forklift operators here (oh oh pick me pick me!) make anywhere from 15-23 dollars an hour im right in the middle somewhere idk i havent looked at my checks in a while

my roommate just got his first job after graduating art school with a BA, his "career advisor" snagged him it

part time printing guy at office max

pay?

8 dollars an hour

[I]gee, thanks 120,000$ private education[/I]

Start a country band bro.


call it Raaylin' Palin

[QUOTE=Raayl;18021084]this thread is now where i pour my hatred for the american economic system

"if you work real hard you'll be successful!!!"

like my friend bob at work

who has a kid with special needs who needs frequent visits to the doctor

he works 16 hours a day at 2 jobs 5 days a week

he misses a day of work for his kid's hospital adventures thats one less day of pay that means he cant pay for the very thing he's missing work for, because its ****ing expensive as ****

but he's just being lazy right

he should work harder[/QUOTE]

Everyone has problems. Deal with it.

That sucks about that dude Liam.

Karma, everyone has problems but a lot of people have considerably bigger problems than others.

[QUOTE=gaslight;18021148]That sucks about that dude Liam.

Karma, everyone has problems but a lot of people have considerably bigger problems than others.[/QUOTE]

I was trolling, but thanks for making me feel bad about it. :thumb:

funny I should walk in on the thread being like this... one of my co-workers who is also a close friend had to fly to Vancouver with his wife and sons because the oldest boy needed an operation. It wasn't life-threatening, per se, but more a corrective action that would eventually cause him harm/kill him if not rectified at a young age. Anyways, long story short he had to fly there [I]twice[/I], once for a consultation, after which the boy would have surgery the next day (the surgery was cancelled the first time, apparently the hospital double-booked) and the second time to have the surgery [I]if[/I] something else didn't come up (he had the surgery that time and all was well).

Q: Did our company's "extensive" benefits plan cover any part of the trip?
A: Nope.

because the surgery wasn't an immediate life-threatening concern (rather, an eventual life-threatening concern), my buddy and his wife both had to take time off work to be there, get hotel rooms and stay there for like ten days between both visits. And pay for it all themselves. Talk about getting shafted.

Everyone's got problems, yes. but sometimes things're just ridiculous.

Oh well. on a different front, talked to Mom and Dad yesterday. My sister's getting married and all's well at this end I suppose. that much is pretty cool.

[QUOTE=Raayl;18021081]i feel you bud i really do

the system is designed by its very nature to **** poor, working people[/QUOTE]

Factfactfactfact.

We're all duped every day by the news, by our culture, by television, everything. Our consent is "manufactured" through these pillars of American capitalist culture. We think this is how things should be when, in reality, those mother ****ers are laughing alllll the way to the bank.

Have you seen the latest stats on wealth distribution? To be frank, it's horrifying and I don't know how it hasn't incited a revolution yet.

Oh, wait, now I know why: because no one cares, everyone is distracted with reality TV, iPhones, Megan Fox, etc.

I realize how fortunate I am in the world (in terms of literacy, wealth, having a HOUSE and CLOTHES, having food, etc.), but the world doesn't have to be this way at all. It's just set up this way so America retains control and over everything and every government in the world. The price? What Raayl said about his friend Bob at work...disgusting.

I have nothing but respect and understanding for your friend. That's an extremely difficult situation.

lol, think about Conwell's "Acres of Diamonds" speech at the turn of the 20th Century. "If you work REAL HARD, you will most certainly get a big piece of pie." wrongwrongwrognwrgonwrgno. It's all just capitalist lies. Lies and lies and deceit and lies.

I also went to one of those stupid "elite" colleges and I haven't landed a job yet. When I do, I expect I'll get minimum wage, but only after, like you said, Raayl, dressing up in a suit and showing up to a ****ing restaurant with my resume and cover letter. Yeah, nothing says, "This man is qualified to wash dishes and bus tables" like a BA, right? :rolleyes:

Seriously, I have absolutely zero patriotism, for ANY country in the first world. I'd rather save up some money here and then move to some remote island, growing my own food and just living my life.

I'm a quazi-anarchist, but I don't think anarchist is the right term because it conjures up all sorts of images...

