Why Are Some People So Childish?

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Why Are Some People So Childish?
Topic Started: Jul 3 2008, 04:33 PM (638 Views)
New Harumf	Jul 4 2008, 08:21 AM Post #26
Bloodthirsty Unicorn Posts: 9,638 Group: Forum Mods Member #177 Joined: October 8, 2005	Well, I need to chime in here. Nag, sometimes it is better to keep your opinion to yourself, particularly when it is hurtful or insulting. If you've taken the time to go to Scy's web site you might learn a little about the guy, and understand where his general dislike of people comes from . . . it is NOT from a lack of trying to be a good guy and likeable, so I do think you are speaking a bit out of your hat. I, at first, disliked Scy because of his support for my sworn enemy, Sistan, but after a while I learned to appreciate him for who he is, and would have no problem working with him. Would I hang with him, I don't know, but I certainly think most of you'alls impressions of him are inaccurate. As for work . . . I was out of work for 8 months, and couldn't even get a job at the local Office Depot, so I know things are pretty bad out there in the job market. I have suggested he check out some of the secret shopper sites, where he can get paid for just going into a store or resturaunt and writing about his experiences, but he has no wheels, so that kinda kills that. I personally do not think Scy's problem is his attitude when he interviews - I think many employers use such arbitrary factors as physical beauty and looks when making decisions - I know that kept me from jobs in the past, and it certainly isn't helping him - if he was a sexy blonde, or some "Tod" Ken doll clone he'd probably have no problem. You just can't prove that. Right now, I suspect his biggest problem is lack of wheels (they don't have good public transportation in Tacoma) and the fact that he's been unemployed too long - the longer you go, the harder it is. Paradise's advise isn't bad. Nag, you are no help. E? Please keep your love for weed to yourself, we do NOT need to spread your addictive ways throughout the youth of the forum. Try to control yourself. Just my thoughts.



Nag Ehgoeg	Jul 4 2008, 05:20 PM Post #27
The Devil's Advocate Posts: 7,238 Group: Admin Member #7 Joined: December 26, 2003	Esternarx Jul 4 2008, 01:52 AM Here you go, Scy, take two and call me in the morning. Posted Image Long term side effects may include depression, fatness, stupidity, apathy, and harassment by authority figures. Don't forget cancer. **** Scy, my input was simply my opinion based on the facts available to me. I accept that people act differently on the internet and I don't think I really "know" you. If you disagree then you disagree - you're well within your rights to think me wrong and ignore everything I say. 'Course... that's my opinion of you. Think it misguided all you want, doesn't change how I feel about you. :D I'd say "well, if you come across this way to me, do you think you might come across this way to others - is it even a possibility?" or "if you are such a gentleman, then how come your gaming group would rather play with this Eric asshole - who is clearly an asshole - when they could play with you?" but I don't think I'd get a productive answer - so feel free to ignore those statements. I am however interested in how come you've got great references but can't just go back to work for your previous employers? If you want to reply to this, I'll let you have the last word if you want it - or I'm happy to discuss this with you further. **** NH, I considered for a long time what my mother always taught me "if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all" before posting. Sometimes people just want to rant to get things off their chest. That's what blogs are for. When someone posts something on a forum they want input and discussion. Granted, no-one wants to be insulted. Nor does anyone sensible take advice from the internet without vetting it with their own common sense first. And (more often than not) people get input they don't want. But forums are for input. I provided mine in a way that was clearly personal opinion, re-affirming of a general appreciation of Scy and offering a productive solution to his presented problem. If you don't want to read Bad Things(tm) get off the internet - or at least get back to MySpace. If nothing else, Scy's providing of more information as a result of my post can be considered productive in terms of the discussion here. Furthermore, NH, if you applied for all jobs - even part time minimum wage ones - and actively made it your job to look for a job in those eight months, you would have found work. I can't speak for the US job market but I know you didn't start looking for work as soon as you quit your old job, I'm confident that you didn't spend eight hours a day/five days a week looking for work, and I'm almost certain you didn't apply for every minimum wage vacancy and paper round that was going. In the UK, trying an hour a week to get a job will see you unemployed for a good long time. Six hours a day at the job centre, five days a week will get you work in a fortnight. Job hunting is hard when you don't have transport. Harder when you don't have a localised centre listing vacancies and almost impossible if you don't have transport, a job centre or the internet. I respect that Scy cannot simply drive where he needs to go, that he has other commitments and you Colonalists might not even have Job Centres. I'm pretty sure Scy is working his ass off to get a jorb. I just refuse to believe that the US is some kind of third world wasteland when it comes to joerb hunting. ** Ukabanea Jul 3 2008, 08:46 PM perhaps...can nag be wrong??? :o This is the mark of the newbie. Silly newbie. Nag broke his own rules for putting nations on the map. Nag made a forum that was deliberately bad to encourage Paradise to make a better one. Nag appointed a general mod that went rampant and deleted every post on the forum. Nag has caused more than one good player to quit. Nag is frequently wrong, and I often admit that I'm stupid. Paradise is our infailable leader. I'm the maverick. The Devil's Advocate. The Lord of Change and Motivator for Progress. If it ain't broke, I'll break it. If it's broke, I'll fix it. And yes, I do the forum admin stuff that needs to be done. But I make many mistakes and can be wrong. Paradise is the responsible one. Edited by Nag Ehgoeg**, Jul 4 2008, 05:31 PM.



