Is America fat, lazy, and spoiled?
Thread Starter
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Joined: Aug 2003
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Is America fat, lazy, and spoiled?
I was watching a movie where an elderly woman who had survived Auschwitz made the comment (I'm paraphrasing) that "America is fat, lazy, and spoiled." It might have been fat, stupid, and spoiled.
If you can, as an American, get beyond the ugliness of that comment and think about it - you could produce some good argument for her thesis.
We have, what news and media outlets call, a sluggish economy. We have a president fighting a controversial war. We've got health care troubles. We've got gas prices rising. We've got minimum wage so high that (I know 3 business owners personally who have this problem) it costs a business owner less to fire all his entry level workers than to pay his employees minimum wage and grow his business.
YET! - How many people do you know who own a cell phone, an SUV, are happy with their jobs, have a nice home, are overweight? The market will continue to rise. The wars in the Middle East will never stop.
This certainly doesn't mean it's wrong to own a cell phone, an SUV, or a nice home. Being overweight could cause health problems, so I wouldn't suggest being happy with that, but...
POINT IS: She is, in part, right..... in my opinion. People want more for doing less. It's fast food, cable, and the internet today.
If you can, as an American, get beyond the ugliness of that comment and think about it - you could produce some good argument for her thesis.
We have, what news and media outlets call, a sluggish economy. We have a president fighting a controversial war. We've got health care troubles. We've got gas prices rising. We've got minimum wage so high that (I know 3 business owners personally who have this problem) it costs a business owner less to fire all his entry level workers than to pay his employees minimum wage and grow his business.
YET! - How many people do you know who own a cell phone, an SUV, are happy with their jobs, have a nice home, are overweight? The market will continue to rise. The wars in the Middle East will never stop.
This certainly doesn't mean it's wrong to own a cell phone, an SUV, or a nice home. Being overweight could cause health problems, so I wouldn't suggest being happy with that, but...
POINT IS: She is, in part, right..... in my opinion. People want more for doing less. It's fast food, cable, and the internet today.
ch1x0r
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 18,629
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From: PA
YES!!!!
in comparison to other countries, we are incredibly fat, lazy, and stupid.
there could be plenty of reasons for this. personally, i don't think we hold intelligence, good shape, and activeness in enough esteem. i'm not saying everyone is like this, but in general this country is fat, lazy, stupid, and spoiled.
in comparison to other countries, we are incredibly fat, lazy, and stupid.
there could be plenty of reasons for this. personally, i don't think we hold intelligence, good shape, and activeness in enough esteem. i'm not saying everyone is like this, but in general this country is fat, lazy, stupid, and spoiled.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2003
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Originally posted by 18secFerio
give me some time
[/B]
give me some time
[/B]
my bum is on the swedish!
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 10,133
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From: San Antonio, Texas
I'll tell you what the fucking problem is. Or at least where it starts.
Lets start with the entertainment industry. Oh yes, the identity of America. It's all of our dreams, to grow up and become a rock/rap star, or to be a famous model/actor, or to direct some major multi-million dollar flick, or to win the world series/superbowl.
This is the preoccupation of america. This is our dream.
We hold these people above us like gods. Women turn on the tv to see how oprah lost 50 lbs and found it again. Men turn on the tv to see some stupid shithead leading a crew of other stupid shitheads try and make a car into some sort of 'monster,' or see a small white trash family argue how to build a motorcycle. Children turn on the tv to see they're favorite cartoons and kids shows, which are then followed up by the latest rap/hiphop artist.
starting from the bottom and working up, the first problem lies in Mirmax. They're fucking evil. They own Nickalodean, MTv, Vh1, BET, Paramount Pictures, and every subsity of the group. Thats quite a foothold on the youth of america. They start the kids on nick, where they slowly expose them to the hiphop culture (just about every variety show on nickalodean has had hiphop acts perform twords the end). Then the kids grow a bit older and move on to MTV, or if they're white, BET. There, the same programs get played, most of the music is the same, the concepts for the shows are the same, the commercials and sponsers are the same, and lo and behold, the acts are the same. But most of us grow out of that, and then move on to VH1, where they show us how nice it was when they make us remember the 80's, or the 70's. Same sponsers, same commercials, drink sprite, buy lugz, you're not cool unless you where these sunglasses. The shows on these channles find the hot spots of youth, be it spring break, or cancun, or times square. They set up shop, the kids see the camera's and shit bricks and want to be on the show, they dress them in the sponsers cloths, they tell them what to say, they put the sprite in their hands and tell them to drink, they show them the moves to dance, and then they put the song on. <cough>monopoly<cough>
as for the two movie studios I mentioned, mirmax and paramount, they just reinforce everything I just said, with the exception of vulgarity, nudity, and increased violence. But that goes beyond just those two. It seems there's alot of production companys who, instead of worring about content and story and character development and *good* plot twists, opt to worry about budget, CGI sequiences, and ultimatly, profit.
now, moving from that, we have sports. I still wonder to this day why athlets make hundreds of millions of dollars. I'd really like to know exactly how much money goes to all the sports stars. I think that would be able to balance the new budget. I know its not just from their contracts, and that they have sponsers to do commercials for, and sure, they lead stressful lives, and they're always on the plane, and they're always working out, and yadda yadda yadda. Who gives a shit. It's a fucking sport. Its a game. You do it because you love it, not because it makes ends meet. Not because its a paycheck. Thats when it loses the love, and it becomes nessisary, and at that point, its so sickening that its just dripping in greed. Alex rodriguze (I can't spell his last name) doesn't need a what, $100million contract? 125million? I can't remember exactly how much it is, but he sucks. The Rangers arn't going anywhere really fast. I bet they really got their dollars worth. There's this kid comming to the NBA soon. The first round draft pick for Clevland. 18 years old, and already got a $100million sponsership from nike, and he hasn't even played an nba game. God bless america. If he lived in liberyia, he'd be on the front lines. Instead, he's cruising around in his H2, rollin blunts and drinkin 40s or whatever he does. I made a bet that he'd die within the first couple years from a coke overdose. No 18 yearold needs $100million. No one does.
I've always wondered how they paid them, but a trip to the local sports venue will show very easily how. $45 for a ticket, $10 for a parking pass, $5.50 for a beer, $6 for nachos, $12 for a mixed drink, $3 for popcorn, $10 for a program, $60 for a jersey?!? Nevermind......
Well, we got tv, movies, sports. How about radio? You've heard me rant and rave about Clear Channel. Any respectful musician hates them. They rule the airwaves, they choose what gets played, what will sell, and whats not appropriate. They control over half of all radio stations in the country, just over 250 nation-wide. The next highest competitor? 70 or so. <cough>monopoly<cough>
But get this. They also own most of the good venues around the nation that hold most concerts. There's a few ampitheaters named verizon (one here in SA), and they don't totally suck, but acoustics arn't exactly top-dollar. Nontheless, they still charge you $50 plus service charge for shitty seats, and then charge you $3 a hotdog, $4 a bottle of water, and $6 a 12ounce beer. Plus they pressure the bands/groups to perform in their venues.
so we got movies, sports, tv, and radio taken care of. Now lets take it from there.
this is the story of little anne. She was born in 1984 in a small north texas town. There, she grew up like any other kid. Then came middle school, and she'd get teased about her looks and whatnot. So she forms an eating disorder. Why? She wants to look like the models on tv and on the magazine covers. She wants boys to like her, to be accepted, and ultimatly, to be loved. Well, her disorder finally pays off, and boys start taking notice. Now she's in 8th grade, and shes out on a date with an older guy. She should know better, but she doesn't, and the guy puts the moves on her. She says no, but that doesn't deter him. He rapes her.
sad, I know. Most women our ages (18-25) have been raped at some point in their lives. Yeah, I know. No society is perfect. But lets look at the reasons why this happend.
Going back to this MTV culture we live in, there's a few things that matter to most young people: Good looks, money, and sex. We raise kids in a society of flesh, put stunning women on tv, thus raising the expectations of men around the country. We want our women tall, slinder, long blond hair, nice blue eyes, big tits!!!!, and of course, shaven. When you expose young boys to this, all they think about is sex. Growing up, all I thought about was sex. Well, not all, but alot. I know many guys think alot about sex. Thats a guy thing. But our society basiclly takes that and makes it grow exponencially with the ever-presence of nudity, sex, and other such crap that we're constantly being bombarded with.
Going back to our story with anne. Well, since she was 13 when she was raped, that opened a new world for her. Now she's having sex because guys pay attention to her now. But, uh oh. She's turned into a slut. Now she's been with quite a bit of guys, since they just seem to be wanting only sex. She's not down like that. Well, one day she picks the wrong guy, and now what. She's got VD, or some other std.
can you blame her? of course you can. She chose the actions. But can you blame society? Even more so. It set the standard.
well, on to the topic of being fat, lazy, and spoiled.
the youth of america expects everything to be handed to them on a silver plater. They want their cars fast, their beer cold, and their women/men horney. Bigger means better. Why drive a compact car, when you can be bling-bling in a range rover. Why drive a range rover when you can get even less MPG out of a Hummer. We live in a supply and demand world thanks to Capitolizim. We expect to be catered to and pandered to because thats how its been for a long time. We want security. We want to live a long time. We want a perfect spouse. We want the best education for our children. We want the nicest house on the street. We want the highest paying job we can find. We want a pool. We want the girl who lives next door.
so yeah, we're spoiled, alright.
So how about being fat? Well, of course, thanks to capitolizm, we have the notion of 'paying for convienence.' You know, fast food reasturants, cell phones, internet. Things that make our lives a bit easier. We sit more, instead of moving. I think we can all figure this one out. Of course, Greeks and Romans were fat. But being fat ment you were rich. You didn't have to do anything but eat and have fun. Now being fat makes you ugly, and we loath the people. Maybe its because of the entertainment industry and the 'sex sells' notion. Actually, I think it is. So lazyness would fall here too.
Its hard to beleive america has come as far as it has. With all the racial tension, with all the guns, with all the commericals that keep beating the same damn jingle in our heads. But somehow we have.
Maybe its because if the social advancements we've made? Saying no to slavery, allowing women and minoritys to vote, giving people choices. Ahhh, what a catch22 choice is. One would think choice is a good thing. Most people would in fact. But have you ever said "what do you want for dinner" only to be replied with "I don't know." Thats a problem right there. We all want our choices, but then we don't know what we want. Shit, at least if I lived in a society without choice, my life wouldn't be a fucking mystery. Not that its a bad thing. Again, choice is good. But sometimes its over-rated.
whatever. the more and more I think about this, the same conclution keeps popping up. That yes, this is all ment to happen. Yes, we're on the right path. America's sure not perfect, but neither is anything else. And now we're being attacked by muslim extreamists. Again, this is all ment to happen. We need their strickness in our world. We could use the discipline. We need to do away with alot of things that make up america. But you know, its all just a pipe dream. The worlds sure never gonna be perfect, so I just do my thing.
I like my honda not because its the latest fad, and its the popular thing to do. I like it because honda is the only car manufacture I respect. They're practical, affordable, and reliable. Plus, you can moddify them to your specifications. I didn't get a civic because of fast and furious. I got it because I got a good deal on it from my mom, and got into the JDM moddification because of Gran Turismo 2, since the very car I drive is shown in the game. Same year, same color.
I smoke my pot because God put it into my life. He gave me the two best friends I'd ever known, and they introduced it to me. With it, I've come a long way, from a marching band nerd to a punk rocker to a hopless pothead to the inspired stoner I am today.
I love my girlfriend because God showed me she was the one. Though my misadventures of live, I had toyed with love. I had thought I knew what it ment, just to discover I was wrong. And then I knew what it ment, but had no one to express it with. Try as I might, I showed women, hey I'm not your ordinary guy. They didn't care. But Linda does....
I got into model railroading from my father. He has this huge collection of lionel trains. So I decided to put togeather an N scale layout. Fun stuff, really. But I've always been a fan of models and shit. Thinking back to my youth, I remember that I was into car models, building 1:24 scale mustangs and vettes.
There's one thing that matters most to me, and thats art. Not just your typical art, either. All art. I mean, really its just the apex of a given field, the appitomy of perfection within a certain genre. Martial arts is the art of fighting. There's an art to war. There's an art to my car, there's art within music, and film, and writing, as well.
so whats the point of all this last part? Well, first to show you I am still human. Just because I'm a synic doesn't mean I've given up, but at the same time, its to show I'm not a total hypocite and I know how to live life. The secret is to know yourself, and to know how to read life. To know the paterns arn't just mere coninsidence. Thinking about this last night made me think maybe honda's are in my life because of this web site, and this web site is in my life because without it, I don't think my political and social veiws would be as concrete as they are now.
well, I think thats enough.
Lets start with the entertainment industry. Oh yes, the identity of America. It's all of our dreams, to grow up and become a rock/rap star, or to be a famous model/actor, or to direct some major multi-million dollar flick, or to win the world series/superbowl.
This is the preoccupation of america. This is our dream.
We hold these people above us like gods. Women turn on the tv to see how oprah lost 50 lbs and found it again. Men turn on the tv to see some stupid shithead leading a crew of other stupid shitheads try and make a car into some sort of 'monster,' or see a small white trash family argue how to build a motorcycle. Children turn on the tv to see they're favorite cartoons and kids shows, which are then followed up by the latest rap/hiphop artist.
starting from the bottom and working up, the first problem lies in Mirmax. They're fucking evil. They own Nickalodean, MTv, Vh1, BET, Paramount Pictures, and every subsity of the group. Thats quite a foothold on the youth of america. They start the kids on nick, where they slowly expose them to the hiphop culture (just about every variety show on nickalodean has had hiphop acts perform twords the end). Then the kids grow a bit older and move on to MTV, or if they're white, BET. There, the same programs get played, most of the music is the same, the concepts for the shows are the same, the commercials and sponsers are the same, and lo and behold, the acts are the same. But most of us grow out of that, and then move on to VH1, where they show us how nice it was when they make us remember the 80's, or the 70's. Same sponsers, same commercials, drink sprite, buy lugz, you're not cool unless you where these sunglasses. The shows on these channles find the hot spots of youth, be it spring break, or cancun, or times square. They set up shop, the kids see the camera's and shit bricks and want to be on the show, they dress them in the sponsers cloths, they tell them what to say, they put the sprite in their hands and tell them to drink, they show them the moves to dance, and then they put the song on. <cough>monopoly<cough>
as for the two movie studios I mentioned, mirmax and paramount, they just reinforce everything I just said, with the exception of vulgarity, nudity, and increased violence. But that goes beyond just those two. It seems there's alot of production companys who, instead of worring about content and story and character development and *good* plot twists, opt to worry about budget, CGI sequiences, and ultimatly, profit.
now, moving from that, we have sports. I still wonder to this day why athlets make hundreds of millions of dollars. I'd really like to know exactly how much money goes to all the sports stars. I think that would be able to balance the new budget. I know its not just from their contracts, and that they have sponsers to do commercials for, and sure, they lead stressful lives, and they're always on the plane, and they're always working out, and yadda yadda yadda. Who gives a shit. It's a fucking sport. Its a game. You do it because you love it, not because it makes ends meet. Not because its a paycheck. Thats when it loses the love, and it becomes nessisary, and at that point, its so sickening that its just dripping in greed. Alex rodriguze (I can't spell his last name) doesn't need a what, $100million contract? 125million? I can't remember exactly how much it is, but he sucks. The Rangers arn't going anywhere really fast. I bet they really got their dollars worth. There's this kid comming to the NBA soon. The first round draft pick for Clevland. 18 years old, and already got a $100million sponsership from nike, and he hasn't even played an nba game. God bless america. If he lived in liberyia, he'd be on the front lines. Instead, he's cruising around in his H2, rollin blunts and drinkin 40s or whatever he does. I made a bet that he'd die within the first couple years from a coke overdose. No 18 yearold needs $100million. No one does.
I've always wondered how they paid them, but a trip to the local sports venue will show very easily how. $45 for a ticket, $10 for a parking pass, $5.50 for a beer, $6 for nachos, $12 for a mixed drink, $3 for popcorn, $10 for a program, $60 for a jersey?!? Nevermind......
Well, we got tv, movies, sports. How about radio? You've heard me rant and rave about Clear Channel. Any respectful musician hates them. They rule the airwaves, they choose what gets played, what will sell, and whats not appropriate. They control over half of all radio stations in the country, just over 250 nation-wide. The next highest competitor? 70 or so. <cough>monopoly<cough>
But get this. They also own most of the good venues around the nation that hold most concerts. There's a few ampitheaters named verizon (one here in SA), and they don't totally suck, but acoustics arn't exactly top-dollar. Nontheless, they still charge you $50 plus service charge for shitty seats, and then charge you $3 a hotdog, $4 a bottle of water, and $6 a 12ounce beer. Plus they pressure the bands/groups to perform in their venues.
so we got movies, sports, tv, and radio taken care of. Now lets take it from there.
this is the story of little anne. She was born in 1984 in a small north texas town. There, she grew up like any other kid. Then came middle school, and she'd get teased about her looks and whatnot. So she forms an eating disorder. Why? She wants to look like the models on tv and on the magazine covers. She wants boys to like her, to be accepted, and ultimatly, to be loved. Well, her disorder finally pays off, and boys start taking notice. Now she's in 8th grade, and shes out on a date with an older guy. She should know better, but she doesn't, and the guy puts the moves on her. She says no, but that doesn't deter him. He rapes her.
sad, I know. Most women our ages (18-25) have been raped at some point in their lives. Yeah, I know. No society is perfect. But lets look at the reasons why this happend.
Going back to this MTV culture we live in, there's a few things that matter to most young people: Good looks, money, and sex. We raise kids in a society of flesh, put stunning women on tv, thus raising the expectations of men around the country. We want our women tall, slinder, long blond hair, nice blue eyes, big tits!!!!, and of course, shaven. When you expose young boys to this, all they think about is sex. Growing up, all I thought about was sex. Well, not all, but alot. I know many guys think alot about sex. Thats a guy thing. But our society basiclly takes that and makes it grow exponencially with the ever-presence of nudity, sex, and other such crap that we're constantly being bombarded with.
