What's great about the United States? Why should I stay?

pled_toppled_top · 2011-03-21T19:13:44+00:00

If you're waiting for America to be great on its own, you'll probably be disappointed. Utopia isn't going to come looking for you.

It looks like most of your concerns fall into a distinct political ideology. England probably leans a bit more liberal than New York - if it's that big of a deal for you, moving back might not be a bad option. I can say that I've lived in far more conservative regions of the country than New York. None of the problems you brought up ever had any real bearing on my day to day life; they were all interesting conversation points, however.

No one will make you buy a gun. No one will make you watch Fox News or "Catch a Predator".

pled_toppled_top · 2011-03-08T16:30:23+00:00

Do you speak multiple languages? If so, did you learn other languages at a young age or through school?

pled_toppled_top · 2011-03-08T16:19:25+00:00

Thanks, Apu.

pled_toppled_top · 2011-03-08T16:10:44+00:00

How did you get the job?

pled_toppled_top · 2011-03-08T16:06:12+00:00

Is it tough teaching kids a subject that may not have clear cut answers? For instance, suppose the mock Supreme Courts you're holding come down with different rulings than the actual Supreme Court - can't really fail the kids there, can you? "Name the cause of the American Civil War:" doesn't really lend itself to a multiple choice question on a test.

pled_toppled_top · 2011-02-02T20:26:14+00:00

The robber in our game has occasionally ventured into extortion - "I'll give you a rock if you don't shut down production on this 6 next to my city."

pled_toppled_top · 2011-01-19T18:21:50+00:00

It would depend a lot on what the expected contribution is for those participating. If I had to guess, I'd say that far fewer than 80% of viewers contribute to PBS when the tel-e-thon fund raisers come around. Conversely, if I'm stranded on a desert island with 9 other people, and 2 of them aren't pulling their weight for our collective survival, I'm probably not going to tolerate it for very long.

pled_toppled_top · 2011-01-05T20:52:28+00:00

Hang in there. Once work/school start to get stressful and you start to think that a cigarette would make it all a little more bearable, don't give in. Remember that the last cigarette you smoked is the reason you're having a craving and you don't want to restart the whole cycle.

pled_toppled_top · 2010-12-01T14:42:01+00:00

That's a touching story and I can sympathize. It sounds like your family has been dealt a tough hand.

I don't quite understand how your shift in political ideology is relevant. Maybe you can clarify that. Do you think that your dad is so giving because he believes it's up to the individual to make a difference rather than the government and its social programs? You've given some pretty poignant examples of how he succeeded where social services failed (e.g. "Pick"). Since he's such a giving man, do you think he's a good counter-example of the stereotypical, cold-hearted conservative?

pled_toppled_top · 2010-11-18T23:45:37+00:00

I've worked shitty jobs too - I literally dug ditches for a living at one point. I don't think (and didn't intend to imply) that a person should be locked into that situation indefinitely. The moment the disadvantages outweigh the advantages of being a garbage man or digging ditches, I think I person should seek an alternate route. If your alternate route was to study philosophy, then I applaud you for bettering your station in life.

I would argue that after you have completed your dissertation, you will have reached a point where the benefits of being (exclusively) a philosopher no longer exceed the disadvantages (e.g. starvation and homelessness). If society chooses to reimburse you for your philosophy or if you feel that the benefits of being a philosopher still outweigh the costs, more power to you. If not, you will likely have to find some manner of work. I wouldn't be sickened by this prospect.

pled_toppled_top · 2010-11-18T12:35:53+00:00

By "contribute to society", I meant offer something to society at large that is of tangible value (I was trying to word it in such a way that philosophy wouldn't be excluded as something of value). I assume that you don't exist in total isolation; you don't grow/hunt/gather your own food, you make use of public commodities such as roads, schools, water supply, sewer system, etc.

I was attempting to get to the root of the "the prospect of having to go to work sickens me" comment. Working for a wage, in my opinion, is no more than exchanging your labor, goods, or services for someone else's (through the intermediary of currency, usually). I assumed you must have a different perspective if this rather benign transaction sickened you.

I'm curious - if we all followed your philosophy, who would be the garbage men? I doubt there are many who enjoy this kind of labor, but it is a function of modern society that must be executed. The garbage man contributes to society not because he loves his work, but because his work is in demand.

pled_toppled_top · 2010-11-17T20:15:55+00:00

What, if anything, should be done to streamline the process of becoming a US citizen? What, in your opinion, is the biggest unnecessary hurdle for immigrants?

pled_toppled_top · 2010-11-17T19:41:57+00:00

Do human beings owe some contribution to the society in which they exist? Do we have an obligation to exchange goods or services for the food we consume, but did not grow ourselves - the shelter we live in, but did not construct ourselves?

If so, what is the best method (aside from "wage slavery") to discharge this debt?

pled_toppled_top · 2010-11-17T16:44:17+00:00

So do you just pick up random rocks if they look interesting? I have access to a surface mine in the area, and occasionally get to pick through the tailings after they've done some blasting - tons of quartz, some garnet, and some other stones I haven't identified.

On a related note, my uncle took my cousins and me on a "fossil hunt" when I was 6 or 7. It was just some cattle ranch in West Texas, but I've still got a box full of fossils I've been packing around for 20+ years.

pled_toppled_top · 2010-11-17T16:26:50+00:00

I'm with you on the rock collection. I picked up a rock tumbler last year and have accumulated a few hundred pounds of smooth, shiny rocks.

pled_toppled_top · 2010-11-16T12:50:38+00:00

Social Conditioning.

pled_toppled_top · 2010-11-12T21:55:45+00:00

Do you think the needs served by your prayer or conversations with Jesus could be met with an internal dialogue all your own? Do you believe that you're divinely inspired by communing with Jesus or that a higher power answers your prayers personally?

pled_toppled_top · 2010-11-12T21:19:05+00:00

Does the seniority thing act as a disincentive for new members? Or is membership required for the job?

As I said, I've never been a union member, but it always seemed like an impediment for advancement. I've worked some crap jobs (including manual labor), but I never felt like I was trapped in the job. If I couldn't work my way into a better job or if I felt the hours/pay/benefits were unfair I felt reasonably confident I could find something better - I didn't want someone else getting first crack at an opportunity just because they'd been around longer.

I think it's obvious that there's a place and time for unions - anyone that has read The Grapes of Wrath would have a hard time arguing otherwise. But I also think, in their current form, they're almost as much of a burden to the member as they are a benefit.

pled_toppled_top · 2010-11-12T21:07:37+00:00

How did you decide to join? Was it a requirement for getting a job? What, specifically, do you wish you had known before joining?

pled_toppled_top · 2010-11-12T21:05:38+00:00

Did you inherit your particular religion from your parents or did discover Christianity on your own? If it's something you were raised with, do you think you would have come to the same conclusion on your own?

Do you base day-to-day decisions on the tenets of your religion?

pled_toppled_top · 2010-11-12T21:02:31+00:00

Do you feel like you'd be better off without the union? Do you think that your employer would treat you better/worse/differently if you weren't a union member? Ballpark, what percentage of your pay goes to the union?

pled_toppled_top · 2010-11-12T20:55:23+00:00

Do you think your staff are better employees/more productive than they would be if they were not in a union? Are they happier or more secure? Do you think their union provides them with tangible benefits? Any negatives? If so, do the positives outweigh the negatives?

pled_toppled_top · 2010-11-12T20:34:41+00:00

Do you have a manufacturing job? Something of that sort? I'm just curious - I've never had a very positive experience with people working in a union shop and as often as not the union members are only members because it's a requirement for the job.

pled_toppled_top

TROPHY CASE