Getting bullied= Commiting S*icide?

[SpasticGramps]

Now I'm not saying that nobody thinks the way you're suggesting, I mean stereotypes develope because there are people that fit them. The problem I have is with anyone suggesting that all American's are that way. Also clearly your statement is flawed. You say everyone is this way and that you're an American. Obviously you don't think everything is free or that you can be a winner without putting in any effort. So right there you disprove your own point.

Of course there are exceptions. Many of them. Heck in a country of around 300 million there are millions of exceptions. I'm one of them. You and your friends are too.

I'm not talking about anecdotal evidence though. When you look at American society as a group these are the conclusion that I and many others draw.

We are lazy, apathetic, and have entitlement issues. Thus, our rapid decline. Stupidity is a virtue nowadays.

 

[ibjamming]

Of course there are exceptions. Many of them. Heck in a country of around 300 million there are millions of exceptions. I'm one of them. You and your friends are too.

I'm not talking about anecdotal evidence though. When you look at American society as a group these are the conclusion that I and many others draw.

We are lazy, apathetic, and have entitlement issues. Thus, our rapid decline. Stupidity is a virtue nowadays.

You forgot the worst one...denial...we're big into that.

 

[Boomer89]

Well, being 21 I guess you could consider me the "younger generation". Ill give a little bit of my input.

I can honestly say from time to time I get depressed about my future, and I know a lot of people feel the same. Never to the point of contemplating suicide, but I do feel down some days. Thinking about how life is these days is a downer too to tell you the truth. Their are no jobs.. anywhere. Its very damn hard to get your foot out there in the "real world" and start your life. Especially when your family isn't doing well financially. The price of college is very high and for what? Every day I hear about a college grad who sent out 100+ resume's and hasn't heard a damn thing. Who wants to be in the hole $50k+ and can't find a job? Let alone afford a place to live, a car to drive, food to eat. Another thing is a lot of people judge you in ways our parents really can't relate to. Facebook is ridiculous IMO. People flock around their computers to judge other people every second of every day.

Take that kid from rutgers for example.. Someone video tapes something private like that and shares it with not only a few friends, but, the WORLD? That's a lot of stress. You can tell he was a shy kid growing up, and for someone to expose him like that to the WORLD? People become "internet phenomenons" every day. Seriously, you can actually become famous now for sitting infront of your computer, making a stupid youtube video and posting it up. Shit gets around today, faster then it EVER did in history.

It's just a different era I suppose.. And I think depression and anxiety comes with it all. I just feel like sometimes theirs a lot on my shoulders & the american dream is dead, so how am I supposed to live a good life?

 

[southflorida]

Well, being 21 I guess you could consider me the "younger generation". Ill give a little bit of my input.

I can honestly say from time to time I get depressed about my future, and I know a lot of people feel the same. Never to the point of contemplating suicide, but I do feel down some days. Thinking about how life is these days is a downer too to tell you the truth. Their are no jobs.. anywhere. Its very damn hard to get your foot out there in the "real world" and start your life. Especially when your family isn't doing well financially. The price of college is very high and for what? Every day I hear about a college grad who sent out 100+ resume's and hasn't heard a damn thing. Who wants to be in the hole $50k+ and can't find a job? Let alone afford a place to live, a car to drive, food to eat. Another thing is a lot of people judge you in ways our parents really can't relate to. Facebook is ridiculous IMO. People flock around their computers to judge other people every second of every day.

Take that kid from rutgers for example.. Someone video tapes something private like that and shares it with not only a few friends, but, the WORLD? That's a lot of stress. You can tell he was a shy kid growing up, and for someone to expose him like that to the WORLD? People become "internet phenomenons" every day. Seriously, you can actually become famous now for sitting infront of your computer, making a stupid youtube video and posting it up. Shit gets around today, faster then it EVER did in history.

It's just a different era I suppose.. And I think depression and anxiety comes with it all. I just feel like sometimes theirs a lot on my shoulders & the american dream is dead, so how am I supposed to live a good life?

...so you're basically saying that from your perspective the internet
is the new "wonder drug" and the majority of folks are addicts? And
this especially includes the younger people?

 

[SpasticGramps]

The bad thing about the economy going into the shitter now as opposed to back in the first Depression is people were not so materialistic back then. Society was much more values and family based. Nowadays many people identify themselves with the objects that they own. They are their job, they are their car, they are the illusion they create on facebook. In becoming interconnected with technology we have isolated ourselves from our humanity.

