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Wow, the state of Texas just opened 100% and dropped their mask mandate. Im shocked.
Wow, the state of Texas just opened 100% and dropped their mask mandate. Im shocked.
Texas is 2nd in the country in cases and deaths....
"You can't fix stupid" - Ron White.
FMP
Pamplemousse
03-03-21, 00:18
Texas is 2nd in the country in cases and deaths....
"You can't fix stupid" - Ron White.
FMP
Bidding for first place, is it?
I have family in law in Texas. They are very republican and don't believe in vaccines or covid. I was in a facebook group centered in Austin and people were looking for places to dine-in and I was arguing against dining in and one person said, "well, most people I know have already had covid," like it was no big deal, another person said something along the lines of "a couple family members died from it, but you shouldn't tell people what to do."
Yup. My relatives in Texas say the same thing :/
Mississippi has now lifted theirs as well.
😲
MyNameIsTerry
03-03-21, 05:31
Any reasons why? Is it some backlash against the Dems getting in so just daft politics like we've seen across Europe over vaccine squabbles?
ankietyjoe
03-03-21, 11:58
Apparently some people in Texas are trying to burn snow to prove that it's a Bill Gates conspiracy and not real snow.
I can't.....it's.......just........
https://www.euronews.com/living/2021/02/24/conspiracy-theorists-are-setting-snow-on-fire-to-prove-it-s-not-real
I have to admit, I almost pi**ed myself with the part about the woman who thinks that forest fires are being created by lasers in space that are controlled by Jewish people. It’s funny how quite a lot of these conspiracy theories are merely a mask for deep rooted bigotry isn’t it?
Honestly, what a waste. If these people weren’t so busy inbreeding and throwing bricks at the moon they could be great novelists or film directors.
MyNameIsTerry
03-03-21, 12:54
I have to admit, I almost pi**ed myself with the part about the woman who thinks that forest fires are being created by lasers in space that are controlled by Jewish people. It’s funny how quite a lot of these conspiracy theories are merely a mask for deep rooted bigotry isn’t it?
Honestly, what a waste. If these people weren’t so busy inbreeding and throwing bricks at the moon they could be great novelists or film directors.
The woman who said that about lasers is an American politician as well. So definitely about anti Semitism and less likely anything to do with CT I would say. Typical blame the Jews stuff of the hard left or right.
It's hard to understand how people can either be so stupid or vile can get elected but then I look around and think the US isn't alone with bigoted politicians. She may just be playing to her audience though and so many politicians just say what they think keeps them there. Even so how could you look yourself in the mirror doing that? :shrug:
The woman who said that about lasers is an American politician as well. So definitely about anti Semitism and less likely anything to do with CT I would say. Typical blame the Jews stuff of the hard left or right.
It's hard to understand how people can either be so stupid or vile can get elected but then I look around and think the US isn't alone with bigoted politicians. She may just be playing to her audience though and so many politicians just say what they think keeps them there. Even so how could you look yourself in the mirror doing that? :shrug:
Shall we blame Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer then?
MyNameIsTerry
03-03-21, 12:59
Apparently some people in Texas are trying to burn snow to prove that it's a Bill Gates conspiracy and not real snow.
I can't.....it's.......just........
https://www.euronews.com/living/2021/02/24/conspiracy-theorists-are-setting-snow-on-fire-to-prove-it-s-not-real
It might also fry their few remaining brain cells if they learnt you could make fire from ice. :huh:
I wonder if anyone was trying that with yellow snow :whistles:
Not to make it a political discussion but that's really what it is. While the US has always been insane, much was kept under wraps and people, despite their beliefs, remained somewhat PC about things. That all changed in 2016. I'm 62. I've seen some shite in my years, but nothing compares to the divide, vitriol and pure insanity I'm seeing today.
FMP
MyNameIsTerry
03-03-21, 13:21
Shall we blame Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer then?
If Starmer has to account for American politicians too we might just be being a tad unfair :biggrin:
We've probably got the wrong Corbyn brother. The other one would fit right in burning that snow.