New Harumf	Jul 4 2008, 05:31 PM Post #28
Bloodthirsty Unicorn Posts: 9,638 Group: Forum Mods Member #177 Joined: October 8, 2005	Nag, I will not give a disertation on my job-hunting efforts, nor the nature of looking for a job in the states. I really don't care what you may or may not suspect about it. I was only trying to state that it isn't as easy for everyone as it might be for others. Even entry level positions generally require more than a 12th grade education, and not having some college can make getting even a burger flipping position difficult, and the longer you are unemployed the harder it is to get a job. Employers consider those gaps in employment a real negative - what were you doing? Are you shiftless and untrustworthy? Were you in jail? A mental hospital? On drugs? Even credit companies want to know why there are these gaps. Granted, Scy really did post this thread, ergo we can assume he wanted input, so I may have been out of line posting what I said about your comments. Sorry.



Nag Ehgoeg	Jul 4 2008, 05:42 PM Post #29
The Devil's Advocate Posts: 7,238 Group: Admin Member #7 Joined: December 26, 2003	New Harumf Jul 4 2008, 05:31 PM Nag, I will not give a disertation on my job-hunting efforts, nor the nature of looking for a job in the states. I really don't care what you may or may not suspect about it. I was only trying to state that it isn't as easy for everyone as it might be for others. Even entry level positions generally require more than a 12th grade education, and not having some college can make getting even a burger flipping position difficult, and the longer you are unemployed the harder it is to get a job. Employers consider those gaps in employment a real negative - what were you doing? Are you shiftless and untrustworthy? Were you in jail? A mental hospital? On drugs? Even credit companies want to know why there are these gaps. Granted, Scy really did post this thread, ergo we can assume he wanted input, so I may have been out of line posting what I said about your comments. Sorry. I wouldn't have made my post in such a controversial way if I didn't expect controversy. What's good for the goose is good for the gander is what I always say. No need to apologise for your response to my post, I thought it was productive. And yes, a wide range of factors (not least of all age) will reduce your job hunting chances. But if the job situation is as bad as you guys are making it out to be... come to Europe. We desperately need more unskilled labour - just about every city and large town in the UK is hiring street cleaners in an attempt to "clean up". If I want a job cooking burgers, all I need do is walk down to the end of my road and hand in my CV - I'll get an interview the next day where they'll tell me I can start work immediately. The pay is bad, the hours suck, I'll get spotty and smell... but it's a job. If I want something better, I work for it (or get friends to hook me up). That you can't do that in the States is... inconceivable. Good jobs might be as rare as hen's teeth... but McJoerbs hard to come by? Really? I'll accept your word for it if you really want to insist... but it's hard to believe that I can walk into a job without trying and you guys can't find work with months of earnest effort. Edited by Nag Ehgoeg, Jul 4 2008, 05:43 PM.



