For those who been around for awhile has the world always been this depressing?

That’s why they invented strip clubs, when you’re sad seeing boobies will make you happy, and strippers will be happy to see your wallet. It’s a win-win for everyone. Except San Jose Guy because he’s homeless and doesn’t have any money.

Young man, you have to keep these things in perspective and make sure they’re framed correctly. There have always been depressing things in the history of the world, but the one thing that has changed is the ubiquitous media driven hype. You don’t sell advertising with warm fuzzies, yiu catch more eyeballs with drama! Since media makes their money from advertisers, they have to attract viewers with the sky is falling chicken little tactics.

Keep in mind that in 1918, the Spanish flu killed way more people than covid and that was after millions died in World War I. Then 10 years later the Great Depression killed our economy and then another 10 years after the most lethal war in history started in WW II. With that in perspective I think we are in the golden age of prosperity as long as you don’t listen to the news. If you do listen to media, then you’re fucked because the media has none of your best interests in mind. They’re only interested in dumbing you down so they can sell you something.

Live in the moment, and if you for your belly full and a roof over your head, you’re better off than 95% of the history of humanity.

Terrible things have always been happening. But prior to about 40 years ago, we didn't know about them in real time. Global communication, Internet access, etc.; we really can know what's happening from Jakarta to Jacksonville instantly.

And ... We've become more dogmatic, polarized on both sides. This "I'm right, you're wrong, go shoot yourself ya jackass" mentality that people from *every* political angle have... It's made it impossible to be just plain kind to someone who you don't agree with. It's more important now to be right than it is to be nice, moreso now than any other time in my 50+ years of walking around this rock. All that rage, honestly, is exhausting.

I'm not calling any one person or group out. I know just as many intolerant Americans on the left and on the right.

Sorry. Hit the wrong button.

Anyway, no, it hasn't always been this depressing, for a variety of reasons. And frankly, it doesn't *have* to be this depressing now, but ... that revolution will need to find someone else to lead it.

Keep the faith,
Rusty
Retired librarian
America's last moderate

The guy above me loves taking it in the ass. Nothing wrong with that. Just a fact.

1930s Depression
1940s WWII
1950S Korea
1960s Assassinations/Vietnam/Cities Burning
1970s/1980s Nuclear Cold War

2010s Social Media gives us the sads

Yeah, never been worse. Life is so unfair. Woe is me.

Tough times never last, tough people do !

Yeah things are so horrible now compared to back in the say lol. Getting drafted and sent to nam; 16-17% mortgage interest rates; 11% unemployment when I graduated college and 11.5% when I graduated Law School and landed a fabulous job ...as a security guard; no medical insurance at 18; no a.c. in your house or car; a government that didn't just give away money; 9% interest on student loans. Life has always been like this. The only thing that changes is that the American people went from being strong, self-reliant and super hard working to whining, lazy, jealous, bitter losers. College students, once the next generation of leaders, now cry and need counselling if someone with a different opinion speaks on campus. Simone Biles being praised as a hero for fucking quitting, which makes her a loser, is the perfect example.

Many reasons for the perspective that it’s worse now than ever but in my opinion too many have grown up with a sense of entitlement rather than a true work ethic. No one owes you anything except an opportunity to succeed. Politicians on both sides keep their power by blaming the other side for the problems in the world.

24/7 news and social media broadcast a skewed message designed to further their narrative. Worry about what you can control and slip a few tips into a garter to take your mind off what cannot.

Heck yeah it’s terrible. You also have to ask for condiments in California, which is a sign of the apocalypse.
https://tuscl.net/discussion.php?id=7776…

I dumpa loadz on California 💩💩💩

Personal opinion, there is pros and cons to this era right now.

For some cool charts (some of them depressing), apparently 1971 was a fulcrum point for a lot of things
https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/

Nicespice: Great link!

sand, paper mache, puppy shit, dairy queen, today's youth ... um, what are the weakest things on earth Alex?

This pandemic is a rough time. It’s not easy, but it’s going to pass. The last century had many very difficult periods, as mentioned in the posts above. This pandemic is a rough spot, and it’s exacerbated by the prevalence of the 24/7 news cycle, and social media.

It’s important to be strong, and to continue onward. The world will get better. There will be rough times in the future too. But we will keep moving, and we will get through them too.

I am reminded of "DR. STRANGELOVE OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB".

911 lasted a few months and we moved on?????? We're still in Iraq and just barely left Afghanistan.

Stick to the incel posts....


