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USA: are you better off than a year ago?

As a US citizen, are you better off than a year ago?

  • Yes (explain why)

    Votes: 26 23.9%
  • No (explain why)

    Votes: 20 18.3%
  • Not better, not worse (explain why)

    Votes: 17 15.6%
  • I'm not a US citizen but I want to vote in the poll anyway

    Votes: 46 42.2%

  • Total voters
    109

Stephano

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Just curious, but why does she take such classes if she holds views that are contradictory to them?
What me and my sister have in common is that we both disabilities. I have Aspergers and she has ADHD. One thing that she loved doing was helping those with disabilities and social issues. That's why she chose social work. She just wants to help others with internal and external conflicts. :)
A side effect of all this is being in classes where she is criticized and is a minority. Not like there is anything wrong with that. Its good to be exposed to the world around one's self. It helps someone think about their beliefs and challenges their thinking. My only problem with stuff like this is if they are prohibited from excelling because of a pen and a letter.
 
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I mean, Trump getting elected president was part of the reason Ajit Pai got promoted and was able to repeal net neutrality, so that's honestly a big negative. There's also his decision to move the capital of Israel to Jerusalem, which is just a really stupid decision to make, considering the high tensions in the Middle East already.

I mean, I know we're all going to get screwed over in the end, but it's honestly kind of entertaining to watch politics fall into madness because of this. Then again, many say that's a factor in Rome's fall, how people were so distracted by bread and circuses to take place in government or make important decisions.

Honestly, ever since I woke up that fateful morning in November and found out that Trump got elected president, I feel like I've stumbled into some crazy alternate universe the caliber of a 12 year old's sugar-rush-induced fanfiction that his friend bet $5 for him to write. If I were to tell someone from 10 years ago that Donald Trump got elected president thanks in part to memes and 4chan, they would've looked at me like I was either mentally impaired or high. Or both.
 
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ThisIsDaAccount

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What me and my sister have in common is that we both disabilities. I have Aspergers and she has ADHD. One thing that she loved doing was helping those with disabilities and social issues. That's why she chose social work. She just wants to help others with internal and external conflicts. :)
A side effect of all this is being in classes where she is criticized and is a minority. Not like there is anything wrong with that. Its good to be exposed to the world around one's self. It helps someone think about their beliefs and challenges their thinking. My only problem with stuff like this is if they are prohibited from excelling because of a pen and a letter.
That's really cool, I hope your sister finds a great job
 

Xzi

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Nothing much has changed for me personally in a year, but then it's not like Obama left a recession for Trump the way GWB did for Obama. We're basically coasting on the same economy we were a year ago, with month-over-month gains. It'll be a couple more years before we really start feeling the effects of the massive corporate tax cuts and deregulated market that Trump has created.
 
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I don't personally see that as the case... care to elaborate?
No-discipline parenting is becoming a more common theme. By teaching children that their actions won't result in consequences from the parents, children become more reckless in search of attention. I have seen it countless times before, and will see it countless times in the future.
Why does clothing matter in this context? Or any, really? The way I see it, way of dress really shouldn't matter as long as genetalia are covered and the outfit is appropriate for the weather and situation
The natural man's desire is to have sex. There is no denying it. If you aren't interested in that kind of thing, good for you! But women are objectifying themselves and then complaining when men are staring or act like pigs. The penis we have between our legs controls our thoughts more often than we care to imagine. Personally, I hate it when women go walking down the grocery store isles with skin-tight pants or booty-shorts because I don't want to think about them like that.
Other, more common cases, though, are typically due to lack of availibility
To be crude, the ability to pull out is, in itself, great contraception.
To not be crude, it is possible that they just don't want to worry about it. Lack of availability exists, and I don't deny it. But just the other day a colleague was expressing how concerned she was for her son. He had premature sex (age 16) with a girl who was claiming that she was taking contraceptive pills. Well, she wasn't, yet the son did not wear a condom, and so now it is very possible that he is the father, and they will most likely get an abortion because they don't want to deal with their consequences.
Just for the sake of promoting thought, how would abortion in the context of rape be any morally different than an abortion due to the mother's choice?
Neither of them are morally correct as the child does not have the ability to choose for itself as a doctor is performing an abortion. Personally, I don't touch to much on rape-based abortions, primarily because I don't like the concept of abortion and rape is a touchy subject.
The way I see it, a child should never, EVER be a punishment for ANYTHING. A person should only ever have a child because they're ready to love and support another human being
"If you can't do the time, don't do the crime." is the saying that comes to mind. While sex itself is not a crime, premature sex is, and if you aren't prepared for the consequences then don't have unprotected sex.
 

