NationStates Jolt Archive

Change can be a good thing, as we all know.
However, change can be a bad, even horrible thing as well.
The world we live in is changing all the time, every minute of every day.

Lately, Ive looked around, and noticed that there are two things in life, that control everything.
Oil, and money.

This isnt news.
Oil and money have the most important things for over a century now.
What pisses me off, like nothing else, is the blatant disregard for others, our civilization is developing.

It seems like people care less and less for each other, and concern themselves with only what thier money can buy for them.
I know people who would rather play video games, then spend time with thier children.

Kids bring guns to school with them, and shoot thier classmates as a way to solve a problem.

People protest soldiers funerals, becuase they believe that soldier died to protect rights for homosexuals, and therefore that soldier be damned.

Thousands of crazy bastards protest and cause all kinds of trouble over some fucking cartoons.

Why doesnt anyone give a shit about anything other than thier wallets, and the price of gas?

What happened to the honest business owner who paid his employees a living wage, in exchange for hard work?
When did every one of them become money-grubbing assholes, bent on screwing thier workers out of every dime they can?

When did America turn into a bloated whore, wallowing in its own filth and corruption, while its people turn thier heads, and pretend they just arent aware of it?
When did we decide to allow our leaders to betray, lie, steal, and murder?

When someone asks questions like these, why do we (myself included) dismiss them as naive dreamers, who are aware of nothing?
Why dont we ask ourselves this more often?

Are we afraid of the answers?

Lately, Ive looked around, and noticed that there are two things in life, that control everything.
Oil, and money.

This isnt news.
Oil and money have the most important things for over a century now.
Money has ruled the world since capitalism was invented about 600 years ago.

What pisses me off, like nothing else, is the blatant disregard for others, our civilization is developing.

It seems like people care less and less for each other, and concern themselves with only what thier money can buy for them.
Yes, there is definitely a decline in the west of the concept of collective responsibility for collective welfare and the world. I blame several things


Thatcher and Reagan's ideological lunacy
The marginalisation of the Catholic Church (as an atheist it pains me to say this but it's an observable fact where I live)
market deregulation which results in conditions that force people to spend more time working just to get by
widening gap between rich and poor


Kids bring guns to school with them, and shoot thier classmates as a way to solve a problem.
I blame bad parents.

People protest soldiers funerals, becuase they believe that soldier died to protect rights for homosexuals, and therefore that soldier be damned.
Religious loonies have always existed. It's only now that they get as much media attention.

Thousands of crazy bastards protest and cause all kinds of trouble over some fucking cartoons.
See above.

Why doesnt anyone give a shit about anything other than thier wallets, and the price of gas?
Rat racing. People have also forgotten the benefits of cycling which requires no gasoline expenditure.

What happened to the honest business owner who paid his employees a living wage, in exchange for hard work?
When did every one of them become money-grubbing assholes, bent on screwing thier workers out of every dime they can?
There still are honest business owners, and there were many asshole employers in the past as well. It's largely because market conditions beyond the control of most business owners force them to cut every corner they can.

When did America turn into a bloated whore, wallowing in its own filth and corruption, while its people turn thier heads, and pretend they just arent aware of it?
Lol, it always has been like that. In fact is was probaby even worse 100 years ago.

When did we decide to allow our leaders to betray, lie, steal, and murder?
Almost since the beginning of the time when humans had leaders.

When someone asks questions like these, why do we (myself included) dismiss them as naive dreamers, who are aware of nothing?
Why dont we ask ourselves this more often?

Are we afraid of the answers?
People are afraid of things that they don't think they can change. Thus they don't want to hear about them.

Lol, it always has been like that. In fact is was probaby even worse 100 years ago.
Ahh, the Guilded Decade or whatever it was called. Good times, good times.

Yes, there is definitely a decline in the west of the concept of collective responsibility for collective welfare and the world. I blame several things

Thatcher and Reagan's ideological lunacy
The marginalisation of the Catholic Church (as an atheist it pains me to say this but it's an observable fact where I live)
market deregulation which results in conditions that force people to spend more time working just to get by
widening gap between rich and poor

Would you care to elaborate?

The marginalisation of the Catholic Church (as an atheist it pains me to say this but it's an observable fact where I live)


But surely the Catholic Church played an insidious, repressive role in Ireland up until only quite recently?

How is it a bad thing that its power over people's lives has receded?

But surely the Catholic Church played an insidious, repressive role in Ireland up until only quite recently?