When they lose their job, when they lose their car, when their beloved technology betrays them, some people lose their self identity and just go bat shit crazy killing themselves or others and then themselves.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a suicides start going up at a very alarming rate.

 

[southflorida]

The bad thing about the economy going into the shitter now as opposed to back in the first Depression is people were not so materialistic back then. Society was much more values and family based. Nowadays many people identify themselves with the objects that they own. They are their job, they are their car, they are the illusion they create on facebook. In becoming interconnected with technology we have isolated ourselves from our humanity.

When they lose their job, when they lose their car, when their beloved technology betrays them, some people lose their self identity and just go bat shit crazy killing themselves or others and then themselves.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a suicides start going up at a very alarming rate.

SG...that is true...and it sounds so wickedly f*cked up doesn't it?
This identification is programmed into us when we are kids, and it is
why school is structured in a way where they hypnotize the shit out
of you as a kid so that they can easily control you when you are
an adult. Obviously no one needs 99.999% of the shit you learn
in school. If you know 2+2=4, you're good to go, what's the other
BS all for? The blind leading the blind...sad as shit...really.

 

[Green lung]

Now lets take a step back think about this question..

Are todays kids commiting more sucides than say kids in the 70's or 80's?


I think part of it is bullying is NOT more common than the past, We are just more exposed to each others story's via T.V and the internet you see all the storys on the news yout start believe things happen more frenquenty than they actually do. We got over 300 million people in this country you hear read everything that happens thats crazy sometimes people just lose perspective.

 

[SpasticGramps]

 

[HempKat]

Hemp, the attitude you're talking about that your friend had is very rare. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience when I say what I said in my post earlier. There ARE a few who still care, who still work hard, and want to learn, and get ahead, but they are rare. And every day, they fight against a pretty much overwhelming tide of apathy, ignorance, and sloppiness. Many are bullied, teased, or picked on (however you want to call it), b/c it is NOT COOL to be good at school, it is NOT COOL to be intellectually curious, it is NOT COOL to work hard.

Ask some kids what their plans are for their future. Most have none. Out of the ones that do, most have some ridiculously unrealistic idea and NO PLAN or goals to get there.

Then you get the few that decide they are going to a top university when they are in elementary school and already have been working hard and making sure they paid attention in class and got good grades for years before they ever hit middle or high school.

The problem is that there is massive peer pressure to be lazy and sloppy and no peer pressure or admiration for a job well done.

Ask the children in your life, you'll see what I mean.

I have and they simply don't fit the stereotype you're painting. I'm not disputing that there are those out there like you describe, I've seen them, talked with them. What I'm disputing is that it's as prevelent as you feel it is. Or that the ones not fitting the stereotype are as rare as they are.

As for coolness, well according to the kids in my life the cool kids in their schools are the athletes, cheerleaders and the trendier kids, pretty much the same as when I was in school. Unlike when I was in school however you don't get to be a varsity athlete or a cheerleader unless you maintain a C average or better. In fact according to the children in my life the coolest of the cool are the ones that are smart, that have a plan for the future and how to get there. They say that's because those kids give the other kids hope that school isn't a waste of time and there is a place for them in society beyond school. The losers are the ones that sit around getting high or drunk all the time, the ones that don't bother to try to learn anything or stay caught up on current events.

Now I'm not going to sit here and say that most of the kids in the country are like this or that all of them are like that. It might seem that way from my perspective but I know that these attitudes you describe are different from state to state depending on a host of variables such as the quality of the education system, the make up of the population in terms of things like moral values and family values, job opportunities, etc. I would say that's what's going on in your case though. Where you are the relevent factors must be such that many of the kids in your area fit the image you have of them and that you're projecting what you see in your region on to the nation as a whole. It's human nature to do that.

 

[HempKat]

I'm not talking about anecdotal evidence though. When you look at American society as a group these are the conclusion that I and many others draw.

We are lazy, apathetic, and have entitlement issues. Thus, our rapid decline. Stupidity is a virtue nowadays.

Umm yes you are talking anecdotal evidence. When you look around you and see things and then draw conclusions that aren't seen based on what you do see. That's considered anecdotal.

 

[HempKat]

Now lets take a step back think about this question..

Are todays kids commiting more sucides than say kids in the 70's or 80's?