Xzi

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Really I should say the only thing that's changed for me is how pessimistic I've become over the direction this country is moving in. How stupid the American people are for not realizing the damage they're doing to themselves. Trump's directive is to tear down both Obama's legacy and government in general. It takes no talent, no skill to destroy. Intelligent men create. Intelligent men don't call themselves geniuses (obviously).

On that note, there's always laughter and humor as a bright point. If nothing else, Trump has been great for comedy, and it's interesting to see all the different takes on him from comedians. I don't consider myself a comedian, but I can make people laugh in my personal life and I spit a decent meme. You may or may not have seen this toward the top of reddit last Sunday, I made tHiS:

E9WcwX0.jpg

Petty and immature, I know, but still I was proud it got over 24k upvotes. This was, believe it or not, a portion of one of Trump's tweets in a series of weird tweets that morning.
 
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Noctosphere

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Really I should say the only thing that's changed for me is how pessimistic I've become over the direction this country is moving in. How stupid the American people are for not realizing the damage they're doing to themselves. Trump's directive is to tear down both Obama's legacy and government in general. It takes no talent, no skill to destroy. Intelligent men create. Intelligent men don't call themselves geniuses (obviously).

On that note, there's always laughter and humor as a bright point. If nothing else, Trump has been great for comedy, and it's interesting to see all the different takes on him from comedians. I don't consider myself a comedian, but I can make people laugh in my personal life and I spit a decent meme. You may or may not have seen this toward the top of reddit last Sunday, I made tHiS:

E9WcwX0.jpg


Petty and immature, I know, but still I was proud it got over 24k upvotes.
DAMN YOU ILL MAKE NIGHTMARE NOW
 
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kuwanger

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No-discipline parenting is becoming a more common theme. By teaching children that their actions won't result in consequences from the parents, children become more reckless in search of attention. I have seen it countless times before, and will see it countless times in the future.

Negligent parents have been and continue to be a real problem. The notion that it's "more common"? Meanwhile, a lot of children are reckless attention seekers because they're reckless attention seekers. The same as adults. If anything, I'd say the internet makes it easier for attention seekers to achieve that attention where in the past there was a social rebuff against it. Ie, I don't think it's really a kid thing. Btw, the above has nothing to do with sex, unless you're imagining something really bizarre is going on.

The natural man's desire is to have sex. There is no denying it. If you aren't interested in that kind of thing, good for you! But women are objectifying themselves and then complaining when men are staring or act like pigs. The penis we have between our legs controls our thoughts more often than we care to imagine. Personally, I hate it when women go walking down the grocery store isles with skin-tight pants or booty-shorts because I don't want to think about them like that.

Yea, I'm pretty sure it's your testicles promoting your thinking, not your penis. Regardless, if you have a problem looking at women as people without thinking about sex at the grocery store, then the problem is you. Yes, clearly at least some of them are doing it as an advertisement, of sorts, to attract a mate. They're probably not looking for you as a mate, though, so I would hope that you be rational enough to override your sex drive inherently that it would never raise to the level of annoyance because they're doing it. Seriously, you functionally upset because they're seeking a mate that isn't you. Which leads to..

To be crude, the ability to pull out is, in itself, great contraception.

Beyond the fact that it's not 100% effective, read above. If you're having issues at all when women are merely dressed provocatively, in your opinion, what belief do you have that you or others will "pull out" when the sex drive in you and the one you're with goes directly against that?

