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Generation X Is Sick of Your Bullshit (2011)

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Re: Generation X Is Sick of Your Bullshit (2011)

#91

Post by dragonwriter »

evv wrote: post #89
cogman10 wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More education of how the US government works is what's in order here. People look at everything trump did and think "why can't Biden do the same, but for good?" and the problem is, the government is built to be torn down, not built up. Biden has no power to take climate action. The EPA doesn't have the ability to just subsidize solar panels or enact taxes on CO2 emissions. They've actually tried to do that for CO2 a…

Oh, I'm extremely mad at Manchin and Sinema. But I believe you are underestimating the power of the presidential podium. I will readily admit that the Democratic party deserves more blame than Biden himself. If Biden cared, he could shame these "Democrat" senators and prevent them from getting re-elected. If he uses his platform to inhibit their campaign fundraising, they will surely change positions out of fear of l…

> If Biden cared, he could shame these "Democrat" senators and prevent them from getting re-elected. If he uses his platform to inhibit their campaign fundraising, they will surely change positions out of fear of loosing their seat.

Manchin is more popular than Biden in WV, and his positions do more to support his fundraising than Biden’s opposition would do to hurt it. Biden can't meaningfully hurt Manchin.

Sinema presents the opposite problem: she's already completely alienated the Democratic primary electorate. She clearly isn't interested in being reelected (or, if she does care, its not as a Democrat), so there's no leverage there.

Re: Generation X Is Sick of Your Bullshit (2011)

#92

Post by cogman10 »

evv wrote: post #89
cogman10 wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More education of how the US government works is what's in order here. People look at everything trump did and think "why can't Biden do the same, but for good?" and the problem is, the government is built to be torn down, not built up. Biden has no power to take climate action. The EPA doesn't have the ability to just subsidize solar panels or enact taxes on CO2 emissions. They've actually tried to do that for CO2 a…

Oh, I'm extremely mad at Manchin and Sinema. But I believe you are underestimating the power of the presidential podium. I will readily admit that the Democratic party deserves more blame than Biden himself. If Biden cared, he could shame these "Democrat" senators and prevent them from getting re-elected. If he uses his platform to inhibit their campaign fundraising, they will surely change positions out of fear of l…

Biden has been meeting constantly with Manchin at least (Sinema has been ducking his calls). He has been putting his weight on them to make a change.

But honestly, Manchin is a democrat senator in a red state. Manchin pissing off Biden and the rest of the Democrats is likely GOOD for him there.

Sinema has no excuse and should be primaried in AZ.

> I will readily admit that the Democratic party deserves more blame than Biden himself.

I don't agree with either Democrats or Biden being blamed here. Democrats do not have a filibuster proof majority. Why blame them when Republicans are filibustering nearly every single bill put forward? This isn't an example of a party failing, this is an example of simply not having enough votes to make a change.

> remember that some votes are way more valuable than others.

Definitely agree, but also remember to never say never. Georgia, of all states, put in 2 democrat senators. I would have never predicted that would happen.

And to that point, I don't think a single bill would have passed had that not happened. I think Democrats take way too much blame for Republican obstruction. They've been shockingly unified throughout this legislative session. They've finally started playing some harder ball. Don't blame them because it's still incredibly tight margins.

Re: Generation X Is Sick of Your Bullshit (2011)

#93

Post by throw0101a »

causi wrote: post #61
shams93 wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We tried to change things I faced down 15 cops with loaded shotguns to protest Gulf War 1. I'm not depressed or substance addicted and I started doing web development in 1995 and continue to work as an a self taught engineer even though I'm pushing 50.

I faced down 15 cops with loaded shotguns to protest Gulf War 1 Why? Opposition to war in general? As wars go, the Gulf War was pretty close to ideal. One country invades another, invaded country requests help, US expels invader, US goes home. I wish every other US war was as clean.

> One country invades another, invaded country requests help, US expels invader, US goes home. I wish every other US war was as clean.

While there was no land invasion of Iraq, I'm not sure "goes home" is completely accurate:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_no-fly_zones_conflict

US bases in Saudi Arabia was one of the 'grievances' of al Qaeda:

> 3. One of the principal goals of al Qaeda was to drive the United States armed forces out of Saudi Arabia (and elsewhere on the Saudi Arabian peninsula) and Somalia by violence. Members of al Qaeda issued fatwahs (rulings on Islamic law) indicating that such attacks were both proper and necessary.

* https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/network/alqae...

