Are we flogging a dead horse?

Warrigal said:
Same thing is happening in Australia. Our national government is looking to address it but it won't be a quick or easy fix. They are not going to touch negative gearing on investment housing because it is political death to do so. The Murdoch press would crucify them.

However, something does need to be done quickly because we need more immigrants to fill gaps in quite a lot of industries.
Click to expand...
You can have as many of ours as you need....
 
DebraMae said:
"We continue to moan about sexism. racism and homophobia and daily examples of all three can be found in the news on a regular basis! But ... affirmative action was done away with as no longer needed. If you look at Canada's Parliament (as one example) you see women in just about every position of authority. And Gay Pride parades are being held, even in small towns!"

These are continuing problems. They have not been resolved. Oklahoma has more women per capita in prison than anywhere in the world. Not just the US - in the world! Why do you think that is? Just a bunch of crazy women in Oklahoma? Something that infuriates me is trying to sweep these issues under the rug.

I have heard people say Black Lives Matter is a terrorist organization. That is absurd. It is also sad that "black lives matter" is a statement that needs to be made.

Homophobia? Look at the churches that condemn this as a sin. Look at recent stories in the news about businesses refusing to serve. We made a token effort and pat ourselves on the back. Not good enough.

Greed controls our country. That is why you are seeing strikes and people going refusing to go back to work. I think we are going to see more of this pushback. I hope so.
Click to expand...
I was making a comparison to conditions fifty - sixty years ago. I realize that serious problems still exist but they are a far cry from those of my youth! Of course there will always be racism, sexism, homophobia and people should speak out against them and make sure they do nothing to hurt another human being.

What cannot be denied is that poverty is increasing. At the moment the fact that both partners in a relationship are working in order to make the same amount that one made in the past hide that fact.

I would like to see unchecked capitalism infused with just a touch more socialism! Roosevelt made a good start and he was no Commie! Said he, to the outraged gasps of all too many!
 

Buckeye said:
oh my. Most of those folks sleeping in their cars or in tents are either drug addicts or mentally ill, and of course some are both. In most major cities, on any given night, there are more empty beds in the shelters than there are folks sleeping outside or in their cars.

We used to be able to put the mentally ill in institutions, but can't any more in the name of individual freedom. Drug addiction is another problem and is not caused by Bill Gates or Elon Musk or Warren Buffet.

BTW, I have a copy of a family picture of my grandfather's grandfather, taken about 1905, and it showed about a dozen or so of the Buckeye family standing on their "shanty boat" on a river somewhere in West Virginia. It was a rough way to live. And at about the same time, the Vanderbilt family had finished building Biltmore, their "summer home" in North Carolina. It is the largest private residence in America, with 250 rooms and about 179k square feet. I share this just to point out that there have always been massive inequities in the distribution of wealth in the US.
Click to expand...
While I agree with most of your response, the reason we can no longer put the mentally ill in institutions is because most have closed, and on the average it takes 6 months for someone who needs mental assistance to get an appointment. I'm sure it also has something to do with individual freedom but that is only part of the issue.

This is an article from 2017, but I'm not aware of any improvements that have been made since then. It has clearly gotten worse.

How The Loss Of U.S. Psychiatric Hospitals Led To A Mental Health Crisis​

November 30, 20171:15 PM ET

"When the Northville Psychiatric Hospital closed, many of the patients either had to leave southeast Michigan for hospitals elsewhere in the state or ended up in community programs that haven't always met their needs, an advocacy group says.