To not be crude, it is possible that they just don't want to worry about it. Lack of availability exists, and I don't deny it. But just the other day a colleague was expressing how concerned she was for her son. He had premature sex (age 16) with a girl who was claiming that she was taking contraceptive pills. Well, she wasn't, yet the son did not wear a condom, and so now it is very possible that he is the father, and they will most likely get an abortion because they don't want to deal with their consequences.

Always wear a condom. I repeat, always wear a condom. Pregnancy isn't the only thing sexually transmitted thing to worry about, and women will lie for sex just like men will. Also, yea, don't be shy about giving your sons condoms and pills/condoms for the daughters. Availability shouldn't be an excuse, and that means making it not an excuse.

Neither of them are morally correct as the child does not have the ability to choose for itself as a doctor is performing an abortion. Personally, I don't touch to much on rape-based abortions, primarily because I don't like the concept of abortion and rape is a touchy subject.

Creating children in the first place isn't morally correct because one is personally responsible for the child but no person has knowledge of their fate to guarantee they'll be alive to raise a child. So, yea, throwing in morality as the fundamental desired doesn't make any sense.

"If you can't do the time, don't do the crime." is the saying that comes to mind. While sex itself is not a crime, premature sex is, and if you aren't prepared for the consequences then don't have unprotected sex.

Premature sex isn't a crime. More over, a lot of married people don't want 20 children nor do they want to become celibate after children number 2 or 3 arrives. Moreover, no form of birth control is 100% effective--"in reality, 9 out of 100 pill users get pregnant each year." I'm not advocating abortion, though. I just think that people point too much to the idea that people will just not have sex or that it's all teenagers that are getting pregnant. People just don't count all the unwanted children in a marriage. Which leads to #1, negligent parents. That's a major reason I don't call it a new thing. As harsh as it is, abortion would naturally lead to less negligent parents. So would contraceptives.
 
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Xzi

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DAMN YOU ILL MAKE NIGHTMARE NOW
Man, don't go to /r/watchpeopledie then. :lol:

Also, don't look up goatse or lemon party. Or any other disgusting stuff that dudes used to set as my desktop background at LAN parties back in the day. Forever will it be burnt into thy retinas. :wtf:
 
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Noctosphere

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Man, don't go to /r/watchpeopledie then. :lol:

Also, don't look up goatse or lemon party. Or any other disgusting stuff that dudes used to set as my desktop background at LAN parties back in the day. Forever will it be burnt into thy retinas. :wtf:
Googled lemon party for fun
Got tons of meme but not the real things
But, with those meme, i guess its about old men fucking, right?
 
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Yea, I'm pretty sure it's your testicles promoting your thinking, not your penis. Regardless, if you have a problem looking at women as people without thinking about sex at the grocery store, then the problem is you. Yes, clearly at least some of them are doing it as an advertisement, of sorts, to attract a mate. They're probably not looking for you as a mate, though, so I would hope that you be rational enough to override your sex drive inherently that it would never raise to the level of annoyance because they're doing it. Seriously, you functionally upset because they're seeking a mate that isn't you. Which leads to..
Where did I say they sexually aroused me? What I said was that I didn't desire to think of them that way, and usually I don't. That doesn't mean I don't notice what they are wearing. I do my best to treat everybody the same, regardless of whether or not I agree with what they do, what they wear, or what they believe.

The rest of your points are well made, but this one seemed to rely heavily on me as a person, and therefore made fairly bad arguments.
As harsh as it is, abortion would naturally lead to less negligent parents. So would contraceptives.
This is what I am getting at. Be responsible enough to wear contraceptives. I am not saying contraceptives are bad, I am targeting abortion. I would gladly wear a condom if it meant that I needn't worry about the possibility of a child (if I didn't want one) versus my partner having an abortion later.
 

Xzi

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Googled lemon party for fun
Got tons of meme but not the real things
But, with those meme, i guess its about old men fucking, right?
Unfortunately, right. I'd go into greater detail but I don't want to for obvious reasons. This is where I'd insert a barfing emoji if we had one.
 