I've always had my suspicions about snow tbh. I mean, it looks like an artificial, synthetic material. And now we know it is. Bill Gates again :lac:
ankietyjoe
03-03-21, 13:51
Not to make it a political discussion but that's really what it is. While the US has always been insane, much was kept under wraps and people, despite their beliefs, remained somewhat PC about things. That all changed in 2016. I'm 62. I've seen some shite in my years, but nothing compares to the divide, vitriol and pure insanity I'm seeing today.
FMP
America is weird. I spent about 6 weeks there as a teenager and remember thinking that it was such an odd contrast. My job requires me to be on social media, and a lot of my contacts are from the US, and Universally really, really cool people. I know a 'jock knuckehead' DJ and beer fanatic, against Trump. I know a proper blue collar plumber (who also happens to be a killer musician), also against Trump, I know a....you get my point.
However, during my time there I met some of the truly, truly dumbest people I have ever met in my entire life. Next level stupidity, and a lot of them. One woman argued that Sherlock Holmes was real because she'd been to his house during a UK trip. I tried to argue that Micky Mouse was also real by that logic because I'd been to Disneyland. She did not get it. I could go on, but no.
I'm not sure how it works, but there is such a massive inbuilt culture of division over there. I find it odd.
Pamplemousse
03-03-21, 14:59
Not to make it a political discussion but that's really what it is. While the US has always been insane, much was kept under wraps and people, despite their beliefs, remained somewhat PC about things. That all changed in 2016. I'm 62. I've seen some shite in my years, but nothing compares to the divide, vitriol and pure insanity I'm seeing today.
FMP
What happened in 2016 to act as a catalyst for all thi... oh.
To be fair, Western society as a whole and especially the Anglophone sphere has been on a "retreat from reason" for many years now: 'feelings' and emotions now trump facts.
At the moment I'm trying to avoid fuelling my anxiety with Gurgle, but I have bought a lovely vintage kettle for home. The seller however says "don't use it because the element is aluminium and that's bad for you."
Trying to separate out fact from fiction is difficult. Read this, see what you think. https://www.quora.com/Is-aluminum-cookware-bad-for-you-1
Pamplemousse
03-03-21, 15:03
I've always had my suspicions about snow tbh. I mean, it looks like an artificial, synthetic material. And now we know it is. Bill Gates again :lac:
Mate of mine is very fond of pointing out that none of the stars of "The Wizard Of Oz" died from asbestos exposure, where it was used to simulate snow. Nobody knows about the crew though.
If Starmer has to account for American politicians too we might just be being a tad unfair :biggrin:
We've probably got the wrong Corbyn brother. The other one would fit right in burning that snow.
I said that mostly in jest, especially as Labour as a whole are still getting it in the neck over the alleged anti-Semitism scandal.
If it was Bozzer and Co involved in anti-Semitism most people would probably just laugh about it and shrug it off, but woe betide Labour, though I'm not condoning anti-Semitism in any way.
Same as whenever there's recessions, international conflicts or colossal tax or crime increases whenever Labour are in power, people seem to get far more indignant about it but seem to accept such things more under the Tories!
Perhaps it's because those in the right are generally more vocal and angry about certain political issues than those on the left these days, whereas in the past, especially before the 90s, it was mostly those on the left that seemed to do most of the shouting and anarchy, but seem a lot more blasé and apathetic nowadays.
Surely today's budget will no doubt be a 'damned if do, damned if don't' no-win situation.
America is weird. I spent about 6 weeks there as a teenager and remember thinking that it was such an odd contrast. My job requires me to be on social media, and a lot of my contacts are from the US, and Universally really, really cool people. I know a 'jock knuckehead' DJ and beer fanatic, against Trump. I know a proper blue collar plumber (who also happens to be a killer musician), also against Trump, I know a....you get my point.
However, during my time there I met some of the truly, truly dumbest people I have ever met in my entire life. Next level stupidity, and a lot of them. One woman argued that Sherlock Holmes was real because she'd been to his house during a UK trip. I tried to argue that Micky Mouse was also real by that logic because I'd been to Disneyland. She did not get it. I could go on, but no.
I'm not sure how it works, but there is such a massive inbuilt culture of division over there. I find it odd.I remember being at Whitby Abbey and having looked around I found myself in the gift shop. An American lady was asking the tour guide whereabouts Dracula was buried. I didn't say anything but the tour guide's face was a picture.
ankietyjoe
03-03-21, 19:15
I remember being at Whitby Abbey and having looked around I found myself in the gift shop. An American lady was asking the tour guide whereabouts Dracula was buried. I didn't say anything but the tour guide's face was a picture.
