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Actually, no I didn't. I simply agreed with Doc that we in the U.S. have it pretty good. I questioned if people perceive their life this way does this make it true?
I certainly didn't expect such an angry and combative response. Or anyone to turn it into a left wing/right wing issue. But then again, this is the Politics and Other Controversies forum. What did I expect!
There's a lot of economic insecurity in America today. Knowing that you're one or two paychecks from ruin if you lose your job can be stressful. Especially in states like mine with about 0 worker protections.
People should be able to put their minds at ease in such regards merely by considering that the institution of marriage is being protected today.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TriMT7
And it's not always "that person's fault," either. I know a woman who was devastated by breast cancer, and is still paying off the bills. Losing a job can mean loss of insurance AND the cash flow to keep paying off that breast cancer she was irresponsible enough to choose to get.
Millions of women don't get breast cancer every year. In an ownership society, people don't have the right to expect others to help out just because something bad happens to them.
Actually, no I didn't. I simply agreed with Doc that we in the U.S. have it pretty good. I questioned if people perceive their life this way does this make it true?
This last sentence, despite the denial, is no different from the original. You construct an alternate reality in which only the single most hopeless individual in all the world can legitimately claim to experience stress, then use that alternate reality to suggest that the stress others so clearly perceive in their own lives does not actually exist.
Quote:
Originally Posted by spunky1
I certainly didn't expect such an angry and combative response. Or anyone to turn it into a left wing/right wing issue. But then again, this is the Politics and Other Controversies forum. What did I expect!
No anger. No combativeness. Merely probing the intent and foundation of your comment. Another common right-wing characteristic is to claim that such probes when raised are examples of incivility on the part of the prober.
People should be able to put their minds at ease in such regards merely by considering that the institution of marriage is being protected today.
Millions of women don't get breast cancer every year. In an ownership society, people don't have the right to expect others to help out just because something bad happens to them.
Yes, that REALLY makes me sleep so much better at night
Actually, no I didn't. I simply agreed with Doc that we in the U.S. have it pretty good. I questioned if people perceive their life this way does this make it true?
Just because someone somewhere in the world has it worse doesn't mean people can't feel stressed about something.
Your analogy would work if the perception was that Americans are extremely poor in relation to people from other nations. That wasn't claimed. Merely that many Americans feel stressed.
This last sentence, despite the denial, is no different from the original. You construct an alternate reality in which only the single most hopeless individual in all the world can legitimately claim to experience stress, then use that alternate reality to suggest that the stress others so clearly perceive in their own lives does not actually exist.
No anger. No combativeness. Merely probing the intent and foundation of your comment. Another common right-wing characteristic is to claim that such probes when raised are examples of incivility on the part of the prober.
Sag, I usually don't respond to your questions for the very reasons displayed in your above post. You are not looking for discourse, or to debate and share ideas, or heaven forbid expand your narrow-minded views of your left-wing utopia.
Against my better judgement I did try and respond to your direct questions to me. In the future I will refrain as there is really no purpose. You are mearly interested in tearing down those who disagree with you. I have no idea what other purpose you would have. And if you don't think you are angry and combative. . . Well, carry on.
I agree with doc1. I lived half of my life in developing/third world countries. I don't know a single American of this generation who could possible last a week under the conditions we had to live in and I thought we had it good.
We have become a nation of people who are shallow, self absorbed, introlerant, misinformed, uneducated, impatient, intellectually lazy, superficial, do not accept responsibility for what happens to us - need I say more? And what is sad, is that we have such potential to be the opposite.
When I see statistics or studies about Americans and our "plight" as a nation - one has to really sit back and consider what got us to this point in the first place and take some responsibility. Just my observation. :-)
What does that say about the state of this country ???
One third of Americans say under extreme stress
By Patricia Reaney Wed Oct 24, 4:27 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Worries about work and money are causing one-third of Americans to suffer from extreme stress, driving them to overeat, drink, and smoke.
Moderator cut: copyrighted article.
How about being grateful that we as American's have freedom of choice. The people living in Darfur, now that's stress.......Give me a break......
Sag, I usually don't respond to your questions for the very reasons displayed in your above post.
These reasons, then, would be that such questions tend to point out the flawed facts and flawed logic that often underlie your arguments? In this case, you and <doc1> are quite clearly postulating an alternate reality in which no individual whose situation is less hopeless than that of any other individual can experience stress, and then using that yardstick to suggest errancy in claims of stress that were made by millions. The same yardstick is used with regard to the poor. If there is one poorer person somewhere (i.e., anywhere) then there is no right of complaint and no obligation to help out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by spunky1
You are not looking for discourse, or to debate and share ideas, or heaven forbid expand your narrow-minded views of your left-wing utopia. Against my better judgement I did try and respond to your direct questions to me. In the future I will refrain as there is really no purpose. You are mearly interested in tearing down those who disagree with you. I have no idea what other purpose you would have.
In general, my purpose would be to see flawed facts and flawed logic replaced by more robust versions. The essence of discourse and debate is to probe the intents and foundations of competing stories. You seem to be claiming here an exemption for your own personal stories. You are certainly declining to defend them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by spunky1
And if you don't think you are angry and combative. . . Well, carry on.
I shall indeed carry on, and that shall continue to include the questioning of flawed facts and flawed logic as encountered. I expect from past experience that such will not be infrequent.
I agree with doc1. I lived half of my life in developing/third world countries. I don't know a single American of this generation who could possible last a week under the conditions we had to live in and I thought we had it good.
We have become a nation of people who are shallow, self absorbed, introlerant, misinformed, uneducated, impatient, intellectually lazy, superficial, do not accept responsibility for what happens to us - need I say more? And what is sad, is that we have such potential to be the opposite.
When I see statistics or studies about Americans and our "plight" as a nation - one has to really sit back and consider what got us to this point in the first place and take some responsibility. Just my observation. :-)
And a very discerning observation at that.
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