A morning rant

[IanC]

Sometimes I like to post a rant on my Facebook page - well, just because I like to rant and get things off my chest.  This was this morning's rant.

A Morning rant/rave from Texas.

Does anyone remember the CBS Sunday Morning Show segment 'On the Road', where Charles Kuralt traveled the country looking for the good in everyday people? People who weren't living flashy, narcissistic lives. What happened to that view of America? Today's version of journalism is to dig through every apple to find that single worm and then to make the statement that all apples are tainted. Wealthy media elites in New York and Hollywood who believe it is their duty to look down on the rest of us from their ivory towers and report their superiority.  Sadly, they are teaching us to do the same.

I have made it a goal to have a conversation with one person a day in every place I go. Not just a "Hi, how are you?", but a real conversation. Often it has just been some guy fishing along the banks of a lake I'm near -sometimes it's the lady working the cash register in some little out-of-the-way convenience store. Of course there are times when I don't see another soul for days, but on those days I call someone or join a conversation on one of the forums I belong to. Primarily because I had found myself becoming increasingly negative towards people in general and I really don't want to become a bitter old man.

What I have discovered is that overwhelmingly, we are good, kind and generous people. So, what I'd like to know from those who want to prove otherwise is - when you run into a shithead, why do you hold that person up as an example of a group or a region of the country? Why do you not use the good people who are undoubtedly the majority that you've met, as the example?
In my life I have been lucky to have lived among and known a huge variety of people - bikers, circus performers, artists, musicians, fabulously wealthy people and homeless people, cops, cowboys and drag queens, people of every ethnicity and every level of intelligence from borderline mental retardation to near genius. My conclusion is that 99.999% of us are living the best we can and trying to find some happiness with what we have. Those who aren't are inconsequential. And if the media chooses to use the .0001% to define us, I won't know about it because I won't bring their babble into my life. As our teachers used to say "I'll be out of the room. Break up into your groups and discuss it amongst yourselves"

 

[Ballenxj]

A Morning rant/rave from Texas.


I have made it a goal to have a conversation with one person a day in every place I go. Not just a "Hi, how are you?", but a real conversation.

I don't watch television any more because I have noticed the stations usually have an agenda. I "do" however strike up conversation with people I have never seen before quite easily. I guess that's just my nature.
 In general, I like most people, and wish nothing but the best for them.

 

[slynne]

I agree that the vast majority of people are good people to various degrees or another. I mean no one is all good and for that matter, no one is all bad either. You can find good *and* bad within every individual you meet.

There is probably an evolutionary reason why we tend to focus on the bad. Bad people are dangerous! Tribalism too is almost certainly due to evolutionary limitations as well. For millions of years, we lived in groups of at most a few hundred people where we competed for resources with any other humans in other tribes. And guess what, if you dehumanize out groups, it is easier to kill them and killing them leaves more resources for your tribe.

 

[ArtW]

I'm gonna get flamed for this, but mostly it's tribalism
"those people look / dress / think / live / act differently than I do, i have to find a reason to hate on them"
We've all heard / read Bob's take on living the standard "american dream" of working hard all your life so you can sit down for two years and die, and there are posts on some of Bob's vids from folks living that lifestyle calling all those who live this lifestyle 'failures'
To the full-timers here, and some of the part timers, slaving your life away to live 'the dream' is stupid, but we'd sure like to have that nice income to live off of
To those folks, full timers who aren't retired are 'losers' who failed to make it in 'the real world' but they'd love to have that same freedom, and time to relax, so some of it is sour grapes

I have the good fortune to not be jealous of other's money, so i can visit a well off or even rich friend, and not resent the nice things they have that I never will, and the good fortune to know folks who qualify as well off or even rich who welcome me in their homes and don't resent the living proof that some are not as well off as they are, but I've definitely seen resentment both ways, with those who and it being characterized as 'greedy' rather than 'successful', or 'prosperous' and those who didn't being characterized as 'losers' or 'worthless' and that's between people who are the same melanin levels
Then there's 'all whites are racist' 'all blacks are prone to violence' 'all straight people are homophobes' 'all gay people are degenerates' 'all men are pigs' 'all womenr are gold diggers,' etc etc ad nauseum
And the news media just stokes the fires, feeding everyone's Rationalization Hamster it's favorite meal: Confirmation Bias
being poor, and growing up in economically disadvantaged areas was, in some ways, a very good thing for me, it forced me to live cheek by jowl with folks I had been told certain 'truisms' about, and see for myself that mostly we're just, well, folks
other wise I might have been the stereotypical southern racist redneck
Learning that most black folks didn't live up, or maybe down is a better term, to their press, so to speak, made me take a second look at other stereotypes, and actually learn something about the human animal

 

[IanC]

I don't watch television any more because I have noticed the stations usually have an agenda.