New Harumf	Jul 4 2008, 05:52 PM Post #30
Bloodthirsty Unicorn Posts: 9,638 Group: Forum Mods Member #177 Joined: October 8, 2005	Nag Ehgoeg Jul 4 2008, 05:42 PM New Harumf Jul 4 2008, 05:31 PM Nag, I will not give a disertation on my job-hunting efforts, nor the nature of looking for a job in the states. I really don't care what you may or may not suspect about it. I was only trying to state that it isn't as easy for everyone as it might be for others. Even entry level positions generally require more than a 12th grade education, and not having some college can make getting even a burger flipping position difficult, and the longer you are unemployed the harder it is to get a job. Employers consider those gaps in employment a real negative - what were you doing? Are you shiftless and untrustworthy? Were you in jail? A mental hospital? On drugs? Even credit companies want to know why there are these gaps. Granted, Scy really did post this thread, ergo we can assume he wanted input, so I may have been out of line posting what I said about your comments. Sorry. I wouldn't have made my post in such a controversial way if I didn't expect controversy. What's good for the goose is good for the gander is what I always say. No need to apologise for your response to my post, I thought it was productive. And yes, a wide range of factors (not least of all age) will reduce your job hunting chances. But if the job situation is as bad as you guys are making it out to be... come to Europe. We desperately need more unskilled labour - just about every city and large town in the UK is hiring street cleaners in an attempt to "clean up". If I want a job cooking burgers, all I need do is walk down to the end of my road and hand in my CV - I'll get an interview the next day where they'll tell me I can start work immediately. The pay is bad, the hours suck, I'll get spotty and smell... but it's a job. If I want something better, I work for it (or get friends to hook me up). That you can't do that in the States is... inconceivable. Good jobs might be as rare as hen's teeth... but McJoerbs hard to come by? Really? I'll accept your word for it if you really want to insist... but it's hard to believe that I can walk into a job without trying and you guys can't find work with months of earnest effort. Well, there are some jobs I won't do . . . like flipping burgers or cooking. Manual labor is OK, but it has to be CLEAN! I am gay, for God's sake!



Paradise	Jul 4 2008, 06:10 PM Post #31
Resident bureaucrat Posts: 2,268 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: December 23, 2003	Nag Ehgoeg Jul 4 2008, 05:20 PM Furthermore, NH, if you applied for all jobs - even part time minimum wage ones - and actively made it your job to look for a job in those eight months, you would have found work. I can't speak for the US job market but I know you didn't start looking for work as soon as you quit your old job, I'm confident that you didn't spend eight hours a day/five days a week looking for work, and I'm almost certain you didn't apply for every minimum wage vacancy and paper round that was going. In the UK, trying an hour a week to get a job will see you unemployed for a good long time. Six hours a day at the job centre, five days a week will get you work in a fortnight. Job hunting is hard when you don't have transport. Harder when you don't have a localised centre listing vacancies and almost impossible if you don't have transport, a job centre or the internet. I respect that Scy cannot simply drive where he needs to go, that he has other commitments and you Colonalists might not even have Job Centres. I'm pretty sure Scy is working his ass off to get a jorb. I just refuse to believe that the US is some kind of third world wasteland when it comes to joerb hunting. Finding a minimum wage job is VERY easy, but who really wants to work at minimum wage? :lol: I've been on "graduate unemployment" for about four months (January to April), that is I couldn't find a job primarily for two reasons: 1) because my qualifications (a Master's degree in economics) did not match with those required in the local job market (i.e. my small hometown); and 2) because the few jobs available for my qualifications also required ridiculous amount of related work experience (10 years minimum for most jobs), which is next to impossible to have for a 25 years old. So basically, I decided to join a financial cabinet as a counsellor in financial security (autonomous worker). Right now, I'm still studying to get the proper permits (can't work without them) and when I'll be finished, my cabinet will provide "practical" courses so that I know where to start. Then, I will be (mostly) on my own.



