Dragonfly
Samurai Cop
...is no Barry Windham.
Posts: 2,486
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Post by Dragonfly on Jun 28, 2018 21:28:04 GMT -5
I fully realize that this is might possibly get me banned, or at the very least, suspended for a week. Don't care.
I find myself lying on my bed with a throbbing headache, listening to whoever the hell's on CNN right now talk about the shooting in Maryland. I see people talk online about how this is a second civil war or how we on the ____ need to be worse to the people on the other side of the aisle to "get the point across." I see [insert loudmouth political figures or commentators here] act like assholes, but that seemingly gets a pass from a loud group of people. I find myself tumbling headlong down a rabbit hole of despair, thinking that every apocalyptic sci-fi prediction is coming true at once.
And that's why I'm done with this bullshit.
Seriously. I'm done. I'm not saying that things aren't bad. There are racists and anarchists and old fashioned assholes that simply want to stoke tensions. And I'm not saying that we shouldn't feel passionate about what we believe in and fight for what we feel is right. But this idea that every single person in the US is ready to go full Purge on each other at any moment is goddamn ludicrous. That's not what I see.
You know what I see? I see my wife go into an office every weekday with people she considers to be close friends. People who are from the deep south or are Muslim or are first-generation Haitian-American. People from Atlanta and Vancouver and Newcastle. People with political opinions and musical tastes and everything else all over the freaking map. And yet, the get along near-perfectly. I see my writing group, a place where a 57 year-old, "been reading Reason since the 70s" libertarian can be good friends with a very left wing, anti-GMO environmentalist in her mid 30s. We have veterans and Mormons and trans people; black, white and everything in between. And we all act like congenial, decent human beings. And you know what? I don't think we're the only ones. I am absolutely convinced that the rest of the country is more like us than what you see online or on TV or hear on the radio. I refuse to believe anything else.
God, I hope that rant made sense.
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Post by General Adam on Jun 28, 2018 21:57:54 GMT -5
There are far more good people on this planet than assholes. Never forget that.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2018 22:16:56 GMT -5
I fully realize that this is might possibly get me banned, or at the very least, suspended for a week. Don't care. You're fine. Frustration is understandable. You are being vague enough, imo, about politics. If this has to be moved later, then ok. You wouldn't be banned simply for this or suspended for a week. That said, let's keep this vague.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2018 22:24:10 GMT -5
It does suck when something shitty like a shooting happens and people (all sides) are quick to jump to conclusions about the perpetrator, motive, etc.
You'll encounter the occasional obnoxious asshole, sure, but I do feel like most of the people you meet in "real life" are going to be way less shitty about their opinions than Twitter (and other social media sites too, but Twitter is REALLY bad) would have you believe.
Hopefully I was able to stay within the rules.
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Dragonfly
Samurai Cop
...is no Barry Windham.
Posts: 2,486
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Post by Dragonfly on Jun 28, 2018 22:30:45 GMT -5
You guys are great. Really. I posted this verbatim on the other board I'm on... Wow. It did not go well.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2018 22:44:12 GMT -5
As someone who only watches tv to watch wrestling (I get the news clips online in stories and such, this started around 5-6 years ago) I have to say that hearing stories like yours is far different from mine. All of that stuff is propaganda and you're right, more people like you, like us, exist in the world. They just shovel all of that crap onto people and eventually you get overwhelmed. Believe me, I'm a man who has lived in the South his entire life, a black man at that and even though I see numerous C-flags daily it's not near anything to what I hear these stations are saying.
Just be good and do your best. Honestly my motive these days is following my dreams and making sure my family and friends are protected regardless what happens. Follow yours.
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Post by General Adam on Jun 28, 2018 22:47:11 GMT -5
You guys are great. Really. I posted this verbatim on the other board I'm on... Wow. It did not go well. I'm glad that you can be able to talk to us about what you are feeling.
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Post by The 1Watcher Experience on Jun 28, 2018 22:50:37 GMT -5
It might be a good time to remember that the news purposely sensationalizes as much as it can with their coverage. The want your emotions firing off. They want to inspire hate, fear and whatever else they think will compel you to keep watching their presentation of events. That’s how they get ratings. As sick as it sounds that is their business. I don’t mean to seem insensitive but sometimes you have to turn the television off. It’s too much sometimes.
I’m tired of these constant shootings. I won’t get political because it’s not permitted and honestly it’s not my thing at all. I’ll just say that both sides of the coin that people seem to so angrily defend haven’t ever done anything to change things. No need to quote me. I have nothing more to say about it. I just wanted to express my frustration as well. You are not alone in your feelings.
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Post by BrodietheSlayer on Jun 28, 2018 23:03:21 GMT -5
Say what you want about the original CIVIL WAR, and many have, but the statement that Cap makes in the bottom panel is probably the truest statement about the state of things in the world today, and it's even more true 11 years later.
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ayumidah
Wade Wilson
Don't bother pretending I seem fine, I like that I'm a mess
Posts: 26,889
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Post by ayumidah on Jun 29, 2018 0:50:27 GMT -5
That's why I typically avoid the 24/7 news cycles. Yes, things do seem bad in quite a few ways right now, but there are for sure good people in the world just doing their best.
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Post by Clash, Never a Meter Maid on Jun 29, 2018 6:29:21 GMT -5
American news has always been designed to emphasize the worst of humanity. The problem has gotten worse over the years, the more that news divisions and their respective companies have tried to focus on “news as entertainment”.