Things suck right now but you always just come across like a sheltered kid with no life experience

Things suck? You're right. Except for 9 vacations in the last 20 months; gambling; poker, golf; dining out; skiing and the fact my business is 40% better this year than at any time in the last 39 years, I would be sad that things are so sucky.

Why worry about things you have no control over?

The big, practical question for a 24 year old guy is, you can end up having some kids not because you decided to do that, but because you wanted some pussy. So, good you're here, being aware of the P4P alternative can help you avoid that mistake.

The world is always changing, in ways that are good for some, and bad for others. You can do your best to try to hitch yourself to the good trends. But, have to face the fact that luck is going to be a big factor.

“apparently 1971 was a fulcrum point for a lot of things “

A lot of this is explained by the post-Vietnam era of high inflation and high deficits from 1971-1981. High inflation is especially damaging to the working class. The Carter years of 1976-1980 were characterized by stagflation ( recession and inflation ). It took extremely high interest rates and federal budget discipline in the early 1980s to get inflation under control.

What Mark and Meat said.

We've gone from worrying about nuclear war and famine, to worrying about being mis-gendered, mis-pronouned, or micro-aggressed.

We've gone from going back to work on 9/12/01 to "please give your BIPOC employees 3 days off to process the Rittenhouse verdict."

We've gone from 4 million members of the KKK a century ago, to 1/10 of 1% that today.

Through apps, websites, extras clubs, and easy air travel, it's exponentially easier to get laid than ever.

We have vaccines and antivirals to combat COVID--not to mention, the virus itself is more survivable than the Spanish Flu or other earlier pandemics.

We're getting told by the click-driven media, whose business model is to anger and frighten us, that we're living in a new dark age and they're our one ally against the forces of chaos.

Don't fall for their shit. We live in good times.

Crime is up. Poverty is up. People are desperate. Evictions are up. Food and rent prices are out of control. Most job sectors have lost all stability. The pandemic is getting worse and all were told is to wear a mask and take an experimental shot. There are food and product shortages. Violence is up.

@Beat100

I will play along and answer your question and comment on your discussion.

Q: For those who been around for awhile has the world always been this depressing?

A: The “World” 🌎 Earth and its atmosphere are continuously changing/evolving since its existence for more than 4-5 billion years.

Humanity is what it is, you are the one getting or being depressed about your life experience.

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results.”
Willie Nelson

Staying positive doesn’t mean that’s things are or will be OK.
Rather being positive is knowing that YOU will be OK no matter how things turn out.

“A lot of this is explained by the post-Vietnam era of high inflation and high deficits from 1971-1981. High inflation is especially damaging to the working class. The Carter years of 1976-1980 were characterized by stagflation ( recession and inflation ). It took extremely high interest rates and federal budget discipline in the early 1980s to get inflation under control.”

Thanks Mark for explaining the 1970s. I’d love to read further insight from you. Can you please click the link and explain the trends that started from 1971 and continued well into the 2010s?

I was a teenager in the 80s, and I remember that I and most of my friends were pretty sure we were going out in a nuclear war. Also a lot of people were sure that backwards messages on vinyl records were sending us to hell. Now nobody is worried about that stuff, but we do have new stuff to worry about. Covid definitely sucks, so does the political climate.

What’s not new? Old people telling you that they had it harder in their day… walking uphill both ways in the snow, etc. This thread is a good example of that!

The explosion of crime and violence is 100% the fault of the left, so it is only fair that they bear the brunt. One day people of color will realize their worst enemy is a liberal white female....

Spice trends that started in the 70s were over by the mid 90s. We had student loans at 9% we had to pay back; people now pay 3-4% on loans they expect to never repay. Mortgages are 4%, not 16%. I can fill my tank without sleeping at the gas station to be first in line. The speed limit isn;t 55. Criminals got what they deserved, they didn;t get proposed laws named after them. The more touchy feely we become the worse things get.

Actually it was Reagan who established the idea that "federal budget discipline" doesn't matter. That wasn't his intention, he thought he could repeat the supply side effect of the Kennedy tax cuts. Just turned out that there was only so much water in that well, and Kennedy got it all. Bush Jr. and Trump were the clearly shameless ones about federal budget discipline.

@nicespice does your graph consider the compensation value of free internet porn? I definitely could have used that in the 70s when I was a horny, hard up teenager.

Anyone who's not a straight white male, they most def should not be wishing we were back in 1970. I was a kid, but I don't remember median income people living better in the 60s than they do now.

