I think America is cut off.

[DJCowboy]

Don't forget that most criticisms here are said every generation. When the Beatles came out, the adults of that time didn't get it and thought it would lead to the destruction of the country. In the 80s the kids who loved the Beatles then didn't understand that kind of rock or hip-hop as that came in to the forefront. Same with the film industry as they were able to get away with more violence and nudity and special effects were really starting to be introduced.

It seems to me that you're not looking hard enough to find original music and films (have you seen Inception yet? It is currently leading the box office and it isn't your typical summer movie at all). Not sure what kind of music you like but there are a shit ton of bands not really well known by the media that are great (MGMT, The Dead Weather, Wilco, Beck, etc.)

I think with things like youtube it's actually making it easier for people who do have more original ideas to possibly get noticed by companies to do some things for them (music, movies, video games, and so forth)

Also, about the whole thing admiring the rich, most of us like to see the rich fall actually but in reality, it's only because we want to be wealthy and we always say "I'd never act like that, I'd give most of it away to charity" I'm throwing the Bullshit flag on that one. As much as I'd like to say I would do that, be logical with yourselves. I know I'd want some pretty nice things and most of the time, when people give to charity, it's usually for recognition. When you leave a tip in the tip jar, don't you feel better about it when an employee notices it and says "thanks"?

:2 cents:

Also, the reason why Americans may not realize or comprehend the idea of about 7 billion people (which is a pretty unfair criticism) on this planet is because a lot of us don't really have time for travel or just can't afford it. You think it's any different in any other country with their people?

 

[Facetious]

Re:

I think America is cut off.

My nuts are still very much intact . . . I know, they often remind me! :nanner:

Reading on . . . .

We are content to come home every day at four or five and retreat behind our garage doors and sip our troubles away

but are we? ....

.never bothering to meet the people who live right next door....you know why?

Yea, for we fear of: A) being accused of sexual harassment B) making a pass at said neighbor's 13 y/o daughter C) being critical of our government D) being a druggee, drunk, tax evader, dead beat dad and various & sundry other unsavory types of people.
What do you expect? with a 24 - 7 - 3651/4 news cycle that constantly reports negativity day in and day out, how could we possibly see anything positive in our fellow mankind?
In addition to that, just look at your yellow pages phone book under the heading of "Attorney at Law'' . . . now go look under the heading of Doctors or Physicians . . . yeeeaahh, everybody is all lawyered up and that only further divides the masses . . . go out on the wrong date with the wrong psycho beeatch and b'fore you know it, the cops are at your door ready to arrest you for something that you are not guilty of . . . you cover the costs of your legal defense. (More )

How about some late 60's tunes, Galactic? :sing:

 

[Hot Mega]

Re:

My nuts are still very much intact . . . I know, they often remind me! :nanner:

Reading on . . . .




but are we? .... Yea, for we fear of: A) being accused of sexual harassment B) making a pass at said neighbor's 13 y/o daughter C) being critical of our government D) being a druggee, drunk, tax evader, dead beat dad and various & sundry other unsavory types of people.
What do you expect? with a 24 - 7 - 3651/4 news cycle that constantly reports negativity day in and day out, how could we possibly see anything positive in our fellow mankind?
In addition to that, just look at your yellow pages phone book under the heading of "Attorney at Law'' . . . now go look under the heading of Doctors or Physicians . . . yeeeaahh, everybody is all lawyered up and that only further divides the masses . . . go out on the wrong date with the wrong psycho beeatch and b'fore you know it, the cops are at your door ready to arrest you for something that you are not guilty of . . . you cover the costs of your legal defense. Now you can't afford your medical insurance . . if you could even find a doctor in the first place! (More :facepalm)

Damn Face....you're threatening to get another rep from me!:eek: (for Louis alone I could rep this...)

 

[PlumpRump]

...We bitch about not having a job, saying we will take anything - but when that "anything" pays less than 15 bucks an hour, we collect unemployment...

While there are several ideas that I both agree and disagree with in this thread, I couldn't agree more with this statement. Its as if the statement has been shortened from its original version of "I'll take any job, as long as I make $60k a year, and nobody bosses me around or criticizes me too much. And if I can;t have that, I'll just collect unemployment." Its an absolute joke. We, as a country, have lost our motivational drive and sense of self determination that existed in droves no more than 60 years ago. From generation to generation we have become more entitled and selfish, and far less motivated and proud of hard work and personal achievement. There are several things, I think, one could point at for the answers to these questions, but rather than trying to figure out why it is this way we really should be trying to change it. I hate to sound cynical, but taking to task this laziness and ultra "me" society we've created is such an overwhelming and sweeping concept, I don't think it will ever happen, without a really concerted and prolonged effort.