[QUOTE=karmapavementplan;18021130]Everyone has problems. Deal with it.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, these are some pretty serious problems, though.

The kicker: they don't have to exist. They're espoused from corporate and governmental greed. Fact.

You can read all about it if you want but I won't throw book title after book title down your throat. If you're interested enough, you'll stumble across what I'm talking about.

[QUOTE=Raayl;18021084]this thread is now where i pour my hatred for the american economic system

"if you work real hard you'll be successful!!!"

like my friend bob at work

who has a kid with special needs who needs frequent visits to the doctor

he works 16 hours a day at 2 jobs 5 days a week

he misses a day of work for his kid's hospital adventures thats one less day of pay that means he cant pay for the very thing he's missing work for, because its ****ing expensive as ****

but he's just being lazy right

he should work harder[/QUOTE]

PS I forgot to mention - Rayyl I hear you man. regarding everything you typed. Along with most of the folks on the boards, I too am a part of the "buy the vehicle to drive to work, work to pay for the vehicle, etcetera"

the difference is I'm one of the lucky SOBs who gets to live in Western Canada and reap ridiculous oil moneys (except I work in the office, so I reap just required amount to survive amounts of oil moneys.) Plus I've got parents who would give me the world and help out even if I don't want them to. So really I'm one of the lucky ones.

Sucks about the recession hitting you personally, dude. You never actually think about it when you're comfortable and have food in the fridge and heat in the house... but when someone you know/converse with is hit by it, then it hits you and you realize how lucky you are, I guess.

I dunno, I just feel like sh[SIZE="2"]it[/SIZE] typing this. heh.

It's not your fault.

The system was set up to keep the white collar kids like you happy and the blue collar workers like Raayl on their bellies, barely scraping by.

You can fight it, though.

Where does all the money Raayl and his girlfriend or his coworker NEED? The money that should be in their paychecks?

[img]http://journeysomething.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/monopoly-man.jpg[/img]

Right there.

A while back my dad got laid off from his job and couldn't find something for about a year until he got a minimum wage job as a cashier at a grocery store. And he had to support three kids on that. We were unbelievably broke for quite a while.

I know what it's like to a have tough life. Mine has pretty much been a sh[size=2]it[/size] storm from the start.

Also, Communism is what it's all about.

No, Communism blows.

Sucks about your dad, Spiff. It's a haunting reality, isn't it?

Growing up in America is FUN. We're LUCKY. We're PRIVILEGED. GOOOOOD BLESSS AMEEEEEERICAAAAAAA. LAAAAAAAAAAND THAAAAT IIII LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE.etcetcetc.

[QUOTE=whitesquares;18021377]Factfactfactfact.

We're all duped every day by the news, by our culture, by television, everything. Our consent is "manufactured" through these pillars of American capitalist culture. We think this is how things should be when, in reality, those mother ****ers are laughing alllll the way to the bank.

Have you seen the latest stats on wealth distribution? To be frank, it's horrifying and I don't know how it hasn't incited a revolution yet.

Oh, wait, now I know why: because no one cares, everyone is distracted with reality TV, iPhones, Megan Fox, etc.

I realize how fortunate I am in the world (in terms of literacy, wealth, having a HOUSE and CLOTHES, having food, etc.), but the world doesn't have to be this way at all. It's just set up this way so America retains control and over everything and every government in the world. The price? What Raayl said about his friend Bob at work...disgusting.

I have nothing but respect and understanding for your friend. That's an extremely difficult situation.

lol, think about Conwell's "Acres of Diamonds" speech at the turn of the 20th Century. "If you work REAL HARD, you will most certainly get a big piece of pie." wrongwrongwrognwrgonwrgno. It's all just capitalist lies. Lies and lies and deceit and lies.

I also went to one of those stupid "elite" colleges and I haven't landed a job yet. When I do, I expect I'll get minimum wage, but only after, like you said, Raayl, dressing up in a suit and showing up to a ****ing restaurant with my resume and cover letter. Yeah, nothing says, "This man is qualified to wash dishes and bus tables" like a BA, right? :rolleyes:

Seriously, I have absolutely zero patriotism, for ANY country in the first world. I'd rather save up some money here and then move to some remote island, growing my own food and just living my life.