A severe shortage of inpatient care for people with mental illness is amounting to a public health crisis, as the number of individuals struggling with a range of psychiatric problems continues to rise.
How Housing Costs Drive Levels of Homelessness
The revelation that the gunman in the Sutherland Springs, Texas, church shooting escaped from a psychiatric hospital in 2012 is renewing concerns about the state of mental health care in this country. A study published in the journal Psychiatric Services estimates 3.4 percent of Americans — more than 8 million people — suffer from serious psychological problems."

https://www.npr.org/2017/11/30/5674...atric-hospitals-led-to-a-mental-health-crisis

I also agree that there are some homeless people who prefer to live on the streets or in their cars. That is primarily because the shelters have rules about the hours they can enter and leave, they have addictions or they have pets that are not accepted by the shelters. I don't buy that all have addictions or mental illness. Housing costs have soared in major cities. Look at how this correlates with homelessness and be glad you can afford a roof over your head.

How Housing Costs Drive Levels of Homelessness
 
VaughanJB said:
This post will have more than one paragraph. :D

I think society as a whole is in a quandary. I think the purpose of a society is to provide a good place where its citizens can flourish and be cared for. Probably the same model used by neanderthals all those thousand of years ago. The society exists for the protection and care of its citizens, imo. Today it seems some believe society exists to generate riches. That money and wealth are the key purposes. At least it seems to me it's this way. Not many out there seem to have a goal of simply providing for their loved ones, it's a rush for more and more money and influence. We've lost something along the way, I think.

Which is why the poor are so denigrated. How many times have you read comments such as, "those people living on the streets get what they deserve. They should get a job." Or in low paying jobs, "they should get educated and get a better job". It's as though the path to support yourself is a one lane highway, and everyone must qualify by working every hour God sends for whatever pittance your master feels like giving you. In fact, I'm not totally convinced some people think business has any need to cater to the betterment of society as a whole, and they can do whatever they please because - MONEY. Which is why deregulation isn't always a good thing.

On the social issues front..... things are far better today than they've ever been on some fronts, for sure. There's still work to be done, but much has been achieved. That said, it sometimes feels as though new injustices are invented every day. But the biggest problem seems to be that we can't erase, say, racism. And while it may seem shocking, I'm not even sure we should, even if we could.

What I mean is, as a society we can set rules and standards, but individuals should be free to believe as they please. If your next door neighbor is a racist, he shouldn't be allowed to attack others, or to insult you every time he see's you. But, he can think whatever he pleases. Sometimes it seems some want to wipe the memories of others and force them to think as the best of us do, and that just causes friction and in unrealistic

Society will also always have rich and poor people. There are millions of reasons why this might be. Today we've not got the balance right, mostly because both greed and avarice are worshiped and thought of as the natural way we should all be. That there's nothing wrong with greed. That if a person can make a billion off the backs of 100 other people who do the actual work, that's great! It's that old empathy thing again, or lack thereof.

Homelessness is tragic. I know there are now people who work full time, but have to live in their cars. But let's take the worst of them - someone who chose one day to try weed, which led to coke, and on to heroin, etc. There they are, curled up in the street, unwashed and somewhat slightly dazed. Well, I see a lot of people online with an attitude of "well, that's their fault, shouldn't have taken drugs. They should stop the drugs and get a job, or just die already."

Should we care for these people, or not? After all, many of them are committing crimes to get their drugs. Of course, at this point, these people really don't have a choice. It's not how addiction works. They don't choose to be addicts. They became an addict. No-one aspires to become addicted and to sleep on the street. And yes, they got there through bad choices. But surely a human life shouldn't be written off so easily?

Why should society help them? Because we can. No other reason. Just because we can. Just because a life matters. Instead, they're let down time and time again. I'm thinking of, say, Methadone clinics in the US. The vast majority are for profit, and they therefore don't have any incentive to get people off the methadone itself. They charge money for the Methadone, which is sometimes enough to buy the actual drugs they're supposed to replace. It's horrible.

One other point. The number one cause of personal bankruptcies in the US is medical costs. Think about that for a moment. An injury, an illness, causes 66% of personal bankruptcies. Families implode. Some never recover. But suggest a more robust social care system be put in place, and you're accused of being a commie or socialist scum. But it's not that - families are being destroyed. To quote a study: "According to Bankrate data from January 2022, 56% of Americans would be unable to cover an unexpected $1,000 bill with savings."