I think part of it is bullying is NOT more common than the past, We are just more exposed to each others story's via T.V and the internet you see all the storys on the news yout start believe things happen more frenquenty than they actually do. We got over 300 million people in this country you hear read everything that happens thats crazy sometimes people just lose perspective.

I'd say it's more then just we hear about it more. Sure that plays a roll and is also a by-product of how the Internet has shrunk the world but it's also just a sheer matter of numbers in 1960 the total world population was 3,039,451,023 today it's more then double that at just under 7 billion. Now it took from the beginning of record keeping until 1960 to accumulate 3 Billion people in the world but only 50 years or half a lifetime to double that amount. So the rapid increase in population has got to be playing a role both in making it seem like more just because more people means more suicides even if the percentages remain roughly the same in other words if the population doubles but the rate of suicide in terms of percentage stays the same, then the number of suicides has also doubled. Also the increased population plays a role in that there are finite resources but now twice as many trying to use those resources. This is bound to create additional stresses as there become less resources available.

 

[Weird]

It is very hard to be belligerent and apathetic at the same time, perhaps I'll get really pissed and yell at people in the future, maybe.

he is apathetic to his own experience and it articulates itself in his belligerence to others, because as a victim of bullying he should know how it feels

 

[Weird]

I dont agree with everything you said,but you do have some good ideas.I think maybe society needs to try to come up with some new ideas instead of patching the ones we know dont work.........

this is what i see the problem being

WE are society

not them

you cant cast a partial lot among the world and expect universal anything

everyone in america WANTS to be governed, they do not want the freedom of choice because then they have to take responsibility for the wrong in their lives

fuck casting negative energy on others or having to be policed not to

I can simply live a life that thrives on synergy and symbiotic relations among man

and the power of this type of strategy does allow me to succeed in a world that still feeds the undercurrent of survival of the fittest, and without me contributing to it

trust me though

I know it takes a whole courage and strength and PERSONAL CULPABILITY

trust me, its worth the effort

 

[JacuzziSplot]

this is what i see the problem being

WE are society

not them

you cant cast a partial lot among the world and expect universal anything

everyone in america WANTS to be governed, they do not want the freedom of choice because then they have to take responsibility for the wrong in their lives

fuck casting negative energy on others or having to be policed not to

I can simply live a life that thrives on synergy and symbiotic relations among man

and the power of this type of strategy does allow me to succeed in a world that still feeds the undercurrent of survival of the fittest, and without me contributing to it

trust me though

I know it takes a whole courage and strength and PERSONAL CULPABILITY

trust me, its worth the effort

You cant have anything with out taking from something else. Thats the hard truth of being a Mammal. Mammals kill or wound to eat period. All the resources we use are taken at someone else's expense. You cant have middle class comfort in the USA and Europe without starving millions in Africa and utilizing slave labor in China and South America. Just because you dont see the damage you cause others doesn't mean that almost every dollar you spend in a store doesnt kill or wound some life form in some way. Don't kid yourself.

 

[TrichyTrichy]

"A Parody for Everyone Who Bullies Gays: It Gets Worse
There may be a YouTube campaign telling gay teens their lives will improve, but here's a funny video made by a "former bully." It seems that being a homophobic jerk isn't cool when you're older. Just ask Carl Paladino!" http://gawker.com/5661326/a-parody-for-everyone-who-bullies-gays-it-gets-worse

 

[Weird]

You cant have anything with out taking from something else. Thats the hard truth of being a Mammal.

big difference between man and church mouse

you may want to do some "apples to apples" comparisons

maybe stay with higher primates but since ape doesn't cage and analysis man its better than WE ALL JUST MAMMALS

Mammals kill or wound to eat period.

like the manatee? summing up a complex genus with a broad stroke may not be appropriate but im sure it's strong enough analogy to keep you satisfied with the status quo

people desiring static conditions in a dynamic world eventually have to change or they pay the price for stagnancy

All the resources we use are taken at someone else's expense.

really, such as oxygen that is produced by the trees. if you were a study of the natural world you would understand the intricacies and the harmony that does exist in the natural worlds ecosystems

barring our existence that is

You cant have middle class comfort in the USA and Europe without starving millions in Africa and utilizing slave labor in China and South America.

because we displaced the Africans when we moved here?

because when china was communist we had no trade?

your picture of now is not representative of the historical norm of the american middle class because the american middle class was far more democratic than capitalistic in spirit in the the 1940's

the dream of the american middle class, just like the american middle class have the capacity to change and adapt.