Re: Generation X Is Sick of Your Bullshit (2011)

#94

Post by throw0101a »

StevePerkins wrote: post #77
SuoDuanDao wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had a couple Gen X'er friends tell me the generation is collectively stuck in the past. Are there any plausible theories why that might be? Was it a lack of meaning in the general narrative that made growing old too painful for many to face or something?

It could be that our pop culture has been frozen in time as "THE pop culture" for 50 years now. Rehashed, rebooted, remade, and reimagined over and over again to become your pop culture too. How am I supposed to NOT feel "stuck in the past", when the The Matrix is coming out next month? When there's a bunch of Star Wars and Star Trek and Indiana Jones (!) next year. We're on our third or fourth Spiderman franchise, a…

> Rehashed, rebooted, remade, and reimagined over and over again to become your pop culture too.

On the plus side at least we got '90s rock instead of '80s hair bands. (Though I find U2's 1980s music better than their 1990s stuff.)

Re: Generation X Is Sick of Your Bullshit (2011)

#95

Post by throw0101a »

juancn wrote: post #79

I always felt, generationally, that I'm in a weird spot, somewhere between a Millennial and a Gen Xer. I caught the end of Gen X, so I get some of the gripe, but I've always been a technology native, so in that regard I'm closer to a Millennial in life experience. Many people in tech are a bit like this, perhaps ahead of their time because they caught the wave earlier.

> […] somewhere between a Millennial and a Gen Xer.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xennials

Re: Generation X Is Sick of Your Bullshit (2011)

#96

Post by taneq »

handrous wrote: post #46
taneq wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't even know what the fuck generation I am, when I was a kid they called me Gen X but then I got retconned to Gen Y and now who knows. When I started highschool mobile phones and the internet weren't a thing and when I started university they were ubiquitous, that should date me closely enough.

X/Y "Cusper" (I think most cut that off at '82?), or just an early or "elder" Millennial if you're slightly past that. Some like to add an "Oregon Trail generation" that covers the tail end of X and the beginning of Y, basically for the kids whose first computers (their own, a relative's, at school, whatever) were not connected to the Internet. I think that cut-off's around '85 or '86, usually. [EDIT] I think there's…

> "Oregon Trail generation"

I like that. My gaming started with Repton, Qwak, Vertigo and Elite on a BBC Micro but I spent a lot of time playing Dig Dug and Rick Dangerous on green screens. I graduated highschool just as we got dialup and started realising that combined 2D/3D graphics cards might actually be alright after all. (We got one from a little company called nVidia, you probably haven't heard of them though. :P )

Re: Generation X Is Sick of Your Bullshit (2011)

#97

Post by RhysU »

phone8675309 wrote: post #11
BbzzbB wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

CC this theory : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strauss%E2%80%93Howe_generatio...

Strong people bring good times Good times breed weak people Weak people bring bad times Bad times breed strong people So it goes

Mean reversion! Either the world works as you describe it or, due to momentum, civilization (either collapses or hits a golden age).

Re: Generation X Is Sick of Your Bullshit (2011)

#98

Post by [deleted] »

handrous wrote: post #46
taneq wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't even know what the fuck generation I am, when I was a kid they called me Gen X but then I got retconned to Gen Y and now who knows. When I started highschool mobile phones and the internet weren't a thing and when I started university they were ubiquitous, that should date me closely enough.

X/Y "Cusper" (I think most cut that off at '82?), or just an early or "elder" Millennial if you're slightly past that. Some like to add an "Oregon Trail generation" that covers the tail end of X and the beginning of Y, basically for the kids whose first computers (their own, a relative's, at school, whatever) were not connected to the Internet. I think that cut-off's around '85 or '86, usually. [EDIT] I think there's…

[deleted]

Re: Generation X Is Sick of Your Bullshit (2011)

#99

Post by ekianjo »

ziggus wrote: post #53

The difficult thing for "the kids nowadays" to understand about GenX is the fact that we grew up under the threat of nuclear annihilation. It seems a bit absurd now, but there were times in the 70s and early 80s where it seemed like the grown-ups were going to destroy us all. This led a lot of us to develop nihilistic attitudes to life - it's difficult to take things too seriously when you'll probably die in a nuclea…

> It seems a bit absurd now,

Absurd? As if, did the ballistic missiles suddenly disappear? It's only absurd if you lack imagination.

Re: Generation X Is Sick of Your Bullshit (2011)

#100

Post by inter_netuser »

powersnail wrote: post #71
phone8675309 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Strong people bring good times Good times breed weak people Weak people bring bad times Bad times breed strong people So it goes

Strong people bring the good times when you standing on the side of the winner. On the other side, strong people brought destruction, oppression, international shame, broken nations, and sometimes the disappearance of entire cultures.

Winners write history.
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