I worked with a small company in Texas, just 25 employees. The receptionist had a heart attack one day, and had to go through that. Tragic for her, right? Well, it was also tragic for the rest of the employees - their healthcare costs doubled, because there was a claim on their plan. It wasn't any better when they tried to change plans, because they had to disclose the recent heart attack. Is that fair?

Finally, I lived in the US for a good amount of time. I absolutely LOVE the US. I loved my time there. I subscribe to much of what it stands for. But there were some things I just couldn't get my head around. Healthcare was one. And a couple other things. My view was always that the US is the greatest nation on earth. It's the richest. It's wonderfully dynamic and inventive. Yet for all that, the very thought of a healthcare system for all is either too expensive, a plain stupid idea, or as I say, commie nonsense. This isn't the case.

The US doesn't have good healthcare for all because it chooses not to. It's literally a choice. I never could understand, and still don't. A country that sends missions to Mars, has a war or two, let's individuals "earn" billions and billions for themselves. Yet it apparently can't afford social healthcare. No, it's simply not the case. They don't want it. Simple. Simple but shocking for someone like myself.
Click to expand...
I'm happy to read your multiple paragraphs because they provide logic and substance. (y)(y)
 
Jeni said:
There are way too many factors competing here.
Government has never been the answer... period... there is NO one size fits all - period

Comparing life today with cell phones and internet access and gadgets......... all with $$$ going out for what used to be extras now are looked at like necessities ....... that even the 80's never considered etc is not that same as "happy days" TV show where only dad worked.
Even those women who want to work and have a career......... day care makes their take home pay about the same if not less then if they worked a PT job at minimum wage opposite hours of the spouse. BUT the prestige of a office job creates respect while retail is a sad sack job ...... that is a choice.... my daughter and SIL work opposite shifts and have money in jobs that media would tell you will NEVER pay enough.

We say people can make their own choices and it is none of our business......... but when people make bad choice after bad choice and end up in dire straights .... it is someone else's fault not the person making the poor choice. This applies to money / health and basic life choices like drugs/ alcohol etc

For the rich .... we know they can only live in one house at a time....yet collections of houses is not frowned upon.... how much property compounds do these folks need..... no one is ranting about how many houses a person owns unless they are deemed the enemy in thought or politics....
Salary for a CEO should be more then a janitor....... they have more responsibility and skill but how much more ... maybe we need to work on maximum compensation .. Instead of falsely thinking upping minimum helps all prices go up MATH shows no gain by those who are making minimum ....
Call people out for their indulgences instead of making it seem that is the goal ......
Click to expand...

Yes, there are many factors. However, sometimes government IS the answer.

/RANT ON

Let me give you an example. After the Second World War, much of London was bombed out. Entire families were living in one or two rooms in tenements which were dirty and unsafe. There just wasn't enough housing to go around.

So, the government had a plan to build more houses outside of London. These were known as "New Towns". All around London, homes were built. People were moved from London into these new homes. The homes were administered by local government, known as Councils. The homes were rentals, and you'd pay your money to the councils every week. This is how the UK recovered from the ravages of war.

When I grew up, once you reached the age of 18, you could go to the Council and ask for a home, usually an apartment. Your name would go on a housing list, and you'd have to wait until one came up. Back then, it took 4 to 8 weeks, sometimes a little longer. Then the Council would offer you a rental property. This is how we got a nation going again, and people could be independent.

This all went to hell with Margaret Thatcher. She needed some votes, and hit on the idea that she would allow renters to buy their Council homes for less than the market value. Not only that, but in the early days you didn't even have to apply for a mortgage, the Council administered your property as though they were a bank. It was a huge vote winner.

After that, more and more of the homes were bought. However, no-one bothered to back fill. So for arguments sake, there would be 1000 Council homes for rent. Half got bought, so now there were only 500 for everyone else who couldn't afford to buy. This made the housing lists far longer.

