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So you equate someone "addicted" to television as the same as someone addicted to heroin?
Is that your way of condoning drug addiction? And yes I will judge a true addict. They are weak people who use their addiction as a crutch. To hell with them. If they OD all the better. They contribute nothing and only take from society.
You bypassed the message in my post. Let's dwell on the symptoms, not the causes. There's untold number of people today facing hopelessness, despair, being confined to live with their parents until they're 30+, crushed with student loans. And? Many see no hope for the future, and they're looking for an escape from their misery. Compassion, where art thou?
Give these people some hope for the future, and the drug dealers goes out of business!
Another point I was making was addictions are addictions, and we all have them, so if you can't bring one of your addiction to an end, then how do you expect someone else to bring their addiction to an end, with a snap of a finger?
You probably wouldn't hear of a story like this from El Paso, Tucson or San Diego, being so close to the Mexican Border, and the laxness with the pharmacies in Juarez, Nogales, Tijuana, where you don't even need a prescription for Flexeril, a muscle relaxer that'll keep you relaxed for 2-3 days.
And, super easy to get a prescription for a controlled substance, as it's happened to me when at a pharmacy in Mexico, a call is made to the Doctor. prescription issued, without even seeing the Dr.!
Let's not forget, there's 2 types of drug dealers in this world, one highly respected, the other highly denigrated!
And how did Prince and Philip Seymour Hoffman "take from you"? Oh, let me guess, they got more p---y and far better looking women than you could or ever did.
Haha! 2 drug addicts with money. Even worse. They had the resources to seek help and did not. And what does that even have to do with getting p--ssy or "far better looking women?" Your're not high right now are you?
I don't really care if you don't care if drug addicts OD. I don't care if your or your child get a leg blown off or permanently blinded by an explosive device set by one of your Muslim enemies. So, we are on the same page.
Good. So we both "don't care." BTW the way I am sure there is a far greater chance that some worthless, scumbag, deserving drug addict will OD in the next hour than myself or a member of my family will "get a leg blown off by one of my Muslim enemies." Nice job condoning the actions of Radical Islamic Terrorists. I am sure you were one of the ones who cheered the events of 9-11 and the Boston Marathon Bombings! Keep up the fight!
Some how I doubt you've discovered a cure for cancer, helped send man to the moon, or rescued a drowning dog. So, I have zero faith you contribute anything to society, other than your delusion you are something special.
No I have not discovered a cure for cancer ( have you?), sent a man to the moon? ( I was 9 at the time), or rescued a drowning dog (just haven't seen any who were drowning yet, BTW most dogs can swim).
But I do obey the law, pay my taxes, and do not suck up the resources of my community because I decided to voluntarily inject myself with a poison. So I guess in that respect I may not be someone "special", just a law abiding citizen of my community. So unusual these days .... I know.
Ooops! Look just now on the local news! The police found an addict who OD'ed downtown. Rushed to the local hospital ....but nada... DOA! Oh well....you lose out on that prediction!
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
11,974 posts, read 25,462,489 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frogburn
I read the portion about the white guy and his pregnant girlfriend. What came to my mind would be different than most Americans. What came to my mind was Wisconsin work ethic culture and how that guy even as a white guy would have been fired long before he was in what was it, Kentucky or Ohio, I can't remember which.
But more importantly what came to my mind was how I worked for less, after having a very hard time landing a job, had no child, no girlfriend, no wife, and worked twice as hard, twice as fast, and was very reliable but still regarded as inferior. That boss went above and beyond for both that young white guy and his lazy unreliable young white girldfriend that was pregnant. He was laboring for $13 an hour where as I was laboring for $5 an hour under the table breathing in the toxic fumes of dryfall paint I was spraying. I along with my other black coworkers with no respirator on were all getting high off the fumes in the poorly ventilated former factory space being converted over to office space.
That's what came to my f---in mind. No, "America Land of the Great." But "America the Land that will f--- me over."
I have a similar background to Vance (that's not a good thing) and also had family that moved from rural KY to SW Ohio, mom and I boomeranged back to rural KY. The areas of Ohio Vance talks about were heavily populated by people from the Southern Appalachia after WW2 and are enclaves of working class Appalachian culture despite being in the North. If you moved just 10 miles away to a more affluent area the culture is mainstream Midwest American.
Vance believes Appalachian culture is very similar to the rest of the South, my experience is different. I lived in a poor county in KY outside of Appalachia from ages 5 to 11 and the social problems there were not nearly as bad as in Eastern KY. Appalachia has a pretty nasty culture of machismo that makes it hard for those people to thrive in a modern world that demands self control and civility. I did extensive genealogy research on my south central KY and eastern KY families, both of whom were mostly poor. But the differences were stark. My SCKY family has no history of feuding, family members murdering each other, and men were expected to be faithful to their wives.