Just because you dont see the damage you cause others doesn't mean that almost every dollar you spend in a store doesnt kill or wound some life form in some way. Don't kid yourself.

sorry thats a weak minded cop out

I am smart enough that I can only control MY actions

i dont get caught up in what happens to my energies or talents when someone else posses and controls them because its not something i control

using it as an excuse to accept a world you find fucked up

thats the poisonous mindset that allows it to continue

thanks for proving my point

 

[Weird]

You cant have anything with out taking from something else. Thats the hard truth of being a Mammal.

big difference between man and church mouse

you may want to do some "apples to apples" comparisons

maybe stay with higher primates but since ape do not cage and analysis man its better than WE ALL JUST MAMMALS

Mammals kill or wound to eat period.

like the manatee? summing up a complex genus with a broad stroke may not be appropriate but im sure it's strong enough analogy to keep you satisfied with the status quo

people desiring static conditions in a dynamic world eventually have to change or they pay the price for stagnancy

All the resources we use are taken at someone else's expense.

really, such as oxygen that is produced by the trees. if you were a study of the natural world you would understand the intricacies and the harmony that does exist in the natural worlds ecosystems

barring our existence that is

You cant have middle class comfort in the USA and Europe without starving millions in Africa and utilizing slave labor in China and South America.

because we displaced the Africans when we moved here?

because when china was communist we had no trade?

your picture of now is not representative of the historical norm of the american middle class because the american middle class was far more democratic than capitalistic in spirit in the the 1940's

the dream of the american middle class, just like the american middle class have the capacity to change and adapt.

Just because you dont see the damage you cause others doesn't mean that almost every dollar you spend in a store doesnt kill or wound some life form in some way. Don't kid yourself.

sorry thats a weak minded cop out

I am smart enough that I can only control MY actions

i dont get caught up in what happens to my energies or talents when someone else posses and controls them because its not something i control

using it as an excuse to accept a world you find fucked up

thats the poisonous mindset that allows it to continue

thanks for proving my point

 

[headband 707]

You cant have anything with out taking from something else. Thats the hard truth of being a Mammal. Mammals kill or wound to eat period. All the resources we use are taken at someone else's expense. You cant have middle class comfort in the USA and Europe without starving millions in Africa and utilizing slave labor in China and South America. Just because you dont see the damage you cause others doesn't mean that almost every dollar you spend in a store doesnt kill or wound some life form in some way. Don't kid yourself.

Damn it's nice to see it ppl seeing the truth!! not often do I see this ..let me relish in this for a second lol wow... You think we are doing this wrong?? ya think??? lol peace out Headband707

 

[Hydrosun]

You cant have anything with out taking from something else. Thats the hard truth of being a Mammal. Mammals kill or wound to eat period. All the resources we use are taken at someone else's expense. You cant have middle class comfort in the USA and Europe without starving millions in Africa and utilizing slave labor in China and South America. Just because you dont see the damage you cause others doesn't mean that almost every dollar you spend in a store doesnt kill or wound some life form in some way. Don't kid yourself.

Uh you are full of crap. Human interaction is not a zero sum gain. Trade by its definition is not a zero sum gain.

How do I have an automobile, computer and cell phone? Is it because I wounded or killed electronics?

Your argument is disproved by the facts. Much of our lives is based on comfort and entertainment; none of which is kill or be killed.

By your logic if I had a trillion slave children I could have a better racecar than Ferrari, or the old saw about a million monkeys and typewriters creating Shakespeare.

 

[SpasticGramps]

Umm yes you are talking anecdotal evidence. When you look around you and see things and then draw conclusions that aren't seen based on what you do see. That's considered anecdotal.

That's ridiculous. Depending on what statistics you look at we are 18th among 36 industrialized nations in education. That's pathetic. We have 40+ million people on food stamps. We are quickly losing our wealth at an alarming rate. We have gone from 1st in wealth per adult to 7th in a blink of an eye. And we haven't hit free fall yet.

We are the very essence of plutocracy. We are a nanny state who as a society begs the government to look after us because we are too warped by entitlement culture to look after ourselves.

I look at the big picture and ask why is the country going down the crapper? I'm looking at the macro-economic and socio-political current state of affairs and asking how we got here. You are scraping together anecdotal evidence to defend our welfare state. You are talking about state to state differences. I'm talking about a multi-decade long analysis of this country AS A WHOLE.

Suicides go up in a depression anyway. Not to be unexpected.

Different colored lenses bro.