In the intermediate years, house prices rose. In many cases, people found they could live a more lavish lifestyle by getting loans based on the equity of their homes. This caused a firestorm that has gone on ever since. What the country needed was for house prices to keep going up, because it was that that was allowing people to have a reasonable life. Wages stagnated, but hey, there was always the money there.

Fast forward to today, and where did it lead us? Well, it led us to a point where housing lists for renters can be years long. Years. There are people who have been on the list for 6 years or more, and they're still waiting. There simply isn't enough stock, they never built homes to replace those sold. So these people have to go to private landlords. Often it is working class people cashing in on other working class people. That is, buy two homes, live in one, rent out the other. This further depleted the housing stock. But today, they're not the greater evil.

The greater evil today are hedge funds. These hedge funds buy up housing left and right, and rent them out, or if they're lazy just leave them empty. Since the entire economy relies on houses increasing in value, they know the government and banks will do everything they can to make it happen. So if they're left empty, they're still a good investment for a fund. This has led to 1 million homes in the UK being empty. Just sitting there. Worse, it creates a scarcity of homes, further driving up prices which they will profit from when they decide to divest. It's a scam.

The average price for a house in the UK is now $374,000. That's the average. Wages, based on official figures, have stagnated since 2008. The average wage is one tenth of the price of the average home. In short, people are finding that even if they work, they can't afford to buy. So, they are forced to rent, and a lot end up renting to hedge funds. One thing about hedge funds, you can't negotiate with them, and they don't care about you as an individual. Lax tenancy laws means they can essentially throw you out, for no reason, with a few months notice.

It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway, you can't really compare an average British home with an average US home. For instance, the average size of a family home in the US is around 2000 sq ft. In the UK it's somewhere between 688 sq ft and 1000 sq ft.

The UK has a huge problem with housing. We've ridden a wave of temporary wealth based on the equity of our homes for too long. The grand children of those original buyers struggle to buy their own homes. So we have mortgages here that beggar belief. For example, you can buy half a home (you pay rent on the other half). You can buy the inside of the home, but not the outside. it's called a leasehold. So someone else owns the block you're in, and therefore the land you're on. Mortgages have to be renegotiated every 5 years or so, which means it costs more monthly over time. And so on.

Back to the "Government is never the answer", this clearly is not the experience in the UK. They helped rebuild the nation. But, as usual, greed and self-serving avarice won the day. Now every party promises to build more homes, but if they leave the right to buy on the books, it's going to be a cycle that never ends. The government could do a whole lot more.

IT'S COMPLETELY MAD. And, I think, ONLY the government can put it right.

/RANT OFF
 
6 year waiting list?... if only..

When my daughter left school, I advised her to put her name on the council waiting list for a home. She didn't want to, believing she'd work hard enough to buy her own home.. however after much persuasion from me.. that she never knew what the future might hold, that it was a safety net.. etc.... she registered.

The idea was that she must remember to keep her registration live by re-registering every 12 months.. or be removed from the waiting list and start all over again...

Every September she remembered to register ( pre home computers generally, so had to be sent by post)...

She left college and started work.. working a full time job and a part-time job.. at 23 she bought her first home... a new build one bedroom apartment.... still signing the council register, .. she sold that apartment and bought a house... she had the house remodelled, and sold it.. bought yet another, and so it went on for 4 more houses, bigger and better .. and after 15 years,.. the council sent her an offer of a bedsit in Bishops Stortford...

She took her name off the register at that point..

15 years and an offer of a bedsit?.. she could have had 4 children by then...
 
Last edited:
Back in the day ........ some of the US programs worked correctly too.... they no longer do have slipped down continually .... they used to have checks and balances ...no more.... we no longer seem to care about taxpayer money we treat it as a never ending flow and have almost zero accountability.