When I tell people some of the things I was asked/told when I was in America they always think I made it up or misunderstood. I did neither, it was regular. Really, weird.
Even weirder, it wasn't shades of grey. My experience of Americans is either absolutely clued up and forward thinking or next level moron. There's very little in the middle. I'm not trying to be inflammatory here, it's in the spirit of this thread and the link I posted. These are my genuine experiences over a period of decades.
When I tell people some of the things I was asked/told when I was in America they always think I made it up or misunderstood. I did neither, it was regular. Really, weird.
Even weirder, it wasn't shades of grey. My experience of Americans is either absolutely clued up and forward thinking or next level moron. There's very little in the middle. I'm not trying to be inflammatory here, it's in the spirit of this thread and the link I posted. These are my genuine experiences over a period of decades.
Imagine how it is going to Pennsylvania and people asking about where Dracula is buried there?
I'm going to have to agree with FMP here... Trump getting elected made crazy mainstream. There are parts of the US where it is very isolated. Only one type of people, of one type of religion, of one ethnicity, live there and they aren't exposed to other views, beliefs or other types of people. But now with the subscription TV and the internet and social media, you can also be "isolated" within an urban area. If all you read and watch are of a certain political view, then you're never exposed to the world.
You're exactly right Vee. The American members on this site are all intelligent, educated people and my example wasn't meant to cast a bad light on you guys. The UK has its share who fall through the net when it comes to learning. My own family in fact who never seem to care what's going on in the world, rather its all soaps and gossip. To quote the Messiah himself (or so he thought) Tony Blair, 'education, education, education'.
ankietyjoe
03-03-21, 22:40
Imagine how it is going to Pennsylvania and people asking about where Dracula is buried there?
I'm going to have to agree with FMP here... Trump getting elected made crazy mainstream. There are parts of the US where it is very isolated. Only one type of people, of one type of religion, of one ethnicity, live there and they aren't exposed to other views, beliefs or other types of people. But now with the subscription TV and the internet and social media, you can also be "isolated" within an urban area. If all you read and watch are of a certain political view, then you're never exposed to the world.
You're exactly right Vee. The American members on this site are all intelligent, educated people and my example wasn't meant to cast a bad light on you guys. The UK has its share who fall through the net when it comes to learning. My own family in fact who never seem to care what's going on in the world, rather its all soaps and gossip. To quote the Messiah himself (or so he thought) Tony Blair, 'education, education, education'.
What I have noticed over the last decade or so of interacting with a lot of Americans is that there is a vast culture of sophisticated thinking there. And this is cross cultural. Off the top of my head the amount of people I have been in regular contact with in the music world are lawyers, plumbers, lift engineers, barmen, scientists (a few actually), insurance underwriters, a gardener, an IT manager and at least two construction workers. This is an eclectic mix of people of all ages (around 30-60) that live all across the country. Again, these people are sophisticated and critical thinkers (this has been impressed upon me over the years) that for the most part can use logic and decency in the way they react to situations. The polar opposite is the ignorance, and that's just the thing. I have never once experienced a middle ground with people I've spoken with over they years. It's slightly different here in the UK. We also have our fair share of 'decent folk' (ok, who am I to judge right?) and morons, but we also have a vast swathe of in between too.
I suppose we have voted the Tories in and they are little more than Trumpists in disguise, but in a more sophisticated and devious way, as is often the case with UK politics. I just can't understand how Trump had so much support. Even if you are a flag waving right wing racist, can't you see the man is clearly one step away from being insane? Weird.
You're exactly right Vee. The American members on this site are all intelligent, educated people and my example wasn't meant to cast a bad light on you guys. The UK has its share who fall through the net when it comes to learning. My own family in fact who never seem to care what's going on in the world, rather its all soaps and gossip. To quote the Messiah himself (or so he thought) Tony Blair, 'education, education, education'.
Oh, I know FM. I don't take offense. I'm on the "front lines" battling our ignorance every day.
I have never once experienced a middle ground with people I've spoken with over they years.