When I built my trailer I left a space for a small flat screen - I'm going to leave it empty

 

[hepcat]

Wealthy media elites in New York and Hollywood who believe it is their duty to look down on the rest of us from their ivory towers and report their superiority.  Sadly, they are teaching us to do the same.

What I have discovered is that overwhelmingly, we are good, kind and generous people. So, what I'd like to know from those who want to prove otherwise is - when you run into a shithead, why do you hold that person up as an example of a group or a region of the country? Why do you not use the good people who are undoubtedly the majority that you've met, as the example?

Since time immorial power has been assumed by people who rally their peers against a common enemy.   To quote Pogo:  "We have met the enemy and he is us."  Vilifying one group gives a leader power and control over his followers who fail to exercise critical thinking skills for themselves.  Gee, does that sound familiar?

It's not merely the "media elites" who regurgitate nonsense and pander it as us-vs-them... it's the entire leadership of the country... both the executive branch and Congress.  The marginalizing of groups of people based on ANY attribute or belief is criminal.  Having a difference of opinion does not make us enemies; yet that's exactly what's happening in politics, ethnic relations, and religion, and the disparity in wealth in our country.  I don't pretend to have answers to the problems, but a good first step would be to recognize that those practicing elitism in ANY of its forms or names are really NOT elite at all.  Perhaps that realization may bring them back to looking at inclusiveness rather than EXclusivity.  There's room for the entire spectrum of beliefs... and if you want to believe whatever it is that you find is 'truth' and you expect me to allow you to do that, then you must allow me the same space.  

Good rant, BTW...

 

[OutdoorFT]

This is why I want to get away and not be dependent on mainstream living. Journalism is dead, IMO. I dont bother with it for the most part as not much good comes from it.

I like isolation. Keeps me sane, ironically enough.

 

[IanC]

I have the good fortune to not be jealous of other's money, so i can visit a well off or even rich friend, and not resent the nice things they have that I never will, and the good fortune to know folks who qualify as well off or even rich who welcome me in their homes and don't resent the living proof that some are not as well off as they are,

In one of my many incarnations, I worked for a very wealthy man (whose company is internationally known - if you have tools, there's a good chance you have one of his) as a personal assistant.  For eleven years I flew either business class in the first row (more leg room) or by private jet. Stayed in the best hotels in Hollywood, Vegas, New York and South Beach - when his suite was booked, I got an identical one.  Ate in restaurants where the check was several days of my salary.  I'm being 100% honest when I say I never once envied him - his father put every minute of his life into building that company and I didn't.

 It was always a great relief to get home to my apartment in the part of town that most people didn't come.  Those are my peeps.

 

[IanC]

It's not merely the "media elites" who regurgitate nonsense and pander it as us-vs-them... it's the entire leadership of the country... both the executive branch and Congress. 

Political strategists are masters at using our human weaknesses against us and one another. US versus THEM is what they do.

 

[Queen]

 It was always a great relief to get home to my apartment in the part of town that most people didn't come.  Those are my peeps.

There is much to be said for finding your peeps, your tribe, your place.  When I was big into playing golf I was surrounded by people whose lives were ruled by their money... definitely not my kinda people. 

As far as media and fear, it's all bank to them.  If puppies and rainbows sold airtime they'd jump on that,but fear, division, dissention, that's what people want so that's what they get.  I opt not to participate.

 

[OutdoorFT]

They can have the major cities. We can enjoy the peacefulness in the rural woods and deserts.

 

[hepcat]

Political strategists are masters at using our human weaknesses against us and one another. US versus THEM is what they do.

Its whose bank accounts they're doing it for that is really the crux of the problem. My mantra is "follow the money."

"For the love of money is the root of all evil."  Paul really was a wise man.

 

[ArtW]

Ian wrote
his father put every minute of his life into building that company and I didn't.

Perzactly!
my friends who have money worked their butts off for it, and still do, and if they had more opportunity than me, it's not because they hit me over the head and took mine.
i had my options, and made my choices and there I am
as for those who think the rich get richer,with no effort, study the 'fortune 500' list for a couple decades, and see what that shows you
No where is the term 'dog eat dog' more apt than at the top

 

[IanC]

Its whose bank accounts they're doing it for that is really the crux of the problem.  My mantra is "follow the money."

"For the love of money is the root of all evil."  Paul really was a wise man.

I am halfway through the book 'Citizen Hughes', about the influence Howard Hughes had over the government and just how laws actually get passed. He didn't care about party - he bought them all to hedge his bets.  It's a fascinating read (if you can stomach it).  The author used hundreds of Hughes hand written memos (printed in the book) as research.  If you can make it through the book, you'll never believe the same way again that things are done for our benefit.

 SHIT!, I'm veering into negative territory again - a tough habit to break.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Well said rant.

