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Ariala - I couldn't handle some of the stuff you get thrown at you
In your case it is simply because you are at the top of the Blogit rankings, you make a convenient and obvious target to propell the rankings of others. In my case it is the perils of treading in the minefield of the subject matter that I choose to write about. I chose the territory, I'm not going to complain about the terrain but I wonder how far this latest attempt is going to go?
posted by
gomedome
on December 19, 2005 at 1:13 PM
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Gomey,
Can I just say "Geez, if it's not you, it's me."
posted by
Ariala
on December 19, 2005 at 12:42 PM
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Talion -- no kidding --- my user name is appearing in headlines again
I wonder if the old record of my name appearing 5 times in 6 days in an antagonist's headline will be broken? I'm thinking of setting up a pool and taking bets.
posted by
gomedome
on December 19, 2005 at 12:35 PM
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gomedome
One leaves and another rises to take his place. I have to hand it to you. You really get the attention of the most interesting among us. What's your secret? I want to make sure I never stumble upon it by accident.
posted by
Talion
on December 19, 2005 at 12:29 PM
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I agree fully
That was a great post
posted by
kooka_lives
on December 19, 2005 at 9:39 AM
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Xeno-x - the concern in a nutshell is that if current trends prevail
we will ultimately impoverish ourselves. Gas prices are a prime example. The current problems with gas prices and how they are hurting our economy is as much an attitude problem as a supply and demand problem. Specifically the demand did not need to be escalated to the level that it is now. The love affair with the automobile is obscene when viewed through a set of global lenses. Yet we still have people that just can't wait to order that Hummer to show off to their friends.
posted by
gomedome
on December 19, 2005 at 9:17 AM
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You wrote:
The only solution is to first attack the prevailing mindset that fosters the overconsumption, then attempt to reduce the unnecessary overconsumption itself.
Bravo!
You attack. I'll be the distraction......
posted by
AllergicHobbit
on December 19, 2005 at 9:06 AM
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i don't have time right now but
someone needs to write something on our own greed -- where Americans overconsume -- how many aer overweitght while how many others starve? -- inthe U.S. and around the world.
a lot of selfishness out there -- wanting for ourselves and basically ignoring the rest of the world.
can't keep up for long.
posted by
Xeno-x
on December 19, 2005 at 9:06 AM
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AllergicHobbit - if anything, the prevailing mindset that I am referring
to has many parrallels with the French Revolution. The differences lie in the causes of this wealth disparity, it is not one specific ruling class that is causing this but instead the inevitable depletion of resources. All accellerated by emerging economies establishing the same consumer driven types of societies as found within western societies. As this development manifests itself, all manufacturing infrastructures begin competing for finite resources. It's already been demonstrated for us and is escalating. A tour of any major seaport in North America will show this, as countless ships are loaded to the brim with North American scrap metal and are headed for China or third world nations. Meanwhile, not only do scrap prices for steel rise accordingly with demand but milled steel prices rise as well and have risen. In the last 20 months our manufacturing, infrastructure has taken a pounding in the area of availability of raw materials, it can only get worse. The only solution is to first attack the prevailing mindset that fosters the overconsumption, then attempt to reduce the unnecessary overconsumption itself. However, one would have to be aware of this developing trend to actually get the point. TV shows such as American Chopper are not the problem in of themselves, but instead serve to proliferate the head in the sand mentality that comments on this blog so painfully illustrate.
posted by
gomedome
on December 19, 2005 at 8:59 AM
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Have you made the connection yet?
The French revolution did not "cure" poverty. It didn't even help it.
You're confused. (maybe some of that hair in your ears has grown into your brain)
If you want to increase charity, I'M WITH YOU!!!
But we but know charity is just a band-aid.
posted by
AllergicHobbit
on December 19, 2005 at 8:54 AM
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actually I like AllergicHobbit
this guy/gal adds a bit of spice to the opoeration.
people are so used to the rest of us that we no longer are radical to them.
he is.
hooray for non-conformity!!!
posted by
Xeno-x
on December 19, 2005 at 8:34 AM
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Look!!! He's foaming at the mouth!!!!
Maybe your stack of books at not THAT tall! (good thing for that poor little dog)
Place your hairy fingers on a book about the events leading up to the French revolution. We pale in comparison to the excesses of THAT generation.
posted by
AllergicHobbit
on December 19, 2005 at 8:30 AM
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AllergicHobbit -- forgive me - I won't hurt your brain any more asking you
to think.