Although, tucked away in the negativity, is the fact that those of us who are motivated and determined to succeed by our own merits and personal desire and drive to do so seem to stand out in a crowd these days. The attitude of the minority may not be able to accomplish an overhaul of Americans perceptions of themselves and influence a turn around for the better, but at least there can be a personal peace that you, as an individual, still maintain the dignity and attitude towards personal responsibility that Americans from only 2 or 3 generations ago harbored. The only hope I can see for the future is that the number of this type of individual grows and teaches these vaules to their children, as was taught to them. And over time, we can again be great... Even greater than before.

I truly love America, and for all of its faults, I wouldn't trade this country (on a permanent basis, at least) for any other place in the world. I can still hear the words of my grandpa: "Anything worth having is worth working very hard for, both to obtain as well as maintain." And along with that hard work and personal responsibility comes a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment knowing that no one can take that away from you, and that these types of reults cannot be carbon-copied, or faked by any "pretenders," as the sense of accomplishment and pride will never be as real in them as it is in you. And, I believe, not the only, but rather the best, place on the planet to be able to make this a reality, is the USA.

 

[STDiva]

If you can't find any good music, you're not looking hard enough.

 

[L3ggy]

If you can't find any good music, you're not looking hard enough.

Quoted For Truth.

 

[dogbone27]

If you can't find any good music, you're not looking hard enough.

AMEN:bowdown:

 

[Kingfisher]

So let me guess, you have some kind of issue with Megan Fox and the Transformer movies?

 

[316sherm]

How bout this...the World is fucking cut off! USA rules and everyone knows it.

 

[titsrock]

The U.S. and it's people's greed, selfishness, and hubris is starting our downfall. The people that care don't have the power to do anything and have been the victims of people that make the rules to make that so, and the people that have the power are corrupt and look out for themselves at the expense of everybody else. Too many people are willing to sacrifice their culture, country, and communities to get just a little bit more and they have no problems exploiting others and using the world's misery if it gets them ahead. We base our whole system on greed and selfishness to be able to work and shouldn't be surprised ultimately when it fails in the long run. We used to believe in freedom, but really when it's evoked by a lot of people it's just used as a thinly veiled excuse for selfishness anymore. Our country used to believe in human rights until it became inconvenient tactically disadvantageous to do so.

We used to care about being the best and doing the best we can do and now we do the least and cheapest amount we can get away with. Our societies and especially our businesses have embraced the concept of "racing to the bottom" and have orchestrated it so that anybody that doesn't follow that pattern has the system so against them to the point it's impossible to succeed. Our system encourages people to be as unethical, cold-hearted, and ruthless and they can get away with. Too many people choose themselves, or maybe their group, over everybody else even when it will ruin everybody and everything around them and eventually ruin them too, yet they don't mind short term gains to the downfall of everything including themselves. They will blissfully enjoy their new toys as they ruin their future.

An honest days work doesn’t get an honest days pay anymore, and that's just for people that can actually find a job.

I wasn't sure where to make my cut in D-Rock's brilliant assessment of America. I agree with it completely.

We've morphed into a country of citizens who bend over and take it in the ass everyday from various Corporations.

I only need to point to one example. The Cellphone contract. We're the only country dumb enough to let corporations introduce a slave/serf contract into the "contemporary" economy.

 

[vodkazvictim]

Look on the bright side; between the us and china the world will choose the us every single time.

 

[D-rock]

Look on the bright side; between the us and china the world will choose the us every single time.

Not when China has a lot more money, more resources, and and just as much if not more influence. Never underestimate what anybody is willing to sacrifice or how much they are willing to cave in to somebody else to get a little more wealth. All that doesn't even take into account the fact that in the near future they might even be equal to us militarily. Brute force and intimidation can go a long ways also.

 

[ralph furley]

Creativity here has died. Hollywood is just redoing crap...."it" was crap before, and is again, just with flashier effects and lower cut skirts.

Music is stale, and fading fast. The sixties had a definitive sound, the seventies had a definitive sound, the eighties had a definitive sound......the nineties it began to become jumbled....there were some cool bands.....and then that was it......it was like........

........as an American culture, one bred from fear and xenophobia, and superiority, we retreated....then, 9/11........and since then......well, I don't know how else how to put this......this country fucking sucks.

There are no jobs. Everyone I meet is scared, but they either don't know it, or won't fucking admit it. There is nothing to do. There is no one to meet. We have lost the "exceptionalism" that we clung to.....and you know what? It existed.....and it is gone.

We are isolated from the rest of the world. We are content to come home every day at four or five and retreat behind our garage doors and sip our troubles away.....never bothering to meet the people who live right next door....you know why? Because we realize that they are as boring as we are.....why meet yourself when you can just look at yourself in the mirror after five gin and tonics?

America as the world knows it is dying.....no one has the courage to admit it. America is dying.

America is dying.

America is dying.