How is it a bad thing that its power over people's lives has receded?

Thats kinda what I was wondering.

I, frankly cant see how it is anything but positive.
Holy Mother Church has caused an awful lot of strife in her day.
It seems that the gradual loss of power, has meant a gradual gain for the good.

But surely the Catholic Church played an insidious, repressive role in Ireland up until only quite recently?

How is it a bad thing that its power over people's lives has receded?
Yeah, there was definitely an awful side to Church dominance. Gays were repressed, and too many priests got away with paedophilia just becauwse they were priests.

Thats kinda what I was wondering.

I, frankly cant see how it is anything but positive.
Holy Mother Church has caused an awful lot of strife in her day.
It seems that the gradual loss of power, has meant a gradual gain for the good.
The Church was also a collectivist force that caused Irish people to look out for each other. Now that the Church has decreased in importance, and the market has been deregulated, people have become more selfish and individualist. That is my observation.

There has always been a culture of greed, especially in the Merchant classes of history. With the advent of radio, television, and the Internet, the greed is good spokes models have been able to get into our head like never before and disconnected us from our communal roots. These communications mediums were meant to bring wider inclusion of disparate peoples and disseminate information more efficiently, but instead mediums like TV really have just become an idiot box to pacify the masses. They’ve worked very hard to do this and succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. We’re constantly being bombarded by ads demanding that we address their marketed desires as needs. People are now driven mad to play mortal combat in stores for the latest fad toy or gadget. It’s really quite pathetic.

The corporations that either pay for or own the media outlets are promoting this culture of greed. Our politicians are generally owned by these same corporate interests. Outside of some socialist upheaval, we shouldn’t expect this to turn around for a very long time. In fact you should expect this to get much, much worse.

The Bruce

There has always been a culture of greed, especially in the Merchant classes of history. With the advent of radio, television, and the Internet, the greed is good spokes models have been able to get into our head like never before and disconnected us from our communal roots. These communications mediums were meant to bring wider inclusion of disparate peoples and disseminate information more efficiently, but instead mediums like TV really have just become an idiot box to pacify the masses. They’ve worked very hard to do this and succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. We’re constantly being bombarded by ads demanding that we address their marketed desires as needs. People are now driven mad to play mortal combat in stores for the latest fad toy or gadget. It’s really quite pathetic.

The corporations that either pay for or own the media outlets are promoting this culture of greed. Our politicians are generally owned by these same corporate interests. Outside of some socialist upheaval, we shouldn’t expect this to turn around for a very long time. In fact you should expect this to get much, much worse.

The Bruce

I understand what youre saying.

I used to work in a retail store at night.

The day after Thanksgiving, is the busiest shopping day of the year, and Ive seen people turn into animals, and literally fight over a those metal scooters kids ride, becuase they were only 10 dollars, and we only had so many of them.
Ive seen people literally trampled so that others could be the first ones to save a buck.

Its disgusting, and people think nothing of their behaviour, when anyone gets in the way of what they want.

It’s a little bit like in the Jennifer Government novel, a corporate interest arrange for the murder of some consumers to boost interest in some running shoes to drive the masses crazy for them. The book is a good poke at corporate culture and a future like it isn’t that far away. I personally hope I’m dead before it gets that bad, because it’s not the national dream I want to live in.

The Bruce

I used to work in retail hell for a while. I was really good at sales and generally led the department I was in. I made a point in knowing as much as I could about whatever product I was selling to have some depth to work with. I really felt dirty selling overpriced crap to people who could barely afford it though. There were times when I actually backed off a sale when I saw someone purchasing stuff that was beyond their means, because I’d done a bit too good a sales job on them. If there had been a supervisor present I probably would have been sacked for doing that. I tried to make it a point only to work at places where I actually liked the stuff they sold and had some affinity towards what I sold.

The whole consumer angle is in part manipulating our hunter-gatherer. Collecting useful stuff and stocking up on food used to mean the difference between living and dying. Now as consumers it’s being driven home that buying the latest DVD release from Hollywood is just as important for our survival.

The Bruce

I don't hold with this 'consumerism's sending the world down the toilet' mindset.

Yes, there are big problems associated with market economies and global financial systems. There are also tremendous benefits, which afford us the kind of lifestyle where we have time to sit around chatting on computers.

Of course, the majority of people on earth lead a fairly miserable, wretched existence and practically everything could stand to be improved in some way.

We've come a long way and we won't last forever, but I don't think everything is falling apart any more than it was in, say, the 14th Century.