Our system trains people to NOT marry ......so a mom can be on all programs...... even if baby daddy lives there too .......they used to check who mom lived with ....no more... no one follows up. Trains people to hide assets or play games to qualify for system.
Yet the talking heads say it is "the demise of family"...... well they set up programs to work this way.
They reaped what they sowed. many times over.

A certain amount of the public somehow believe these programs work as intended ..... with checks and balances...... it does not.
It creates a permanent poverty mindset of just working the programs for all you can.

Example when i was in college in the 80's .... met a lady on welfare who was paid to go to school .......just shy of her degree... they made her switch because their survey showed better growth in another field .... happened again after she was about to finish .....over and over
they did not allow you to stay the course and finish and try to find employment ......nope........ if survey said this not that start schooling over .... she was in school for a total of 12 years ...........never finished any program finally went out found a job that she worked her way up in ... imagine if she had started 12 yrs earlier.
She only went to work as her children would age up and she would no longer be allowed to be a professional student without minor children. She went to work for the community college that she spent all those years chasing a 2 yr degree.
 
seadoug said:
While I agree with most of your response, the reason we can no longer put the mentally ill in institutions is because most have closed, and on the average it takes 6 months for someone who needs mental assistance to get an appointment. I'm sure it also has something to do with individual freedom but that is only part of the issue.

{snip}

I also agree that there are some homeless people who prefer to live on the streets or in their cars. That is primarily because the shelters have rules about the hours they can enter and leave, they have addictions or they have pets that are not accepted by the shelters. I don't buy that all have addictions or mental illness. Housing costs have soared in major cities. Look at how this correlates with homelessness and be glad you can afford a roof over your head.

How Housing Costs Drive Levels of Homelessness
Click to expand...
O'Connor v Donaldson was decided in June of 1975. It was a Florida case of man that had been institutionalized for 15 years or so, whose efforts to be released were not successful until he sued. According to the law suit he was not a danger to himself or others, and had family and friends to help him outside of the institution. The issue was his right to freedom.

After this court decision, it was much more difficult to commit a person to an institution or to keep them there, causing many institutions to close. So I think you have it backwards. The reason the institutions have closed is because we can no longer put the mentally ill in them.

O'Connor v Donaldson

As for the housing costs, when rents go up, some folks can't afford to pay it. Nothing new about that. Apparently a lot of folks want to live in Sacramento and so rents have gone way up. Kinda a supply and demand thing. Not everyone can afford the new higher rents. No one is entitled to live in an area they cannot afford. I'd love to move back to the Big Island, but the housing costs to rent or buy are currently way out of my price range, so I'll stay in Florida.
 
Last edited:
What good old days? When you don't fit anywhere there are no good old or any other days. I am tired and want to go home already, wherever that is. Rich, poor, mental, people are in it for themselves and always have been. It's either get used to it or leave. I'm ready to go. Hope it is soon, because it appears soon no one will have your back when everything is on fire and burning down.
 
Judycat said:
What good old days? When you don't fit anywhere there are no good old or any other days. I am tired and want to go home already, wherever that is. Rich, poor, mental, people are in it for themselves and always have been. It's either get used to it or leave. I'm ready to go. Hope it is soon, because it appears soon no one will have your back when everything is on fire and burning down.
Click to expand...
I can relate: I grew up in an area where the "beloved" 50s and early 60s were in full swing, mothers didn't have to work outside the home, people were (supposedly) happy with just one income, bla bla bla and they weren't good for me at all. I was forced to live a low-class lifestyle, embarassed to have friends over not just because it was shabby but also the need to dodge rage-caused furniture hitting the walls, because my dad have to have at least one mistress on the side spending all his money. So the "good" old days are complete BS to me and plenty of others; what a fantasy.
 
officerripley said:
I can relate: I grew up in an area where the "beloved" 50s and early 60s were in full swing, mothers didn't have to work outside the home, people were (supposedly) happy with just one income, bla bla bla and they weren't good for me at all. I was forced to live a low-class lifestyle, embarassed to have friends over not just because it was shabby but also the need to dodge rage-caused furniture hitting the walls, because my dad have to have at least one mistress on the side spending all his money. So the "good" old days are complete BS to me and plenty of others; what a fantasy.
Click to expand...
Same...same..
 