As inequality widens in our country, so does the gap in education. It's cyclical; that's why you never see those who fall into the middle ground much as our middle class lessens every year. And then you also have a portion of the very wealthy and education who use their learning to themselves in power.
ankietyjoe
03-03-21, 23:33
As inequality widens in our country, so does the gap in education. It's cyclical; that's why you never see those who fall into the middle ground much as our middle class lessens every year. And then you also have a portion of the very wealthy and education who use their learning to themselves in power.
I'm not entirely convinced it's purely educational. I think it's more of a cultural thing in the States. I've noticed for years now how divisive the TV shows are, especially those geared at children. Not always aggressively, but it's regularly us vs them. It promotes segregation from a young age.
There's also the blindingly blistering military worship and constantly being sold the idea of US (in capitals for dual meaning) vs 'the enemy'. Constantly being sold the idea that a mysterious and invisible enemy is about to invade and destroy the American way of life. It must be hell living under that kind of persistent mantra. I think it promotes a certain way of thinking, because it has been used here to great effect too.
So many TV adverts here now proudly flying the flag and suggesting this is a 'great British product'. Ironically the most visible one being Vauxhall cars who were owned by GM for decades, until they were sold to the French a couple of years ago.
I did mention this on my own social media page recently, but national pride really should be seen as a mental health condition now.
I'm not entirely convinced it's purely educational. I think it's more of a cultural thing in the States. I've noticed for years now how divisive the TV shows are, especially those geared at children. Not always aggressively, but it's regularly us vs them. It promotes segregation from a young age.
There's also the blindingly blistering military worship and constantly being sold the idea of US (in capitals for dual meaning) vs 'the enemy'. Constantly being sold the idea that a mysterious and invisible enemy is about to invade and destroy the American way of life. It must be hell living under that kind of persistent mantra. I think it promotes a certain way of thinking, because it has been used here to great effect too.
I think that this is true in more of those isolated areas...the rural, red areas in the last election particularly. But in the major urban areas, I feel like there is much less of this attitude of "us vs. them" because we've got people from all over.
I remember a tv program called America It’s A Dangerous Place:wacko:
On My travels over there I found the Bible Belt f...ing scary.
I honestly cannot believe that Texas and Mississippi are not wearing masks especially with new cases in both States.
My gawd DUMB and DUMBER
Oh Alaskan people are warped.:D
MyNameIsTerry
04-03-21, 06:07
I said that mostly in jest, especially as Labour as a whole are still getting it in the neck over the alleged anti-Semitism scandal.
If it was Bozzer and Co involved in anti-Semitism most people would probably just laugh about it and shrug it off, but woe betide Labour, though I'm not condoning anti-Semitism in any way.
Same as whenever there's recessions, international conflicts or colossal tax or crime increases whenever Labour are in power, people seem to get far more indignant about it but seem to accept such things more under the Tories!
Perhaps it's because those in the right are generally more vocal and angry about certain political issues than those on the left these days, whereas in the past, especially before the 90s, it was mostly those on the left that seemed to do most of the shouting and anarchy, but seem a lot more blasé and apathetic nowadays.
Surely today's budget will no doubt be a 'damned if do, damned if don't' no-win situation.
Don't worry, LB, I knew you were :biggrin:
Right or wrong I think it boils down to this: Labour are the party of progressive rights for we common people. The Tories care less about that and more about their rich chums. So when Labour take a dump on we common people some of us may take it harder because they are supposed to care about us.
So they get held to a higher standard. I wonder if that applies the other way around? Do rich people and big bosses hold the Tories to a higher standard so are more annoyed when they don't do what's best for them but expect to take hits from Labour?
It's like when a police officer breaks the law.
The budget will always upset lots of people. But it's belt & braces time after this last year. Austerity may be looked on with nostalgia compared whilst we recover from all this. But I think myself lucky compared to previous generations who had to bounce back from big events. And certainly luckier than people in poorer countries who would be baffled by our moaning about cutting back on some Netflix or nice clothes when medical care and food are more their daily worries.
MyNameIsTerry
04-03-21, 06:12
I think that this is true in more of those isolated areas...the rural, red areas in the last election particularly. But in the major urban areas, I feel like there is much less of this attitude of "us vs. them" because we've got people from all over.
