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We're living in an utterly corrupt society. I know the middle class types on here don't like to hear it, but it's true. At the bottom of society, one can see cl

by archhn 4y ago

We're living in an utterly corrupt society. I know the middle class types on here don't like to hear it, but it's true. At the bottom of society, one can see clearly how bad it is. In the middle, you are insulated in your little suburban homes with your inflated sense of self-worth. Many people here are outright slaves. They are trapped in a predatory system that prevents them from gaining any dignity. It should be no surprise that some people say "fuck this," and drop out of the system or refuse to climb the corrupt social hierarchy. The millions of young men missing from the workforce are all speaking with their actions, "I don't approve of this system. I'd rather die than comply with it." Without an effective system of representation, this is how people express their discontent: drop out or commit crime. No one that believes in their country becomes a criminal. A precondition for criminality is always a loss of morale. That's why the system comes down on these "criminals" so hard, not because their crimes are so bad, but because they are dissidents. Some of you drive to work along streets full of homeless people. You are told that these are just drug addicts or problem makers. In truth, they are obsolete or noncompliant slaves. This can't last forever. One day we'll all be asking how we could let it get so bad, but it will be too late--I fear.

PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago
While I broadly empathize with what you're saying here, this: > No one that believes in their country becomes a criminal. seems completely indefensible. There are all kinds of criminals who see it as a legitimate way to exist and thrive within society. There are also many different kinds of crime, including white collar. Particularly when you live in a "got to get ahead" society, pretty much anything that can you help you "get ahead" ends up feeling legitimate.
- archhn 4y ago
  The law is supposed to be the sacred foundation upon which a nation is built. Perhaps this view of law has been forgotten, which further emphasises my point about corruption. Breaking the law, in a serious way--I'm not talking about jaywalking--shows contempt for the foundational order of a nation. When I was younger, boy scout and all, I truly believed breaking the law was the worst thing one could possibly do. I was told how important the law is and that it deserves our utmost respect. From this mindset, breaking the law and becoming a criminal is percieved as a monstrous act-- inexusable. That's how I saw things when I believed in America. Things have certainly changed, as your comment demonstrates. People now think it's more important to make money than abide by the law. The law is just seen as a referee, something to get around, not a noble set of rules that are laid down to govern our conduct for the good of us all.
  - PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago
    > Things have certainly changed It's hard to take this seriously. Crime as a way of life has a history dating back centuries, even millenia.
asah 4y ago
That's not true! Poor people can escape if they live perfectly and don't make a single mistake and don't get unlucky. /S (Unlucky = health emergency, family emergency, wrong place wrong time, etc - advantaged people have accidents and mistakes but they have money and safety nets that catch them)
- archhn 4y ago
  The number one cause of bankruptcy in the U.S. is healthcare costs. The horror stories I've personally witnessed are shocking. At the bottom of society, where I have dwelled, there's a whole undulating sea of broken toys. Ex engineers, disgraced financiers, all sorts of people that once were somebody in society, but fell down somehow into the land of the living dead; where there's no hope and mostly a silent endurance until we die in complete isolation.
dennis_jeeves1 4y ago
>We're living in an utterly corrupt society. I know the middle class types on here don't like to hear it, but it's true. At the bottom of society, one can see clearly how bad it is. In the middle, you are insulated in your little suburban homes with your inflated sense of self-worth It's a fairly accurate representation of the way things are, as I see it. >This can't last forever. I think this was the way it was since time immemorial. Probably worse.
- archhn 4y ago
  How many civilizations have lasted since time immemorial? You could have said this in Rome and you would have been right. You could have said this as a slave to the pharos and you would have been right. It never lasts forever.
  - dennis_jeeves1 4y ago
    Ok, you are correct, to state it more accurately as long as civilizations ( in it's current form) exist, there have been slaves, and all indications are that it will not change. Unless somehow each individual somehow become physically powerful enough to stand up to large a collective of the 'enemy', slavery in some form will always exist.
imranq 4y ago
Is there a country outside of the US that does not have some of the corrupt aspects you mention? Does this corruption pervade only at a national level or also at state and town and community layers?
- archhn 4y ago
  The U.S. is a special case because of it's grandiose claims. We are supposed to be a nation by the people and for the people, a nation that is supposed to be a bastion of liberty against the dark tyrannical forces of the world that routinely attempt to enslave man. Corruption in this context is more severe than equivalent corruption in countries differently constituted. It's like a catholic priest who has sex with women on the side. Many men do that, but a priest is supposed to be held to a divine standard. Therefore the priest's actions are interpreted as a severe form of corruption,whereas the actions of a common man doing the same thing are perhaps not even seen as a bad thing. America is like a high priest of liberty. When there is corruption here, it's even worse than equivalent corruption elsewhere. Practicality speaking now, this is a huge problem because many people still believe that America is still abiding by its high ideals. This has the effect of making people blind to corruption. "That could never happen in America," is the attitude of a lot of people who still believe in the premise of this nation. I'll admit that these are difficult questions. I don't necessarily have the best answers. All I can really say is that there's a spiritual sickness here eating away at us that undoubtedly comes from a long accumulation of lies and betrayals that undermine our collective faith in the nation.
  - akomtu 4y ago
    The mysterious spiritual sickness is just the expected arrival of weaker souls: they have the right to live too, but they won't be able to uphold the standards set by their greater ancestors.