I'm a quazi-anarchist, but I don't think anarchist is the right term because it conjures up all sorts of images...[/QUOTE]

Tell me about it, right? the company took five percent of our wages a year and a half ago because they were apparently tanking... so everyone stops giving a fu[SIZE="2"]ck[/SIZE] and does everything half-assed, because all of a sudden your wage drops two bucks an hour (well, at least mine did - and I'm the low end of the totem pole), which surprisingly enough really adds up at the end of the week. And then our boss goes to meetings in Edmonton, comes back and basically tells us "yeah, the bosses said nobody's getting their wage bumped back up. but the company's doing good - they're expanding and buying seven more companies this year!" and he says it ALL STRAIGHT-FACED.

So let me get this straight. We're not getting our money back, and they're buying more outifts with our money, so they can undoubtedly bump those workers down too because "times are hard"?

Yeah, well taxes don't go down, nor do mortgages or the cost of living (food, gas, utilities, etc.), even if my wages decrease. But like Rayyl said that's my fault, right? I should think of bettering the company! (when they won't even live up to their benefit plans for my buddy in the shop!) I should just get another job, better yet three! So I have to pay more taxes because I've got three incomes coming in! This is all from a guy who owns his home (bought a shi[SIZE="2"]t-hole[/SIZE] for dirt cheap), only has a loan on the truck he bought three years ago, a credit card bill and lives in a place with no phone, no TV and no interwebs. just heat, power and water. But I should work three jobs just to support those basic little amenities.

I fuc[SIZE="2"]king[/SIZE] hate this place.

People might wake the **** up if they read Zinn's "A People's History of the United States," that really famous history book.

That or heard Noam Chomsky give a talk or two.

Hell, I'd even settle for people listening to a few Bill Hicks or George Carlin sets.

But no, people don't want to do that. People LIKE feeling secure in their little American bubble. I want my Krispe Kreme donuts and my Abercrombie shirts and my world's most powerful military and my freedom of speech.

lol freedom of speech...there's a half truth if I ever heard one. "YOU ARE FREE TO SAY WHATEVER WE TELL YOU IS APPROPRIATE TO SAY." The Supreme Court has consistently struck down and made freedom of speech less powerful over the years. Just look at the Espionage Act. Just look at how Civil Rights protesters were treated.

Hell, even today, look at the Patriot Act.

[QUOTE=whitesquares;18021395]No, Communism blows.

Sucks about your dad, Spiff. It's a haunting reality, isn't it?

Growing up in America is FUN. We're LUCKY. We're PRIVILEGED. GOOOOOD BLESSS AMEEEEEERICAAAAAAA. LAAAAAAAAAAND THAAAAT IIII LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE.etcetcetc.[/QUOTE]

And after working with the company for a few years, busting his a[SIZE="2"]ss[/SIZE] for them, working his way up through the organization, guess what? He just got laid off again a couple months ago!

God, life is sweet. :rolleyes:

[QUOTE=FlamingCouch;18021398]Tell me about it, right? the company took five percent of our wages a year and a half ago because they were apparently tanking... so everyone stops giving a fu[SIZE="2"]ck[/SIZE] and does everything half-assed, because all of a sudden your wage drops two bucks an hour (well, at least mine did - and I'm the low end of the totem pole), which surprisingly enough really adds up at the end of the week. And then our boss goes to meetings in Edmonton, comes back and basically tells us "yeah, the bosses said nobody's getting their wage bumped back up. but the company's doing good - they're expanding and buying seven more companies this year!" and he says it ALL STRAIGHT-FACED.

So let me get this straight. We're not getting our money back, and they're buying more outifts with our money, so they can undoubtedly bump those workers down too because "times are hard"?

Yeah, well taxes don't go down, nor do mortgages or the cost of living (food, gas, utilities, etc.), even if my wages decrease. But like Rayyl said that's my fault, right? I should think of bettering the company! (when they won't even live up to their benefit plans for my buddy in the shop!) I should just get another job, better yet three! So I have to pay more taxes because I've got three incomes coming in! This is all from a guy who owns his home (bought a shi[SIZE="2"]t-hole[/SIZE] for dirt cheap), only has a loan on the truck he bought three years ago, a credit card bill and lives in a place with no phone, no TV and no interwebs. just heat, power and water. But I should work three jobs just to support those basic little amenities.

I fuc[SIZE="2"]king[/SIZE] hate this place.[/QUOTE]

Oh, no, it's okay, man. You just need to go to college, get indoctrinated, get your BA, then go to grad school, get further indoctrinated, get your MA, and THEN you're an Establishment-certified expert in some field of esoteric knowledge and THEN you can get a job.

You just need to work hard and have blind faith in a system whose benefits you will never truly reap. All the productivity and financial gains you induce, you will NEVER see. It's cool though, man. It's America, we're great.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, THEN GET OUT.

lol such a stupid comment. I hate this place, too. :chug:

[QUOTE=whitesquares;18021377]Factfactfactfact.

We're all duped every day by the news, by our culture, by television, everything. Our consent is "manufactured" through these pillars of American capitalist culture. We think this is how things should be when, in reality, those mother ****ers are laughing alllll the way to the bank.

Have you seen the latest stats on wealth distribution? To be frank, it's horrifying and I don't know how it hasn't incited a revolution yet.

Oh, wait, now I know why: because no one cares, everyone is distracted with reality TV, iPhones, Megan Fox, etc.

I realize how fortunate I am in the world (in terms of literacy, wealth, having a HOUSE and CLOTHES, having food, etc.), but the world doesn't have to be this way at all. It's just set up this way so America retains control and over everything and every government in the world. The price? What Raayl said about his friend Bob at work...disgusting.

I have nothing but respect and understanding for your friend. That's an extremely difficult situation.

lol, think about Conwell's "Acres of Diamonds" speech at the turn of the 20th Century. "If you work REAL HARD, you will most certainly get a big piece of pie." wrongwrongwrognwrgonwrgno. It's all just capitalist lies. Lies and lies and deceit and lies.

I also went to one of those stupid "elite" colleges and I haven't landed a job yet. When I do, I expect I'll get minimum wage, but only after, like you said, Raayl, dressing up in a suit and showing up to a ****ing restaurant with my resume and cover letter. Yeah, nothing says, "This man is qualified to wash dishes and bus tables" like a BA, right? :rolleyes:

Seriously, I have absolutely zero patriotism, for ANY country in the first world. I'd rather save up some money here and then move to some remote island, growing my own food and just living my life.

I'm a quazi-anarchist, but I don't think anarchist is the right term because it conjures up all sorts of images...[/QUOTE]

im an anarchist

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKfF-nxjDi0[/url]

there's no shame in supporting the only morally sensible methodology for living your life

anarchy is not lawlessness or chaos, nor is it a "hot topic shirt with an A on it" its a complex, morally sound, carefully philosophical and romantic idealism

[QUOTE=whitesquares;18021389]white collar kids like you[/QUOTE]

hey hey, wait now. I was never a white collar kid - my dad graduated from high school and worked in oil and gas all his life. He rose up the ranks because he knew his sh[SIZE="2"]it[/SIZE], not because he was some big-shot graduate with a trust fund and a huge pile of degrees.

I did the exact same thing, except I had him to fall back on, unlike him, whose father never laid his a[SIZE="2"]s[/SIZE]s on the line for my dad. The only thing I had going for me was parents who love me and want to do the right thing by giving their offspring a hand. My mom's a homemaker, not some crazy-paid secretary or nothing. She's just a lady with a big heart.

but I never went to college or anything, I graduated from high-school and went into the work force, into the ditch in coveralls like the rest of the gang. and the office job came to me by chance, because I know how to work on computers and not because I know C++ and all that crap. it's all hands-on. and I want nothing more than to save up enough to trade it in and go back to Ontario and just live, man. I don't want this life, it f'n sucks.

No disrespect meant, I was just insulted that I was tagged a white-collar kid. I'm no trust fund baby and I'm not sitting on a gold mine. I own a 1978 piece of crap trailer; the most valuable things I own are my instruments and the truck.

just saying.

