Comments | risty77: WTF? No seriously, WTF?

risty77

WTF? No seriously, WTF?

Nov 05, 2007 08:39

Someone last week (and I can't remember who it was exactly, but nevermind) expressed to me their sympathy for having the misfortune to arrive in America in preparation for an election year, I think since it makes it more insane than usual....

...now, I didn't really agree, because I quite like being in the midst of all the insanity, because a) what ( Read more... )

Comments 8

quenya_tattoo November 5 2007, 18:03:48 UTC

Welcome to the last 27 years of my life-- or of any other American that has had a thought. Ever.

'when did the idea of socialised medicine gain similar pariah status to, say, industrial pollution of drinking water, so that it can be used as a bogey-term to inspire fear in the hearts of Americans, and why did no one pass on the memo to the rest of the world?'

The Great Depression, or shortly after. When America 1- started most of its social programs in such a hurry that to this day they can't function properly (god forbid we should FIX them, of course...) and 2- Realized that it was willing to sacrifice the well-being of its people to keep the flow of money moving in practice more than in theory (there's a great scene in The Grapes of Wrath where starving people are watching farmers dump subsidized grain into rivers to keep prices from falling any further. No really.)

You know me well enough to know my feelings on this kind of broke-ass bullshit, but there is a reason for this belief/fear just like there's a reason for every ( ... )

risty77 November 5 2007, 18:24:54 UTC

Yeah, it's weird though, as far as the first point goes, because pretty much every social program in the entire Western world started right after the Depression, to varying but fairly general levels of hasty crappishness. So I guess it's the second that starts to get at why America didn't stick with it and iron out (some of) the problems ( ... )

quintessmiley November 5 2007, 19:18:15 UTC

Ah, you know the primaries must be drawing nigh when the print and television media become clogged with outlandish claims and scary ideas like socialized medicine and immigration reform. It's all very disheartening, I think. What baffles me is how these people are able to trivialize important issues with gravitas. "Oh, yes, this is a vital concern to all Americans, and I intend to make sure they receive the medical treatment/job security/freedom from fear of subway bombs that they deserve and blah blah blah ( ... )

risty77 November 5 2007, 19:30:47 UTC

Heheehe... Lewis Black makes me smile...

As far as the election goes, I guess we could hope that they're saving up all the real issues for the point where it's a little closer than 12 months out from the election, in case we all get tired of them by then...

...but... yeah.

doublel27 November 5 2007, 21:59:05 UTC

It would be nice to live in a world where you know, honesty was valued and real solutions were looked at rather than waving a distracting red cape at the collective bull a large majority of the country makes up. And you'd think we'd want different but god knows after FOUR years of Bush he was re-elected by a majority of this country.

And also, in addition to the lovely points that Katey made, in the vast majority of the individuals in the US "socialist" = "communist" = Germany, Russia, Cuba and China = EVIL! So the word socialist is just another word for Evil, which is how they can pull off this bull. Welcome to the US.

risty77 November 8 2007, 01:03:56 UTC

Yeah, that re-election was one of the weirdest things of all.... although I guess it was sort of before Iraq turned into an absolute cluster-fuck, rather than just being a dumb-ass shitty thing to do, so... yeah. Maybe.

Hee. Those crazy German national socialists... so very communist, they were. :D

But yeah, you do make a very good point. So we can go back and blame McCarthy! Suits me, he was one fucking crazy fucker. With a weirdly good line in getting inside people's heads and getting them to think what he wanted.

cad27 November 6 2007, 08:44:43 UTC

I find myself developing this schedule at work: in the mornings, I read gossip, then feminism. At lunch, I read music crap, then in the afternoons, I read american politics. Its really quite bizarre ( ... )

risty77 November 8 2007, 01:13:48 UTC

The really sad thing about the republican nominees is that it's McCain, or 'Crazy McStayinIraq-Fuck' who seems the most sane, the longer it all goes on. At least he believes what he says, which is something I can't credit for either Giuliani or Romney ( ... )