I am in a used store the other day and in the Books section I see a New Heavy "Duty" Backpack sitting on the floor.
I look around and see no one. The backpack is heavy with a new SOG Axe in it. So I think no one forgets this.
I then look around the corner and see a thin 50 some fellow standing there reading a book. So I figure its his and go about my thing.

Maybe 10 minutes later I meet him in another part of the store with the Backpack. I say I saw it sitting over there and with an axe in it I thought nobody would forget it. He said, "Yea I picked it up a couple days ago to cut firewood, I live in a tent. New Clothes, new back pack and new AXE." He seemed all right to me. I showed him my SOG lock back in my pocket and said, "It saves my life 2 at least once a week" Haha. The guy seemed ok to work or have a wife. its his choice by thought being. He most likely Panhandles on a corner.

I'm sure I gave him $5 - 10 years ago on a Corner in Santa Rosa County in Florida.......
 
Last edited:
Schmuck is a dying if not dead word now.

Mell Brooks set out to save the word. He used about 28 times a year. He"s set up a foundation.

Hundreds turned out at a Boca Raton, FL demonstration to show their support for the dying word.
'I've never told anyone this before,' Brooks added, choking back tears, 'but my father was a schmuck.'

The foundation has already raised more than $20 million, thanks to donations from supporters such as Jackie Mason, Albert Brooks, the Schtupp Institute, Sen. (D-WI), and the Henny Youngman Endowment for the Preservation of Schmekel.

The money will go toward projects aimed at reintegrating 'schmuck' into the English lexicon, including billboards and flyers plastered with the word 'schmuck,' the upcoming 5K Schlep for Schmuck Awareness, and a new Mel Brooks film. More info-tainment film on the books, a new industry started.

CREATED many high paying jobs in the management field of the Foundations &&& millions.
 
Last edited:
Do we ever equate the never ending keep up with the Jones mentality ........
the pay as you go to have a lifestyle we really cannot afford.... I think there is a complete disconnect ..... about wants/ needs about so many things ....
some people think there were better times " good ole days" .......comparing apples and oranges about time periods does not work.

Some if in situation with one parent working one home all was well .........depending on the income of the one parent, for others it was a very meager existence.
Back in the day ........ Were there people who had more or less ... yes .....
most likely homeless people too ....... but it was not a banner to use for a handout........ it was hidden perhaps in shame.

did we compare ourselves..... yes..... but we did not go into debt to have the cool stuff ........credit was hard to come by

did some want items their parents deemed as not needed ..... yes. people now think this decision is abuse or something
still happens today except credit / pay for longer and longer times .... add a $1000 phone just add X amount on your bill sometimes for many years.

perhaps it is businesses who would reach the limit of people willing/ able to plop down a thousand $ for phone ...
so to keep selling this gadget ........we play games ...........small amount taking forever to pay.... or the ever famous get a "free" one with many *********** of you must be linked to contract or this and that.
All for having the newest cool gadget ....... not for ourselves but love a friend or even stranger say ........."hey is that the latest "

all about an attitude ..........................and that is changed by individuals NOT programs and government
 

Are we flogging a dead horse?​

As to sexism, racism, and homophobia, the horse ain't dead. It's very much alive and kicking. It's not fashionable to admit to these views, today. But all it takes is one well known politician to openly state them, and the floods gates would be opened. At least a third of the nation wants to go back to beating up fags, keeping the 'little woman' in the kitchen, and putting N's in the back of the bus. There is a slow, but persistent movement to undo the laws, which lead to racial, gay, feminine equality. And , if you adhere to that equality, you're labeled "woke". Notice how many times you hear that code word. Some school board yanks "offensive" books from the school library, and just because most have gay authors, it's purely co-incidence.
 
