Have We Surrendered to Thieves, Mobs & Shoplifters?

[Saint Frankenstein]

I was attempting to point out something that seems increasingly obvious to many around the world -- that the United States of America is a very serious outlier in several ways from the rest of the western world. Much of the USA self-identifies as Christian and religious -- certainly much more so than most of the rest of the West. And yet statistically, the USA fares much worse in many important areas -- areas which one would suppose that a religious religious bent would mitigate against. These include the crimes in this thread, along with -- as I pointed out -- the sad statistic that the biggest killer of Americans under the age of 19 is guns, guns wielded by fellow Americans, often enough in schools and places of worship.

Now, I don't know what this suggests to you, but it suggests to me that America needs a little navel-gazing. Even now, as we speak, Republicans (the more religious party) in the House are desperately seeking some reason to impeach President Biden, while ignoring the likely shutdown of the government, resulting in many people not getting paid (or getting paid later for having done no work). And this at the order of one man already under 4 indictments on 91 different charges -- who wouldn't know a religious impulse if it bit him.

America is an extremely diverse place, so much so it's basically a bunch of smaller countries thrown together. Most of the violence is happening in the cities, which don't tend to be religious. I doubt most people in NYC, LA and Seattle go to church on Sunday. I know most aren't where I live.

Most of the gun violence would be black teens and young adults shooting each other in the inner city and gang violence. That's what the majority of gun violence where I live is, and it's the same throughout the country in major cities. Those sensationalized rampage shootings that the media loves to obsess over are only a fraction of a percent of overall gun violence each year. They're very rare.

 

[Colt]

And don't forget....

BLM organizer who called looting ‘reparations’ dismisses peaceful protesting

The Chicago Black Lives Matter organizer who justified looting as “reparation” has doubled down — insisting this week that even calling someone a criminal is “based on racism.&#82…

nypost.com

BLM is a racist criminal organization who exploits race to enrich the management while leaving black communities in worse shape!

 

[Revoltingest]

BLM is a racist criminal organization who exploits race to enrich the management while leaving black communities in worse shape!

I prefer to say they're a mixed bag.

 

[Twilight Hue]

BLM is a racist criminal organization who exploits race to enrich the management while leaving black communities in worse shape!

Worse is they were founded and run by proclaimed Marxists and supported by Democrats.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

You really don’t understand that thing about how an exception doesn’t disprove a rule, do you.

And you really don't understand the depth and extent of systemic racism -- a willful ignorance that must require significant effort.
You may wish to consider a thoughtful visit to the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

 

[PureX]

I'm reminded of this from an essay by Arthur C. Brooks about Betrand Russell in the Atlantic today:

Russell believed that people who considered themselves enlightened tended to be negative and pessimistic, and were actually proud of it. They were very focused on all that was wrong in the world, and believed “that there is nothing left to live for.” This wasn’t a new sentiment—indeed, as Clark Lawlor, a scholar of 18th-century literature writes, “Melancholy was frothily fashionable” in that period for “anyone who desired to seem in the slightest bit sensitive or clever.”​

​

Eight Ways to Banish Misery

The philosopher Bertrand Russell knew something about unhappiness. He also knew how to overcome it.

www.theatlantic.com

I'm not saying you're considering yourself any of those things, it's just that your comment prompted me to recall what I read this morning. I do think there's an element of "the world has never been this bad" out there, when yes... yes it has indeed been that bad and will likely always be that bad.

It's not about what the world is, it's about what it could be. We once believed in this country that our experience of life was getting better. Now we no longer believe this. And the reason is because it WAS getting better, And now it's getting worse. Is this because the news and the internet are able to show us the world in ever greater detail? Maybe. But I think we all know there's more to it then that.

Yes, the world has always been unfair, and cruel, and people have always been stupid and greedy and uncaring. But I grew up in a time and place that had hope, and people acted on that hope for the better, at least sometimes, and to some degree. But that time and place is gone, now. Somehow we have squandered it and become frightened and selfish for our own survival. And for good reason, it appears.

