Re: Fall of Rome, fall of liberal democracy?

On Wed, 26 Nov 2003 05:05:54 GMT, "Ahn Fyuh Wi Dizayah"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

>
>GOD BLESS AMERICA
>
>The internet... what a wasteland.
>
>I always want to ask people, But what concrete proof do you have that there
>is no conspiracy going on? It's one of those questions, like the existence
>of deities, for which there will not be an answer. We believe what we want
>to, because without meeting every person on earth and investigating them, we
>have no idea if there's a conspiracy afoot.
>
>I don't mean an old fashioned conspiracy, where the Masons or Catholics rule
>the world for their own profit, but I mean of the new kind, where a whole
>bunch of people find out an easy way and work it because there's no reason
>in their minds to give a fuck. Call it flash mobbing opportunity itself.
>
>We're eating ourselves away from within. But that isn't why I wrote you.
>
>___________
>! Program !
>=-=-=-=-=-=
>
>But seriously folks, I do have a very real program tonight.
>
>It's just a handful of questions.
>
>1. Why are jobs boring, inefficient and saturated in twisted office
>psychology and politics, but we all seem to think they are so important?

Because we generally want to earn the better things in life.  To do so
requires money.  To get money, we have to work.

Ah, for the good ole days when "living" meant killing a mastadon,
running away from lions, and doing numbah-2 in a stream.  Of course,
people died of dysentry, food poisoning, etc.  Not to mention the big
problem of starvation.  But good ole agriculture came along--problem
is someone had to plant the seeds, and harvest the crops--pretty
boring stuff, really.... hmmm, wonder if I could pay someone to do it.

Geez, if questions like this has got you stumped, it makes me wonder
how educated you truly are.

>2. Yes, we want money. But then it eats most of our souls. Should we explore
>another way?

Lots of people are exploring "another way."  Some of them sit around
and wait for someone that has something they want, then they kill them
and rob them.  Happens all the time.  But it probably doesn't do too
good on the soul either.

Happens at a global scale too.  Countries like the U.S. become overly
prosperous, and a lot of wanna-be countries get a little miffed so
they want the U.S. to pay its fair share of some hypothetical "global
tax" just to even the playing field a little.

>3. If all everyone wants is peace, why are they trying to enforce it by war?
>(If one dog wins, the other will lie in wait for him.)

Because not everyone wants peace.  Look at the Middle East--those guys
won't stop fighting even if God Almighty came down in a fiery chariot
and told them to stop.  No matter how enlightened people become, there
will always be something that one person has, that another person
wants.  It could be the love of a woman, some real estate with a view,
a position of power... limited resources--that's the root of war.  If
you have a solution to it, let us know.


>4. If technology is so great, why has it experienced so little real-world
>productivity increases as a general office tool since the 1980s, while we
>still have to upgrade every 18 mos at high cost?

You don't have to upgrade.  I know a printing shop that uses those old
mechanical presses.  He's still in business, but barely.  Why?
Because the modern shops are using 4 color digital presses, can go
from computer image to print in an eyeblink, and can print out a
hundred copies before old Jim can turn that crank once.

So why do we upgrade?  For businesses, it's to stay competitive.  For
individuals like ourselves, it's just ego.  I've stopped trying to
upgrade my home computers about two years ago--as soon as I realized
that not only was it an expensive hobby, but it was a timesink too...
but new machines in my office appear about once every two months.


>5. If we all care about the environment, why do we keep tearing up new land
>and replacing it with more of the same crap? (see question #2)

Your problem is that you overgeneralize.  We don't all care about the
environment--at least not all on the same level.  There are some who
would rather let a baby girl die, than to kill a "helpless" baboon for
its heart.  There are some who have the philosophy that everything put
on the earth was put for the benefit of mankind, so damn the
endangered mosiquitoes.

So it all boils down to that some people have no problem with tearing
up new land and developing it.  I certainly don't (within reason).


>6. If globalism is achieved, and people from all countries are redistributed
>amongs all other countries of the globe, does that mean the same assholes I
>see in LA will be in Helsinki and Abuja?

The same assholes you see in LA *are* in Helsinki and Abuja.  Every
country has assholes.

>7. If life is so goddamn precious, why do we waste most of our lives focused
>on mechanical things while ignoring our own health and state of mind?

Because not everyone has the same view of what is important in life.
I usually think that it is only arrogant liberal assholes (some from
LA, even) that think they know what I want, and want the government to
force it on me.

Personally, if eating In and Out burgers with a large order of fries
is going to shorten my life by five years, then I think it's a fair
trade.

>
>If you could post your answers in soc.culture.usa, that would help us learn
>more about where America is and where she is heading.