I stopped watching the news at least 10 years ago because I just can't relate with all the crap they air. My life and country looks nothing like the country depicted on the nightly news. Anything with as many moving parts as a country as big as ours is going to have some problems, but for all it's worth it's a great country and it works and works well.

We're the most bad ass country the world has ever known and there's no place i'd be more proud to call home. The landscapes, the people, and even our flaws, proud to be a part of it.

 

[hepcat]

 SHIT!, I'm veering into negative territory again - a tough habit to break.

There's nothing wrong with a healthy dose of skepticism, and critical thinking to back it up.  It seems that much of our electorate has suspended their disbelief.  

Oops... am I being negative too?  Or just skeptical?

 

[jonsun]

The problem isn't whether they are "good" or "bad" it's the games people play. Ego, willful stupidity, etc. That's what always has and will bother me.

 

[Dgorila1]

I stopped watching the news at least 10 years ago because I just can't relate with all the crap they air.  My life and country looks nothing like the country depicted on the nightly news.  Anything with as many moving parts as a country as big as ours is going to have some problems, but for all it's worth it's a great country and it works and works well.  

We're the most bad ass country the world has ever known and there's no place i'd be more proud to call home.  The landscapes, the people, and even our flaws, proud to be a part of it.

Amen brother! Been to and seen lots of other countries and cultures and always love to get home to the U.S. of A! What some people consider "poverty" or "poor" in the U.S. is comfortable or downright wealthy in lots of places in the world!

 

[WeNeedaChange]

Sometimes I like to post a rant on my Facebook page - well, just because I like to rant and get things off my chest.  This was this morning's rant.

A Morning rant/rave from Texas.

Does anyone remember the CBS Sunday Morning Show segment 'On the Road', where Charles Kuralt traveled the country looking for the good in everyday people? People who weren't living flashy, narcissistic lives. What happened to that view of America? Today's version of journalism is to dig through every apple to find that single worm and then to make the statement that all apples are tainted. Wealthy media elites in New York and Hollywood who believe it is their duty to look down on the rest of us from their ivory towers and report their superiority.  Sadly, they are teaching us to do the same.

I have made it a goal to have a conversation with one person a day in every place I go. Not just a "Hi, how are you?", but a real conversation. Often it has just been some guy fishing along the banks of a lake I'm near -sometimes it's the lady working the cash register in some little out-of-the-way convenience store. Of course there are times when I don't see another soul for days, but on those days I call someone or join a conversation on one of the forums I belong to. Primarily because I had found myself becoming increasingly negative towards people in general and I really don't want to become a bitter old man.

What I have discovered is that overwhelmingly, we are good, kind and generous people. So, what I'd like to know from those who want to prove otherwise is - when you run into a shithead, why do you hold that person up as an example of a group or a region of the country? Why do you not use the good people who are undoubtedly the majority that you've met, as the example?
In my life I have been lucky to have lived among and known a huge variety of people - bikers, circus performers, artists, musicians, fabulously wealthy people and homeless people, cops, cowboys and drag queens, people of every ethnicity and every level of intelligence from borderline mental retardation to near genius. My conclusion is that 99.999% of us are living the best we can and trying to find some happiness with what we have. Those who aren't are inconsequential. And if the media chooses to use the .0001% to define us, I won't know about it because I won't bring their babble into my life. As our teachers used to say "I'll be out of the room. Break up into your groups and discuss it amongst yourselves"

I remember that show It was very interesting. But, I don't watch much news these days. Way too depressing. I think your outlook about people is very nice and positive. Good for you. Hopefully I can get to that point as well. I am way too distrusting of people and I am ashamed of that. Hopefully, I can change that through time.

 

[TrainChaser]

Slynne:  “And guess what, if you dehumanize out groups, it is easier to kill them…”

IanC:  “Political strategists are masters at using our human weaknesses against us and one another. US versus THEM is what they do.”

Yes, Divide and Conquer.   Someone here questioned me when I said that – he asked ‘to what effect?’, I think, and here I thought it was obvious:  rich vs poor, Black vs Asian vs Hispanic vs White, Democrat vs Republican vs Libertarian, CEO slavers vs people who want to work vs the slaves, Congress vs the People They’re Supposed to be Working For, entitled welfare recipients vs the people who pay for their keep, etc, etc, etc.  It isn’t hard to control people:  keep them dumb and fighting among themselves.

IanC:  “When I built my trailer I left a space for a small flat screen - I'm going to leave it empty”

I’m sure you can fit quite a few books into that spot!

IanC:  “I am halfway through the book 'Citizen Hughes', about the influence Howard Hughes had over the government and just how laws actually get passed. He didn't care about party - he bought them all to hedge his bets.”

And John D. Rockefeller.  And William Randolph Hurst.  And many others.  Psychopaths all.