Nag Ehgoeg	Jul 4 2008, 06:27 PM Post #32
The Devil's Advocate Posts: 7,238 Group: Admin Member #7 Joined: December 26, 2003	Paradise Jul 4 2008, 06:10 PM Finding a minimum wage job is VERY easy, but who really wants to work at minimum wage? :lol: Someone who needs the money. :rolleyes: No-one wants to do minimum wage jobs - thank GOD - and so when you need money, you can walk right into them. A minimum wage job is work experience. More often than not it's customer service. My stints in the employ of Burger King helped put me in University and have qualified me to work in my local pub and real resturants. Long periods of unemployment are bad. Taking a minimum wage job while looking for something better shows you can hold down a job and have a work ethic. It also gives you money. NH... I don't know how jokey you were being in that last post. But if you want a job then the best way to get one is to get the one other people don't want. If you refuse to do this, you're deliberately making things difficult for yourself (which might be - like in Paradise's case - for the best) and you have no right to complain about how hard it is to get a job. Now Scy doesn't strike me as being too proud to flip burgers. I gather that he worked in a 'King and walked out over some kind of policy issue (in fact, I think I remember him making a thread about that a while back). Maybe for Scy it is really hard to even get a McJob.



Comrade Queen	Jul 4 2008, 08:41 PM Post #33
Comrade Bitchqueen Posts: 4,159 Group: Forum Mods Member #83 Joined: October 4, 2004	Nag Ehgoeg Jul 4 2008, 05:20 PM Scy, my input was simply my opinion based on the facts available to me. I accept that people act differently on the internet and I don't think I really "know" you. If you disagree then you disagree - you're well within your rights to think me wrong and ignore everything I say. 'Course... that's my opinion of you. Think it misguided all you want, doesn't change how I feel about you. :D I'd say "well, if you come across this way to me, do you think you might come across this way to others - is it even a possibility?" or "if you are such a gentleman, then how come your gaming group would rather play with this Eric asshole - who is clearly an asshole - when they could play with you?" but I don't think I'd get a productive answer - so feel free to ignore those statements. I am however interested in how come you've got great references but can't just go back to work for your previous employers? If you want to reply to this, I'll let you have the last word if you want it - or I'm happy to discuss this with you further. I don't expect anyone here to behave the way they do here in person. Even you! Also note it wasn't a "they" decision, but a GM decision. For why he chose Eric over me, I'll never know for certain, but I suspect that it was because a little over half his Star Wars storyline REVOLVES around Eric's character. Hell, the mission we were on before I got the boot involved looking for aid to help us recover a coin that Eric's character lost in the beginning of the game that apparently held the key to help us destroy his rivals. When I look back on it, I'm beginning to think the rest of us were supporting cast. Never thee matter, I've recently received an offer to be part of someone else's game that thankfully has nothing and no one to do with the last. I'm going to take this new person up on his offer. As for getting jobs in the U.S. .... HAVE YOU SEEN OUR ECONOMY LATELY? I'm hearing every day on the news about store closures and layoffs that I'm getting more and more worried each day whether or not I can compete with these newly unemployed people. Also, I officially love E and NH.



Paradise	Jul 5 2008, 12:24 AM Post #34
Resident bureaucrat Posts: 2,268 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: December 23, 2003	Scythirus Jul 4 2008, 08:41 PM As for getting jobs in the U.S. .... HAVE YOU SEEN OUR ECONOMY LATELY? I'm hearing every day on the news about store closures and layoffs that I'm getting more and more worried each day whether or not I can compete with these newly unemployed people. The economy is so bad that you can't get a minimum wage job? :huh:



Comrade Queen	Jul 5 2008, 12:47 AM Post #35
Comrade Bitchqueen Posts: 4,159 Group: Forum Mods Member #83 Joined: October 4, 2004	Apparently. :( The God that doesn't exist knows I've tried.



Paradise	Jul 5 2008, 01:02 AM Post #36
Resident bureaucrat Posts: 2,268 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: December 23, 2003	Where do you live exactly? I know it's pretty bad in the Great Lakes States (including Michigan), so I kind of understand what NH is talking about.



Comrade Queen	Jul 5 2008, 01:22 AM Post #37
Comrade Bitchqueen Posts: 4,159 Group: Forum Mods Member #83 Joined: October 4, 2004	Tacoma, Washington.



The CNNP	Jul 5 2008, 08:40 AM Post #38
Enforcer Posts: 1,857 Group: Members Member #198 Joined: November 10, 2005	Quote: I don't expect anyone here to behave the way they do here in person. The way I behave OOC is what you truly can expect me to act in RL if you ever met me. I am very humble, joking, and down to earth. I don't put on any shows for anybody, be it here or for the people I associate with. In short, I can be a loving friend, lend a helping hand, or leave your body stinking in a Kroger garbage can!



