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Thread: You Are All The 1%

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    United States Avalon Member Mike's Avatar
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    Default Re: You Are All The 1%

    Quote Posted by Dennis Leahy (here)
    Mike, seems more like the point you're making is that we ought to be grateful to the 1%, the theoretical progenitors of the spoils of technology that we enjoy. Or maybe a better title to support your position could be, "You are all complicit with the 1%." But I don't think you mean we are all multi-billionaires, or have that level of control over the national and international agenda that the top financial 1% actually do. You know about the paper called The Princeton Report* where they show that US citizens have ZERO input in US domestic and US foreign policy, so you certainly can't be blaming us all (and yourself, admirably) for the outcome/effects of policy we cannot affect. And, it doesn't sound like we are being asked to share in the credit of the workers that the 1% hired to create these products or services that we enjoy. I think we should be grateful to those workers. I think you make an excellent point about being grateful, but do you want me to be grateful to the engineers and artists and wizards that actually created the products/industries/arts or does that have to include "The 1%" billionaire heads of the corporations where the engineers and artists and wizards happen to work?

    Basically what I'm saying is, compared to our not too distant past, we are the 1%. Within the context of our past (say, 150 years ago and all that came before that) we - the regular people - are the lucky one's at the top of the pyramid

    The gap between the life that most of us enjoy now vs then is analogous to the gap between the current 1% and regular folks like us. Historically speaking we are the 1%.

    So while we all know something seems very wrong with the current 1% possessing nearly all the wealth, we - the average folks - still live lives of unspeakable luxury compared to our not too distant past. Things ain't too bad at all is what i'm saying, and we should be grateful for that
    Last edited by Mike; 14th September 2021 at 05:05.

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  3. Link to Post #42
    United States Avalon Member Mike's Avatar
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    Default Re: You Are All The 1%

    Quote Posted by Mike Gorman (here)
    Quote Posted by Mike (here)
    Historically speaking, it's true.

    Life as a human being on planet earth has never been easier. It's easier by a massive margin. It's so much easier now than, say, 150 years ago that you almost can't even imagine how much easier it is. It's unfathomably easier

    Not too long ago I was out to eat with my family when my mother suggested a toast to our endurance and fortitude in managing the current "pandemic". This as we ate our steaks and sucked down our beers in the air conditioned dining area of a rather fancy restaurant. How brave of us!

    After that dinner I got into my car, a miraculous machine that can get me virtually anywhere I want to go with almost zero physical effort. I drove on smooth streets that had been laid for my convenience. I listened to some wonderful music (on a device called a radio) as I drove along and when it got a bit hot I turned on the air conditioner.

    While driving along a friend who lived on the other side of the country called me on a miraculous device called a smart phone. And since I was in an unfamiliar town I needed instructions, so I pulled them up on google maps..and a robotic but pleasant sounding woman told me precisely how to get to the nearest grocery store. All this being possible because of the internet, of course..a cyber world of near endless information and possibilities right at our fingertips.

    I stopped at a grocery store and bought food that bad been conveniently gathered and put in one location for my benefit. Pretty much any food you could possibly imagine was there. And I didn't have to hunt, fish, or grow it myself. It was on a shelf. I just had to pay for it.

    When I got home to my air conditioned apartment I emptied my groceries into a miracle of a thing called a refrigerator, which keeps all my food fresh and my drinks cold. And then I retired to my room to watch tv on an enormous screen nearly half the size of my wall. All this possible due to a little thing called electricity.

    All these things would have been unthinkable just a short time ago. All of them would have represented ground breaking miracles. Today we are blessed with this stuff. And I make a very modest living and live a very modest life! But even a guy like me, who basically lives from week to week, can have all these things if desired.

    If you have a car, you are the 1%, historically speaking. If you have air conditioning, you are the 1%. Indoor plumbing, a refrigerator, a tv, hot and cold water, a washer/dryer set, a smartphone, a comfortable bed to sleep in...if you have these things you are the 1%. So stop whining.

    The only appropriate attitude most of us should have is gratitude. We stand on the shoulders of giants, the giants that have provided all these wonderful things we have and enjoy...and all so many of us do is piss and moan about this or that. I'm just as guilty. I think one of our greatest crisis' involves a profound lack of perspective and gratitude.
    Absolutely spot on Mike, you have a way with words, straight to the point, concise and potent - we are indeed incredibly fortunate, even compared with the lifestyle of my grandparents-admittedly I am a bit of an old fart, born in 1958 so my granddads/mothers were born at the end of the 1800's, their lives were tough and they were poor hard working decent people, they had nowhere near the level of affluence I enjoy, and of course the technology we all take so much for granted would be like magic to them, literally magic.
    It is rather like that old insight about wealthy families: one generation works incredibly hard to build wealth and position, the following generation fritters the family fortune away and produces decadent, weak offspring; not in every case, but very often, we are like that spoiled, decadent generation which has zero appreciation of what we have, we have become politically unaware, indifferent, we have become obsessed with ridiculous topics and concerns which have no intrinsic value or meaning. Perhaps we deserve a catastrophe, a fall from grace, to teach us all once again the true meaning of freedom, and struggle.