I think, first of all, we need to concentrate on people who don't have decent food or a decent place to live. The gubment should raise the minimum wage as fast as it can without causing inflation. Just like it keeps interest rates as low as possible without causing inflation. Risky to give the gubment lots of power cause you're butthurt about people who got money to waste on Teslas and McMansions. You're likely to end up with a gubment that's got you by the short and curlies (OK I guess that's not literally possible anymore for people under 40) and at least as broke as you are now.

When nicespice turns 35, we can elect her President, so she can reinvade Vietnam, and take us back to the Golden Age of the 60s.

President Nicespice will stamp out the international menace of drool.

An unspoken truth is that 2008 was pretty good for the older segment of millennials. A lot of my peers bought their first home when the market bottomed out.

These things tend to cycle.

WW2 was a "win", but a lot of young men died and many more were away from their families for years.

I think most of us know about the Vietnam era turmoil. Again, young men being sent to die, this time for a losing effort. On the other hand it was a great time to be young and go to college or buy a house.

During the cold war there was a greater than zero percent chance Russia and the US would nuke each other or a proxy ally. On the other hand the economy was pretty strong and the cold war made us actually invest in science and technology.

The Clinton Years were good.

9/11 happened. It was a big blow to America's psyche but honestly the early 2000s were still pretty good until the mortgage crisis in 2008.

I mean We didn't start the fire, it was always burning since the world's been turning?

I don't buy it that we use to have a better political climate. The KKK types are snarling and squirming more now cause the Millennials and Gen-Z are slowly choking them out. Can't happen fast enough as far as I'm concerned.

Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio
Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe
Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, "The King and I", and "The Catcher in the Rye"
Eisenhower, Vaccine, England's got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana, goodbye
We didn't start the fire

It was always burning, since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it

Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev
Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc
Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron
Dien Bien Phu falls, "Rock Around the Clock"
Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team
Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland
Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Krushchev
Princess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning, since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it

Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, "Bridge on the River Kwai"
Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseball
Starkweather homicide, children of thalidomide
Buddy Holly, Ben Hur, space monkey, mafia
Hula hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go
U2, Syngman Rhee, Payola and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, Psycho, Belgians in the Congo

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning, since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it

Hemingway, Eichmann, "Stranger in a Strange Land"
Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion
"Lawrence of Arabia", British Beatlemania
Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson
Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex
JFK – blown away, what else do I have to say?

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning, since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it

Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again
Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock
Begin, Reagan, Palestine, terror on the airline
Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan
"Wheel of Fortune", Sally Ride, heavy metal suicide
Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz
Hypodermics on the shore, China's under martial law
Rock and roller, cola wars, I can't take it anymore

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning, since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
But when we are gone
It will still burn on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on

Here’s the thing that politicians know. Government can provide all sorts of “free” stuff ( or, fund a war like Vietnam, Afghanistan, or Iraq) without raising taxes, but the real bill doesn’t come due for many years when the currency is devalued and inflation kicks in. Unlike income tax, inflation hits lower income people the hardest.

So, politicians spend their careers handing out goodies, claiming it’s free, and taking credit for it. Then, they are shocked, shocked I tell you, when inflation destroys the economy. By then, the politicians who are responsible are retired and living in a mansion behind security gates.

That’s why the expenses of Vietnam ( and Medicare, Medicaid, and the Great Society ) of the late 60s caused inflation and economic hardship in the 70s.

You know all that money the government spent while locking down the country during CoVid ? The bill is just starting to come due now in the form of inflation. I expect we’ll be paying for that for years to come. The wealthy will see their investments grow and will do fine. The working man will see expenses exceed wage growth and will struggle. The politicians will retire to Martha’s Vineyard and Palm Beach.

@ibai

No, I don’t feel like returning to the time period women weren’t allowed their own line of credit without a husband authorization. (I think it was 1973 that changed?) I have heard arguments about women entering the workforce stagnating wages just because the massive jump in labor supply, and there is probably something to that, and one of the several graphs in there pointed out that correlation as well.

Also blame on bringing in cheap labor in the form of immigration. And overseas manufacturing.

There has also been blame on making the USD completely fiat at that time.

If it’s the labor force participation then that will settle itself out. If it’s currency…I have no comment lol

Also, I thought you claimed to be old!? You’re basically implying you’re upper 50s/low 60s. Wouldn’t that technically mean you’re still “middle aged”?

COVID is not a germ warfare agent, not by itself. It is a Psychological Warfare agent. It has been used to make the population neurotic.

SJG

A different guitar, does that mean a different tuning?
Peter Frampton - Show Me The Way (Live in Detroit)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mu7ema5…

A Brief History of Quantum Mechanics - with Sean Carroll
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hVmeOCJ…

Karlheinz Stockhausen: Telemusik (1966)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdIe2Cro…

It's really just you.

