Is this America?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Monkey Soup said:
Go grab a can of gas and go down to your local Target or Walmart with a lit match, that's seems to be socially acceptable. Can you honestly say your life is what it is in this country because society put you where you are? Your successes and failures had nothing to do with you or your initiative?
Click to expand...

I would have never been able to go to college if it weren't for government grants, and scholarships, I had no co signer for student loans. The government put their finger on the scale for me and I returned it by getting my degree with honors. Initiative only gets you so far sometimes you need an extra push.

Let's not forget I've paid twice that back in taxes now.
 
Monkey Soup said:
Go grab a can of gas and go down to your local Target or Walmart with a lit match, that's seems to be socially acceptable.
Click to expand...
Go grab a chair and go to the US Capitol building and throw it through the window, that's seems to be socially acceptable.

77ho.gif
 
carvegybe said:
Love the jokes, but this $hit is serious. The country is divided because there is a growing disenfranchised part of the population which is growing in size because of the very forces that made the country great: capitalism, entrepreneurship, etc. In the meantime the american dream turned out to be nothing but a dream for many. Now, some of these people are more and more susceptible to rhetoric that the system is rigged against them. At some point populism becomes too attractive and violence creeps in and/or democracy suffers. History offers plenty of examples.

Biden/Harris getting into power will be a bandaid. Real solutions will take decades to redress inequality and curb the pursuit profits for the benefit of the average man and woman. Whether such policies are put into place will depend, in part, on whether the electorate can, on individual basis, think beyond solely supporting policies that benefit that specific individual or that individual's business and think about the collective, the environment, the poor, etc. I say this as someone who comes from the communist block and gets goose bumps when the word "collective" is mentioned. The way forward requires abandonment of principles of trickle down economics and implementation of more distributive policies. We need to change course from a path that, in the short term, might appeal to those seeking to preserve/grow capital, but in the long run will lead to populism, violence and, very likely, loss of that capital. This is the most unequal developed country in the world and a nuclear superpower. Think about that for a moment. We have been warned.
Click to expand...
This. Many of the people on either "side" actually have a ton in common - growing inequality. They just don't realize it. Trumpers see immigrants taking their shit. BLM sees white people taking their shit. Antifa is just a bunch of young people that like to beat the shit out of others from the safety of a group. Plenty of examples of this in history.

No one is actually taking anything. Most are actually getting a lot and paying very little in taxes. It's more like the system is rigged to let those who control the assets succeed. It's not explicit. The elite aren't keeping anyone out, the rules and system just make it harder and harder to get in. Also, being a politician didn't used to make you rich; actually almost the reverse.

As for the protestors/rioters/terrorists/whatever, that was no insurrection. It was a bunch of bumpkins taking selfies. Totally wrong, death/injuries resulted and they should be prosecuted, but not some historical event.
 
Monkey Soup said:
Can you honestly say your life is what it is in this country because society put you where you are? Your successes and failures had nothing to do with you or your initiative?
Click to expand...

Please. Miss that crap.

Being born with an advantage (money, skin color [and just to be clear, "white" isn't an advantage everywhere], geographic area) doesn't mean you are justified in your opinion of "work hard, be rewarded". That is a straight up crap. It was largely believed in the middle ages/before that if you were poor, you did something to deserve it...and if you were wealthy, you had the favor of [a] god (and were therefore justified in any action you took).

Ask any successful person how they became successful. If they say anything other than "luck" they're almost certainly lying. You can prepare to be the best person possible in whatever field, but if you never meet the right person, at the right time, what does it get you?

Can good feelings about your work ethic feed you?
 
The Landfill of Slacktown said:
I would have never been able to go to college if it weren't for government grants, and scholarships, I had no co signer for student loans. The government put their finger on the scale for me and I returned it by getting my degree with honors. Initiative only gets you so far sometimes you need an extra push.

Let's not forget I've paid twice that back in taxes now.
Click to expand...
Same for me and my entire family. I don't consider that an extra push, you and I fulfilled our parts of the agreement. They gave us money and opportunity, in return we made something of ourselves and continue to repay them every April. Speaking only for myself (I see that there are quite a few immigrants here), if my unremarkable ass could do it starting from nothing, then what's everyone else's excuse? I have a bunch of unremarkable immigrant friends, of all races, that have done the same thing.
Pearl said:
Go grab a chair and go to the US Capitol building and throw it through the window, that's seems to be socially acceptable.

77ho.gif
Click to expand...
Sorry, rioting is not the way I roll. My revenge on everyone is to do well and ride a dentists bike. FWIW, all these rioters from both sides, regardless of their justifications and platforms, are all equally worthless.
 
Monkey Soup said:
Sorry, rioting is not the way I roll. My revenge on everyone is to do well and ride a dentists bike. FWIW, all these rioters from both sides, regardless of their justifications and platforms, are all equally worthless.
Click to expand...
You are often a dick but I respect you for saying this. Treating all rioters (or everyone) equally is all anyone wants.
 
Monkey Soup said:
Same for me and my entire family. I don't consider that an extra push, you and I fulfilled our parts of the agreement. They gave us money and opportunity, in return we made something of ourselves and continue to repay them every April. Speaking only for myself (I see that there are quite a few immigrants here), if my unremarkable ass could do it starting from nothing, then what's everyone else's excuse? I have a bunch of unremarkable immigrant friends, of all races, that have done the same thing.
Click to expand...

What you call an agreement is what I consider a gift of an opportunity that I never thought I would have. I could have taken the opportunity like so many others and failed out first semester and then I would have never been able to afford a mountain bike.

Consider it a push a lift or w.e. you want, I got a similar opportunity as other well off kids. I got this opportunity because the government put a finger on the scale for me a poor brown kid who is the child of illegal immigrants. I will forever be grateful to the USA and @rick81721's tax dollars for giving me an the chance to prove I'm worth the investment.
 
  • Like
Reactions: don
Monkey Soup said:
You can justify these riots all you want, but all of these riots happen at the expense of someone else's civil liberties or freedom. Rioting is not an acceptable form of protest in this country, and makes us all look bad.
Click to expand...
I am at a loss at why I need to communicate with a screen, but I have taken the bait. I simply asked what any other riot had to do with yesterday's farce. I am not sure how your response answered that question. Please, let me know, what the fuck did yesterday have anything to do with any other riot? I am not trying to be antagonizing, I really want to know.
 
rick81721 said:
All lives matter. Did that unarmed air force vet deserve to get shot dead yesterday by capital police?
Click to expand...
yes, I think someone else already posted the information about this. Come on, you try to force your way into the capital, you may get shot, I am very surprised you do not see it that way.
 
roc said:
yes, I think someone else already posted the information about this. Come on, you try to force your way into the capital, you may get shot, I am very surprised you do not see it that way.
Click to expand...
C'mon, they were just having a little fun.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom