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Great, so I will move to the city of Chicago to start supporting the schools there since they are in such dire need of help. I'm glad you have now reversed your position that people should choose the suburbs over the city!
I can't do anything right. I'm damned for staying in Chicago and trying to make the schools better, yet it's not worth it so I should live in the suburbs. What's a boy to do?
Lots of age-ism, and great big helpings of "Peter Pan" syndrome too...
Quote:
Originally Posted by stephei2000
I suspect a great deal of the posters that try oh so hard to convince others that moving to anywhere inside the magical land of 606xx are almost certainly trying to validate their own choices, and many of those choices are motivated not by any particular satisfaction that comes from living in Chicago but the hatred they have of growing up in some miserably boring place where they could not walk to anything. They then falsely project this hatred onto anyone that does not make the same choices that they do.
Completely agree with this. However, I do believe there are some young people really sincerely like living in Chicago that are not just trying get away from a suburban lifestyle. But, I do feel sorry for anybody over 35 here. The city pretty caters pretty much to young crowd. For example, The Redeye should be put out of publication. I feel sorry for the older people who are subjected to that trash journalism.
I can barely stand it, and I am in my early 30s
The folks that defend there decision to live in Chicago and have kids pretty much live in the part of the city that have a quieter vibe to them, and I cut those folks a lot more slack than the goofs that foolishly think they are gonna slide from their 20s to their 30s and then 40s and 50s doing the same pathic "go to work, hang out at bar, try to hook up, rinse-lather-repeat cycle until they get an AARP card. Folks from previous generations built stuff -- not just an app that will obsolete with the next iteration of high resolution OLED displays, but familys, monuental buildings, enduring societal change.
I may be a crank but I exhort people to DO something beyond slumping from cubicle, to barstool, to futon in a hopelessly self centered cycle.
Quote:
It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satistied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, are of a different opinion, it is becuase they only know their own side of the question." John Stuart Mill
The folks that defend there decision to live in Chicago and have kids pretty much live in the part of the city that have a quieter vibe to them, and I cut those folks a lot more slack than the goofs that foolishly think they are gonna slide from their 20s to their 30s and then 40s and 50s doing the same pathic "go to work, hang out at bar, try to hook up, rinse-lather-repeat cycle until they get an AARP card. Folks from previous generations built stuff -- not just an app that will obsolete with the next iteration of high resolution OLED displays, but familys, monuental buildings, enduring societal change.
I may be a crank but I exhort people to DO something beyond slumping from cubicle, to barstool, to futon in a hopelessly self centered cycle.
Actually, Chet, I agree with everything you stated here, especially the last sentence.
I might have reason too, since I'm in my 50s, and never really engaged in that bar-hopping behavior anyway. And frankly, I get tired of the " look at my IPod every minute, 24/7" crowd much faster than most..
The folks that defend there decision to live in Chicago and have kids pretty much live in the part of the city that have a quieter vibe to them, and I cut those folks a lot more slack than the goofs that foolishly think they are gonna slide from their 20s to their 30s and then 40s and 50s doing the same pathic "go to work, hang out at bar, try to hook up, rinse-lather-repeat cycle until they get an AARP card. Folks from previous generations built stuff -- not just an app that will obsolete with the next iteration of high resolution OLED displays, but familys, monuental buildings, enduring societal change.
I may be a crank but I exhort people to DO something beyond slumping from cubicle, to barstool, to futon in a hopelessly self centered cycle.
First of all, if someone wants to spend their free time hooking up and going to bars, there is nothing wrong with that. Your moralizing has absolutely no warrant behind it. There is no reason why someone can't go to work in productive jobs from 9 to 5, contributing to society, but then have fun and party in their free time. In fact, literally millions of people do just that. Somebody who "works hard and plays hard" is probably contributing more to society than you, who seems spend not just his 9 to 5 but his 24/7 making cranky comments on the Internet about how your life decisions are superior to others.
It's ironic that you accuse people who disagree with you of "not having a brain" when anybody with a brain would know that contributing to society and being single and enjoying a party are not mutually exclusive.
Second, the fact that you think going to bars and hooking up is the ONLY reason people like living in dense, busy, hopping city neighborhoods shows that you don't understand the appeal of cities and shouldn't pass judgment on those who do. I know people who are tee-totallers but prefer cities to suburbs because of the degree of walkability that can be found in places like Chicago that can't be matched by even the densest suburb.
Completely agree with this. However, I do believe there are some young people really sincerely like living in Chicago that are not just trying get away from a suburban lifestyle. But, I do feel sorry for anybody over 35 here. The city pretty caters pretty much to young crowd. For example, The Redeye should be put out of publication. I feel sorry for the older people who are subjected to that trash journalism.
I can barely stand it, and I am in my early 30s
I'm over 35 (as are many of my friends), and I find plenty that caters to me. I personally wouldn't want to live in Wrigleyville or at Milwaukee and Damen (though I know people my age and older who have enjoyed living in those areas), but fortunately there are a ton of other options. No need to feel sorry for us.
I agree completely that the Red Eye is crappy and aimed at a young demo, but I find it astonishingly easy to avoid reading things I don't like. Who still reads dead tree publications in an era when you can get anything you want on your phone, anyway?
Actually, Chet, I agree with everything you stated here, especially the last sentence.
I might have reason too, since I'm in my 50s, and never really engaged in that bar-hopping behavior anyway. And frankly, I get tired of the " look at my IPod every minute, 24/7" crowd much faster than most..
I'm well past the bar-hopping phase of my life, but are the young'uns these days really that much more rotten than 20, 30, and 40 years ago? Sure. the vast majority of 20 somethings are trend-followers who in the end won't achieve exceptional things, but that's true of every generation. Being exceptional, is well, exceptional, its not common or routine, its something only a minority of people achieve.
I don't think people know what to do about the corruption. I sure don't. We keep voting people in thinking they are not crooks and they turn out to be. What state has had worse scandals and politicians going to prison than Chicago. Okay NY but they have SEX SCANDALS. Weiner, Spitzer, etc. Maybe it would be better if our politicians had sex scandals but kept the state in better shape fiscally. Just kidding. Even a governor of before Dan Walker who seemed squeaky clean I think was jailed. We keep thinking we will do better. Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.
I'm over 35 (as are many of my friends), and I find plenty that caters to me. I personally wouldn't want to live in Wrigleyville or at Milwaukee and Damen (though I know people my age and older who have enjoyed living in those areas), but fortunately there are a ton of other options. No need to feel sorry for us.
I agree completely that the Red Eye is crappy and aimed at a young demo, but I find it astonishingly easy to avoid reading things I don't like. Who still reads dead tree publications in an era when you can get anything you want on your phone, anyway?
Don't you find "dead tree" publications to offer a wider range of opinions? I don't agree with everything I see in the NYT, Trib, SunTimes, Reader, Red Eye, etc, but I am exposed to a great diversity of thought than if I limit myself to the monotone droning of Slate or RealClearPolitics or the web site of the Atlantic...
I am really baffled about how someone 35 or older does not find the seemingly endless race of urban centric marketers to find ever younger "target demographics" off-putting, while I agree that the suburbs are not ideal for a single 20 something, the older one gets the more appeal there is to having a broader range of people around...
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Originally Posted by ToriaT
I don't think people know what to do about the corruption. I sure don't. We keep voting people in thinking they are not crooks and they turn out to be. What state has had worse scandals and politicians going to prison than Chicago. Okay NY but they have SEX SCANDALS. Weiner, Spitzer, etc. Maybe it would be better if our politicians had sex scandals but kept the state in better shape fiscally. Just kidding. Even a governor of before Dan Walker who seemed squeaky clean I think was jailed. We keep thinking we will do better. Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.
Dan Walker was a decent person, a former Naval Officer that served in WWII & Korea, an NU Law grad, and a rare "honest" Illinois politician that WAS so clean he even attacked other "reformers" like Paul Simon that tried to cozy up the Chicago machine.
He was indicted LOOONG after he was defeated in the Dem primary by Daley flunky Howlett who succembed to Jim Thompson, who back then was a "law & order" Republican.
Walker made NO friends in his term as Governor and tried to support himself in the private sector. He was an investor in Savings & Loans, getting a group of his former business associates to back some poorly financed S&L. When he headed those S&Ls he foolishly did not follow normal auditing / cash management practices and mingled personal loans to himself with those he made to private contractos. He plead guilty to fraud on a loan of $45,000 , a sum that even then would not have bought a decent luxury car, and was sentenced to four years which he served without incident. The media demonized the former Governor and made misleading ties between his personal property (including a sail boat) and the bank irregularities...
The way to work for change is FIRST TO ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM. Currently the domination of Chicago Democrats across the Illinos House, Senate, Governor is proving highly detrimental. This must be changed!
Last edited by chet everett; 08-29-2013 at 10:29 AM..
I might have reason too, since I'm in my 50s, and never really engaged in that bar-hopping behavior anyway.
I'm nearing 40, and the bars in Chicago are definitely part of the appeal for me, but I've never been into the pick-up-random-strangers-at-bars scene, even when I was in my 20's. Fortunately I find that scene in Chicago to be mostly confined to a handful of obnoxious places that are easily avoided. And actually, I saw as much of that in the suburban bar scene, if not more.
Don't you find "dead tree" publications to offer a wider range of opinions? I don't agree with everything I see in the NYT, Trib, SunTimes, Reader, Red Eye, etc, but I am exposed to a great diversity of thought than if I limit myself to the monotone droning of Slate or RealClearPolitics or the web site of the Atlantic...
All of those publications are available on my phone, too. I read all of them at one point or another, except Red Eye, which I haven't read in years, though I do like their homicide tracker.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett
I am really baffled about how someone 35 or older does not find the seemingly endless race of urban centric marketers to find ever younger "target demographics" off-putting,
I find it annoying, but also fairly easily ignored. It's no more annoying than everything being marketed toward the married, conservative, SUV-driving, mcmansion-dwelling, 2.2-child-having, church-going, designer-clothes-must-having crowd. I'm not a part of either of those target demos, so I ignore it and move on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett
the older one gets the more appeal there is to having a broader range of people around...
You're right, that's exactly what happened to me as I got older, which is one of the top reasons I moved to the city. I see more diversity out my living room window in 15 minutes on a Saturday, or in any given trip to a neighborhood bar, than I saw in years of living in the suburbs. There are certainly some suburbs that are more diverse than the one I lived in, and neighborhoods in the city that aren't very diverse at all, but in my life I encounter a much, much, much broader range of people living where I live now. It's enriching, energizing, and inspiring to me. The suburbs were bland, monotonous, and soul-crushing to me.
It's perfectly fine with me that your experience has been different. That doesn't make you dumber or smarter than me, nor your choice of community universally better or worse than mine. Plenty of people see it your way, and plenty see it my way, which is why both suburbs and cities exist. Most people, however, don't bother spending ample time posting on the forum for the one they don't prefer. That's what makes you unique.
Last edited by ChiNaan; 08-29-2013 at 10:53 AM..
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Lots of age-ism, and great big helpings of "Peter Pan" syndrome too...