Last edited:
fuzzybuddy said:

​

As to sexism, racism, and homophobia, the horse ain't dead. It's very much alive and kicking. It's not fashionable to admit to these views, today. But all it takes is one well known politician to openly state them, and the floods gates would be opened. At least a third of the nation wants to go back to beating up fags, keeping the 'little woman' in the kitchen, and putting N's in the back of the bus. There is a slow, but persistent movement to undo the laws, which lead to racial, gay, feminine equality. And , if you adhere to that equality, you're labeled "woke". Notice how many times you hear that code word. Some school board yanks "offensive" books from the school library, and just because most have gay authors, it's purely co-incidence.
Click to expand...
I would have to disagree with this statement ...... where is your 1/3 figure come from .... ?
No one should label anyone regardless of personal opinion... only there to create chaos and division ..... who does that benefit ?
IF anything continual placing blame and labeling has the opposite effect........

unfortunately some have taken things out of context and make stereotypes about a person or group by maybe actions on a few ...... Media depending on slant search for ways to fan flames.
I was to believe to judge each person by their own character not assumptions ....but that is exactly what is being done.


those who buy into that and display outrage only add fuel..... the hidden flood gates of hate IMO are overblown and used as rhetoric ...
the words and examples of many "isms " are not even close to where they were in past .......
many have achieved equality in opportunity..... which was the point... correct ....
NOW in some cases it is not about equal opportunity........ but some expect equal outcome ..... a totally different prospect.
 
An there are over 31,000,000 registered vehicles in California.

Over 10,000,000 in Illinois.

About 9,000,000 in Georgia.

Over 18,000,000 in Florida and counting. Near 70,000,000 in just 4 States of the Union. Call it 230,000,000 gallons of gas needed in just 3 States of the Union. Round it off to $1 Billion dollars just for gas in 3 States and That's a very low Estimate.
Most likely Electric Utilities are a great future investment. Ai will need a lot of electrical power. People living in Tents are left behind.
 
Last edited:
Old Salt said:
We continue to moan about sexism. racism and homophobia and daily examples of all three can be found in the news on a regular basis! But ... affirmative action was done away with as no longer needed. If you look at Canada's Parliament (as one example) you see women in just about every position of authority. And Gay Pride parades are being held, even in small towns!

This is huge progress since the fifties, even sixties and we should be very pleased. I am willing to admit that there are holdouts who just can't let go of their ingrained prejudices, and that we should continue to fight all three, especially since they rear their ugly heads even in our own hearts now and then. But neither of the three is any longer the societal problem it once was!

It's a shame that no one has taken up the banner of social inequity, for one! No, please, I am not a Marxist-Leninist Commie but doesn't it bother you that thousands of tents are being pitched in all of our major and even minor cities while Billionaires purchase yachts by the hundreds. Those tents now also contain former lower middle class men and women who can no longer afford the outrageous rents. Steadily employed people end up sleeping in cars!

No one in their right mind believes in the trickle down effect a la Reagan any more. Don't forget most of our factories have moved to South-East Asia, all too many of our remaining jobs are now part time with no benefits, but what gets me is that I see so few parades against corporate greed! Or the billionaires who have made their money, not by building factories but by gambling on the stock market! Is it because so many of us still foolishly believe that if we work hard enough, we too can have that collection of rare cars, houses on every continent, yachts in Monaco Harbour?

Next time you come across some crusading soul, please beg them to stop protesting things they have already achieved and take up the banner against poverty and the 1%! They HAVE to start sharing. I don't want their money, I simply want them to create real, well paying jobs here, rather than in China! It would be less profitable for them but would earn them a Halo! And to be fair, Kudos to the handful who do exactly that already!