Going back to our story with anne. Well, since she was 13 when she was raped, that opened a new world for her. Now she's having sex because guys pay attention to her now. But, uh oh. She's turned into a slut. Now she's been with quite a bit of guys, since they just seem to be wanting only sex. She's not down like that. Well, one day she picks the wrong guy, and now what. She's got VD, or some other std.
can you blame her? of course you can. She chose the actions. But can you blame society? Even more so. It set the standard.
well, on to the topic of being fat, lazy, and spoiled.
the youth of america expects everything to be handed to them on a silver plater. They want their cars fast, their beer cold, and their women/men horney. Bigger means better. Why drive a compact car, when you can be bling-bling in a range rover. Why drive a range rover when you can get even less MPG out of a Hummer. We live in a supply and demand world thanks to Capitolizim. We expect to be catered to and pandered to because thats how its been for a long time. We want security. We want to live a long time. We want a perfect spouse. We want the best education for our children. We want the nicest house on the street. We want the highest paying job we can find. We want a pool. We want the girl who lives next door.
so yeah, we're spoiled, alright.
So how about being fat? Well, of course, thanks to capitolizm, we have the notion of 'paying for convienence.' You know, fast food reasturants, cell phones, internet. Things that make our lives a bit easier. We sit more, instead of moving. I think we can all figure this one out. Of course, Greeks and Romans were fat. But being fat ment you were rich. You didn't have to do anything but eat and have fun. Now being fat makes you ugly, and we loath the people. Maybe its because of the entertainment industry and the 'sex sells' notion. Actually, I think it is. So lazyness would fall here too.
Its hard to beleive america has come as far as it has. With all the racial tension, with all the guns, with all the commericals that keep beating the same damn jingle in our heads. But somehow we have.
Maybe its because if the social advancements we've made? Saying no to slavery, allowing women and minoritys to vote, giving people choices. Ahhh, what a catch22 choice is. One would think choice is a good thing. Most people would in fact. But have you ever said "what do you want for dinner" only to be replied with "I don't know." Thats a problem right there. We all want our choices, but then we don't know what we want. Shit, at least if I lived in a society without choice, my life wouldn't be a fucking mystery. Not that its a bad thing. Again, choice is good. But sometimes its over-rated.
whatever. the more and more I think about this, the same conclution keeps popping up. That yes, this is all ment to happen. Yes, we're on the right path. America's sure not perfect, but neither is anything else. And now we're being attacked by muslim extreamists. Again, this is all ment to happen. We need their strickness in our world. We could use the discipline. We need to do away with alot of things that make up america. But you know, its all just a pipe dream. The worlds sure never gonna be perfect, so I just do my thing.
I like my honda not because its the latest fad, and its the popular thing to do. I like it because honda is the only car manufacture I respect. They're practical, affordable, and reliable. Plus, you can moddify them to your specifications. I didn't get a civic because of fast and furious. I got it because I got a good deal on it from my mom, and got into the JDM moddification because of Gran Turismo 2, since the very car I drive is shown in the game. Same year, same color.
I smoke my pot because God put it into my life. He gave me the two best friends I'd ever known, and they introduced it to me. With it, I've come a long way, from a marching band nerd to a punk rocker to a hopless pothead to the inspired stoner I am today.
I love my girlfriend because God showed me she was the one. Though my misadventures of live, I had toyed with love. I had thought I knew what it ment, just to discover I was wrong. And then I knew what it ment, but had no one to express it with. Try as I might, I showed women, hey I'm not your ordinary guy. They didn't care. But Linda does....
I got into model railroading from my father. He has this huge collection of lionel trains. So I decided to put togeather an N scale layout. Fun stuff, really. But I've always been a fan of models and shit. Thinking back to my youth, I remember that I was into car models, building 1:24 scale mustangs and vettes.
There's one thing that matters most to me, and thats art. Not just your typical art, either. All art. I mean, really its just the apex of a given field, the appitomy of perfection within a certain genre. Martial arts is the art of fighting. There's an art to war. There's an art to my car, there's art within music, and film, and writing, as well.
so whats the point of all this last part? Well, first to show you I am still human. Just because I'm a synic doesn't mean I've given up, but at the same time, its to show I'm not a total hypocite and I know how to live life. The secret is to know yourself, and to know how to read life. To know the paterns arn't just mere coninsidence. Thinking about this last night made me think maybe honda's are in my life because of this web site, and this web site is in my life because without it, I don't think my political and social veiws would be as concrete as they are now.
well, I think thats enough.