100 years ago that whole spanish flu thing was on it's third or fourth year, it went on for a while... And of course it was more deadly than covid, they had barely discovered antibiotics and didn't know how to treat a pneumonia infection for fuck's sake. Injecting fluids via IV? wasn't happening in 1921. People didn't need health insurance cause they really didn't have healthcare.... (one in five babies died before turning two).

In the '70, Vietnam. Protests against that were met with national guardsmen opening fire and murdering kids. Ever read about "the weathermen"? And when they had riots that "burned down" a city, they really burned it the fuck down, not just a couple cars and dumpsters.

Albeit, at no other point in my (not that long) a life have I seen so anyone openly mention a coup in the US and embrace the kinda cult of personality that creates African dictatorships.... And less than a year later, seemingly turn on there guy for some really damned silly reasons (he got vaccinated!!!)... Really makes me fucking wonder WTF is wrong with these idiots... But so far, they've only really managed to have themselves that bang up little riot on 1/6 that really didn't even manage to get a dumpster set on fire and they're all going to jail over it.

They've always kinda been there, maybe the more empowered they get, the easier it is to get rid' of them? I dunno.. I guess it's at least easier to give them every opportunity to not be idiots like those fucktards who still want to convince themselves and others the earth is flat... Apparently, people decide they want to be stupid...

Today, I can pull a high definition screen out of my pocket and start watching a myriad of porn on it. And find instructions on how to fix my car, washer, stove, plumbing, or start investing. Sure, there are a bunch of fucktards looking for attention trying to convince you of a bunch of other stupid shit to stoke their own egos.

But it's mind boggling how easily people just take this for granted and think they world is worse now...

I consider 55 and up to be old, no point in arguing about definitions.

The economic impact of women formally working is complicated. It corresponds to an increase in restaurant meals, pre-prepared food, paid childcare.

Nobody understands for sure how the economy works. So best to avoid big overnight changes as much as possible. Make changes in small steps, and back off if they do more harm than good.

Every person on this forum has a much better life, from a material standpoint, than the richest man in the world 100 years ago. Medicine. Food availability. Air travel. Entertainment. Everything.

From the moment we wake up until we go to sleep, everyday, our lives are filled with comfort, luxury, and wonder that couldn’t be imagined 100 years ago.

One of the theories about why millions of people have dropped out of the workforce, post CoVid, is because two-income families realized how little income that second income stream really brought in after factoring in taxes, day care, commuting cost, and other work-related expenses.

This is rare, but I am in full agreement with Mark94 ^^^^^.

SJG

Peter Frampton - Do You Feel Like We Do - Live 2016 (and still with Bob Mayo, now playing a NORD Keyboard, an impressive solo)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5PgG4ak…

https://www.nordkeyboards.com/

This is why we have strip clubs.

Sponsored Vitamin V Super Stud
https://tuscl.net/discussion.php?id=7671…

SJG

Major Correction, it is Mr. Rob Arthur who is playing keyboard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5PgG4ak…

Nord
https://www.nordkeyboards.com/

You only get out of life what you put into it. In other words " you reap what you sow." If you find this world depressing, it is because you are depressing. seriously, toughen up you whiny little bitch.

-People lost their jobs.
Has been happening since employment was invented

-People lost families members.
Inevitable fact of life.
-People didn't have access to healthcare which made their lives harder.
Actually still better than universal/government run healthcare.
-Lost of people who dropped our to college.
Happen in high school, too. So what?
-Friendships and relationships ruined.
Has been happening since Cain and Abel
-Future plans sidetracked.
Seriously?
-People who got a bad vaccine and now have long term issues.
Did you know you can have a lethal allergic reaction to literally any vaccine? Any medication? Any food? Any random fucking thing you encounter? Did you know there are people allergic to sunlight? to their own sweat!?

Let me ask you this, seriously, is this a troll post or are you really that ignorant and pathetic?

I don't get all the negativity, from where I'm sitting it's great, never been a better time to be alive in all of recorded history.

The only thing that's really bothering me with the pandemic is travel restrictions.

It's been over 2 years since my last trip to Bangkok, and I miss it.

But if you think that's some kinda sign of world becoming depressing? You have no idea what international travel 40 years ago was like. I still have my vaccine passport, and, that was a thing, and you did need it for some countries. Yes, in the 1980's, Cholera, Polio, Typhoid, tetanus and some other shit I can't read (fucking doctor handwriting).

Child of an expat in the 80's. People still smoking on airplanes, ICK!!!

gammanu95, not sure who you are speaking to. COVID has been a huge and destructive mind fuck.

