posted
Myra's reply to a recent post that got long on replies struck me as similar to things I have been noticing as well... and Steve has mentioned it in a couple of other threads...
Going to paste here cause I dont know how to do the quote thing: ------- quote ------ Geez -----
...
What I see in the responses feels like a general sock in the gut by a whole lot of seriously grumpy people affected by the bad economy and by the deteriorated human and political climate we are living in right now. For a number of reasons they are unable to call it that, even if they chose to see it.
Fact: For 2 years now we have seen almost nothing but war stuff when we turn on the news, that grinds us down emotionally, and keeps our fear level elevated. Fact: 1.4 million more of us fell into poverty in 2002, and there is no end in sight.
We are becoming a people who, as Steve says, have underlying “rage and hate” in our interactions with each other. I see that as a clear reflection of our unease about our daily emotional national conditions.
I would not think to assign blame or reasons because I want this to be posted and want it to remain posted. This is not meant to be political. I only want to sow a seed or two of thought about WHY we have such short and unkind tempers with each other.
...
Myra A. Grozinger
--- unquote ---
The reason I am posting this is because I have noticed the same mood in several different and totally unrelated places. From my workplace, to a couple of different boards on the web or an online game that I play at times, people are being very short with each other and seeming to go out of their way to criticize or 'disrespect' each other. The whole thing is wearing me out.
Like Myra mentioned, something seems to be wearing on everyone. For me:
the whole 'war' thing does not help, finger pointing above all of it,
senseless layoffs hanging over my head,
what seems a whole generation of kids raised with no respect who have never had their a$$ busted for screwing up or taught that actions have consequences,
dealing with stressfull personal matters where others just do not seem to live in the same reality as I do,
(finger pointing in politics, space shuttle, corporate crap like enron and such, etc)
All are keeping me frustrated and annoyed. Nothing I can do about any of them, but sheesh... I have just lost my patience and want some down-to-earth common sense.
That is why I like art. It is honest. A good looking painting, sign, sculpture, or design does not lie. It is beautiful. That is why I come here. I hit the portfolio page before coming here to see new and great stuff you guys are doing.
Anyway, just answerig Myra's question about what it is that is bothering me.. I can definitely feel a diference in me... something boiling that should not be.
Be well all... thanks for your time.
-------------------- --If you don't care where you are, you ain't lost.
Tony Potter Blind Mice and Company 3001 Bever Ave. SE Cedar Rapids, IA 52403 (319) 573-9001 www.blindmiceandcompany.com tonypotter@yahoo.com Posts: 209 | From: Cedar Rapids, IA | Registered: Nov 1999
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quote: I can definitely feel a diference in me... something boiling that should not be.
You too, huh? I know that I need to "lighten up" but everything seems to annoy me or have me on edge these days.
I've definitely noticed it at work and out in the world in general. There seems to be a palpable tension in the air.
I look at the "younger" generation (today's young adults and teens)and they all seem so ****ed off. What on earth do they have to be ****ed off about?
-------------------- Kimberly Zanetti Purcell www.amethystProductivity.com Folsom, CA email: Kimberly@AmethystProductivity.com
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” AA Milne Posts: 3722 | From: Folsom, CA | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
The only time the freeway is free... is between 2:00 am and 4:30 am. After that it's madness, all day long here around Sacramento. It's screwin' wid me spirit, MON...!
CrazyJack
P.S. Lookin' at mooven to Santa Fe.
-------------------- Jack Wills Studio Design Works 1465 E.Hidalgo Circle Nye Beach / Newport, OR Posts: 2914 | From: Rocklin, CA. USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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I'll get a taste of that soon enough eh Jack? Things are pretty easy going here....I wish you would drive up some weekend Tony! Let's all smile and have a good time!
-------------------- Mike Meyer Sign Painter 189 1st Ave n P.O. Box 3 Mazeppa, Mn 55956
We are not selling, we are staying here in Mazeppa....we cannot re-create what we have here....not in another lifetime! SO Here we are!!!!!!!
posted
I know EXACTLY what you mean here!!! It seems business is more cut-throat, driving ANYWHERE is downright chore because of the aggresiveness and trying to stay up-beat is an abominable task.