New Harumf	Jul 5 2008, 09:08 AM Post #39
Bloodthirsty Unicorn Posts: 9,638 Group: Forum Mods Member #177 Joined: October 8, 2005	Paradise, things are bad in all but a few markets, and even those are getting very very competitive. So many people have been layed off from jobs that for every opening there are hundreds of applicants, and if you don't have a very special skill you can be out of work for a long time. Even those minimum wage jobs are very hard to get, because employers would frequently rather hire illegal workers who require no benefits, won't threaten strikes, and can be paid under the table. When it comes to jobs offering benefits (remember, no national health care here, we like jobs that offer it) the competition is fierce. Neither I nor Scy were behaving like unemployed auto workers here in Detroit, I am sure, that want to make $45.00 per hour tightening bolts on fenders and have full union benefits, and won't settle for anything else. I was prepared to make $10.00 an hour, as I am sure Scy would have been, but no one was hiring, or when positions opened they were filled by management's "friends"! It's pretty scary here now - the dollar is worth shit, gas is sky high, every business is cutting back, and congress is doing absolutely nothing to help. Plus the housing market is crap - My house was worth $280,000 when I put it on the market. It has not sold, and I've reduced the price to $210,000, and even at that I can't find a buyer. It is costing me $1,500 in mortgage, taxes, etc. a month and I am quickly running out of money. If it doesn't sell in 3 or 4 more months I will have to go into foreclosure and lose it. I have dumped $40,000 in money I had saved for retirement into it, so so far I have lost $110,000 in equity and savings. That's how bad our economy is, and all congress is going to do is bail out the lending companies that are losing money. They are doing nothing for the millions losing their homes. On top of that, what little I have left for retirement has lost 40% due to the stock market crashing to new lows! Basically, things suck.



Nag Ehgoeg	Jul 5 2008, 09:20 AM Post #40
The Devil's Advocate Posts: 7,238 Group: Admin Member #7 Joined: December 26, 2003	Gas is sky high? We're campaigning to get petrol prices DOWN to $7 a gallon. Quit ye bitchin'.



Tristan da Cunha	Jul 5 2008, 10:50 AM Post #41
Science and Industry Posts: 6,792 Group: Veterans Member #86 Joined: November 1, 2004	It's frightening how weak the economy is, and how grim the future is. After the collapse of the central government, the US dollar will no longer be honored. While the dollar is still worth something, it's important to convert dollars into items such as water jugs, non-perishable food, concrete barricades, guns, bullets, electricity generators, kerosene, solar panels, and other survival necessities. If we don't spend the dollars now we'll have all these worthless dollars on our hands that might as well be burned in a fire to provide warmth over winter. I would even advise against buying gold as a "hedge against inflation" because gold will have no practical value, and no currency value for a long time, in the post-collapse future which will really be another Stone Age. Everything will be predicated upon the need for basic survival after the collapse of civilization. In the US, Northernors may have to migrate to the warmer South because it will be extremely difficult to survive the harsh continental winter without the pre-industrial survival knowledge our forefathers took for granted. That's how bad the economy is.



Paradise	Jul 5 2008, 10:55 AM Post #42
Resident bureaucrat Posts: 2,268 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: December 23, 2003	NH, the Republicans won't do anything. The economy will have to go back on its feet by itself. What did you expect from conservatives like them? I find it strange that the US economy is so bad while in Canada it is relatively good. We're neighbours, our economies should be closely tied. Even in my small hometown, there are plenty of jobs available for someone who wishes to work at minimum wage. The only major problem with the economy here may be discrimination. Baby-boomers still occupy the most well-paid jobs and they won't hire anyone in a younger generation (especially generation Y), probably because they don't want to pay for their training. Even the government itself is discriminating specifically against Quebec-born young caucasian males in their search for more minorities, more women and more experienced workers. They call that "positive" discrimination :dry:



New Harumf	Jul 5 2008, 12:12 PM Post #43
Bloodthirsty Unicorn Posts: 9,638 Group: Forum Mods Member #177 Joined: October 8, 2005	Paradise Jul 5 2008, 10:55 AM NH, the Republicans won't do anything. The economy will have to go back on its feet by itself. What did you expect from conservatives like them? I find it strange that the US economy is so bad while in Canada it is relatively good. We're neighbours, our economies should be closely tied. Even in my small hometown, there are plenty of jobs available for someone who wishes to work at minimum wage. The only major problem with the economy here may be discrimination. Baby-boomers still occupy the most well-paid jobs and they won't hire anyone in a younger generation (especially generation Y), probably because they don't want to pay for their training. Even the government itself is discriminating specifically against Quebec-born young caucasian males in their search for more minorities, more women and more experienced workers. They call that "positive" discrimination :dry: Yeah, I call that reverse discrimination, and we have LOTS of that too! Oh, and only generation Y types are getting hired, because they are considered more reliable, cheaper and less flakey then us baby boomers. As for training? It's sink or swim here. Our interest rates on savings are like 0.45% annually. Look at yours and tell me what is causing the problem. Also, for the first time in my memory the Can$ is worth more than the US$! TC, I wish I had bought gold three years ago at $208 an ounce!!!! Nag, you have public transportation, 4/5ths of the US does not, so $4.00 a gallon kills us. Also, you can fit GB in the state of Illinois, I mean, if you had to, you could travel coast to coast by bicycle in a day, for God's sake, so don't give me that "quit yer bitchin!" Oh, and Paradise, I didn't say the Republicans would do anything - I blame all of congress, both sides of the isle. Also, the next president will be powerless because ONLY congress can do anything. Edited by New Harumf, Jul 5 2008, 12:18 PM.



Nag Ehgoeg	Jul 5 2008, 01:06 PM Post #44
The Devil's Advocate Posts: 7,238 Group: Admin Member #7 Joined: December 26, 2003	Public transportation? Don't make me laugh. For a start, "public transportation" is run by private companies. Secondly for me to drive into town it costs �0.80 about. By bus (and buses run one an hour) it costs �3.20.



Tristan da Cunha	Jul 5 2008, 01:11 PM Post #45
Science and Industry Posts: 6,792 Group: Veterans Member #86 Joined: November 1, 2004	New Harumf Jul 5 2008, 12:12 PM TC, I wish I had bought gold three years ago at $208 an ounce!!!! Gold was an excellent investment three years ago but no longer. Load up on guns and ammo and kerosene burners. Gold bars won't help us survive the bears, the packs of coyotes, and the long winter!



New Harumf	Jul 5 2008, 02:47 PM Post #46
Bloodthirsty Unicorn Posts: 9,638 Group: Forum Mods Member #177 Joined: October 8, 2005	Nag Ehgoeg Jul 5 2008, 01:06 PM Public transportation? Don't make me laugh. For a start, "public transportation" is run by private companies. Secondly for me to drive into town it costs �0.80 about. By bus (and buses run one an hour) it costs �3.20. You miss my point. You can get from London to Manchester by public transportation - try going from Louisville to Indianapolis. Ya gotta have a car. Our interstate system is the lifeblood of the country. Now, try going from Santa Rosa, New Mexico to El Paso, Texas to see a doctor without a car! LOL, may as well start walking, but then the cayotes or snakes will kill ya. You have no idea of the vastness of America - the amount of empty space between places. Even Paradise will admit, in Canada, outside of a few corridors hugging the St. Lawrence or Lake Ontario, you gotta have a car to get from place to place. And our trucks don't drive hundreds of miles to make deliveries, they drive thousands of miles!



East Anarx	Jul 5 2008, 03:13 PM Post #47
Anarchitect Posts: 4,788 Group: Multi Member #210 Joined: January 16, 2006	Scythirus Jul 4 2008, 08:41 PM Also, I officially love E and NH. Awwww :shy: :love: I love you too, Scy. EDIT: In fact, because I'll probably never get another chance, sigged. Edited by East Anarx, Jul 5 2008, 03:15 PM.



Paradise	Jul 5 2008, 03:27 PM Post #48
Resident bureaucrat Posts: 2,268 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: December 23, 2003	New Harumf Jul 5 2008, 12:12 PM Our interest rates on savings are like 0.45% annually. Look at yours and tell me what is causing the problem. Also, for the first time in my memory the Can$ is worth more than the US$! My ING savings account rate is at 3% actually. The key interest rate is 3% also. As for the exchange rate, it is pretty much a parity with the US.