And the so called "vaccine" is only adding to the hysteria.

SJG

Saying we have more technology and knowledge than a hundred years ago is irrelevant to the fact that we have grave problems. It's as stupid as saying we have a higher standard of living than Malawi so we should just stfu. Or telling blacks they're no longer slaves so there's no racism. Or saying the elephabt bird isn't endangered coz its extinct. That kind of lack of logic doesn't negate all the problems we face today.

^^ who’s this fucking “we” you’re talking about!? Don’t include me in your crappy shitty world. I create my own reality, and my world is great!

People choose to see the world as they want to see it. If you think that you’re a victim, then that is where you will always end up instead of a thriver and a survivor.

@twentyfive it's not that simply cause it depends on individual situations. In many ways, if you were a black dude in the North who had the stamina for factory work, the 40s and 50s were your best times. You would not be paid as well as a white man, but much better than black men had ever been paid before. You had to stay in your (all black) neighborhood. But, because there were many men like you, with decent, stable employment, black neighborhoods were safe and fairly prosperous back then. Your wife could just watch her own kids and keep her own house, didn't have to also watch kids or clean house or do laundry for white women.

^^^ it’s not just black people, but people generally from all backgrounds 50-70 years ago came from families that stayed together and raised their kids in a unified household containing both mother and father. The decline in the family since then with single parent households have decimated some cultures more than others. The one constant is no matter what ethnic background you come from, the single most important variable that determines your success has been your family support. Without it you’re facing a huge uphill battle.

“Saying we have more technology and knowledge than a hundred years ago is irrelevant to the fact that we have grave problems.”

It used to be common for young children to die of diseases that no longer exist. People starved. Actually died from a lack of food. Most people never traveled further than 20 miles from their birthplace. Formal education ended at age 12, when kids began to work.

Do you have any of these problems ?

Go post more q anon bs. You're a fucking idiot

Food insecurity is still a problem. Most people do not travel. People die because they can't afford medical treatment. Saying that these problems were bigger 100 years ago doesn't deny the fact that they and other problems still persist.

Yeah, since you old guys are all talking about how great everything is now, lets shut the hell up about politics and let the good times roll!

Lets talk about TITS and ASS

Wait you're also the moron who said a second income in a household is barely nothing so people stopped working 😭😭😭🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡 coz having 1k is the same as having 2k for example right??? And you think Trump won the election

And mark is outraged that people need to ask for condiments in fast food places coz it's a communist conspiracy to take his freedom away.

🤪

I will vote for @nicespice for president if she runs under the presidential campaign slogan:

“We must work together to ensure the equitable distribution of wealth, opportunity, and power in our society.”

:D

Sometimes when the world seems very depressing, it's because you're depressed. Much of the time, how you view things and what you expect has more to do with how you look at the world than the actual state of the world around you.

"The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old...They literally know nothing.”
--Ben Rhodes, Obama Deputy National Security Advisor

Nice spice: At the risk at being told by Icey that I’m spewing QAnon BS, I had another thought about 1971 as a turning point. That was the year Nixon took us off the gold standard. Some people consider that a significant turning point. Either way, it’s an interesting subject that was much debated at the time. Once the gold standard was gone, Nixon was able to spend his way to re-election ( thus causing massive inflation and economic disaster for the next President ).

Yes you are right. The New World Order launched its "end game" in March 2020 because they feared President Trump would be re-elected. There has never been this co-ordinated a global conspiracy before.

Learn the Truth. Listen to Infowars every day. www.infowars.com

To the scum on here acting like any of this has precident, kindly flush yourselves down yhr nearest toilet. ALL of the non-sense the last few years is UNPRECEDENTED in human history.

"Icey" is a buffoon who constantly makes itself sound more ludicrous with every post.

To answer the OP's question, no we've never seen anywhere near the radical. lunatic changes of the past two years in recorded history. Thats unarguable fact.

@ilbbaicl
Just because some people aren't doing so well, doesn't change the fact that things are better for everyone, think about how badly they'd be doing without the improvements in almost every field of human endeavor

In 10 months, there’s going to be an election. Based on all the current polling, it will be a Republican landslide in Congress. And, it won’t be those nice establishment Republicans like Mitch McConnell taking office. It will be those nasty, mean, confrontational Trump supporters like Ted Cruz.

Then, for the next 2 years, they are going to hold investigations. Is Joe Biden senile ? Is Hunter Biden a crook ? Is China responsible for CoVid ? Did Fauci lie to Congress ? What really happened in Afghanistan ? How bad is illegal immigration ?