I would expect that to be less the case for deprived areas too, Vee. They might be less inclined to think how great patriotism is but I would be surprised if they weren't insular in other ways. So maybe less Republican vs Democrat but plenty of us vs them at street level?
Plenty of that here. The more left behind the more axes to grind with those who aren't.
Go back far enough in history and foreigners were considered the next village down the cart road :biggrin:
I've always said one reason this site is great is because we have people from all over. There is always something to learn, good or bad, agree or disagree with, when you listen to others.
I remember a tv program called America It’s A Dangerous Place:wacko:
On My travels over there I found the Bible Belt f...ing scary.
I honestly cannot believe that Texas and Mississippi are not wearing masks especially with new cases in both States.
My gawd DUMB and DUMBER
Oh Alaskan people are warped.:D
Lol I also find the Bible Belt f...ing scary! I usually prefer not to think of Mississippi as a state, but I’m surprised at Texas. They usually have some voices of reasons there...
MyNameIsTerry
04-03-21, 07:21
The term bible belt alone is scary. :biggrin: I can just imagine walking into a town to be winked at by a man nailing a 4ft long post onto a larger more upright looking post https://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/religion/t0821.gif
MyNameIsTerry
04-03-21, 07:24
I remember a tv program called America It’s A Dangerous Place:wacko:
On My travels over there I found the Bible Belt f...ing scary.
I honestly cannot believe that Texas and Mississippi are not wearing masks especially with new cases in both States.
My gawd DUMB and DUMBER
Oh Alaskan people are warped.:D
Did anyone shout "blasphemer" at you or did you manage not to swear? :biggrin:
Howdy Terry:DI can honestly say It was scary so I was on my best behaviour:yesyes:for me the Tourette’s was well hidden on that trip, rode through there like a dog shot in the a rse.:wacko:
Hope you and your family are well x
Lol I also find the Bible Belt f...ing scary! I usually prefer not to think of Mississippi as a state, but I’m surprised at Texas. They usually have some voices of reasons there...
Hi Vee x:D
Don’t think I would go back into Texas my gawd they like their guns in that state.
I do hope the teachers in both states get the vaccine ASAP it’s bloody madness opening up with the amount of new cases.
Hope you are keeping well and safe.Xx
ankietyjoe
04-03-21, 10:26
Something else I find extraordinarily hard to fathom is the fanatical and almost fetishist adoration of gun ownership in the US. I think it was 2019 when one of my contacts was going through a situation where there was a multiple shooting at a school his children went to and he was STILL defending gun ownership as a choice and/or right.
There is no sane argument for people to own guns, period. None.
The argument that it's people that are the problem, not the guns is just....well. Yes, it's the PEOPLE that are the problem, and they need to be separated from their weapons.
It's massively arrogant to think that YOU are the sane one and YOU should have the right to bear arms, because life has a habit of pushing you to boiling point and good mental health is not guaranteed. Right? We all know that now, right?
Yes, I've lived in the Bible Belt for a period of time when growing up, and it was not fun. In order to understand the gun culture, you have to understand the paranoia that follows it. The people who are the "gun nuts" are paranoid of what the government might do to them, what the "other people" might to do to them...and they're also paranoid of each other. I live and work in a huge urban metropolis with gangs, and drugs and murders, and I have never felt the urge to own a gun here. The only place I've felt any urge to own a gun? The Bible Belt. Why? Cause you're surrounded by a bunch of crazies who all have guns themselves who are just waiting for an excuse to fire them. And if you call the cops? Chances are they know you are already biased against you in some fashion.
Here, this cartoon may help you understand, AJ.
https://youtu.be/58BDrZH7SX8
Go back far enough in history and foreigners were considered the next village down the cart road :biggrin:
Around 1990 myself and a mate decided to visit a pub in the town where I have now lived since 93. We walked in and I swear if there'd been a bloke playing a piano he would have stopped. Half a dozen blokes turned to look at us, there was dead silence. I was expecting the barman to say 'we dunt ave no strangers round ere, get ye garn'.
There was another country pub where the landlord's regulars were almost like the only people allowed to drink there. He would react as though I was inconveniencing him if I asked for a pint. 'Get ye back where ye came from, and keep te the rood cross them moors'. :D
Now Deliverance, that's a really good film.