My EKY family is filled with violence and sexual misconduct. Half of my gr grandfather's male siblings died of homicide. Men regularly had mistresses (often 1st or 2nd cousins) and side children. It was not only acceptable to be a wife beater, it was expected. (Last week a 1st cousin of mine was arrested for shooting his girlfriend and then holding her hostage while she had gunshot wounds) If someone looks at you funny you either shoot at them or at least punch them. E KY is less violent today but there is still a victim complex people there have that if they don't fall out of bed and make $50k everyone is out to get them. They complain constantly about govt. but then complain that govt. doesn't help them enough. Like Vance talked about they brag about hard work but have the lowest labor force participation rate and highest govt. dependency rate of any group!
I understand some people get hooked on opioids and heroin that started with legitimate pain issues and the FDA allowing drugs they shouldn't have. But many people had no such issues and simply used drugs to look cool. In my childhood I went to hell and back but not a single time did I use illegal drugs or misuse legal drugs. Neither did 3 of my older siblings who had it even worse. Our brother did, he is really into the victimhood culture himself. Of course when he became a dad he ran away like a coward. I'm not saying to have no compassion but I think such people should be helped while being scorned for bringing problems to society. I reserve the bulk of my compassion for people who didn't bring their suffering upon themselves.
You bypassed the message in my post. Let's dwell on the symptoms, not the causes. There's untold number of people today facing hopelessness, despair, being confined to live with their parents until they're 30+, crushed with student loans. And? Many see no hope for the future, and they're looking for an escape from their misery. Compassion, where art thou?
Give these people some hope for the future, and the drug dealers goes out of business!
Another point I was making was addictions are addictions, and we all have them, so if you can't bring one of your addiction to an end, then how do you expect someone else to bring their addiction to an end, with a snap of a finger?
Your post makes absolutely no sense. So because, as you say, children are "confined to live with their parents until they are 30+"....I have news for you. Many young ones WANT to go back and live with Mommy and Daddy. Rent free, food, safety. What's not to like? PArents can be ENABLERS in a variety of ways. Also, being "crushed with student loans?"
Is that a reason to start injecting heroin??? Say what??? Oh yes life throws us a few curve balls....so let's do drugs!!!
Where you say compassion I say INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY!" Who told junior to go out of state to a private college at $50,000/ year and major in English with a degree that prepares you to be a barista at Starbucks for $10/hour. And then cry "Poor me" ...I can't cope....time to shoot up some heroin!
Enough compassion. More individual responsibility for one's actions and choices! Cry me a river.
Your post makes absolutely no sense. So because, as you say, children are "confined to live with their parents until they are 30+"....I have news for you. Many young ones WANT to go back and live with Mommy and Daddy. Rent free, food, safety. What's not to like? PArents can be ENABLERS in a variety of ways. Also, being "crushed with student loans?"
Is that a reason to start injecting heroin??? Say what??? Oh yes life throws us a few curve balls....so let's do drugs!!!
Where you say compassion I say INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY!" Who told junior to go out of state to a private college at $50,000/ year and major in English with a degree that prepares you to be a barista at Starbucks for $10/hour. And then cry "Poor me" ...I can't cope....time to shoot up some heroin!
Enough compassion. More individual responsibility for one's actions and choices! Cry me a river.
I also lol'd at that post.
But FWIW, I was an English major and I make very good money. It depends on what you want to do with it. I've never been a barista lol.
But I agree the main thing for addiction is individual responsibility.
Everyone has a sad story or tragic circumstances occur in their lives. What you do about them is the difference. And no one forces the majority of drug addicts to do drugs.
Drug addiction can afflict the elderly just as much as younger people.
I work in a LTC/Rehab facility, and I've seen it too often, some elderly person comes in after hip/knee surgery, or whatever, they get a first taste of opoids/heavy pain medication, and, even after they're rehabbed, they're still calling out for pain meds, even when the pain has disappeared. Hooked? And what becomes of them when they're released? Still trying to convince the Dr. they're in pain and they're needed?
But FWIW, I was an English major and I make very good money. It depends on what you want to do with it. I've never been a barista lol.
But I agree the main thing for addiction is individual responsibility.
Everyone has a sad story or tragic circumstances occur in their lives. What you do about them is the difference. And no one forces the majority of drug addicts to do drugs.
Individual responsibility! So, what I'm learning? is that we are all born with the same amount of willpower?
My niece has been through Rehab 2X now, with a good managerial job, and if it weren't for her Rock of a husband, I could easily see her as a homeless junkie!
Very little if any willpower! And she has my compassion!
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