For those on this thread being depressed about their lives are like in 2022, think about what 2023 and 2024 have in store.

^^^
Dave_Anderson said "Learn the Truth. Listen to Infowars every day. www.infowars.com"

Interesting place to search for "the Truth." Is this where you learned that the only way you'll get any "Likes" on your comments on TUSCL is to hit the "Like" button yourself? Seems there *is* a lot of truth in that.

Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer have the thinnest of margins but, for the last year, they have tried to change everything about our country. They have governed as though they have an overwhelming mandate from the American people. They don’t.

That’s what is unprecedented about what is going on.

The leftists want to know why everyone is so pissed off ? Why are people so uncivil ? Why won’t people just do what the government tells them to do ?

That’s why.

^ We'll see how that shapes up, or in other words be careful what you wish for, there's a lot of water that's still to pass under that bridge, a barge that breaks loose can cause a collapse.

The best predictor of who controls the House of Representatives is the generic Republican/Democrat preference poll. Historically, Democrats need a 4% advantage in this poll to control the House. Currently, Republicans have a 10% advantage which translates to a 50 congressman majority. But, yes, 10 months is an eternity in politics. Anything an happen.

My feeling is that the extreme right always over plays their hand, just like the extreme left, I’m thinking that the senate seats held by Rubio and Cruz are more vulnerable than you guys think.

@Dave, liking your own posts again? Do you think it bumps you up in TUSCL search, or people can't see it's you? Your penis really needs to tickle a woman's tonsils.

@25, Dems will need better than Demings and O'Rourke to take out Rubio and Cruz, especially in a Republican year.

They keep trying to talk themselves into liking Harris and Buttigieg, but no one believes them.

^ Cruz is exceedingly unpopular wait till they start reminding him about how he let Trump super dis his wife and his dad, they’re going to call him Cancun Ted and whip his ass with his own unforced errors, and don’t be so quick to dismiss Val Demmings, Rubio is under fire for his handling of the MSD High School shooting and his own multiple unforced errors including his unexplained role in the misappropriation of funds from his campaign to his personal spending, my guess is both of those guys are going to have their hands full this cycle.

Cruz was re-elected in 2018. I don’t think he will have his hands full. At least not until 2024.

You’re right about that I conflated two separate stories my mistake

Rubio is +7 in the latest polls (https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls…). Not to mention barring a huge black swan, it's a Republican year, that's who'll be motivated to come out.

As for Cruz, you can't beat something with nothing. Beto O'Rourke (aka Beta O'Dork) practically got laughed out of the 2020 field with his awkward attempts to be cool.

Dems better off looking at PA, WI, NC for pickups.

^ We’ll see wait till they start running attack ads then let’s see how well his +7 holds I’ve seen a preview it shows Rubio gulping water from his debate with Trump, and there’s some of his town hall with the shooting survivors of MSD high school he looks pretty weak.

^ Attack ads go both directions. The MSD kids are overexposed and obnoxious, not to mention it's been almost 4 years.

All that is known, and he's +7.

Demings was a vocal open borders supporter until she decided to run for the Senate. Now, she is all “ seal the borders !”. The political ads almost write themselves.

^ So was Rubio, BFD, they all are full of shit, and Rubio's support in the Cuban community among the younger generation first gen born here, has been dropping like a stone.

If you want to be depressed, Dave_anderson has what you're looking for.

A shit ton of lies about the world to make you think everyone's out to get you.

Too many people listen to these attention whores screaming they alone have the truth. That's why so many are depressed.

Sure, there are problems in the world. Food insecurity still exists in some areas, but obesity seems to be becoming a larger problem. People can't afford medical care, a lot of that medical care didn't exists at any price not so long ago.

Politics are divided. They've always been devided. I don't think they've ever been such a division from basic reality that some's these people are sticking too, but I remain hopeful that their followers are going to get bored with them and go back to watching the honey boo boo soon enough...

If the world seems too depressing - just enjoy the stripper photos section. There are some sexy photos to assist in distracting your mind.

Mark enjoys revisionist history and putting on a tinfoil hat to recount election results. He's a living negative stereotype of Arizona. Only ones dumber are those seriously engaging this moron who thinks having to ask for condiments is a communist conspiracy

^^ wow, project much? I guess that’s what you do when you sample too much of the product you sell to your strippers for GFE and pretend you’re a pimp wanna be gigalo.

It was slightly less depressing before an emo PUA-lite guy started asking vapid questions on a strip club website.

