"You are NOT special." - Famous Jeffers family line used to remind each other that "sh*t happens".
We, you and I, are NOT special.
A couple of well known peak oil bloggers, namely Dmitri Orlov and yours truly, have postulated that a form of consumerism, or what I call "competitive materialism", has taken hold within a certain subset of our society... and the media was only too happy to perfectly exemplify this sub-group with its outrageously disgusting reality show "Real House Wives of (the Rich)" and the Prime Time Soap, "Desperate Housewives". Under no circumstance did I suggest that this was the ONLY societal subset carrying on in this repulsive way... but it would be hard to argue that they were not the leading demographic (if for no other reason than that the other subsets simply don't have the funding). There is a very good reason that these shows came into existence - they entertain a large segment of our society that seems to identify with the characters... and the segment is appealing to the advertisers buying space on these shows.
Do some independent research. Watch these shows for the sole purpose of observing the products and services advertised. My bet is that if you are the type that reads here you are not watching this show very often... and my further bet is that you will have some very strong opinions upon viewing this.
Americans are horribly, negatively, and adversely affected by T.V. in particular, and the media in general. L.A. street gangsters, strippers, the bankrupt, white collar criminals, and common thugs have one thing in common - negative Media influence. Ever do business with an Amish person? I have. Its fascinating. It has been my experience that they completely lack guile. They lack any sense of personal presentation - what we refer to as "cool, style, bearing, vogue"- most of which the rest of us got from (or were infected by) the BoobTube, something the Amish lack input from.
I must point out that there is a significant difference between "consumption", "consumerism", and "competitive materialism"... not that I think anything should be done about it... I am not about to suggest that the "credit card police" should be formed to supervise American's purchases. I was only pointing out the miasma of it. Men will always compete for you-know-what, however you wish to define "it". Many of those in possession of you-know-what will trade for "it". Might as well deny that the sky is blue. And thank goodness... otherwise we might still be living in caves and howling at the moon. Each of us is the product of something that has been going on for a great deal of time before we showed up to consider the outcome.
Let me turn my critical ire onto another sub-set of American culture, one that is far more socially acceptable to heap scorn upon than The Real Housewives of the Newly Rich: The young, irresponsible, non-providing, permanent-member-of-the-underclass-for-generations-to-come, absentee fathers... Before I dig my teeth into these sub-humans... let me ask you something... do these guys exist in cultures that lack "social safety nets"? Do you think there are dead-beat and absentee fathers on the Tibetan Steppes? How about in the Peruvian Andes? Sorry, this is not a common problem in these parts of the world... and we all know why (even if we cannot bring ourselves to admit it) - our governments intervene into our family lives and their government's lack the resources to do so (or they probably would). One size fits all marriage law and one size fits all safety nets seem to have similar outcomes - very negative, unintended consequences. Who'd a thunk it?!
In all of this, I am merely making observations based only upon my experience. Further, I firmly believe the fix is in, and we need do nothing about any of it. This is all just an amusing exercise.
18 comments:
Having worked with "at-risk", teenage boys for a decade now, I completely agree. They and their families are creatures created completely by being dependent on the government teat. They talk about every entitlement as just that, pure entitlement. When they don't get their way around the residential school, often is heard the refrain: "I'll sue ______" or "the state has to do _______ this for me", etc., etc.
After nearly a decade of this, as well as trying to work outdoors, hiking, farming, and so on with these kids and the absolutely USELESS, liberal, child care workers and social workers infesting our social service agency, I too have finally come to the idea that there is nothing really to be done except stand back and watch the entire segment of society rot and fall over.
Just one thing - make sure you stand back far enough yourself, lest the rot fall on you too.
I intend to be leaving this business soon myself. I've developed some other things and probably will be moving far away from eastern Massachusetts. After decades of this entitlement society having done it's handiwork on this state, Boston and the other major cities of MA (Lowell, Worcester, Haverhill, Lawrence, New Bedford, Fall River, etc.) are just *packed* will tens of thousands of young people, just milling around apartments and street corners, nothing to do, nothing they even know HOW to do, nothing decent they are willing to do, except procreate, smoke, drink, throw trash and butts on the sidewalks, and procreate some more. I know several guys who were but early teens in the early 2000s that now have kids of their own. Do these guys have decent jobs? Hahahahahahaha, ofc not. Do they live in some kind of subsidized housing with a bunch of other parasites? Ofc they DO!