    Thanks for the kind words Mike.

    I think we're experiencing that catastrophe or fall from grace, and it feels karmically appropriate. And I have to say, all those things you listed there: decadent, weak, spoiled...that was me for most of my life. I'm only emerging from it now.

    I think alot about my Dad now (and my Mom , but a little more about my Dad) and I think, bloody hell he sacrificed alot for me and my family. I didn't start really appreciating all my Dad had done for me till I was about 30. Which is disgraceful really. In my smug arrogance I regarded the path he took (conservative, disciplined, hard working, practical) as boring and lame. But what he did for us was heroic! He had all sorts of plans to do this and that with his life but when he began having children (while still in high school) he made the remarkably mature decision to finish school, go to college, and become an accountant to support the family.

    Me, the smug prick who for the longest time didn't think much of that path..well I had a rich aunt who set up a trust fund for me, and I still managed to f#ck everything up...dropping out of school after school and sitting on my ass getting drunk etc, yet imagining myself so clever all the while

    I call my Dad all the time now just to hear his voice. I can't believe how lucky i am to have a Dad like him. He's so much better than me in every single way.
    Last edited by Mike; 14th September 2021 at 06:21.

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    Ireland Avalon Member pueblo's Avatar
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    Default Re: You Are All The 1%

    Hard times create strong people, strong people create good times, good times create weak people, weak people create hard times......

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    United States Avalon Member onawah's Avatar
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    Default Re: You Are All The 1%

    Not to mention the difference between Americans who are living at what is euphemistically called "poverty level" in the US, compared to third world countries (and the genuinely poor and homeless here in the US).
    I am one of the former, and have been all my life, but I've always had access to a roof over my head, enough food to eat, clothes to wear, health care, education-- in short, all the basic necessities of life.
    I agree with you Mike, and I have to remind myself to be grateful every day--it's too easy to forget.
    And I commend you for your honesty and sincere regrets.
    I wish I could thank my (deceased) parents now for at least keeping me alive until I was able to fend for myself, because they really had to struggle to do it.
    But I am reminding myself every day now too, that the kind of depredation of the ecosystem that has led to such ease cannot go on much longer, and we will all be paying the consequences for it in the long run.
    So in that sense, we are all guilty too, not just the 1%, though they have led the way.
    What we have relinquished in our pursuit of leisure and luxury is going to cost us dear in the long run.
    Gaia is forgiving, but only up to a point...
    Each breath a gift...
    _____________

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    Avalon Member Gemma13's Avatar
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    Default Re: You Are All The 1%

    Yep, 100%. That type of gratitude should be daily. Heck we're all in this together. Can't thank enough the kindness, compassion, love and support given to oneself or witnessing it given to others

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    Default Re: You Are All The 1%

    Quote Posted by Mike (here)
    I'm not seeing anything because I'm at work and they firewall most pics and videos. I think Gemma was talking about an old avatar of mine? One at a dark pub with my buddy Jay? It's okay to include it here, but in the interest of transparency it's an older picture. I'm much fitter, tanner, and full of spirit there than I am now. This is obvious if you saw a recent pic I used as an avatar (very briefly) to demonstrate to Dennis the hair regrowth laser helmet I wasted $1000 on. Considerably chubbier, paler, grizzlier, and balder these days..sad to say
    Mike, I wouldn't say it's a waste. You've got $1,000 worth of facial hair.

    For the folks that missed Mike's magical mystery device...


    Last edited by RunningDeer; 15th September 2021 at 02:42.

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    United States Avalon Member Mike's Avatar
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    Default Re: You Are All The 1%

    Paula the hair is growing in all the wrong places now. My right ear has been itching for a week, and when I finally inspected it today I noticed a hair emerging from my inner ear that was easily over an inch long. It was gross. It was the inky black ear hair from hell. Plucking it was almost euphoric. I marveled at the thing for a good minute before throwing it in the trash. I felt I owed it that much. It was almost impressive in a way.

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    United States Avalon Member Mike's Avatar
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    Default Re: You Are All The 1%

    Quote Posted by onawah (here)
    Not to mention the difference between Americans who are living at what is euphemistically called "poverty level" in the US, compared to third world countries (and the genuinely poor and homeless here in the US).
    I am one of the former, and have been all my life, but I've always had access to a roof over my head, enough food to eat, clothes to wear, health care, education-- in short, all the basic necessities of life.
    I agree with you Mike, and I have to remind myself to be grateful every day--it's too easy to forget.
    And I commend you for your honesty and sincere regrets.
    I wish I could thank my (deceased) parents now for at least keeping me alive until I was able to fend for myself, because they really had to struggle to do it.
    But I am reminding myself every day now too, that the kind of depredation of the ecosystem that has led to such ease cannot go on much longer, and we will all be paying the consequences for it in the long run.
    So in that sense, we are all guilty too, not just the 1%, though they have led the way.
    What we have relinquished in our pursuit of leisure and luxury is going to cost us dear in the long run.
    Gaia is forgiving, but only up to a point...