I understand how everyone is tired of the restrictions and requirements. This has not been pleasant for anyone by any means. That said, with the number of variants and high baseline levels of infections and deaths in the US, as well as Texas being #2 in the country with infections and deaths, how this is remotely logical?
It's not going to be a positive outcome I assure you! I guess Texas wants to be #1 eh?
FMP
Pamplemousse
05-03-21, 00:35
Around 1990 myself and a mate decided to visit a pub in the town where I have now lived since 93. We walked in and I swear if there'd been a bloke playing a piano he would have stopped. Half a dozen blokes turned to look at us, there was dead silence.
Oh, you've been to Chatteris too? (where it happened to me, Mrs. PM and her Mum)
https://youtu.be/yY2aHxWV1xE
[QUOTE=Pamplemousse;1993279]Oh, you've been to Chatteris too? (where it happened to me, Mrs. PM and her Mum)
LOL What is the UK version of "yee haw"?
MyNameIsTerry
05-03-21, 06:31
Around 1990 myself and a mate decided to visit a pub in the town where I have now lived since 93. We walked in and I swear if there'd been a bloke playing a piano he would have stopped. Half a dozen blokes turned to look at us, there was dead silence. I was expecting the barman to say 'we dunt ave no strangers round ere, get ye garn'.
There was another country pub where the landlord's regulars were almost like the only people allowed to drink there. He would react as though I was inconveniencing him if I asked for a pint. 'Get ye back where ye came from, and keep te the rood cross them moors'. :D
That's sounds like some pubs I've been in too.
During the pandemic one local pub (back street industrial area type, barely ever see anyone in there) put up a locals only sign.
And no, I don't live in Royston Vasey :biggrin:
MyNameIsTerry
05-03-21, 06:40
Yes, I've lived in the Bible Belt for a period of time when growing up, and it was not fun. In order to understand the gun culture, you have to understand the paranoia that follows it. The people who are the "gun nuts" are paranoid of what the government might do to them, what the "other people" might to do to them...and they're also paranoid of each other. I live and work in a huge urban metropolis with gangs, and drugs and murders, and I have never felt the urge to own a gun here. The only place I've felt any urge to own a gun? The Bible Belt. Why? Cause you're surrounded by a bunch of crazies who all have guns themselves who are just waiting for an excuse to fire them. And if you call the cops? Chances are they know you are already biased against you in some fashion.
Here, this cartoon may help you understand, AJ.
https://youtu.be/58BDrZH7SX8
Take away the 2nd Amendment paranoia and fear of crime in a gun society and we could all experience the same.
Pretend guns had been collected up all over the world in a big bundle and thrown into the sun courtesy of the man of steel (that's not a porn reference :whistles:) https://yoursmiles.org/hsmile/cinema/h0210.gif. So now a government says we all have the right to bear 6 inch knives. The result is all the criminals carry them hence the public start wanting them for self defence from the criminals and younger people think they are cool so carry them too.
Then two people get into an argument, get physical and out comes a knife. Some people get drunk, get physical and out comes a knife.
Forget knives and say we are allowed to carry broken bottles or screwdrivers. Same result.
You put it there and someone will always use it in situations like above. It's just common sense.
I do think changing a society so close to it's guns might mean phases so as to improve public confidence less criminals have them. But at some point you have to get rid.
No doubt then you will need a new Trump wall to stop all the guns coming up on the backs of migrants...
Take away the 2nd Amendment paranoia and fear of crime in a gun society and we could all experience the same.
Pretend guns had been collected up all over the world in a big bundle and thrown into the sun courtesy of the man of steel (that's not a porn reference :whistles:) https://yoursmiles.org/hsmile/cinema/h0210.gif. So now a government says we all have the right to bear 6 inch knives. The result is all the criminals carry them hence the public start wanting them for self defence from the criminals and younger people think they are cool so carry them too.
Then two people get into an argument, get physical and out comes a knife. Some people get drunk, get physical and out comes a knife.
Forget knives and say we are allowed to carry broken bottles or screwdrivers. Same result.
You put it there and someone will always use it in situations like above. It's just common sense.
I do think changing a society so close to it's guns might mean phases so as to improve public confidence less criminals have them. But at some point you have to get rid.
