car, but as far as a tandem jump... I did my first 4 tandems at Skydive Spaceland in Houston (30 miles south of Houston - convenient to I-10) and loved it there. The facilities were great as was the staff. I felt very comfortable there, especially since I was by myself and that was my first time. I believe they have a bunkhouse there too (as well as an area for camping). Safe travels.

Flush toilet.

Wow, you knew exactly what my response would be - you are so good! And to wait until I say it to tell me that I was going to say it - amazing! You are a very patient person indeed. My world is wonderful - thank you!

Quote How do you leap from bitching about some very petty things to societal breakdown and demoralization? Again, it's all about attitude and perspective. So tell me, when were the good old days - if now is such shit and getting worse? Did you enjoy the days when most people were not considered people and didn't have the same rights as white, land-owning men? Were those the good ole days? How about the Dickensian period of your history where factories had to close down for a few days just so people could breathe? Were those the good ole days? Certainly not the days where petty thieves or those who spoke against the crown were vivisected and had their entrails strewn about for everyone to enjoy. Ahhh, those were the good ole days. Attitude and perspective. La-la-la-la-la...

I wish everything worked out the way I wanted/expected it to, but it doesn't. That doesn't make society/humans shit. You want to understand why people are the way they are? How about Psychology 101. These issues are nothing new.

Do you ever notice that it's the cockroaches and viruses that have been around longer than anything else. Agreeing with your point of overpopulation, maybe we shouldn't be out in the world trying to save everyone from everything (starvation, disease). Maybe there are too many people as it is, and these issues are natures way of re-balancing things. Maybe we should let nature take it's course. The $60 billion profit looks big, but that's because these are HUGE companies that do $400 billion in revenue. So if your compare apples to apples (say, gross profit margins), there are many other companies making far more than them: Microsoft's gross profit margin is three times that of ExxonMobil - and so is pharmaceutical maker Novartis. How much should a company be allowed to make? People "need" computers and drugs too right? Maybe now is the time to embrace Al Gore's idea of going green. Maybe we should all start to walk/bike to work. Americans seem to have issues with obesity, so this could solve 2 problems at once. But this might be too drastic a change for most people. We all have our priorities don't we. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/18/biz_2000global08_The-Global-2000_Prof.html

I looked back at your original post and saw nothing discussing action on your part - just a rant. Did you say apathy??? I do not ignore the shit. I have acknowledged there is shit in our society - but that doesn't make our society shit. I'm curious, what is your suggestion? What do you do about this shit? Or is ranting enough?

There are so many... Son of a Preacher Man - Dusty Springfield BYOB - SOAD Space Truckin' - Deep Purple Fairies Wear Boots - Black Sabbath Oh Well - Fleetwood Mac Wang Dang Doodle - Koko Taylor & Willie Dixon version The Candy Song - Masters of Reality Possum Kingdom - The Toadies To Defy the Laws of Tradition - Primus And right now, I am completely hooked on Puddle of Mud's Psycho - but I'll get over it.

So it would appear that the majority of reasons center around financial benefits? Does anyone else have other reasons?

It's not so much the inability to understand the call center guy. It's more along the lines of realizing the domestic outsourcing, foreign insourcing, and subsequent foreign insource/outsource pattern of business that's not only leading to a frustrating phone call, but also to the economic downfall of the American middle class. The world keeps spinning and we need to adapt as we have for the past gazillion years. Those that adapt continue on. Every good, long standing business has adapted over the years - they've had to. Instead of resigning ourselves to this economic downfall, find a way to make the changes in the world work.