    I listened to some video recently that suggested we aren't even close to using up all our resources, that we could go on like this for quite a long time actually. It came on as I was busy with something, so I was only half listening. Damn i wish i could remember who it was. If i remember I'll post it here.

    I allowed myself to believe the guy. It just felt too good not to. The guy was some sort of scientist, for what it's worth. I'll try to find it

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    Default Re: You Are All The 1%

    I certainly know how you feel about the hair Mike, but that head gear - it's like something Doc Brown invented, I wouldn't be caught dead wearing it! (but do let me know if it works).

    Losing one's hair is horrendous. Few get that until it happens to them. I'm lucky enough to have a good mat of hair front, sides, and back, but on the crown...erk. For several years that bald patch has grown, it's like a crop circle now and there's nothing I can do about it.

    We men care about our hair every bit as you ladies. Yes, there is a thing called 'male privilege' - most certainly we have several, but all things are relative - female privilege exists too, one being is not losing your hair! Imagine if that happened though, you as a woman started losing your hair at 30+, or even earlier (i knew a guy that went severely bald mid 20s) ask yourself, I dare you - how would you feel?? So often are we, the follically challenged, the butt of jokes. I'm telling ya, we're oppressed! But of course, we're men, so nobody cares.
    "When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace."
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    Default Re: You Are All The 1%

    Mike, About that picture..Christmas is coming up and a personalized card with that picture would be such a gift...yes, a little expensive, but so worth it to the lucky receivers. Just a thought. 😊 Diane

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    Default Re: You Are All The 1%

    Quote Posted by Star Mariner (here)
    I certainly know how you feel about the hair Mike, but that head gear - it's like something Doc Brown invented, I wouldn't be caught dead wearing it! (but do let me know if it works).

    Losing one's hair is horrendous. Few get that until it happens to them. I'm lucky enough to have a good mat of hair front, sides, and back, but on the crown...erk. For several years that bald patch has grown, it's like a crop circle now and there's nothing I can do about it.

    We men care about our hair every bit as you ladies. Yes, there is a thing called 'male privilege' - most certainly we have several, but all things are relative - female privilege exists too, one being is not losing your hair! Imagine if that happened though, you as a woman started losing your hair at 30+, or even earlier (i knew a guy that went severely bald mid 20s) ask yourself, I dare you - how would you feel?? So often are we, the follically challenged, the butt of jokes. I'm telling ya, we're oppressed! But of course, we're men, so nobody cares.
    That is so sad to hear.  Naturally heard bald guys copping the digs but never thought it cut that deep.  I'm one of those females that love bald heads, so I've never thought about how bad it is for men, till now. 

    My Dad went bald very young too, after a crop of thick and curly, so I guess there was that filter for me to.  It never bothered him as Mum and Dad were one of those rare couples that at a young age got the "real, soul mate, love at first sight experience" that sells movies.  They were like teenagers in love right up to his passing at 83.  I could buy him the comical bald birthday cards and we'd all get a belly laugh out of 'em.

    I know it's a small consolation for ya all, and I'm sorry for that, but there are ladies out there that are admiring your shiny bits and hoping they get bigger.  They're just not dropping a wolf whistle when you walk by.

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    Default Re: You Are All The 1%

    I don't mean to be a killjoy (forewarned is better than blindsided), but unfortunately, it's not really remaining resources which are the issue, but rectifying the huge damage that has been done, the toxins in the air, water, food, the stuff that takes so long to break down--nuclear waste, chemicals, plastics, etc. the million drill sites in the earth's crust which are causing earthquakes and volcanic activity, the dying off of life in the oceans, the danger of die off of the bees and birds and other pollinators. The list goes on and on.
    But mostly it's the natural cycles, such as the magnetic pole reversal that are just beginning which will cause more and more destruction through earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, hurricanes, etc.
    All that is causing a very uncertain future for all of humanity.
    If we had a wise, compassionate leadership that everyone would willingly follow, some of that could be dealt with successfully, but of course, that's not the case.
    Not yet, at least.

    But on a lighter note, I'd say that these days Mike could pass for a younger, handsomer brother of Alex Jones, and I can just picture him using that to his advantage by pranking some marks in a bar, pretending to be that non-existent person and regaling them with B.S. Infowars stories with his best impersonation of Alex in exchange for free drinks.
    ( I ran that by him first in a PM to see if it offended him, and it didn't, though his Satanic persona might take umbrage at such a comparison.)
    Quote Posted by Mike (here)

    I listened to some video recently that suggested we aren't even close to using up all our resources, that we could go on like this for quite a long time actually. It came on as I was busy with something, so I was only half listening. Damn i wish i could remember who it was. If i remember I'll post it here.
    Last edited by onawah; 15th September 2021 at 17:34.
    Each breath a gift...
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    Default Re: You Are All The 1%

    Fascinating video about extreme poverty in Victorian England. So sad. We are comparatively extremely lucky. But we have still lost ground. It's one thing to live paycheck to paycheck if you don't have kids, but the real problems begin with the birth of a child, financially speaking.


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