No doubt then you will need a new Trump wall to stop all the guns coming up on the backs of migrants...
I reckon that the increased fear of knife crime here in the UK over the past 15 years or so could ironically be one of the reasons why we don't seem to hear so much nowadays about the epic pub brawls that were more commonplace in the past, especially before the 2000s.
The serial troublemakers are now probably more inclined to think twice before starting on anyone down the local boozer in case those on the receiving end might be tooled up.
I'm not in any way condoning people who go around tooled up as a means of self-protection, but is still interesting, if true.
As far as guns are concerned, I thank our lucky stars that (touch wood) Columbine-type incidents in schools here in the UK still remain unheard of.
ankietyjoe
05-03-21, 11:59
Here, this cartoon may help you understand, AJ.
I've seen the cartoon before actually, and I do get that component of it. There is a refusal to let the weapons go away from that dynamic as well though. The contact I mentioned just refused to accept that he should have to let his guns go, and the simple fact was that he just wanted to keep them. And this is the crux of it, in the US and most of the West now, we are so incapable of change that we reject reality as it's unfolding in front of us. The refusal to give up the guns is the same as the refusal to wear a mask or accept Covid for what it is. An excruciating inability for mental flexibility in the face of overwhelming evidence that change is necessary.
I've seen the cartoon before actually, and I do get that component of it. There is a refusal to let the weapons go away from that dynamic as well though. The contact I mentioned just refused to accept that he should have to let his guns go, and the simple fact was that he just wanted to keep them. And this is the crux of it, in the US and most of the West now, we are so incapable of change that we reject reality as it's unfolding in front of us. The refusal to give up the guns is the same as the refusal to wear a mask or accept Covid for what it is. An excruciating inability for mental flexibility in the face of overwhelming evidence that change is necessary.
And likewise a bit like us in England refusing to give up smacking our children.
Also, had the govt not banned smoking inside indoor public places back in 2007 we would probably be opposed to such a ban now in 2021, despite the fact that even fewer people actually smoke now compared to back then, but there's bound to be the odd know-it-alls who like to think otherwise, who wishfully think that smoking rates have actually increased since then, despite superior evidence to the contrary.
I think we're just far more resistant to change as a society today, period.
MyNameIsTerry
05-03-21, 13:19
I reckon that the increased fear of knife crime here in the UK over the past 15 years or so could ironically be one of the reasons why we don't seem to hear so much nowadays about the epic pub brawls that were more commonplace in the past, especially before the 2000s.
The serial troublemakers are now probably more inclined to think twice before starting on anyone down the local boozer in case those on the receiving end might be tooled up.
I'm not in any way condoning people who go around tooled up as a means of self-protection, but is still interesting, if true.
As far as guns are concerned, I thank our lucky stars that (touch wood) Columbine-type incidents in schools here in the UK still remain unheard of.
Spree killers with guns are thankfully rare. We get the occasional shotgun murder suicide.
It used to be man running amok with sword too. Usually someone very unwell who needed more mental help than the failing system was giving and/or going off meds/booze/drugs combos. We don't seem to of those as much now.
I don't about the brawls, football hooligan went tooled up. I think it's more policing or it certainly is in my city. When I was younger group fights were an every Friday night thing between young guys in the same vein as opposing schools meeting up to fight. I think the police just stamped it out with more presence especially in the city centre. Plus door crews got organised, for instance, in one of of two big hotspots around here 20 years ago they had linked themselves to pass Intel on troublemakers they have thrown out.
Spree killers with guns are thankfully rare. We get the occasional shotgun murder suicide.
It used to be man running amok with sword too. Usually someone very unwell who needed more mental help than the failing system was giving and/or going off meds/booze/drugs combos. We don't seem to of those as much now.
I don't about the brawls, football hooligan went tooled up. I think it's more policing or it certainly is in my city. When I was younger group fights were an every Friday night thing between young guys in the same vein as opposing schools meeting up to fight. I think the police just stamped it out with more presence especially in the city centre. Plus door crews got organised, for instance, in one of of two big hotspots around here 20 years ago they had linked themselves to pass Intel on troublemakers they have thrown out.
You're right in that we rarely hear about baying mobs of kids from rival schools squaring up to one another now like we used to back in the 70s, 80s and even the 90s.