Icey is a product of a generation where everyone got a trophy and every teacher told them how smart they were. Then, they left school. Their boss wanted them to actually work. They made mistakes and were called out on it. They repeated the left wing drivel they learned in school and people thought they were nuts.

Then, Icey realized what was going on. Everyone else was an idiot. Everyone else was racist, or delusional, or an asshole. They were jealous of his special gifts. Because, the only other possible explanation was that he wasn’t very bright or special.

Icey decided his purpose in life was to go on a strip club forum and let everyone know how clever and special he was.

How’s that working out for you ? Is your career flourishing ? Do you have lots of supportive friends ? Do you wake up excited to get the day started?

Mark. You're on a strip club forum posting that asking for condiments is a communist conspiracy. That people stopped working coz 1 income is no different from 2 incomes. And that Trump really won the election.

Your tinfoil hat got hit by lightning?

I've been around for 6 decades now and one thing I have learned is... Every Fucking Day Is A Gift!
If you are clinically depressed, seek help. Otherwise, don't waste your youth feeling sorry for yourself. Find joy. Do all the things now that you won't be able to do once a middle aged body and middle age responsibilities weigh you down.

Here’s what I really said:

- setting government rules about how a burger joint can dispense its condiments is a sign of too much government interference

- many families have decided that the small incremental income from a second income isn’t worth the hassle

- there was plenty of funny business evident in the last election.

I stand by all this.

Now, back to the questions about whether you have a career or friends……

COVID hysteria and the masking, testing, and the needle jabs have made us neurotic.

SJG

Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild (Live at Farm Aid 1986)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_Z4cjUl…

I’m pretty happy in life. I guess the sense of entitlement of the younger generation disturbs me.

I graduated college with zero debt. And no help from the parents. I worked my ass off in a hot factory every summer to pay my own way. I didn’t tour Europe in the summer. And I didn’t go to grad school until I worked long enough to save up enough to pay my way. I never had one dime in student loans so it sickens me to see the young ones cry for debt forgiveness

Mark I stand by the fact that your tinfoil hat got struck by lightning.

An extra income is a boost to anyone

There was funny business during the election like the terrorist attack on the capitol

Fast food places have been having people ask for condiments for years.

Now go back to your q anon forum. You're a fucking retard to spam a strip club forum with this shit

^ You are the king of fucking retards you ignorant lying piece of shit. Fuck you cunt Icey.

How did millennial student loan complaining show up on this thread?

The “I worked part time to pay expenses so other people should too” is NOT equivalent.

Pick whichever visual is prettier:
https://www.intelligent.com/1970-v-2020-…
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-i…

Am I advocating for discharging student loans persay? No, because I’ve heard some pretty good arguments that people with high students loan balances tend to be concentrated in blue states and people with high medical debt tend to be from red states and there are political/ethical issues raised with favoring one or the other.

But am I going to mock people who like to use themselves as shining examples of somebody to look up to when it’s impossible to replicate their privileges? Yep.

*Especially* because it’s not like I’ve ever seen one thread on this site complaining about entitled small business owners getting their PPP loans mass forgiven.

Sorry Icey I didn't see 25's idiotic post before handing you your crown.

Thanks nicespice for those articles. My organization will solve all such problems

SJG

Claiming other people succeeded due to racial privilege is virulently racist and beyond ignorant. Wah, give me money, wah.

We can't all be as smart as a skibum now, can we, but most of us can be a lot more tolerant.
You are a jerk, but I'm sure you know that already.

It's dumb to just put more water in a leaky bucket. Taxpayers should only pay for post-high-school education that will help create more employed taxpayers. If you want to write your dissertation on a survey of nose flute symphonies, go for it, but pay for it all by yourself. I could have learned my trade in 2 years at the most, if I hadn't been forced to take a lot of irrelevant classes. We also have to fire all the parasites who are college "administrators".

Once we stop digging the hole deeper, then people under 40 deserve some college debt relief. Their guidance counselors shit on them more than a flock of pigeons, telling them college is always a great investment. But, they were adults, albeit young ones. Gotta take some responsibility for blindly taking bad advice.

The effects of climate change are undeniable and it's depressing. We've had about 1" of snow the entire winter and the suburbs SE of Boulder are on fire as I write this. At least 600 homes lost so far. Fire season in late December with 70 mph winds!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article…

I've never understood the whole climate change whining. The Earth has had climate change, with or without man around, for millions of years. The magnetic polls have flipped over time and there have been mass extinctions. That's just the Earth being the Earth. We are just a gnat on the ass of the Earth and not as significant as we think we are.

Skibum would you adopt me?