It's not just a matter of perspective. It's also a matter of fact. We have lost that sense of working together to make things better. We are all divided against each other, now, and that divided house is falling down. The fear and selfishness is being fed by the very reality that it creates. Like a run-away train rolling down a hill. We can all see what's going to happen when it gets to the bottom of the hill. But we're still too afraid to jump off.

 

[anna.]

It's not about what the world is, it's about what it could be. We once believed in this country that our experience of life was getting better. Now we no longer believe this. And the reason is because it WAS getting better, And now it's getting worse. Is this because the news and the internet are able to show us the world in ever greater detail? Maybe. But I think we all know there's more to it then that.

Yes, the world has always been unfair, and cruel, and people have always been stupid and greedy and uncaring. But I grew up in a time and place that had hope, and people acted on that hope for the better, at least sometimes, and to some degree. But that time and place is gone, now. Somehow we have squandered it and become frightened and selfish for our own survival. And for good reason, it appears.

It's not just a matter of perspective. It's also a matter of fact. We have lost that sense of working together to make things better. We are all divided against each other, now, and that divided house is falling down. The fear and selfishness is being fed by the very reality that it creates. Like a run-away train rolling down a hill. We can all see what's going to happen when it gets to the bottom of the hill. But we're still too afraid to jump off.

People still have hope, and act on that hope, and work together towards common goals. Set aside your pessimism and look for them, so you can work with them, at least sometimes, and maybe that sense of fear in you will subside.

 

[Revoltingest]

People still have hope, and act on that hope, and work together towards common goals. Set aside your pessimism and look for them, so you can work with them, at least sometimes, and maybe that sense of fear in you will subside.

You inspired my latest signature.

 

[PureX]

People still have hope, and act on that hope, and work together towards common goals. Set aside your pessimism and look for them, so you can work with them, at least sometimes, and maybe that sense of fear in you will subside.

I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about people's attitudes, generally. One guy writes a simple song about it and it blows up globally on the internet because huge numbers of people resonate with the 'pessimism' of it. And especially with the fact that SOMEONE finally spoke out about it. It wasn't being buried beneath a mountain of corporate advertiser's lies and BS political 'optimism'.

 

[anna.]

I'm not talking about me.

I understand that when you say "we" you usually mean "everyone else" but thanks for clarifying it.

I'm talking about people's attitudes, generally. One guy writes a simple song about it and it blows up globally on the internet because huge numbers of people resonate with the 'pessimism' of it. And especially with the fact that SOMEONE finally spoke out about it. It wasn't being buried beneath a mountain of corporate advertiser's lies and BS political 'optimism'.

And I gave you examples of similar songs in history when you made the thread about that song. What he sang is nothing new (and personally, I didn't even think the song was that great, sorry). Someone didn't "finally speak out about it," it's been a common theme for literally decades. On some level, I think you know that, too.

 

[anna.]

You inspired my latest signature.

My favorite version of it is "aim low, achieve your goals."

 

[Revoltingest]

My favorite version of it is "aim low, achieve your goals."

A variation of that is a Revoltifarian maxim....
Ensure that others think little of you.
So you'll exceed their expectations.

 

[anna.]

A variation of that is a Revoltifarian maxim....
Ensure that others think little of you.
So you'll exceed their expectations.

Which in turn reminds me of this (variously worded, variously attributed):

"You wouldn’t worry so much about what people think of you if you knew how seldom they do."

It's been a good check for me.

 

[Little Dragon]

Well, if you can call this "fighting back".... O'Reilly Auto Parts worker charged in strangulation death of suspected shoplifter

I call that murder personally. Shoplifting is usually committed by drug addicts and the poor, in my nation. So, I am not inclined to support draconian law enforcement against them, let alone being choked to death.

 

[jbg]

On a serious note, though, I think increased shoplifting is the sign of an economy that isn't providing opportunities for people to earn a living wage, with the lack of a social safety net making people increasingly desperate. That's a general statement, and I'm sure there are individual cases that refute it, but it is something to consider.

I think it's a sign of perceived lack of consequences. Even most wolves know not to attack humans. This is the soft bigotry of low expectations.