by archhn 4y ago

PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago

While I broadly empathize with what you're saying here, this: > No one that believes in their country becomes a criminal. seems completely indefensible. There are all kinds of criminals who see it as a legitimate way to exist and thrive within society. There are also many different kinds of crime, including white collar. Particularly when you live in a "got to get ahead" society, pretty much anything that can you help you "get ahead" ends up feeling legitimate.

archhn 4y ago
The law is supposed to be the sacred foundation upon which a nation is built. Perhaps this view of law has been forgotten, which further emphasises my point about corruption. Breaking the law, in a serious way--I'm not talking about jaywalking--shows contempt for the foundational order of a nation. When I was younger, boy scout and all, I truly believed breaking the law was the worst thing one could possibly do. I was told how important the law is and that it deserves our utmost respect. From this mindset, breaking the law and becoming a criminal is percieved as a monstrous act-- inexusable. That's how I saw things when I believed in America. Things have certainly changed, as your comment demonstrates. People now think it's more important to make money than abide by the law. The law is just seen as a referee, something to get around, not a noble set of rules that are laid down to govern our conduct for the good of us all.
- PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago
  > Things have certainly changed It's hard to take this seriously. Crime as a way of life has a history dating back centuries, even millenia.

asah 4y ago

That's not true! Poor people can escape if they live perfectly and don't make a single mistake and don't get unlucky. /S (Unlucky = health emergency, family emergency, wrong place wrong time, etc - advantaged people have accidents and mistakes but they have money and safety nets that catch them)

archhn 4y ago
The number one cause of bankruptcy in the U.S. is healthcare costs. The horror stories I've personally witnessed are shocking. At the bottom of society, where I have dwelled, there's a whole undulating sea of broken toys. Ex engineers, disgraced financiers, all sorts of people that once were somebody in society, but fell down somehow into the land of the living dead; where there's no hope and mostly a silent endurance until we die in complete isolation.

dennis_jeeves1 4y ago

>We're living in an utterly corrupt society. I know the middle class types on here don't like to hear it, but it's true. At the bottom of society, one can see clearly how bad it is. In the middle, you are insulated in your little suburban homes with your inflated sense of self-worth It's a fairly accurate representation of the way things are, as I see it. >This can't last forever. I think this was the way it was since time immemorial. Probably worse.

archhn 4y ago
How many civilizations have lasted since time immemorial? You could have said this in Rome and you would have been right. You could have said this as a slave to the pharos and you would have been right. It never lasts forever.
- dennis_jeeves1 4y ago
  Ok, you are correct, to state it more accurately as long as civilizations ( in it's current form) exist, there have been slaves, and all indications are that it will not change. Unless somehow each individual somehow become physically powerful enough to stand up to large a collective of the 'enemy', slavery in some form will always exist.

imranq 4y ago

Is there a country outside of the US that does not have some of the corrupt aspects you mention? Does this corruption pervade only at a national level or also at state and town and community layers?

archhn 4y ago
The U.S. is a special case because of it's grandiose claims. We are supposed to be a nation by the people and for the people, a nation that is supposed to be a bastion of liberty against the dark tyrannical forces of the world that routinely attempt to enslave man. Corruption in this context is more severe than equivalent corruption in countries differently constituted. It's like a catholic priest who has sex with women on the side. Many men do that, but a priest is supposed to be held to a divine standard. Therefore the priest's actions are interpreted as a severe form of corruption,whereas the actions of a common man doing the same thing are perhaps not even seen as a bad thing. America is like a high priest of liberty. When there is corruption here, it's even worse than equivalent corruption elsewhere. Practicality speaking now, this is a huge problem because many people still believe that America is still abiding by its high ideals. This has the effect of making people blind to corruption. "That could never happen in America," is the attitude of a lot of people who still believe in the premise of this nation. I'll admit that these are difficult questions. I don't necessarily have the best answers. All I can really say is that there's a spiritual sickness here eating away at us that undoubtedly comes from a long accumulation of lies and betrayals that undermine our collective faith in the nation.
- akomtu 4y ago
  The mysterious spiritual sickness is just the expected arrival of weaker souls: they have the right to live too, but they won't be able to uphold the standards set by their greater ancestors.