And as usual, a simplified post coming from the heart. I am simply bothered to see poverty in the richest economies on ea
Click to expand...
Oh yes, the horse has long been dead. Our media is always deflecting the real issues. The real issues are the homeless on the streets, the poverty, massive debt and global warming; to name a few.

However, our media is always telling us that the real issues that are "earth shaking" are the use of pronouns (Saskatchewan, Canada), Pride Parades and who is going to win the next hockey or football game. Thanks to the media most people have become the proverbial "ostrich with their heads in the sand."

Anyone got tickets to the Taylor Swift concerts in 2024? Give me a break!
 
Packerjohn said:
Oh yes, the horse has long been dead. Our media is always deflecting the real issues. The real issues are the homeless on the streets, the poverty, massive debt and global warming; to name a few.

However, our media is always telling us that the real issues that are "earth shaking" are the use of pronouns (Saskatchewan, Canada), Pride Parades and who is going to win the next hockey or football game. Thanks to the media most people have become the proverbial "ostrich with their heads in the sand."

Anyone got tickets to the Taylor Swift concerts in 2024? Give me a break!
Click to expand...
Yep, the news media are all about entertainment these days because that's what the majority wants. Something tantalizing, exciting (even if in a negative way), something that happens to others ... something you can forget once you've had your fill of the subject.

@Packerjohn: All of your issues are mine as well but they burden us, make us feel helpless, and so, sadly, we do the only thing we can think of, act like ostriches!
 
fuzzybuddy said:

Are we flogging a dead horse?​

As to sexism, racism, and homophobia, the horse ain't dead. It's very much alive and kicking. It's not fashionable to admit to these views, today. But all it takes is one well known politician to openly state them, and the floods gates would be opened. At least a third of the nation wants to go back to beating up fags, keeping the 'little woman' in the kitchen, and putting N's in the back of the bus. There is a slow, but persistent movement to undo the laws, which lead to racial, gay, feminine equality. And , if you adhere to that equality, you're labeled "woke". Notice how many times you hear that code word. Some school board yanks "offensive" books from the school library, and just because most have gay authors, it's purely co-incidence.
Click to expand...

I agree with you, it's taken half a step back in recent times.

If I had to guess, it's at least in part down to the financial pressures we're all under. It feels like we're under attack the whole time, and a natural reaction is to defend ourselves by attacking others. Desperate people do desperate things. People want to have a cause, and sadly they often choose bad ones. It's a shame.

It's always worth thinking in personal terms, as in every day experiences. Sexism? I'll admit, in my long years on the earth, I've been guilty of that. RSome of my views of women are ancient. Racism? Well, I've been that "foreigner" living in a country where I didn't speak the language, which is something - but when it comes to actual racism I've never come across it, at least directed at myself. Homophobia, I've only truly known three gay people. At least that were out as gay. Guess what, they were normal people. There's nothing different about gays other than they're intimate with same sex partners. Other than that, I found their life was just like mine, except they sometimes felt they had to hide. Why would I be against them?
 
fuzzybuddy said:

Are we flogging a dead horse?​

As to sexism, racism, and homophobia, the horse ain't dead. It's very much alive and kicking. It's not fashionable to admit to these views, today. But all it takes is one well known politician to openly state them, and the floods gates would be opened. At least a third of the nation wants to go back to beating up fags, keeping the 'little woman' in the kitchen, and putting N's in the back of the bus. There is a slow, but persistent movement to undo the laws, which lead to racial, gay, feminine equality. And , if you adhere to that equality, you're labeled "woke". Notice how many times you hear that code word. Some school board yanks "offensive" books from the school library, and just because most have gay authors, it's purely co-incidence.
Click to expand...
I sincerely hope you're wrong in your assessment, @fuzzybuddy! Or maybe things are different in Canada? And I just found out that I hate "woke" but am "woke" by your definition. I have believed in equality for as long as I can remember.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top