I used to think that all the predictions of hell to come in the urban areas of America due to all the social entitlement spending was but mere conservative extremist, political ranting, with perhaps some racism thrown in, but no longer. It's all too real. These communities have utterly reached a critical mass, saturation point in just the past 24 months with the softening of the economy. The cities I mentioned have entire neighborhoods - block after block after block of older apartment buildings, full of dependency class people with no $$ of their own, no initiative in their heads, no good ideas, nothing but a tendency to blame everybody else while looking for their bi@@h in order to get some more of *it.* It won't be pretty and as I say, get as far away as possible before the bomb goes BOOM! (and it won't be much longer.)
I'm not even tagging this post with my usual pseudonym, because I fear I'm leaving too much of an Internet trail regarding my work already. But GJ knows who I am (I think.)
Having worked with "at-risk", teenage boys for a decade now, I completely agree. They and their families are creatures created completely by being dependent on the government teat. They talk about every entitlement as just that, pure entitlement. When they don't get their way around the residential school, often is heard the refrain: "I'll sue ______" or "the state has to do _______ this for me", etc., etc.
After nearly a decade of this, as well as trying to work outdoors, hiking, farming, and so on with these kids and the absolutely USELESS, liberal, child care workers and social workers infesting our social service agency, I too have finally come to the idea that there is nothing really to be done except stand back and watch the entire segment of society rot and fall over.
Just one thing - make sure you stand back far enough yourself, lest the rot fall on you too.
I intend to be leaving this business soon myself. I've developed some other things and probably will be moving far away from eastern Massachusetts. After decades of this entitlement society having done it's handiwork on this state, Boston and the other major cities of MA (Lowell, Worcester, Haverhill, Lawrence, New Bedford, Fall River, etc.) are just *packed* will tens of thousands of young people, just milling around apartments and street corners, nothing to do, nothing they even know HOW to do, nothing decent they are willing to do, except procreate, smoke, drink, throw trash and butts on the sidewalks, and procreate some more. I know several guys who were but early teens in the early 2000s that now have kids of their own. Do these guys have decent jobs? Hahahahahahaha, ofc not. Do they live in some kind of subsidized housing with a bunch of other parasites? Ofc they DO!
(continued in another post)
I get to see plenty of these absentee fathers in their natural habitat - prison. The men there have an average of 4 children, usually with two or more women.
The guys understand benefits very well (trust me, they know their rights very well, responsibilities on the other hand...) and realize that the state will come after them for child support if they ever make decent money. Their response is to make money illegally so that it is harder to confiscate, which is why they're locked up.
It doesn't help that a significant amount of women go after the 'bad boys'. This gives them an immediate reward for behaving the way they do. Of course, that leads to the lock-up, but that's a possibility for later, while the hot babes are right now.
(continued from previous post)
I used to think that all the predictions of hell to come in the urban areas of America due to all the social entitlement spending was but mere conservative extremist, political ranting, with perhaps some racism thrown in, but no longer. It's all too real. These communities have utterly reached a critical mass, saturation point in just the past 24 months with the softening of the economy. The cities I mentioned have entire neighborhoods - block after block after block of older apartment buildings, full of dependency class people with no $$ of their own, no initiative in their heads, no good ideas, nothing but a tendency to blame everybody else while looking for their bi@@h in order to get some more of *it.* It won't be pretty and as I say, get as far away as possible before the bomb goes BOOM! (and it won't be much longer.)
I'm not even tagging this post with my usual pseudonym, because I fear I'm leaving too much of an Internet trail regarding my work already. But GJ knows who I am (I think.)
hmmm....sorry about the double post.
Blogspot said that the post was too large, so I cut it up, but in the mean time it posted anyhow.
Sorry.
Greg feel free to delete one or the other.
I agree with most of your assessment. The children now are inundated with electronic media. It plays such a major role in society that I do not see a way to pull back from the edge now. I have a couple of friends that I lift weights with regularly. The one texts or calls someone between every set the other one is playing games on his phone. It is hard to get people to even enjoy what they are doing now. I think this is one of the reasons that people are so impatient and bored. They are not truly bored, but indulge in media so intensely they do not know what it is like to contemplate things any longer. They have no ability to think outside of short and uninspiring. Thomas Jefferson even recognized this and did not read newspapers because of it. He thought that in order to understand a country, policy or event you needed to have a firm grasp of history. Based on this grasping of historical issues allowed him to make a moral and informed decision on the subject.
