wildernesse

You're probably right about it being an emotional outburst--however, many conservatives and people in power prefer to see that as how liberals actually view the world at all times, and so I think that it is in left-leaning people's best interest to keep those outbursts under control. MHO.

Yes, I know that other people's experience is much different than my own. I do realize that I take many things for granted--and do not realize that what is day to day for me (as a young woman, I don't feel that I need to constantly prove myself--as I know that my mother did) was a struggle for people in the past. And yet, my "blind" acceptance of easy life is most likely what people in the past wished for.

BTW, I have only lived in metroAtlanta for 6 months of my entire life. I lived in a rural community for most of my life, in west central Ga, and now in Athens.



And yet here in Georgia, especially in the school system that I (and my parents) grew up in, and that my mother now runs, the education system is much improved--and continues to improve. Each area is different, though.

[snip]

What am I doing? Well, I am an active (and paid up) member of several organizations that help keep me informed of issues locally and nationally about civil rights/liberties, the environment, women's rights, and human rights overall. I inform my representatives of my views often. I vote and am well-read about issues affecting my community, both locally and nationally. This fall I will enter a master's program in public administration, where I hope to study public policy. Eventually I would like to develop and evaluate public policy regarding housing and human services. I'm also interested in learning about the responsibilities a democratic system has (if any) in battling apathy among its citizens and encouraging participation.

--tibac

brighid

Wildernesse -

Kudos! If more people were as actively involved in their local, state and federal communities/government I think we would have far fewer problems. It is usually those who are harmed by those who are in power that do not vote. This is truly unfortunate! Keep up the good work

Brighid

wildernesse

What exactly does this comment mean? No.

Maybe you should read more carefully. Here is what I said

So no one actually said what you are quoting, and my parents do not generally apply the standard quoted to things like disasters, sickness, etc.--usually to things where the people have opportunities to change their lives, but for whatever reason do not and simply "wish" away their problems without acting.


As a Christian, I feel that you are making a mistake when you label the current administration as Christian--as if all Christians support it and are not working to oppose it and defeat it in the upcoming election.

I agree, that many people do not fit into corporations--in fact, I find that my most mind-numbing and depressing work has been within large corporations.

That's a nice goal, how do you plan to go about it?

--tibac

Born Free

Please elaborate, I've always fancied Mexico for at least a holiday, I'd love to know what it's like to live there too. If you don't mind that is

Smilin

quote:
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My goal is to defeat these Neo Cons and their Project for a New American Century before the "posse" suspends the constitution ... having all their middle class subjugated and the poor and military brain washed ...
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They're Pinky and the Brain, Pinky and the Brain..

One is a genius, the other's totally insane...

What are we gonna do tonight Brain?
Tonight, Pinky, WE TAKE OVER THE WORLD...

4th Generation Atheist

wildernesse,

Here's the issue those of us in our thirties are complaining about that you might not see (if I'm wrong about that part, I apologize in advance).

Many of us spent our earliest youth during the sixties and seventies, when there was, as you well know, a huge wind of change blowing through this country. Women and Blacks and later gays were standing up for their rights....what you did sexually became, for a time, your own damn business....and while there was this nasty war in Vietnam, we didn't see that part (ask some of the others on this board). Once that war was over, there was a time when the "pendulum" swung into a trend toward more liberal government. Many of us concluded, with some reason, that progress was the norm and that things would continue to get better, even though of course they were far from perfect at that time.

The Ronnie Ray-gun got elected and "liberal" became a bad word. The economy tanked---whether or not you connect that with Ronnie isn't especially germane here, my view on it if you're curious is "somewhat"---and we got to come of age in a time when jobs were scarce and all that yadda yadda. It wasn't easy or fun, but we survived, and a little later it looked like things were on the mend again, that progress really was the norm and the "Ray-gun" years were a sort of governmental psychotic fugue. There were still nasty conservatives in gov't (many, like Strom Thurmond, were the same damn ones) but they were balanced off by liberals and moderates. It looked like the Xn right had made a bid for power but had been ousted.

The Bush thing wakes everyone up again, especially where the hypocrisy of those in office is obvious. (What happened to all those big block grants the states were supposed to get? Remember those?) His conservatives are far worse than the Reagan ones, who weren't all that bad in some areas from a libertarian perspective. Bush's guys seem intent on destroying the individual's right to manage the most intimate details of his (or, actually especially, her) life in areas such as sexuality, religion and politics; they seem intent also on destroying one's privacy so they can catch "dissidents". And their economic policies are so extreme that yes, they seem intent on destroying the productive middle class. Of course these last things you are quite aware of; the thing that is upsetting the rest of us, which might be less obvious, is the comparison to past trends. We have gone from slow but present progress---closest thing to a "God" we secularists share---to a headlong descent into the Dark Ages. The Bushies' blatant use of 9/11 to advance their moral/political crusades, to call things by their right names, doesn't help.

I'll take this opportunity to point out that it's great to see a 23-year-old taking part in civic life as enthusiastically as you do. This is especially good to see when it's obvious that you are on my side of the culture war.

And yes, everyone, for clarity's sake, "I hate this fucking country" expresses an emotional sentiment, not a logical analysis, as evidenced by the word "hate", which is not typically present in logic-based discourse (though the emotion is question is more like fury and frustration). Um, do I really have to explain this?

Zora

Darwin26,

You know, I've thought the same thing about Mom getting a job.
She's 90, has had by-pass surgery, a hip replacement, and has bad knees. (She needs another hip replacement, and both knees replaced, but the osteoarthritis in her spine is a problem, as is her osteoporosis.) Do you think prostitution is the solution??? She could do it lying down. And, I hear a lot of guys like older women!

Darwin26

LOL Zora,.... just don't let them mingle with the other geriatrics... then when they're done with chores blame them for something ... This is the time to get even ...
.....but in reality ...i'm off to paint the bathrooms at moms tomorrow and next day....i'll let mom help by letting her stand on the chair and roll the ceiling

Godless Dave

What 4th Generation Atheist said.

When I was growing up, the section of society I was in took it as a given that women should have equal rights; that reliable contraception was liberating humanity from the restrictive sexual mores of the 1950s, and this was a good thing; that African Americans and American Indians had gotten an extremely raw deal in "our" country, and resources should be expended to attempt to correct those injustices; the death penalty was on its way out; that the US and Soviet nuclear capabilities meant war was now too deadly to contemplate, and humanity would grow out of war soon; that religious extremism is categorically a bad thing, and tolerance should be taught and practiced. We thought pretty much every American in their right mind agreed on these things. Boy were we wrong.

Wildernesse I am glad you are politically active. I am just very frustrated that people your age have to reinvent the wheel.

MzNeko

What 4GA and Godless Dave said...