What kind of work do you do @Mike?

I vaguely remember posting an article from MIT Technology Review in one of your threads a year or two ago. It quoted the work from climate scientists at Berkeley, UCLA, Oxford, and pointed out the near unanimous agreement that climate change is making fires in the west more likely and more intense. I remember the thread disintegrated into mindless name-calling. So I won't try to argue with your cogent gnat-on-the-ass theory.

The fires today near Boulder destroyed the most homes in Colorado history. Almost the entire eastern half of CO is in severe drought. It's very depressing, although we will get a few inches of snow soon to put out the fires.

*most homes due to a fire, that is.

@mike not following your reasoning. Seems like saying that, since somebody could shot a gun at you, there's no reason to not shot a gun at yourself. With some effort, and some luck, civilization may be able to keep it's shit together for another 100 years. By then, we may well be immune from extinction. We could have nanotechnology that can protect us from any pandemic. We could all go live in space if we wanted or needed to.

Snow = Evidence of Man made Climate Change
Rain = Evidence of Man made Climate Change
Fire = Evidence of Man Made Climate Change
Drought = Evidence of Man Made Climate Change
Hot = Evidence of Man Made Climate Change
Cold = Evidence of Man Made Climate Change

Research showing Man causes climate change = Science
Research showing Man doesn’t cause climate change = Lunatics

Appropriate solution = Shut down the US and Europe
Inappropriate solution = Suggest China and India stop building hundreds of coal burning plants

mike said: "I've never understood the whole climate change whining."

Well, then you need to read more.

"The Earth has had climate change, with or without man around, for millions of years."

Natural climate change and man-made climate change aren't mutually exclusive. They can both happen at the same time, and interact/react with each other. Unfortunately, almost never in a beneficial way.

"We are just a gnat on the ass of the Earth and not as significant as we think we are."

Uh huh. Sure. Because there are several other industrialized mammal species on Earth that has a population of 7.9 billion and has the capability of large scale manufacturing and daily activities that pumps massive amounts of particulates and chemicals into the atmosphere....

And we know for a scientific fact that our industry can directly affect the Earth's environment negatively because CFC output via industry caused massive ozone depletion in the 1970s and 1980s, bringing about the world ban on CFC production in 1989. And that ban has resulted in a steady and measurable recovery of the atmospheric ozone layer (and gradual closing of the holes in the ozone) since then, with predictions that atmospheric ozone will return to pre-1980s levels by roughly 2075.

So, there's a real-world example of us directly causing damage to the whole-Earth climate and *not* being a "gnat on the ass of the Earth". It's also an example of us being smart enough to proactively address the problem. Sadly, I'm not sure we'll ever see that happen again.

A little perspective:

Global average temperature from 19,000 to 23,000 years ago was about 46 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s about 11 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius) colder than the global average temperature of the 20th century, per a University of Michigan study. These kind of swings have likely existed for millions of years as a result of solar activity and volcanic emissions.

The most severe climate change studies I’ve read about predict that industrial activity will raise the average temperature by one degree over the next 100 years.

Well I am 64, have and had a great life. When I look at the world today I want to soak Green wood in dirty oil and burn it daily. Fuck the future. You're a cunt 25. Have another miserable year you filthy New York cunt. Burn in hell icey.

^ An insult from a miserable person is like a compliment, my year will be great, sorry you’re such an unhappy twat.

Skibum adopt me lulz

Wah 25 wah. I reflect those with whom I am interacting.

^ Sorry that your life sucks, you’re always overcompensating , try something different.

Yeah, I wish I could retire from 7/11 and tell people I used to own a company. What was the name of the company? Non-existent? Sounds applicable. The answer for the OP is simply this: Every study ever conducted on the subject shows that Conservatives are far happier than liberals. As America becomes more liberal, it is more sad, stupid, and useless. That is depressing. Blame Democrats. Americans are still happy; Democrats are miserable. Just wait until November lol.

^
You must be super duper uber liberal then Mr. Skibum. Because you are pissed about everything!

"No, I don’t feel like returning to the time period women weren’t allowed their own line of credit without a husband authorization. (I think it was 1973 that changed?)"

This isn't exactly true. I think this story from Smithsonian more accurately describes the situation:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-new…

The strip club scene can be pretty depressing if you are around it long enough due to its schizophrenic nature. That’s why yiu have to visit sparingly in order to enjoy it, for me personally. As I write this, I have to appreciate those who work in it even more gratitude, because just like police officers; I wouldn’t want their job.

I'd live to see the US before humans came. Or maybe chill with the Anasazi and clovis man lulz