Tristan da Cunha	Jul 5 2008, 04:31 PM Post #49
Science and Industry Posts: 6,792 Group: Veterans Member #86 Joined: November 1, 2004	New Harumf Jul 5 2008, 02:47 PM Nag Ehgoeg Jul 5 2008, 01:06 PM Public transportation? Don't make me laugh. For a start, "public transportation" is run by private companies. Secondly for me to drive into town it costs �0.80 about. By bus (and buses run one an hour) it costs �3.20. You miss my point. You can get from London to Manchester by public transportation - try going from Louisville to Indianapolis. Ya gotta have a car. Our interstate system is the lifeblood of the country. Now, try going from Santa Rosa, New Mexico to El Paso, Texas to see a doctor without a car! LOL, may as well start walking, but then the cayotes or snakes will kill ya. You have no idea of the vastness of America - the amount of empty space between places. Even Paradise will admit, in Canada, outside of a few corridors hugging the St. Lawrence or Lake Ontario, you gotta have a car to get from place to place. And our trucks don't drive hundreds of miles to make deliveries, they drive thousands of miles! Why must those trucks have to make those shipments in the first place? The interstate highway system is one of the great travesties of the last century. It has encouraged the rise of our horridly inefficient, unsustainable, automobile-based society. Gas prices are up because supply is down. Supply is down because we've used up all the black stuff, and getting more will demand new, expensive extraction technologies. Thus prices will not come down any time soon, even if we drill every natural wildlife preserve in the country (and I do wholeheartedly support drilling these "wildlife preserves"). The problem with the gasoline-based automobile-based American society is precisely that - we are overdependent on cars. We think our birthright is to drive from Louisville to Indianapolis every weekend. We think travelling long distances is a symbol of our "freedom." Actually it is a symbol of our shortsightedness and a symbol of the very finite supply of petroleum. Buy local, eat local, use local. Don't buy anything that had to be driven to the supermarket via an interstate highway. I don't want blueberries trucked in from California 2,000 miles away! I don't want lobster trucked in from Maine 1,000 miles away! I'm perfectly fine with Johnny Appleseed apples and catfish from the Ohio River. Gas problems will all be solved if people finally come to accept the fact that we shouldn't drive so much, and we shouldn't truck so much. That guy is in Santa Rosa, NM and his doc is in El Paso? Then he's gotta move to El Paso. But his job's in Santa Rosa? Well not any more, because he just lost his job in this shitty economy. So he'll have to move to El Paso anyways, and hope he can find a job there in the future. High oil prices will bring about a fundamental reform and correction of the American economy into one less dependent on oil, less dependent on cars, and less dependent on trucks. Sure we will drive less, consume less Hawaiian pineapples and Florida sugar cane and Alaska salmon that take so much money and gas to ship into the Midwest, but finally we will be able to sit back and survey our surroundings and learn to enjoy what we have in our own states and localities. What we're going to see is less people living in farflung suburbs, and more people fleeing suburbs and moving closer to their workplaces - moving back into the cities and into the farms (the two areas in a society where economic productivity actually takes place). The monstrous, non-productive, city-farm chimaera known as the suburb is going to be abandoned in this Age of High Gas Prices. The process may be traumatic but it's long overdue and is the only thing that can save us in the long run. Instead of commuting to work from single-family houses outside the outerbelt, people now want to live near their workplaces so they can ride bicycle/moped, or walk to work. This process of demographic shift will be similar to white flight, except in reverse. Some even say the inner city black people and lower class city dwellers will be pushed out of the cities by the affluent people fleeing the suburbs. Whatever the result, we in the year 2008 are currently eyewitnessing the slow-motion collapse and destruction of the Eisenhower-esque American way of life, and the birth of a new American way of life more similar to the compact-city model of Europe. Or even better, we are going to shift to the OLD American way of life, before the monster known as the interstate highway system was built. Edited by Tristan da Cunha, Jul 5 2008, 04:34 PM.



Union	Jul 5 2008, 06:43 PM Post #50
Pyrenees Republic Posts: 3,219 Group: Forum Mods Member #307 Joined: December 27, 2006	You're living in the wrong country for that. The USA is too fucking big. Anything bigger than France or Britain pretty much necessitates widespread vehicle use.

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