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jt_1258

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ehh, perhaps no, though this looms over us all, the idea that here in the us near a major city(chicago), where going to be one of the first targets if North Korea decides to go all out with trying to attack the world
 
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Xzi

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ehh, perhaps no, though this looms over us all, the idea that here in the us near a major city(chicago), where going to be one of the first targets if North Korea decides to go all out with trying to attack the world
True, any military conflict with N. Korea would have a devastating cost to both US and S. Korean lives. Trump is reportedly ready strike first, but some people close to him are diverting his attention away from that.
 
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jt_1258

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True, any military conflict with N. Korea would have a devastating cost to both US and S. Korean lives. Trump is reportedly ready strike first, but some people close to him are diverting his attention away from that.
I say we should stick to a they strike us we strike back type of deal, tbh, if the world wanted to, it could crush n.korea under it's back heel, but the backlash and innocent casualty's are not worth it
 

brickmii82

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True, any military conflict with N. Korea would have a devastating cost to both US and S. Korean lives. Trump is reportedly ready strike first, but some people close to him are diverting his attention away from that.
NK would be obliterated in a single missile launch. We’d literally use a single SSBM, the Trident II, which would drop 12 150 kiloton warheads spread throughout the country.
 
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kuwanger

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Where did I say they sexually aroused me? What I said was that I didn't desire to think of them that way, and usually I don't. That doesn't mean I don't notice what they are wearing. I do my best to treat everybody the same, regardless of whether or not I agree with what they do, what they wear, or what they believe.

If you notice what they're wearing and realize that it's not meant for you, why would care what they wear? As I stated, it's not about sexual arousal. It's about being annoyed they're seeking mates other than you. A large part of the sex drive isn't dedicated to just sexual desire towards a person but also sex rivalry against other possible suitors. Hence, you're thinking about sex if you're in some hateful towards or otherwise jealous of them seeking mates that aren't you.

This is what I am getting at. Be responsible enough to wear contraceptives. I am not saying contraceptives are bad, I am targeting abortion. I would gladly wear a condom if it meant that I needn't worry about the possibility of a child (if I didn't want one) versus my partner having an abortion later.

The problem is that (1) there are still plenty of people who are against contraceptives being readily available to teenagers (or even adults, although thankfully they have no say over that nominally) and (2) as I later pointed out, contraceptives aren't 100% effective. Real world, they're closer to 91% effective (or perhaps a bit more if multiple are used). So, plenty of married couples have unwanted children even when trying to take responsible actions. Short of advocating general celibacy, regardless of marriage, you reasonable have to consider the implications of supporting abortion or acknowledging negligent parents.

Of course, even parents striving to have children can be negligent. And all bad* teenagers or bad* adults can't be attributed to negligent parents. I'd tend to believe that parents being unwilling to take responsibility for and generally unwilling to discuss their children's sex lives** is a lot of the problem, as TotalInsanity4's post about the Netherlands (and I tend to think of as more European) views would indicate. In any case, I personally try to evaluate the utilitarian view of things, since it seems the only logical way to proceed.

* For lack of a better shorthand of all the ills we want to shoehorn into this.

** Preferably, IMHO, limited to little to none until married, but if I had a child I'd much rather they attempt responsible sex than push abstinence they'll ignore or otherwise live in denial. *shrug* Thank goodness I chose not to have kids. :)
 
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Xzi

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NK would be obliterated in a single missile launch. We’d literally use a single SSBM, the Trident III, which would drop 12 150 kiloton warheads spread throughout the country.
That's assuming all goes as planned and China is cool with it. If Trump jumps the gun and forgets to notify the right people as he usually does, welcome to World War III, hysterically caused by a Trident III.
 

brickmii82

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That's assuming all goes as planned and China is cool with it. If Trump jumps the gun and forgets to notify the right people as he usually does, welcome to World War III, hysterically caused by a Trident III.
China or Russia wouldn’t be able to stop it. I doubt any intent would be announced if first strike is executed. At that point just stick your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye. Once one goes up, so do the rest of them....
 

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