Will it be destroyed? No. But I tell you this my friends. I want out. I want to hear music that I haven't heard for the last fifteen years on the radio......I want to meet people that have different accents than the obnoxious east coast or Oh My God west coast accents.....I want to meet worldly people....I want to meet the world......because here, in the sheltered confines of this bullshit.......I'm not meeting anything other than frustration and lies.......

One thing though.......we have baseball......I fucking love baseball.....other than that, you can fucking have it. :thefinger

baseball sucks

 

[CunningStunts]

If you can't find any good music, you're not looking hard enough.

Another +1.

In general, the stuff that is "popular" is shit, because the average IQ is 100 and the sheeple like shitty, simple, formulaic things.

I somewhat agree though with the OP, Hollywood is pretty sucky right now, but if you like movies, dig a little deeper and try out some Indy stuff on Netflix or the like... there are some decent films out there that are pretty smart... they just rarely get picked up by the big distributors because again, smart movies don't sell as a rule because the public doesn't want to think, they want mind-numbing entertainment.

 

[mrtrebus]

 

[vodkazvictim]

Not when China has a lot more money, more resources, and and just as much if not more influence. Never underestimate what anybody is willing to sacrifice or how much they are willing to cave in to somebody else to get a little more wealth. All that doesn't even take into account the fact that in the near future they might even be equal to us militarily. Brute force and intimidation can go a long ways also.

The problem is that people don't want to see China get any bigger, they already think it's big enough. People know that China will be even worse than america.... It already is after all.
Not even the chinese buy their own childrens toys after all.
In the near future they may be equal to you militarily equipment wise, but unless they actually engage in a war they won't have the experience and i's the experience that makes the soldier.
There's no guarantee that they'll equal the us militarily either; since they've been busy copying and selling Russian air supremacy fighter (namely Su27, which is equivelant to F15 eagle but slightly better) while claiming that it's an indiginous chinese design and not paying any royalties at all to Russia, the chances of Russia giving them any more tech which they haven't already excelled are small. The chinese never develop their own things.
Their latest tank is descended (quel surpris) from a Soviet design and although it supposedly features ERA, the blocks are so large that a hit in one area will remove a larger chunk of ERA than on another tank (EG T90).
Also the fact that the chinese very often regard non-chinese as simply being non-human makes them much more unpopular than americans - the world knows america suffers racial tensions, but also knows china would be worse.

 

[gotham123]

yeah it's dying
not to say that NOTHING came out of the last decade
but the pickings were pretty slim

 

[BlueBalls]

As long as Tom Waits is still alive, y'all will be all right.

 

[JayJohn85]

The problem is that people don't want to see China get any bigger, they already think it's big enough. People know that China will be even worse than america.... It already is after all.
Not even the chinese buy their own childrens toys after all.
In the near future they may be equal to you militarily equipment wise, but unless they actually engage in a war they won't have the experience and i's the experience that makes the soldier.
There's no guarantee that they'll equal the us militarily either; since they've been busy copying and selling Russian air supremacy fighter (namely Su27, which is equivelant to F15 eagle but slightly better) while claiming that it's an indiginous chinese design and not paying any royalties at all to Russia, the chances of Russia giving them any more tech which they haven't already excelled are small. The chinese never develop their own things.
Their latest tank is descended (quel surpris) from a Soviet design and although it supposedly features ERA, the blocks are so large that a hit in one area will remove a larger chunk of ERA than on another tank (EG T90).
Also the fact that the chinese very often regard non-chinese as simply being non-human makes them much more unpopular than americans - the world knows america suffers racial tensions, but also knows china would be worse.

Man I have said alot of bullshit....But it will never happen, The US economy and China's thanks to the forces of globalization are getting so deeply intertwined that they will fucking need each other in latter years.

Of course I am assuming we will solve the energy crisis and deal with the fallout and damage control on global warming. The energy one is a given, Technology is being pursued by everyone to sort it out in the immediate short term with current technology and then on the long term with shit on the planning. The oil dung is just going and will do right up till the end because the entire global economy is based on it.

Yep short of some unforeseen disaster or enough hatters in a position of power with imperialistic desires or idealogical reasons(whatever the fuck they could be) there wont be no show down between the US and China/Russia.

PS> Now I agree on Hollywood and creative shit but thats only cause they got models of tried and tested shit(studios fault) which cashes in and milks it like fuck......Creative ideas and creative Americans surely exist they just aren't probably being allowed to break through. As for science and everything else, You still do allow quite alot of immigration. I bet if I had a big fat physics degree (masters) and was in research I'd get myself a green card tomorrow.(milking the life blood of Europe, a really old story)

PSS> this thread is just melodramatic.

 

[LaLiLuLeLohan]

Will it be destroyed? No. But I tell you this my friends. I want out.

Bye.