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Old Feb 27, 2020 | 12:14 PM
  #17021  
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Originally Posted by Joe Perez
If the American Dream means always having it better than Dan up the street, then it is, by definition, un-achievable, presupposing that Dan also wishes to live the American Dream.

My personal opinion is that being locked into an unending race to have a nicer trailer [boat / car / airplane / TV / cat tower / vibrating аnal plug / iThing / etc] than Dan is entirely antithetical to the American Dream.

The American Dream is to be secure, content, and comfortable in your own life.
Interesting description. Using yours I wonder how many are truly living it? We all would aspire to.
Old Feb 27, 2020 | 02:37 PM
  #17022  
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Originally Posted by Joe Perez
If the American Dream means always having it better than Dan up the street, then it is, by definition, un-achievable, presupposing that Dan also wishes to live the American Dream.
I am Dan, and I can confirm - you're not going to beat me, so just stop trying.

Seriously though, I always took the American Dream to mean opportunity to improve your station. For most of the history of the civilized world, opportunity to improve one's station in life was rare or nonexistent. Born a serf - you're going to die a serf. We have historically been a classist species, with social classes being strictly maintained by the government in most cases. In this country, social classes may be perceived/maintained by the populace, but not the government - there is no law preventing you from being born to a ditch digger and becoming a billionaire.

Obviously there have been some exceptions to this rule, with slavery/Jim Crow laws in the south being the most obvious examples (and I would argue had much more to do with race than class). However that hasn't stopped millions of immigrants wanting to come to this country for opportunities they would never find in their home countries. And I think it is safe to say, political grandstanding notwithstanding, that there are no laws anymore that make it any harder for a black American to achieve success than a white American. Welcome to America, where our only aristocracy is defined by success.

Old Feb 27, 2020 | 02:40 PM
  #17023  
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The American dream: 30 year home mortgages, $150K school loans and 8 year car notes
Old Feb 27, 2020 | 02:51 PM
  #17024  
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Originally Posted by Dann0
Seriously though, I always took the American Dream to mean opportunity to improve your station. For most of the history of the civilized world, opportunity to improve one's station in life was rare or nonexistent. Born a serf - you're going to die a serf. We have historically been a classist species, with social classes being strictly maintained by the government in most cases. In this country, social classes may be perceived/maintained by the populace, but not the government - there is no law preventing you from being born to a ditch digger and becoming a billionaire.
That's a really excellent summary.


The book I'm reading at present is called Droidmaker. It's a history of filmmaking in the 1970s and 80s which focuses on filmmakers such as Francis Coppola and George Lucas who broke free of the traditional studio system and created their own production companies.

These two names are obviously well-known examples, but chapter which I finished last night spoke at some length to the ways in which Lucas and Coppola cultivated new talent. Obviously they hired a lot of long-haired freaks, but Lucasfilm, in particular, started an in-house night school, at which anyone was free to come and learn about the then-new fields of computer programming and computer graphics. Two members of the janitorial staff began attending these courses regularly, one of whom is now an executive at Sony Pictures, and the other a graphics designer and animator.

Old Feb 27, 2020 | 02:58 PM
  #17025  
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Originally Posted by Dann0
Seriously though, I always took the American Dream to mean opportunity to improve your station.
I always aspired to be that Dan and tend to agree with this description.
Old Feb 27, 2020 | 08:43 PM
  #17026  
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Bernie Sanders Praises Slave Owners For Free Housing Program
February 27th, 2020


U.S.—In a televised interview, Bernie Sanders has praised slave owners for their free housing program offered to all slaves working the plantations.
"Of course, the slavery was bad, but the slaves were housed, for free I might add, for their entire employment," Sanders said in an interview with 60 Minutes. "So it's unfair to criticize the whole thing. Also, the slaveowners were pretty impressive guys. The plantations were very clean, very nice buildings. I actually honeymooned at one in Virginia back in 1845, and it was an eye-opener for me as to how much propaganda has been used to malign slaveowners and their healthcare, housing, and literacy programs."
Old Feb 28, 2020 | 01:28 AM
  #17027  
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^^ Source? I did a quick search and only ultra right sources are carrying this story....
Old Feb 28, 2020 | 08:09 AM
  #17028  
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We all know it's fake and satire in light of his recent comments about Castro. We all know for fact he honeymooned in Russia, but is not a Russian agent.






BTW. Vote for Bloomberg. I really like him. You would like him too! Vote for him, I am!
Old Feb 28, 2020 | 08:41 AM
  #17029  
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Originally Posted by RalliartRsX
The American dream: 30 year home mortgages, $150K school loans and 8 year car notes
The opportunity to have nicer things than you can really afford at incredibly good interest rates is certainly a blessing. Even a kid with no family income at all can borrow the money to be a neurosurgeon. And someone can get a mortgage with a 43% DTE ratio.
Old Feb 28, 2020 | 11:15 AM
  #17030  
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I went to art school. I drive an AMG...
Old Feb 28, 2020 | 12:14 PM
  #17031  
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Originally Posted by Braineack
I went to art school. I drive an AMG...
I didn't go to art school. I drive an NB.



Totally unrelated:

Old Feb 28, 2020 | 12:55 PM
  #17032  
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Originally Posted by Joe Perez
I didn't go to art school. I drive an NB.
I went to Journalism school. I'm about to fly to Kentucky to buy an NC and bring it home.
Old Feb 28, 2020 | 01:27 PM
  #17033  
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https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/28/polit...uA9ERm6uZkeBU8


Biden acknowledges he wasn't arrested in South Africa despite earlier claims


By Veronica Stracqualursi and Sarah Mucha, CN
Old Feb 28, 2020 | 01:37 PM
  #17034  
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Originally Posted by z31maniac
I went to Journalism school. I'm about to fly to Kentucky to buy an NC and bring it home.
I went to a maritime school. I drive varied vehicles, because I'm not a snob. Where in KY are you headed?
Old Feb 28, 2020 | 01:45 PM
  #17035  
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What is she looking at?!


Oh there's the camera!
Old Feb 28, 2020 | 02:01 PM
  #17036  
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Old Feb 28, 2020 | 02:07 PM
  #17037  
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Originally Posted by TurboTim
What is she looking at?!
Not sure.

But despite the fact that long hair tends to be a turn-off for me in general, she is fairly attractive otherwise.

(Maybe she should use a less-wide Sharpie marker on the eyebrows. Or ideally, not one at all. Why the hell do women do that?)





Whenever I'm driving, I tend to have NPR on the radio. And when the Q&A portion of a press conference is being aired, I find myself speaking out loud the questions which I would ask if I were a reporter at the scene.

An example of why I'd be fired almost immediately if I were a political reporter, rather than an engineer:

"Mayor Lightfoot, you've used the phrases "poverty" and "the very poor" numerous times during this discussion. One possible interpretation of that might be that you believe the poor ought to be not merely permitted, but actually encouraged, to reside in this neighborhood. Is that an accurate assessment?"

Old Feb 28, 2020 | 03:37 PM
  #17038  
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I like long hair if it brushed neatly and NOT COVERING THE BREASTS!!!
Why is it that women feel the need to cover up the finest part of her anatomy from my prying eyes?
Also, hr unibrow is nicely plucked and trimmed and her mustache has been trimmed or waxed.
Old Feb 28, 2020 | 05:43 PM
  #17039  
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Big forehead
Unattractive eyes/eyebrows
Old Feb 29, 2020 | 09:00 AM
  #17040  
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