fuck the 'new poor'

[Spooky Apparition]

see that doesn't count, you're in the GOOD ghetto man.

[The Torsion]

No amount of advertising and peer pressure, no matter how insecure you are, is forcing you to buy anything. This is not oppression. At the same time I'm not going to tell someone to fuck off when circumstances that seemed beyond their control have thrown a serious monkey wrench in their life. You just can't let your venting turn into a blame game, nor can you let the failures make you afraid of ever taking a risk or being confident and comfortable again.

[father of lies]

In the American Dream, first expressed by James Truslow Adams in 1931, citizens of every rank feel that they can achieve a "better, richer, and happier life."

Better, richer, and happier than what. That entire statement grinds my philosophical gears so hard.

It has devolved into better, richer, and happier than everybody, including oneself. I don't really know of any legit use of "better, richer, and happier life," except maybe in a comparison to preceding generations. Even still, people only seem to care about THEMSELVES being "better," rather than working to make each GENERATION better off that its predecessor. These are psychological grabs for territory. Being able to shop at Whole Foods all the time, drive cars with abilities you'll never need or use, and so on is no different than if they were tagging a few buildings or pissing on some trees and rocks to claim them for their particular tribe. Fuck that.

No amount of advertising and peer pressure, no matter how insecure you are, is forcing you to buy anything.

I think this assumes a level playing field of self-awareness that doesn't exist. Marketing is in the state that it is because it WORKS. People aren't being FORCED to drink Corona, for example, but they sure as hell are being manipulated to want to drink it, even though it isn't much of an improvement of shitty American macrobrews. The otherwise unjustifiable increase in cost is made up for by attaching these nebulous emotions and ideas to it, and I don't think most people who spend themselves into huge credit card debt or thing buying off brand toilet paper is a sacrifice have any idea that they are being manipulated.

I don't know what your situation was like growing up, but you were surely raised to be smarter than that. Growing up, we were too poor to be able to buy our way into any sort of materialistic bullshit identity, and my general worldview, fairly consistently to the left since I was able to have half baked ideas about the world, prevented it from developing in me. On the other hand, some of the inner city kids that I worked with at my high school job were raised not by intelligent parents or (in my case) Jello Biafra, but by marketing departments. If that lack of money creates a need to mark off psychological territory in some people, that need is exploited by unscrupulous assholes to sell poor kids $150 shoes. Surely, they should have known better, but some people just have a much tougher time making it to that revelation.

To nerd it up a little, I have seen the fnords, you may have seen the fnords, but Joe Consumer most definitely has NOT seen the fnords.

[The Torsion]

I think this assumes a level playing field of self-awareness that doesn't exist. Marketing is in the state that it is because it WORKS. People aren't being FORCED to drink Corona, for example, but they sure as hell are being manipulated to want to drink it, even though it isn't much of an improvement of shitty American macrobrews. The otherwise unjustifiable increase in cost is made up for by attaching these nebulous emotions and ideas to it, and I don't think most people who spend themselves into huge credit card debt or thing buying off brand toilet paper is a sacrifice have any idea that they are being manipulated.

People are going to make stupid purchases. People who should know better are going to make stupid purchases. I have made and will continue to make stupid purchases (hopefully they won't ruin my life), either because I let advertising influence me or I liked the way something looked and I rationalized the purchase or I thought I needed it and I didn't. Whatever. I just try to be on my guard.

I don't know what your situation was like growing up, but you were surely raised to be smarter than that. Growing up, we were too poor to be able to buy our way into any sort of materialistic bullshit identity, and my general worldview, fairly consistently to the left since I was able to have half baked ideas about the world, prevented it from developing in me. On the other hand, some of the inner city kids that I worked with at my high school job were raised not by intelligent parents or (in my case) Jello Biafra, but by marketing departments. If that lack of money creates a need to mark off psychological territory in some people, that need is exploited by unscrupulous assholes to sell poor kids $150 shoes. Surely, they should have known better, but some people just have a much tougher time making it to that revelation.

Stupid broke motherfuckers have been buying flashy shit they couldn't afford since way the fuck back when. There's no nefarious cabal against the poor at work here, it's human nature.

[Hell-haine]

I might make a good house boy and companion for an older lady.

Well my Mum is looking for a gardener these days.

SPOILERSPOILER_SHOW

60 years old.

[VueeeuVueeeeuV]

If you want to know how poor people can exist in the richest country on earth, just read torsians posts. He is the posterchild for the decline in the standard of living and is damn proud of it. Americans work longer, harder and faster than anyone else and we get paid theless when we have people like torsian to shove their "freedom loving" tounge up their bosses ass.

If you want to die in a country far worse than you where born into, by all means jerk off on his, batleetweeter and their ilks plan for a "free" america.

[The Torsion]

DERP DERP DERP DERP

[father of lies]

I would hardly lump Torsion in with the likes of 'Tweeter.

[VueeeuVueeeeuV]

They differ on defense and offer the same view of a brutal, mercilessly right wing America that exists to get as much work out of its human property as necessary.

[Whiffleball Ace]

Yes, "fuck the new poor." That's all fine and dandy, but I dare you to tell me that you don't need one of these.

