I don't usually make new threads on this forum unless there is a significant point I am trying to make - I would rather latch on to someone else's similar idea and expand from there. I'm not sure why I'm even posting this. Perhaps I'm doing it for therapeutic purposes? There is some strange comfort in typing my jumbled thoughts out in a clear manner for me to sift through afterwards. Maybe this will help me come to terms with the travesty of what occurred on Tuesday evening. It will likely be long winded, with the usual right wing posters on one side agreeing, and the left ones throwing insults, but c'est la vie. I don't plan on fighting any of you on this topic, so if it makes you feel better to flame me, have at it. To say that I am disappointed with the election results would be an understatement. I severely miscalculated the level of intelligence in the general populace, giving far more emphasis to logic than emotion. As my (once) good friend (a very liberal voter) told me at one time - I am not typical in my thinking. He meant this as a compliment, elaborating that I tend to cut out emotion entirely when I do my analysis and determine which decision makes sense. He is a good person, though I can no longer spend time with him, as his belief of the country's direction differs too great from my own. Additionally, my mother and step-father voted Obama, and I have canceled my Christmas visit to New Jersey to spend time with them. They are hurt, but I find myself not caring at all. I am resentful. I don't want to be, but I simply can't help it. I tried to determine why I am so angry, and in my true nature, dissecting my feelings in the attempt to determine whether it is the immature fact that my "horse" lost the race, or something far deeper. I don't care that much when my Steelers lose a football game. I don't care when i lose a pickup hoops game. It's it about losing? I don't think so. I think what is really bothering me is that what is so clear to me is so lost on them. When I asked my family, or friends that voted Obama, why they did so, none of them could articulate a substantial reason. If someone was gay, and they did so because gay rights are the number one reason for them, THAT is a substantial reason. I can accept that. But when asked, none of the folks I mentioned could articulate anything than "I don't like Mitt Romney." When I asked them why, they mumbled a bunch of MSNBC talking points that weren't even factually accurate. They voted, then returned to the latest Hollywood gossip shows, or reality TV and forgot about the country again. They cast a vote that would substantially affect the future of the country, with all the seriousness and focus of someone picking out a bag of chips in the grocery aisle. "I don't like Pringles. What do you want me to say?" Further alarming, is that this type of thinking is growing. It is on the rise. Educated voters are disappearing. What remains is a mob of sheep who find themselves "caring" about the direction of the country for one month every 4 years - who pretend to be experts on all decision making, but really only regurgitate the latest talking points from their biased tv outlets. I think this is what disappointed me most - knowing that this is now the majority of the country, and the battle is lost. Yes, that's it! Holy crap - it's the understanding that the battle is lost. Permanently. If someone like Obama can win given the last four years of utter disaster, then there will never be a time in the future where facts matter any longer. It is all emotion and spin. So, as I come to terms with this, I have realized a few things that I will change in my life. I can no longer afford to take the moral high ground on decisions made. Being a responsible citizen no longer pays off. The only who will prosper in this nation are those who are net takers. Karma is no longer relevant, religion is a past-time that yields no fruit. It is time to become part of the rat race and take what I can before the whole damned system comes crashing down around us. Some changes I will enact in my life. I will compromise much less with people in the attempt to be polite and nice. My friends and family who are naive and unwilling to leave the herd (even on the other side of the spectrum) and are content to plow through life oblivious to what world they are walking in will be written off. I will not spend my time around them. I will no longer buy what I can get for free. This doesn't mean larceny, of course, but it does mean thinks like movies and music. I've long supported buying originals instead of using the net to get it for free. No longer. I've been giving 5% of my salary to charity for over a decade. I will cut that immediately. I will no longer donate anything to anyone. I will immediately seek an international position in my company so that I can take advantage of dual citizenship to place assets internationally. I will make sure I take advantage of any possible tax loophole I can. I will surround myself with like-minded, conservative thinkers who are preparing for the collapse of our financial well being. This will likely result in me becoming more extreme, but I don't care. It's us versus them for me, now. I will accelerate my project of solace in the Smoky Mountains, and that will serve as solace should I need it. And I will stock pile all the necessary things to keep that place sustainable. Finally, I will focus on my family and myself, and no longer try to educate or help society become a better place. As negative as all this is (and I know it is), I find myself OK with that. I am fine with nursing the cynic and killing all the hope I ever had. And having written all this, I feel better now. Strange how that is.
TSING TAO: the left ones throwing insults ------------------------------ You are pretty good at throwing insults yourself.
I appreciate that compliment. I intend to work to improve that aspect as well. Thank you for helping me add to my list. A meaner, angrier Tsing is just what the doctor ordered.
Yep, right off the bat. It's unfortunate, I don't mind listening to something heartfelt from nearly anyone, certainly Tsing qualifies.
I'm sure that's your motivation - given that you took me off ignore after the election for the sole purpose of what...rubbing it in? There was nothing insulting in my OP here. Troll elsewhere.
tsing tao: appreciate that compliment. I intend to work to improve that aspect as well. Thank you for helping me add to my list. A meaner, angrier Tsing is just what the doctor ordered. ------------------ glad that I could help
I took everyone off ignore, to have a look around. A couple of guys haven't changed a bit, so I happily dumped on them, using their very tactics and sometimes language--after all, via other's quotes, I still occasionally see what they're about, so they're not forgotten. Anyway, this, " It will likely be long winded, with the usual right wing posters on one side agreeing, and the left ones throwing insults," is an insult.
Bullshit, Ricter. The right wing posters agree with the conservative posts. The left wing posters agree with the liberal posts. The opposite sides insult each other. It's been this way since the dawn of this forum. Stating a fact is not an insult. And hoodooman proved my point with the very next post. Of all the content in my post, he (and you) chose to focus on that one statement. Christ, it's as if I'm an oracle. Convenient that you took everyone off ignore right after your guy won in the election. No motivation there at all, right?
Oh man, I want to say don't do it. Karma does matter and the road you're embarking upon will slowly eat at you because at heart you're a decent person. Believe me, I have and can be a one way prick like nobody's business, but it takes a toll on you brother. It takes a toll. Am I saying you should surrender to the mob? Absolutely not, but fight it with what you know is good and right. And please, do not give up your charitable contributions. Sometimes the giving is the only thing that really matters in my life. You can stand your ground without being a one way son of a bitch. It's hard, but it can be done.
You're already in an argument. Look at the title of your post. Conciliation would have been a lot more cathartic, and to be completely honest you can still have it from me, but don't start with an insult, please, even if true, in that type of thread.