How do young people view the future?

[WesHollywood]

I am in the top 1% of the richest humans on Earth.

The disenfranchised peons are in Africa, South America, and Asia, not America.

If you are in the 1%, I hate your greed, but actually feel a little sorry for you. I was invited to an upper class, WASP, formal wedding at the Ritz Carlton in Los Angeles. I was never so bored in my life. Everyone was standing around playing 'fashion show.' It was a wedding, and no one wanted to dance! Give me Hava Nagila in Silver Lake anytime! Hebrew folks know how to par-tay!

As to the white American disenfranchised in the United States, I would suggest you do some reading starting with this Wiki on White Trash. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_trash Poor non-Hispanic American whites, and there are 15.3 million of them, do not get the attention of other racial groups. There are 33 million Americans living below the poverty line and almost half are non-Hispanic whites!!! :O http://bradley.chattablogs.com/archives/019627.html Friends there are 33 million real U. S. CITIZENS living below the poverty line, and should be considered our top priority over any foreign involvements.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Life was easier when i was a 'kid'.

We had the Soviet Union and the threat of Nuclear War.

That's pretty much it in the way of concerns.

Today you have the threat of deep recession being kicked into a great depression, we have the Axis of Evil, we have terrorists, we have Bird Flu, we have Over population, Global Warming, 90% of the oceans fished out, Roundup ready crops about ready to march on us like its the day of the Trifids and ZOMBIES! :eek:

Ok, zombies are not much of a threat After all the CDC hasn't warned us about Zombies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_CDC_wa...apocalypse

Oh wait....

We didn't start the fire, it was already burning for my generation, and its certainly a wild fire now. (Yes its a song, good premise though).

Looking at the past 20 years alone a lot has changed, and too little of it has changed for the better.

I attend other sites and there is a near panic in the youth of today. There are kids (mid to late teens) who are posting 'Why the fuck should I keep going?' then listing many of the ills with the world (not just America, the whole world).

My 14 year old nephew has panic attacks - and not over stuff happening at school, over the news he hears on a daily basis. His folks have to block news on the TV and computer to prevent panic attacks. Sheesh.

I feel for kids, they are in a messed up world that is sinking slowly into chaos.

[WesHollywood]

Life was easier when i was a 'kid'.

We had the Soviet Union and the threat of Nuclear War.

That's pretty much it in the way of concerns.

Today you have the threat of deep recession being kicked into a great depression, we have the Axis of Evil, we have terrorists, we have Bird Flu, we have Over population, Global Warming, 90% of the oceans fished out, Roundup ready crops about ready to march on us like its the day of the Trifids and ZOMBIES! :eek:

Ok, zombies are not much of a threat After all the CDC hasn't warned us about Zombies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_CDC_wa...apocalypse

Oh wait....

We didn't start the fire, it was already burning for my generation, and its certainly a wild fire now. (Yes its a song, good premise though).

Looking at the past 20 years alone a lot has changed, and too little of it has changed for the better.

I attend other sites and there is a near panic in the youth of today. There are kids (mid to late teens) who are posting 'Why the fuck should I keep going?' then listing many of the ills with the world (not just America, the whole world).

My 14 year old nephew has panic attacks - and not over stuff happening at school, over the news he hears on a daily basis. His folks have to block news on the TV and computer to prevent panic attacks. Sheesh.

I feel for kids, they are in a messed up world that is sinking slowly into chaos.

I grew up and became an Eagle Scout. My family is VERY politically involved in both parties. Half of the Americans are too lazy to stop and vote on election day. Now the sh*t is hitting the fan politically with unemployment and the mortgage mess.

As much as I am saddened by these conditions, I think lazy Americans are getting the kick in the ass we deserve. A professor once told me that lack of citizen participation in government is what gives you the corrupt incompetent country you deserve.

We can blame politicians all we want, and certainly they all deserve a real kick in the ass these days. But as long as Americans do nothing, nothing will get done. Watch these motivated 99%ers, these middle class Americans are showing they have big balls. They will prevail.

It is the same thing in GLBT politics, a few carry the weight. What people forget is that in GLBT politics or national politics, the question is always the same - what have you done for me today? Those who can not answer specifically tend to find that their needs go unattended. Voting is not enough. When I call U. S. Congressman Henry Waxman, he returns my call because he knows what I do for the Democratic Party, and I am only 22 years old!

Actions speak louder than words. Do you even know who your Congressman is? - fail - If you care, then start here with the GLBT wing of the Democratic Party, join and get involved in your neighborhood. http://www.stonewalldemocrats.org/ Good way to meet hotties!

[cloud999]

If you are in the 1%, I hate your greed, but actually feel a little sorry for you. I was invited to an upper class, WASP, formal wedding at the Ritz Carlton in Los Angeles. I was never so bored in my life. Everyone was standing around playing 'fashion show.' It was a wedding, and no one wanted to dance! Give me Hava Nagila in Silver Lake anytime! Hebrew folks know how to par-tay!