[QUOTE=Spaceman Spiff;18021406]And after working with the company for a few years, busting his a[SIZE="2"]ss[/SIZE] for them, working his way up through the organization, guess what? He just got laid off again a couple months ago!

God, life is sweet. :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

"We here at XYZ Corp follow all government regulations on fair treatment of employees etcetcetc."

It's a facade of humanity thrust upon a pathological institution that is LEGALLY MANDATED to do nothing but to ensure its own growth and income. Literally, a corporation, by legal definition, cannot in any way act in a manner that would a) decrease profit incentive or b) invest in such a way that the company would not make money.

That means companies that give to charity, like Pfizer does, they only do it to buttress the company image. And yes, even when they give away to charity, they make a profit. No, I am not making this up. Yes, it really happens.

Unfortunately, Spiff, your dad was at the receiving end of that pathology. He's not your dad to them. He's not a father. He's not a human being. He's the same as a textile mill sewing machine or a car jack or a pulley or any other type of machine. He's just two arms to turn some screws and whack some hammers. There's no face, there's no humanity, there's no emotion. He was a number and now he's not even a number anymore.

****, man. ****.

[QUOTE=Raayl;18021419]im an anarchist

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKfF-nxjDi0[/url]

there's no shame in supporting the only morally sensible methodology for living your life

anarchy is not lawlessness or chaos, nor is it a "hot topic shirt with an A on it" its a complex, morally sound, carefully philosophical and romantic idealism[/QUOTE]

Yes, I know about that definition of anarchism. I AM an anarchist, but I'm not sure if I'm well versed in enough anarchistic political gobbledegook to say I'm a full fledged, certified anarchist.

"I don't believe in cops, bosses, or politicians
Some call that anarchism
I call it
HAVING A ****ING HEART THAT BEATS!"

I must admit, though, I make no efforts to conceal my deep-seated sympathy for the anarchist movement.

[QUOTE=whitesquares;18021411]Oh, no, it's okay, man. You just need to go to college, get indoctrinated, get your BA, then go to grad school, get further indoctrinated, get your MA, and THEN you're an Establishment-certified expert in some field of esoteric knowledge and THEN you can get a job.

You just need to work hard and have blind faith in a system whose benefits you will never truly reap. All the productivity and financial gains you induce, you will NEVER see. It's cool though, man. It's America, we're great.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, THEN GET OUT.

lol such a stupid comment. I hate this place, too. :chug:[/QUOTE]

i'm happy to learn that not one guy at my work is optimistic about this **** country

not one of them believes they'll ever be rich

not one of them likes this country or the way it does business

in fact, lol, my friend vern, who is a 41 year old black guy (and a really nice dude) told me yesterday

i was like man vern, it sucks to be broke.

he was like "**** man, i was born broke"

then he went on to say

"yo man aint even worry bout that inbetween. you got a bunch more years to live but one day you'll die and go back to where you came from. [B][I]nothing.[/I][/B] aint even worry bout that inbetween."

and, although on the surface this comment seemed cynical, nihilistic, and depressing - its actually kind of hopeful, optimistic, and comforting. he's such a chill guy too, to hear him say something like that i was like "O_O"

[QUOTE=FlamingCouch;18021420]hey hey, wait now. I was never a white collar kid - my dad graduated from high school and worked in oil and gas all his life. He rose up the ranks because he knew his sh[SIZE="2"]it[/SIZE], not because he was some big-shot graduate with a trust fund and a huge pile of degrees.

I did the exact same thing, except I had him to fall back on, unlike him, whose father never laid his a[SIZE="2"]s[/SIZE]s on the line for my dad. The only thing I had going for me was parents who love me and want to do the right thing by giving their offspring a hand. My mom's a homemaker, not some crazy-paid secretary or nothing. She's just a lady with a big heart.

but I never went to college or anything, I graduated from high-school and went into the work force, into the ditch in coveralls like the rest of the gang. and the office job came to me by chance, because I know how to work on computers and not because I know C++ and all that crap. it's all hands-on. and I want nothing more than to save up enough to trade it in and go back to Ontario and just live, man. I don't want this life, it f'n sucks.