Being 31, I'm stuck between two generations, or so that's how it feels. There's first, the older generations who, for the majority if the rest of the world is similar to Winston-Salem, grew up used to the idea that "you get a job, you work there til you retire, all the while making a decent to good salary". Now these people are seeing the companies who offered those jobs when they were young becoming a thing of the past. Right now, the only places locally to work and be guaranteed insurance, money, and a few benefits are the hospital and the state. But this generation is understandably SCARED!!!
My generation, I feel, is in the middle. I knew somehow when I was 18, that a factory job wasn't gonna be what my father believed it was. In 1990, things were so wishy-washy with the tobacco industry, that I didn't want to begin in a rut. Now at 30 years old, I know that my father was RIGHT to point me in that direction, but I'm glad I stuck with what I have. SOmetimes I feel like I wasted the first five years of my "working years", but I had to learn, and learn I did. However, I used to feel as thought I was spinning my wheels and working my tail off just to make ends meet, esp. when I compared what I have now compared to what Dad or others his age had at my age. It didn't take but a few hours of research into available jobs in this area to realize that I actually "EARN" more than is available at another job, 8-5 5 days a week. Sure, my job is 10-14 hours a day, 6-8 days a week, but I've also got more CONTROL...but anyway....
This forthcoming generation COMPLETELY baffles the fool out of me. They treat no one else, including their elders, with respect. Even if my elder was wrong, I watched my tongue. Most have no concept of what "consequences" are. Most are getting a reality check, I imagine. The ones I speak to had parents who were on the tail end of the days when R.J. Reynolds was BOOMING and paying the great salaries. Now, those days are OVER!!! and so is the "ask Momma, then Daddy and you shall recieve".
Maybe I've rambled for too long here, but it's something that's been on my mind, and I guess I saw an opportunity to let go of it all...
Anyways, as desperate and hard as times seem, we can adapt. With fewer and fewer factory jobs, maybe these will turn into some new small businesses. I hope so...
quote:This forthcoming generation COMPLETELY baffles the fool out of me. They treat no one else, including their elders, with respect. Even if my elder was wrong, I watched my tongue.
That's exactly what I was talking about! It astonishes me the way I see kids act. I've had kids 7 or 8 years old sass me at work and I wanted to knock it right out of their mouth.
Several of my co-workers are quite a bit younger then I am. One night, one girl in particular got a real attitude going with me (it had actually been happening a lot) and I finally let loose on her. I flat out told her - Don't you DARE talk to me like that! I'm old enough to be your mother!!!
After that, we had no trouble working together. She was helpful, polite and almost-respectful.
-------------------- Kimberly Zanetti Purcell www.amethystProductivity.com Folsom, CA email: Kimberly@AmethystProductivity.com
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” AA Milne Posts: 3722 | From: Folsom, CA | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
Just cruisin' since I had to be on the net answering some Swiss emails anyway. Lotta crapola on the board. My personal short fuse was actually connected to our own medical problems, not anything here. I have a sense of anxiety among our customers and associates too. Having taken the time to ask a number of them, this is my take. AND THE FIRST IDIOT THAT TRIES POSTING ANY POLITICAL CRAP BASED ON THIS ONE IS DEFINITELY GOING ON MY $**T LIST! (no smiley!)
There seems to be a great fear of economic disaster on the horizon. GW is telling anyone who will listen that the American public (we) intend seeing all of his monetary promises to foreign nations kept... all withOUT asking US, of course. Now, forget the damned politics. Fear of an economic disaster/recession due to overseas promises is a real possibility. All of the foregoing is going to affect our incomes and job orders, or lack thereof. Its financial nervousness, folks. I feel it, and I'm the most secure SOB you'll ever meet. Finances are the usual base root of divorces, businesses going under and ulcers. This unmentioned fear for your security and that of your families will keep you on edge even at home, let alone from the anonymity of a keyboard on the net. Gotta split. I'll be back at some point in time. No change in Rosemary.
k31
-------------------- Pierre St.Marie Stmariegraphics Kalispell,Mt www.stmariegraphics.com ------------------ Plan on knowing everything before I die and time's running out! Posts: 4223 | From: Kalispell,Mt 59903 | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
I normally don't comment on these topics, but, lately, I can relate. To lighten things up a little, you just gotta love your mother. My mother sent me this today.
The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. "I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. "Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room ... just wait." "That doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged...it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. "It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away ... just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account ... you withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing. Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred. 2. Free your mind from worries. 3. Live simply. 4. Give more. 5. Expect less.
Smiling a little more,
Checkers
-------------------- a.k.a. Brian Born www.CheckersCustom.com Harrisburg, Pa Work Smart, Play Hard Posts: 3775 | From: Harrisburg, Pa. U.S.A. | Registered: Nov 1998
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quote:Originally posted by Dwayne Hunter: trying to stay up-beat is an abominable task.
I'm sorry to break up this pitty party, but what a bunch of cr*p. We Americans have such a short memory for hard times, we dream of the better days of yesteryear when we are right smack in one of the greatest times in history.
A little recession and your spirit is crushed? Somebody cuts you off in traffic and the world is coming to an end?
I wasn't depressed until I started reading this thread and I've been unemployed for 8 MONTHS. That quote above is what really got under my skin, no offense, but I am at a loss to describe how I feel at this statement. "An abominable task" to describe "trying to stay up-beat" is...I can't think of a good enough word to describe the inherent contradictions.
The Depression, now that was a hard time and it lasted 10 YEARS, talk about despair. 70's Stagflation, there was a cr*pper, but we pulled through.
Yes kids these days pi** us off, but what generation didn't pi** off their parents and other elders? Yes education seems to be in the toilet, but I've got to admit that in watching a lot of documentaries of the early part of this century, up to even the "Golden" 50's, most folks seemed less educated about a lot of things than they do now.
Sure all this "war" and terrorism focus of the media is annoying, but good and great things are happening too, they're just not as exciting to the media. SCREW THEM!!!
Let me tell you how I stay positive and it's no abominable task for me:
I FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE. I BELIEVE THE FUTURE WILL BE BETTER THAN THE PAST FOR ME AND FOR THE WORLD. As a student of history, it is very easy to see how small these little blips are in the LONG VIEW, even if they are hard to distance yourself from them when you're in the middle of them.
Look, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE. There, that makes it easy because there's only one choice now: live the best life you can RIGHT NOW. Be the best person you can be RIGHT NOW.
People who lose themselves in their problems will always have problems, you've met them, they've always got a shiny new problem to tell you about.
But people who surround themselves with their dreams and hopes will always be happy in good times and bad. Now turn off the news, turn down the lights and put on some happy music. Have some champaigne and think about the GOOD THINGS, friends, loved ones, goals, or whatever.
SNAP OUT OF IT, IT'S UNAMERICAN!!!!!!!
-------------------- Kenneth Sandlin Author of "Wide Format Printing: An Introduction and Buyer's Guide" PO Box 1295 St. Augustine, FL 32085 kennethsandlin@msn.com http://wfprinting.tripod.com Posts: 116 | From: Jacksonville, FL | Registered: May 2002
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posted
Everyday you wake on the green side of the turf is better than the day you won't.
Everything else is just part of life...enjoy it... fear it...get thru it...look back when you can no longer look forward and make someone happy every chance you get.
-------------------- "Werks fer me...it'll werk fer you"
posted
iam gona make peirre mad....but iam 58 and i have never seen such a division in the political front as we have now with democrats/republican......its almost to the point of your either a CONFEDERATE or a YANKEE....i wasnt there in the 1800's but ill bet it started out out the same.....
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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I may copy Checker's post and tack it up on the wall. We need to be more positive as individuals, but also....the news medial needs to focus more on the positive instead of harping on the negative. I have pretty much quit watching the news along with many people I know.