I save lives for a living, make $63k/year working a 48-hour week, and definitely know how to party. I'm one of the individuals who make this country run, and am among the top 1% of the richest individuals in the world. I have stock investments, a beautiful 900-square-foot apartment a short walk from my workplace, and the money to travel to foreign countries a few times a year for fun.

I worked my ass off in school, worked multiple part-time jobs, and took big risks to reach this point. When the shit hit the fan in 2008, I didn't throw up my hands and blame others...I rolled up my sleeves and worked harder.

http://bradley.chattablogs.com/archives/019627.html Friends there are 33 million real U. S. CITIZENS living below the poverty line, and should be considered our top priority over any foreign involvements.

Why?

Why should I care about 33 million Americans living below the poverty line, when they are considered filthy rich by 1.03 billion Africans? Why should I care about unemployed college grads in Occupy Wallstreet when they want to take jobs away from Indians making $5k/year? Why should I care about them, when I have bosses who came here with nothing and worked to create a new life for themselves?

I know people living in Eastern Europe who, with all their education, make $10k/year...and have families. They would kill to have half the opportunity people currently occupying Wallstreet have. With their drive and ambition, they would do very well here in the US.

My family is a member of the 1%, as am I...and we came here with nothing. My grandfather never graduated highschool, and my great-grandfather was illiterate and spoke no English. My family went from illiterate Eastern-European farmers to professors, lawyers, CEOs, principles, scientists, and market traders in three generations.

At our weddings, there is drinking, dancing, and laughter.

[Dreamer]

Maybe, I'm just being pessimistic, or I'm just too self-absorbed, but I honestly don't give a fuck about the future because I'm too focused on right now. Work, school, reaching my aspirations, and enjoying everyday to the fullest is all I care about.

I'm one tiny person in this huge ass world, and what I think won't make any difference with what will happen tomorrow, be it in politics, the economy, and so on.

The 1% will do as they please, as will the governments of this world, regardless of what I think, so therefore, I don't waste time thinking about such topics which are far out of my reach.

[Inchante]

Half truths, exaggerations, inflated egos, and an intense desire to win a meaningless pissing match--you two should run for congress. You'd fit right in.

[cloud999]

Half truths, exaggerations, inflated egos, and an intense desire to win a meaningless pissing match--you two should run for congress. You'd fit right in.

Sayeth he who composes text-walls arguing about the originality of American literature?

Glass houses.

---

To our credit, our "pissing contest" and political activity is shaping the future of this nation, and ipso de facto, the future of the world. I give Wes credit for caring, though our diametrical beliefs on the majority of issues make us rivals. Better to be passionate about these issues than giving up the will to live, as Bowyn describs.

[Geet]

Only thing I know is eventually we will overpopulate the planet and overrun its resources. I do not know well from any other countries perspective but many here lives in poverty and nor do we have the resources to feed every soul but yet the large sums comes to the hands of wrong men.

[cloud999]

Only thing I know is eventually we will overpopulate the planet and overrun its resources. I do not know well from any other countries perspective but many here lives in poverty and nor do we have the resources to feed every soul but yet the large sums comes to the hands of wrong men.

I know India has a serious overpopulation and poverty problem...but you live with it. Care to elaborate on your Indian perspective?

[Aester]

Precisely my point. Every world power in existence today has blood on its hands...and every modern society has abused and oppressed the hell out of out minority populations at one point or another. ZOMG Indians and McDonalds and Bombs, oh my...like these things are somehow new or unique to America.

Getting your panties in a wad over America's actions reveals a lack of historical perspective. Yes, America can't compare to your idealistic fantasy-land, but it compares quite favorably to all other world powers, both past and present.

How does modern America compare to Napoleonic France? Stalinist Russia? Qing China? Mughal India? Victorian Britain? Holy Roman Empire? Mongol Asia? Zulu Africa? The Ottomans? The Incas? Byzantium? Alexander's Greece? Babylon? Han China?

Reality is our check of right and wrong. You can sit there all day telling me 2+2=5, but reality makes you wrong. You can argue that it's "my opinion that 2+2=5" all day, but all it makes you is a moron.

You can argue that the US economy doesn't matter outside of the US, but realizing how the US Financial Crisis of 2008 directly led to a global recession makes you wrong.

Sorry for not replying that fast forgot the post. Yes obviously every nation has blood on they're hands and that isn't new. But focus on that, what its unique to USA is that USA is a Democratic modern country that still believes they supreme nation and they have the right to interfere in other countries. As for Iraq, you have already won the war yet it took very very long time for them to leave the country for some reason.

As for the recession yes the world would suffer if you went bankruptcy, the world would suffer if any country would went broke that is why the EU is loaning so much money to Greece.

I refereed this time (Globalization) line as an empire, an era, not just America alone, and what I meant by that is it is inevitable to see society fall, as like any other empire. By the means how we threat the earth that it will happen within the century. Only a fool would not agree that nothing lasts for ever, and so to with the resources we constantly loot from the planet, as we are so dependent on as if there were no consumers there would be no economy for it.

Obviously that example is logical, but like religion matter (As example) and other is an opinion, they're are no evidence that there is a god, nor evidence against a god. Some believes and some doesn't.