No disrespect meant, I was just insulted that I was tagged a white-collar kid. I'm no trust fund baby and I'm not sitting on a gold mine. I own a 1978 piece of crap trailer; the most valuable things I own are my instruments and the truck.

just saying.[/QUOTE]

My bad, man. I didn't mean to tag you like THAT. It just sounded like you came from that background. No disrespect of pigeon-holing on my side. Apologies, sir.

[QUOTE=Raayl;18021428]i'm happy to learn that not one guy at my work is optimistic about this **** country

not one of them believes they'll ever be rich

not one of them likes this country or the way it does business

in fact, lol, my friend vern, who is a 41 year old black guy (and a really nice dude) told me yesterday

i was like man vern, it sucks to be broke.

he was like "**** man, i was born broke"

then he went on to say

"yo man aint even worry bout that inbetween. you got a bunch more years to live but one day you'll die and go back to where you came from. [B][I]nothing.[/I][/B] aint even worry bout that inbetween."

and, although on the surface this comment seemed cynical, nihilistic, and depressing - its actually kind of hopeful, optimistic, and comforting. he's such a chill guy too, to hear him say something like that i was like "O_O"[/QUOTE]

People usually tag blue collar workers and laborers as stupid or sheep-like.

In truth, it's the total opposite. The "simple" man often has the most complex thoughts espoused in a simple way.

[QUOTE=whitesquares;18021426]Yes, I know about that definition of anarchism. I AM an anarchist, but I'm not sure if I'm well versed in enough anarchistic political gobbledegook to say I'm a full fledged, certified anarchist.

"I don't believe in cops, bosses, or politicians
Some call that anarchism
I call it
HAVING A ****ING HEART THAT BEATS!"

I must admit, though, I make no efforts to conceal my deep-seated sympathy for the anarchist movement.[/QUOTE]

idk about you but im thankful for the roaming police force to ticket me for going 1 mph over, to place me behind debts i can't pay, and to forcibly seize people's bodies for being deviant, criminal, or otherwise poor and vagrant

when they order you around man hey

[I]they're just doing their job[/I]

lemme tell you something about cops (uh oh anecdotal fallacy time!!!)

that line you hear about how they're all just over-compensating douche bags because they got beat up in high school

its 100% accurate

in my criminal justice major i met a lot of prospective cops. you can't even comprehend the level of douche baggery oozing out of these f[SIZE="2"]a[/SIZE]ggot's pores.

[QUOTE=Raayl;18021437]idk about you but im thankful for the roaming police force to ticket me for going 1 mph over, to place me behind debts i can't pay, and to forcibly seize people's bodies for being deviant, criminal, or otherwise poor and vagrant

when they order you around man hey

[I]they're just doing their job[/I]

lemme tell you something about cops (uh oh anecdotal fallacy time!!!)

that line you hear about how they're all just over-compensating douche bags because they got beat up in high school

its 100% accurate

in my criminal justice major i met a lot of prospective cops. you can't even comprehend the level of douche baggery oozing out of these f[SIZE="2"]a[/SIZE]ggot's pores.[/QUOTE]

I believe it, totally believe it.

Not a problem here either, Sir. I just couldn't take that one without (respectfully) voicing how things are up here.

Truth be told though, I'm definitely one of the luckier dudes in this discussion. I never went hungry, and never had huge hardships. But my parents always worked hard (Mom did work in my childhood, ran a daycare and then when we moved to BC got a job teaching... only because she could speak French. :lol:) So I learned to live comfortably based on their teachings... which came hand in hand with working hard, and doing my proverbial best.

But I see a system screwing pretty much everybody, and even though I have a full-time job they still put the screws to us here. I can't believe in the American Dream because it was nothing but a dream from the get-go. And anyone who truly buys into it does so because they are naiive or born wealthy and don't have to see someone working for five bucks an hour, or someone born into a family of alcoholics/drug addicts/poverty-stricken full-time employees.