The overconsumption of material goods, including the excesses of purchasing glitzy toys or unnecessary status symbols, is currently a common practice in western societies. A practice instituted and proliferated by one generation in the baby boomers, so spare me the bullshit of it being a tradition. Your parent's generation did not exhibit this callousness, nor will future generations be able to.
posted by
gomedome
on December 19, 2005 at 8:21 AM
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TraditionGrinch
Poverty is the natural condition of man. You should know that.
posted by
AllergicHobbit
on December 19, 2005 at 8:09 AM
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AllergicHobbit - I don't know how to respond to your comment
Glitzy toys making some people happy is irrelevent in a discussion of world poverty which ultimately this posting is about. But your response is a perfect example of the denial I was referring to.
posted by
gomedome
on December 19, 2005 at 7:53 AM
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TraditionGrinch
What about the pursuit of happiness? Buying recreational items makes some people happy. These items gives some people a reason to get up in the morning.
Oh yeah, I forgot. Grinches are never happy.
posted by
AllergicHobbit
on December 19, 2005 at 7:27 AM
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Xeno-x - regretfully it has already led us to where it will lead us
in that we have economies that are unsustainable and destined for if not collapse, certainly a drastic overhaul. Attitudes must change first however. The ivory tower syndrome where we're allright, sorry about the rest of the world's luck, will have to be the first hurdle to overcome.
posted by
gomedome
on December 19, 2005 at 7:21 AM
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covetousness
that's what you're talking about
not consumption -- for once consumed, the consumed is consumed -- gone
but consumerism in the acquisition of possessions.
utility be damned.
shiny things that one can show off to everyone else -- no different than certain "primitive" -- although primitiveness is relative -- peoples who show off bigger baubles -- in fact, I recall the one where people used rocks as money -- the bigger the rock, the more wealth -- and if you had to buy something with the rock? -- why you had to change it for smaller rocks, I guess -- but the idea was to roll around the biggest rock of the lot -- but it did make for some awkward exchanges, I would think.
We're rolling around huge rocks around here -- and what does it get us? Hernias, I guess.
But seriously -- what we really doing is going into debt for selfish accumulation of objects and maybe throwing crumbs to everyone else.
We eat steak -- and say, "Let them eat cake."
Where does that lead us?
posted by
Xeno-x
on December 19, 2005 at 7:02 AM
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AllergicHobbit - maybe you are a real hobbit
....because a lot of stuff seems to sail over your head. Overconsumption is not an inalienable tradition. It is a temporary condition, instituted by a callous disregard for the world's resources and proliferated entirely by denial. History will view this folly for exactly what it is. The wealthiest western societies pissing away precious resources simply because they can.
posted by
gomedome
on December 19, 2005 at 6:44 AM
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sannhet - it is totally ridiculous and completely unsustainable
The human race begins running out of the necessary elements to sustain life during this century and we are still all doing what we have always been doing.
posted by
gomedome
on December 19, 2005 at 6:38 AM
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Gome -
You're right. Our priorities are all messed up. And consumerism leads the charge (so to speak). I just read that if you have any money at all in the bank and some change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the wealthy in the world. Isn't that amazing! And totally ridiculous!
posted by
sannhet
on December 19, 2005 at 6:27 AM
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The Grinch Who Stole Tradition
What you are asking is for us to give up our American way of life!
Didn't Clinton's government forgive billions of third world debt???
You are the TraditionGrinch.
I thought about calling you "Scrooge" but Scrooge doesn't have a little dog strapped to his sled full of books!!
Certain people think that there's a soft hart under all that smelly green fur. Maybe.
All I know is that those dingle-berries must be murder!!!!
posted by
AllergicHobbit
on December 19, 2005 at 6:27 AM
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Passionflower - I still enjoy it -- I also like Pimp my Ride
but you do have to admit that both shows and others like them, are all about excess.
posted by
gomedome
on December 18, 2005 at 8:40 PM
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Ameican Chopper is a good show...
You just took all the fun out of watching it. What kind of person thinks of that stuff while watching a show like that? You're just supposed to sit back with some snax and enjoy.
posted by
Passionflower
on December 18, 2005 at 8:34 PM
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