I feel we are heading for the perfect storm with several elements brewing and heading together for a big clash. (or maybe we are there) We cannot decipline children, therefore they have no respect. Political problems have already been stated in above post. Money problems, the moraless crap on TV.(no wonder kids are so hateful to each other) The food we eat is mood altering in my opinion. Look at all the preservatives in food and growth hormone stuff in meat we are eating. The junk food that really makes me irritable a couple hours after eating.
People made it through rough times before, but we didn't have the junk food that we live on now, or the lack of ethics in the news media (and polictics and big business) or lack of decipline with the children (morals and values). Many people no longer sit and read their children books,(less bonding time available) we just sit them in front of the VCR with a movie/video to entertain them. I am guilty of not getting enough exercise as well as others, and I think this is a problem too with our health, which adds to irritablity. The world is moving too fast and it needs to slow down.
There are many more points, and some have been mentioned in other post. But my opinion is, (and it's only my opinion) a perfect storm is forming because of so many negative elements going on at the same time.
-------------------- Pam Eddy Niles, MI ple@qtm.net Posts: 460 | From: Michigan | Registered: Dec 2000
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posted
Drink more water, turn the computer off, and go to bed earlier. The body makes the mind irritable and short fused when it lacks sleep, when it's OD'ed on caffene, and when it lacks fresh air. And while the computer's off, or spend more TIME with your own kids, instilling some of these so-called 'old fashioned' manners and the art of conversation. ... in the meantime, I'm sleepy and thirsty, and have sore eyes!
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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Hey Joe, it can always come down to politics can't it I agree with you on the observation that the dichotomy in our political system is a serious issue. check out this website: http://hayekpage.tripod.com My work in progress contribution.
Pam, I'll have to disagree with you on your observation of the seeming lack of ethics in big business and the government today being worse than in the past. If you look at politics and big business from the late 1800's and early 1900's, it would make the folks today look like chior boys. Don't let a very few high-profile examples obsessed over by the media make you think everyone is like that.
There isn't a perfect storm in the regard you infer, but possibly in the way Joe does. Historically, there are up and down cycles in every socio-economic area and overall we are far better off than the surfs of the Middle Ages!
-------------------- Kenneth Sandlin Author of "Wide Format Printing: An Introduction and Buyer's Guide" PO Box 1295 St. Augustine, FL 32085 kennethsandlin@msn.com http://wfprinting.tripod.com Posts: 116 | From: Jacksonville, FL | Registered: May 2002
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posted
Haha. To be in "the same vein", Checkers reply really comes off different than Dwaynes.
I guess that illustrates pretty well the way a similar thought can be preceived wrong depending on how it is presented.
Haha and "Geee" I didn't mean to ever be thought of as 'Unamerican' ... what could I have been thinking.
-------------------- --If you don't care where you are, you ain't lost.
Tony Potter Blind Mice and Company 3001 Bever Ave. SE Cedar Rapids, IA 52403 (319) 573-9001 www.blindmiceandcompany.com tonypotter@yahoo.com Posts: 209 | From: Cedar Rapids, IA | Registered: Nov 1999
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posted
lol.....since my reputation has always been as that foul tempered guy (hey, i'm a sweetheart, i just choose not to smile like the village idiot all day), it's funny to see everyone as short as i usually am. last week was the worst of my adult life as i decided that 1) i had to sell out my shop to keep it open and 2) that my wife had decided it's time to leave, period. already politically astute and edgy about economy/war drums, this did nothing for my customer skills at this time. thank god i live in the south, where being nice is the general rule. rude customers would not appreciate my snappy retorts....anyway...your right...we're all tired of this...can't we all just get along?...
good day
-------------------- "I may be going to hell in a bucket, but at least I'm enjoying the ride"
John Zant Sign of the Times Lafayette, Louisiana signmojo@cox-internet.com 337-233-9824 Posts: 57 | From: Lafayette, Louisiana, USA | Registered: Jul 2000
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