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Goldenbane
Hank Scorpio
THE G.D. Goldenbane
Posts: 7,331
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Post by Goldenbane on Jun 29, 2018 7:15:42 GMT -5
You guys are great. Really. I posted this verbatim on the other board I'm on... Wow. It did not go well. I don't mean to toot our own horn or anything, but honestly, you'll find some of the absolute best people in the world on this board. I was once really down about my love life, and posted about it here. The next morning, I was expecting the thread to either be gone, or full of snark or something. It wasn't. Instead it was full of people offering truly good advice (dating sites, places to go to meet women, ect) and generally acting sympathetic. I was honestly touched by how it seemed the people on this board really seemed to care. Yeah, you'll have an occasional snarky a-hole on here (and I'm just as guilty as anyone else), but FAN is made up of some dang good blokes.
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jagilki
Patti Mayonnaise
Nobody notices him; No, we noticed him
f*** Cancer
Posts: 33,594
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Post by jagilki on Jun 29, 2018 8:03:25 GMT -5
American news has always been designed to emphasize the worst of humanity. The problem has gotten worse over the years, the more that news divisions and their respective companies have tried to focus on “news as entertainment”. It's due to US media being driving first on making money. Views, readership, ratings, clicks, what have you, that is the first and foremost to the company. I'm not saying individual journalists are that way, but the machine behind them is, and that leads to sensationalism to drive profits up. I hope I'm being vague enough on this statement, but my major problem with modern politics is that it's becoming more and more like "sports'. "Yay, we won! Those losers on the other side lost. Beat them, beat them Rah Rah Rah!"
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Post by MC Blowfish on Jun 29, 2018 8:11:33 GMT -5
I see a lot of people blaming the media and that's dangerous. This issue isn't all on the media. We have politicians saying the exact same thing. Steve King from Iowa said that this country is heading for a civil war. If you've spent any time on comment sections or even reddit, you'll see plenty of close minded individuals stoking the flames.
That's great that the people that surround you and your wife are polite. That they all get along. I've seen enough smiling faces in public and seen the ugliness that comes from those same faces when they THINK that they are hiding behind a screen. I'm not saying that you're wrong for feeling the way you do, but what I'm saying that we do have a large divide in this country. It's getting worse, because we have people in charge that are stoking those flames.
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Post by James Fabiano on Jun 29, 2018 8:39:31 GMT -5
My mom the other day said she just doesn't watch or listen to the news. I think I'm going to do the same.
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Post by YAKMAN is ICHIBAN on Jun 29, 2018 8:53:46 GMT -5
My mom the other day said she just doesn't watch or listen to the news. I think I'm going to do the same. Don't watch US 24/7 TV news, it is mostly garbage. Some good investigative programs here and there. BBC coverage for global affairs is good. PBS is usually good. YMMV on local news. If you don't stay informed and vote though, you are failing in your duty as a citizen.
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Dr. T is an alien
Patti Mayonnaise
Knows when to hold them, knows when to fold them
I've been found out!
Posts: 31,359
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Post by Dr. T is an alien on Jun 29, 2018 9:05:38 GMT -5
One thing that does really need to be emphasized is that crime is on the decline and has been for years. Media coverage would give you the impression that civilization has now devolved to a point between Robocop and Mad Max, which simply isn’t true. Sure, there are true hellholes in this planet, but we as a species actually have been trending towards getting along better. Better communication has enabled that, but it has also better enabled us all to realize every bad thing that happens. Those things are anomalies that are on the decline; we are just more aware of them.
We as a species have more growing pains to deal with, but things are not as bad as the media would lead you to believe.
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Post by Clash, Never a Meter Maid on Jun 29, 2018 9:22:58 GMT -5
One thing that does really need to be emphasized is that crime is on the decline and has been for years. Media coverage would give you the impression that civilization has now devolved to a point between Robocop and Mad Max, which simply isn’t true. Sure, there are true hellholes in this planet, but we as a species actually have been trending towards getting along better. Better communication has enabled that, but it has also better enabled us all to realize every bad thing that happens. Those things are anomalies that are on the decline; we are just more aware of them. We as a species have more growing pains to deal with, but things are not as bad as the media would lead you to believe. Exactly. We're living in one of the more peaceful times in humanity's history currently. But if it bleeds, it leads.
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Post by James Fabiano on Jun 29, 2018 9:25:30 GMT -5
My mom the other day said she just doesn't watch or listen to the news. I think I'm going to do the same. Don't watch US 24/7 TV news, it is mostly garbage. Some good investigative programs here and there. BBC coverage for global affairs is good. PBS is usually good. YMMV on local news. If you don't stay informed and vote though, you are failing in your duty as a citizen. Yes, but sometimes it feels like the ignorance is bliss statment may have a point...
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Lupin the Third
Patti Mayonnaise
I'm sorry.....I love you. *boot to the head*--3rd most culpable in the jixing of NXT, D'oh!
Join the Dark Order....
Posts: 36,325
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Post by Lupin the Third on Jun 29, 2018 9:37:03 GMT -5
I mainly listen to stuff like PBS, BBC, and that's it. The mainstream news media outlets all have an agenda, and they push that in front of the actual facts and truth.
I also listen to the local news just for what's going on around my neck of the woods.
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