In response to debate in first part of American pathos
“IF men are to be precluded from offering their sentiments on a matter which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences that can invite the consideration of mankind, reason is of no use to us: the freedom of speech may be taken away, and dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter"
~George Washington
I agree with Anon's post, but I don't think it's possible to ignore or detach oneself from this for two reasons; firstly the cost is crippling us all (and I'm speaking from Europe), secondly this generation has aspirations and expectations that simply cannot be met, and the disappointment will quickly turn to anger. Already kids who cannot earn the money for a new phone or car may choose to steal one, what will happen when this is scaled up to a whole generation who cannot afford anything which enables them to work, to live a normal life, even to marry?
To be fair... all of us are also influenced and as a functional outcome will always see our environment thru the prism of our politics.
An extremely thoughtful and rational person can grasp chaos theory's famous "A butterfly flaps it wings during winter in the Pacific and as a result caused a hurricane in the Atlantic later that year..."
BUT!
If I connect government intrusion into private contracts like marriage to "material competitiveness " their grasp of chaos theory leaves their mind completely.
My sense is that we ALL do this. One of the most beautiful thing about the blogsphere is that intelligent, thoughtful adults can discuss anything/everything without censure... let us continue in that spirit.
Hello Donal:
As sensible as always... yes, that is the risk. Somehow I am more concerned with government's reaction than the reaction of disappointed people.
We had a hurricane here 5 or 6 years ago and as a result we lost power for 6 WEEKS. After 2 weeks, it seemed entirely normal. Let us hope for that type of response, as there is little we can do about other outcomes.
Its the chicken or the egg question for Western society in my opinion.
There are examples in history of individuals who were known to be "bastards" during times of zero government social spending. Of course some wore that label but their fathers were a part of their lives at least financially. Most of the named ones were from the upper class but also it was not uncommon for a bastard child to be claimed by the family of the mother in general and thrown into the mix in lower class family structure. Sometimes a fee was paid from the fathers family.
Some Celtic tribes paid little to no attention to the father as legitimacy came through the mother. Also the further Southward one goes the more a non present father is accepted. Generally speaking the less actual seasonal preparations needed the less a present father was important in the social makeup.
I won't touch on religion but I will just say that fatherhood has been more a part of some cultures present in the US today than others.
Some cultures looked on it as ultimately the females choice and acceptable. Some looked on it as a burden on the tribe and unacceptable. Some looked on the new addition as a blessing some did not.
As far as I know forced government support was tried a few times but not like today. No fault divorce has never been present in a culture at the same time as mandatory child support. The two together are a dangerous combination.
Sorry what I should have said was the mixture of socially accepted fatherless children, no fault divorce, mandatory child support and/or mandatory social spending is a dangerous compound.
Basically cheap energy has allowed a predominately temperate country to embrace some tropical societal "perks" while still trying to enforce values from the seasonal past.
Greg; I think the reactions are different in a crisis. My house in a Provençe mountain village is sometimes snowed in; everyone is extra friendly, help each other out, laugh and joke. After the thaw, old emnities and privacies are re-established.
I'd look at the Los Angeles riots as a more likely example.
Donal,
Using the Los Angeles example, that's exactly what I meant when I said get as far away as possible.
We're all going to pay the price for have a huge segment of society stuck on entitlements, with little else to depend on, but that doesn't mean we have to be physically available to the clueless crowds when things go bad.
I've been seriously assaulted twice at work in the past month over stupid things. I can only imagine what happens when the entitlement teat goes dry.
Dex:
I couldn't agree more regarding texting and cell phones and Ipods...
Its not just young people. Guys my age (almost 50 for me) will go to lunch with the fellas and take 4 phone calls - and I am not talking about a call from their kid or wife which I would understand without question.
I have now made it a point to ask my companions to leave their phones on "Airplane Mode" so that we might enjoy 30 minutes of food and company without 14 interuptions...
You mean we should make like Korean shop owners and prepare to mow down angry hoards after the police are assaulted and abandon their posts. I thought that only happened in movies.
Lol, Dan.
My advice would be that if one needs a gun that badly to protect one's self, one needs a moving van more than a gun.
Dan,
hahaha
Post a Comment