[Gookstorm]

Fuck the baby boomers, more or less. They're the ones that fucked up social security, voted in a bunch of fucktards repeatedly, and kept on spending money horribly. And because so many of them were irresponsible fucktards, we generations that have worked goddamn hard for degrees and the wonderful "career opportunities" that await us like Starbucks barista and Home Depot associate that our parents were able to get with barely a high school diploma and yet somehow afford to buy a 1500 sqft house on a single 20-something guy's paycheck.

Fuck uncontrolled voting with dollars - the current housing market is exactly what voting with dollars creates. Irresponsible spending at the micro level over decades of idiocy has created an entire economy that's just plain unsustainable and will probably leave us worse off than where we started in the 40s.

[neckbeard]

I wish I could teach you guys about anarchism

[The Torsion]

I wish I could teach you guys about anarchism

They learned everything they need to know about anarchism from Crimethinc and Chomsky pamphlets.

[Glass Asshole]

Stupid broke motherfuckers have been buying flashy shit they couldn't afford since way the fuck back when. There's no nefarious cabal against the poor at work here, it's human nature.

Joking? Right, so the mixing of psychology and propaganda techniques in marketing is just what, a waste of time? Granted conspicuous consumption has existed for a long time, but back in the day that was a rich mans game. The game for the poor is a little more askew then you would like to admit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays

[hipster holocaust]

Fuck the baby boomers, more or less. They're the ones that fucked up social security, voted in a bunch of fucktards repeatedly, and kept on spending money horribly. And because so many of them were irresponsible fucktards, we generations that have worked goddamn hard for degrees and the wonderful "career opportunities" that await us like Starbucks barista and Home Depot associate that our parents were able to get with barely a high school diploma and yet somehow afford to buy a 1500 sqft house on a single 20-something guy's paycheck.

Fuck uncontrolled voting with dollars - the current housing market is exactly what voting with dollars creates. Irresponsible spending at the micro level over decades of idiocy has created an entire economy that's just plain unsustainable and will probably leave us worse off than where we started in the 40s.

once again hitting the nail on the head

[father of lies]

GFC. Word.

[hipster holocaust]

yo dawg those new 200 dollar kicks are ill. totally worth living in the dark for the next month. barack! michael moore! make everything better!!!

[Bored, Esq.]

I wish I could teach you guys about anarchism

They learned everything they need to know about anarchism from Crimethinc and Chomsky pamphlets.

Punk lyrics, probably.

[Kurt Russell's Beard]

Fuck the baby boomers, more or less. They're the ones that fucked up social security, voted in a bunch of fucktards repeatedly, and kept on spending money horribly. And because so many of them were irresponsible fucktards, we generations that have worked goddamn hard for degrees and the wonderful "career opportunities" that await us like Starbucks barista and Home Depot associate that our parents were able to get with barely a high school diploma and yet somehow afford to buy a 1500 sqft house on a single 20-something guy's paycheck.

Fuck uncontrolled voting with dollars - the current housing market is exactly what voting with dollars creates. Irresponsible spending at the micro level over decades of idiocy has created an entire economy that's just plain unsustainable and will probably leave us worse off than where we started in the 40s.

once again hitting the nail on the head

You're blaming a generation's behavior within the system for our predicament and not even considering the fact that maybe it's just the natural end-state of the system itself? Or even addressing if the system is fucking moral? It's like sifting through symptoms and calling them the disease. And why? Because in the 1940s dear old dad had it good? Your dad? Not my dad, he was a janitor. Not Paco's dad, he picked cabbage for slave-wage until he keeled over of heat stroke. Was it justified then simply seen through your rose-tinted glasses? Shills for capitalism sure as if you were skipping around with a ratchet and oil can. Keep it running you assholes. High five each other. Emoticon. Condemn the poor for irrational spending as a sacrificial tributary to the State. Sensual rubdown as you dream of how better to chase the American Dream. Throw darts at photos of your irresponsible parents. Emoticon. You assfucks.

[Kurt Russell's Beard]

I might make a good house boy and companion for an older lady.

Well my Mum is looking for a gardener these days.

SPOILERSPOILER_SHOW

60 years old.

Downloading Rosetta Stone French right now.

[Kurt Russell's Beard]

They differ on defense and offer the same view of a brutal, mercilessly right wing America that exists to get as much work out of its human property as necessary.

I never noticed it before but you're right. Torsion? What the fuck man? How do you reconcile this stance? Say something halfway human before I put you in the BattleTweeter box.

[Kurt Russell's Beard]

They differ on defense and offer the same view of a brutal, mercilessly right wing America that exists to get as much work out of its human property as necessary.

I never noticed it before but you're right. Torsion? What the fuck man? How do you reconcile this stance? Say something halfway human before I put you in the BattleTweeter box.

EDIT: You took longer than five minutes to respond. You're in the fucking box. Have fun combining your sperm with Tweeters in efforts to spawn a master race.

[Phritz]

i always had a somewhat childish admiration for anarchism. but one day, i realized, that there is no distribution of wealth in anarchism (duh!) and it's basically just a euphemism for the "right of the force".

[Bored, Esq.]

He's been ranting about Torisan for about a month now. I can't remember what set him off.

[Spooky Apparition]

NEW POOR: one of my friend's neighbors (who have 2 young kids) just got kicked out of their house because their property taxes increased slowly over the course of 3 years, making the home unaffordable. they'd been trying to sell it--including a short sale--for the last 6 months, but who the hell is going to buy a house with sky high property taxes in this kind of housing market? oh well, the transient lifestyle should toughen the kids up.