Sorry you think so. I think your issues have much more to do with attitude and perspective. Is life really that bad? Is everyone you come across that horrible? Yes, there are many, many lazy fucks out there. And there are many people who are incredibly greedy. But really, society is in the shitter??? Very sorry you have to spend a few hours on the phone dealing with issues that you didn't cause - been there myself too many times. And sorry too that your internet access sucks. I have that issue now. But look at the happy side of those things. Wow - we are connected to people all over the world with the push of a few buttons. And we have so much information at our fingertips, that it's overwhelming. People created this - it didn't just happen. Yes, some people suck. But I wouldn't put the shit label on humans in general. There are a lot of amazing people out there doing a lot of good for society - through their jobs, their relationships, their raising of children, etc. Always look at the bright side of life...

I would be curious to know why people - whoever they are - get married? As LawRocket points out, the marriage that everyone seems to be talking about is the legal definition. Why not just live together? Nothing illegal about living together. Why does anyone get married? Tax benefits? Insurance benefits? I'm sure everyone has their reasons - just curious...

Here here! Very well said.

I believe that same passage also says that you shouldn't cut the sides of your hair or trim your beard (Leviticus 19:28). So if you choose to ignore one, why not go all out. Cool idea for a tattoo though.

our societies are literally breaking down before our eyes and we're all too fundamentally self absorbed to notice and bother about it. The general apathy! Wow - it's a sad day when not understanding the call center guy equates to society breaking down. Are we a bit spoiled?

What makes you think there was a beginning?

It can always be worse. I live in Egypt - in order to get the internet, you have to take your money to the office (and there are only 2) and give it to them. Then you wait for 3-4 weeks. Then you get a call at 11 o'clock at night saying there is a lock on your line and they can't do anything until you fix it. Then you have to track down the person who lived in your apartment before you and get them to go to the office and work things out (cash works well here). Once that's done, you continue to wait for another 3-4 weeks, wondering what they are doing with the money you already gave them. Then someone comes to your apartment to 'install' it. Once you get it working (very lucky to get it working the first time around), you find out that you only get 1/2 the speed you are paying for. Why? Because it's Egypt and that's what they do.

QuoteI believe there are many reasons for this but one of the major reasons is people have chosen to be nice over being honest. People need to have a thicker skin specially when it comes to constructive criticism. If someone is not good at something we should not lie and try to make him or her feel better but should honestly tell him or her they suck. This gives them a chance to find something else they are good at. We also should remember that there are people who are not good at anything. Wow! That is awesome. You don't hear this too much anymore. When I was growing up, if you played soccer and lost, you actually lost. We were not all winners. And that's OK (insert Stuart Smalley). It meant we worked harder to get better.

Do you believe in God? Whether or not you do something with it... I think deep down, most people say they believe in God because they are too scared not to believe (fire and brimstone). Additionally, most people were raised with some sort of religion. It's a tradition. Why do most brides still wear white at their weddings? Why do people say "Bless You" after someone sneezes (to keep the evil spirits from invading their soul or to keep the soul from escaping the body)? But how many people actually live their lives as if there is a god, heaven, hell, etc.?

But if you leave it to the market then profit becomes more important that the quality of health care. I don't believe that profit and quality are mutually exclusive. Free markets, in the long run, would be the best. People are greedy. The desire for profit would ultimately drive the product to be acceptable. However, part of the current problem is all of those ambulance chasers who thrive on bad things happening (whether caused by the caregiver or not - Sometimes, bad things just happen). My sister is an ER doctor and half of the tests she orders is to cover her ass (and that of the hospital) from lawsuits. This drives a lot of the healthcare costs. On top of that, most of her patients are on some sort of public assistance. She had a guy come in and ask for a scrip for Preparation H (yes, the stuff for hemorrhoids). He said that he could get it at the store, but then he would have to pay for it. He needed the scrip so that it would be free to him (again, at the expense of the taxpayers). His problem might be solved if he got off his ass (and did something productive).

I never knew... that the chickens that lay brown eggs have red earlobes.

Looks like I may be the minority, but I don't think the taxpayers should subsidize ANYONE's healthcare - retarded or not. I think the government interferes with peoples lives far too much as it is. I don't need someone else living for me. We need to decrease the amount of government interference, not increase it.