Like I said earlier, it makes no sense that someone who works a full-time job should have to take a second one on to support themselves when they're already living with the most basic amenities.

but again, I am a lucky one. I won't contest that. I'm not getting shot at, I have enough to eat and I'm warm in my bed come night time. It's pretty easy being me.

[QUOTE=whitesquares;18021434]The "simple" man often has the most complex thoughts espoused in a simple way.[/QUOTE]

You hit it on the head, my good man. D Boon and Mike Watt immediately come to mind. Reading that sentence makes me happy.

Oh man, please, don't get the impression I'm from a blue collar background.

I came from a very privileged background, to say the least. I'm not like a Hilton or anything, but my dad has a very steady job with a Doctor-level salary.

That doesn't mean I grew up as a spoiled brat. I bought every piece of musical equipment I own. I bought my own first car.

But at the same time, we always had food, a nice house, heat, clothing, money. When the recession started hitting a few years ago, my dad told me, "We're going to be just fine."

My loyalties and sympathies lie with others, though. I'm one of those priveliged kids who hops the fence and starts throwing bottles at the Establishment that reared me. It's not my fault I was born into that family, so why should I let that obscure my morals and political views (or lack thereof)? That wouldn't be me being honest.

Me being honest is me saying, "Yes, I was extremely fortunate, but I'm not one of them." I want to be a high school English teacher one day. I won't exactly be rolling in the cash, you know?

[QUOTE=Raayl;18021437]in my criminal justice major i met a lot of prospective cops. you can't even comprehend the level of douche baggery oozing out of these f[SIZE="2"]a[/SIZE]ggot's pores.[/QUOTE]

For every good cop (I know a couple) there're ten or more bad ones. Fact.
Also when people become cops they do a total 180. I had a friend that decided one day he wanted to become a cop - gave up hanging out with 90% of the gang because they were into recreational drugs or drank too much.

I told him that should he just abandon his friends to do a job, he should truly re-evaluate how important that job is to him, because he's giving up a part of himself. I'm no better than those guys because I don't do drugs and only drink moderately.

he's not training anymore, due to the force constantly giving him sh[SIZE="2"]it[/SIZE] and whatnot. But I thought that was pretty stupid that he would've had to completely change his life to conform to their ideals.

Not to mention you drop one line to a cop and all of a sudden you have a target on your back. And God help you should you happen to be a minority...

[QUOTE=whitesquares;18021453]Oh man, please, don't get the impression I'm from a blue collar background.

I came from a very privileged background, to say the least. I'm not like a Hilton or anything, but my dad has a very steady job with a Doctor-level salary.

That doesn't mean I grew up as a spoiled brat. I bought every piece of musical equipment I own. I bought my own first car.

But at the same time, we always had food, a nice house, heat, clothing, money. When the recession started hitting a few years ago, my dad told me, "We're going to be just fine."

My loyalties and sympathies lie with others, though. I'm one of those priveliged kids who hops the fence and starts throwing bottles at the Establishment that reared me. It's not my fault I was born into that family, so why should I let that obscure my morals and political views (or lack thereof)? That wouldn't be me being honest.

Me being honest is me saying, "Yes, I was extremely fortunate, but I'm not one of them." I want to be a high school English teacher one day. I won't exactly be rolling in the cash, you know?[/QUOTE]

No, I never made any assumption man. You could be the President's son and decide the American Capitalist ideaologies wouldn't be the way you wanted to see the world. You could be born into a family of racist pill-poppers and decide that's absolutely not the way you want to tread. You could've been born into a family of tennis players and decide you'd be happier living in Venezuela, working for Greenpeace.

Anyone can be anything they want. Even if you came from a priviledged/semi-priviledged upbringing, you can be intelligent and in tune with people who didn't have the same lifestyle or luxuries or whatever. It's the people who never venture beyond the gates and never see the way things really are in the world that stay simple and/or stupid.

but I didn't want to make any assumption. Nothing worse than saying/thinking "Yeah, that kid probably still lives with his/her parents..." and then finding out the parents (God forbid) were killed or aren't around or something. Or not knowing the person you're picking apart is actually crashing on a friend's couch because he can't pay a deposit on an apartment and the Salvation Army can't help because they're over-filled.

You just never know.