Same also for clashes between kids from certain suburbs/housing estates, which was a common staple of our local rag in the 80s and very early 90s, but virtually unheard of nowadays, thank God!
I'm sure there was even talk of tribalism between members of different working men's clubs in certain areas at one point.
I reckon that the increased fear of knife crime here in the UK over the past 15 years or so could ironically be one of the reasons why we don't seem to hear so much nowadays about the epic pub brawls that were more commonplace in the past, especially before the 2000s.
The serial troublemakers are now probably more inclined to think twice before starting on anyone down the local boozer in case those on the receiving end might be tooled up.
I'm not in any way condoning people who go around tooled up as a means of self-protection, but is still interesting, if true.
As far as guns are concerned, I thank our lucky stars that (touch wood) Columbine-type incidents in schools here in the UK still remain unheard of.Dunblane 1996? And Michael Ryan in Hungerford ended up in the local school I seem to remember.
Dunblane 1996? And Michael Ryan in Hungerford ended up in the local school I seem to remember.
The Dunblane atrocity 25 years ago this month, was actually perpetrated by an 'outsider' who snuck into the school premises and opened fire. That nutjob was allegedly a perverted nonce case who had also been a scout leader in the area.
As tragic as it was (and still is to this very day), it wasn't quite the same as Columbine, which was an inside job, and pretty much ever since that tragic day virtually every school (and even day centres for adults with LDs) in the UK has become increasingly fortified.
Likewise, this country at that time was still reeling from the shock of the James Bulger tragedy in Merseyside three years earlier, so all in all the 90s was a vintage decade for tragedies involving children as casualties/victims.
At least social media didn't exist back then, plus the Internet as we know it today was still only a primitive niche medium accessed only by just a handful of the population between 1993 and 96, and didn't really enter the mainstream until about 98 or so at the earliest IIRC.
And no doubt had Dunblane, Hungerford, etc, happened today, people would no doubt be prematurely screaming out 'TERRORIST ATTACK' on social media before they even knew the full facts!
Pamplemousse
05-03-21, 18:30
Dunblane 1996? And Michael Ryan in Hungerford ended up in the local school I seem to remember.
I remember a group of us Brits listening to the unfolding drama of Ryan on the little ITT Pony transistor radio I'd brought on our honeymoon with us in the hotel lobby in Corsica.
Pamplemousse
05-03-21, 18:34
You're right in that we rarely hear about baying mobs of kids from rival schools squaring up to one another now like we used to back in the 70s, 80s and even the 90s.
I remember those in the early 80s; my school had a reputation, shall we say. If any kid tried it on with you in town you just got into their face, said "I'm from (x), d'you wanna try your ****ing luck?" and my God, they'd back down quick.
LB, there is something about the Hungerford spree killing that still haunts me to this day. I was a bricklayer back then in the family business, and my Dad and myself were driving home when it came up on the radio in the van.
Now my sister lived (and still does) only about a 20 minute drive from Hungerford. So we were thinking 'crikey that's a bit close'. Anyway the next thing we hear is that a woman had been shot dead and her two children had been found wandering in the woods. The children were aged 2 and 4, the same age as my sister's. Then we hear the children's names were the same too, James 2 and Hannah 4. We got some relief from that because my sister's kids were Hannah aged 2 and James aged 4. I was hoping the radio had got those reports exactly right. So it wasn't until we got home about 45 minutes or so later that we could phone my sister and confirm she and the kids were fine. No mobile phones in 1987.
Of course, I count my blessings because another family was left devastated on that awful day and my heart went out to them.
LB, there is something about the Hungerford spree killing that still haunts me to this day. I was a bricklayer back then in the family business, and my Dad and myself were driving home when it came up on the radio in the van.
Now my sister lived (and still does) only about a 20 minute drive from Hungerford. So we were thinking 'crikey that's a bit close'. Anyway the next thing we hear is that a woman had been shot dead and her two children had been found wandering in the woods. The children were aged 2 and 4, the same age as my sister's. Then we hear the children's names were the same too, James 2 and Hannah 4. We got some relief from that because my sister's kids were Hannah aged 2 and James aged 4. I was hoping the radio had got those reports exactly right. So it wasn't until we got home about 45 minutes or so later that we could phone my sister and confirm she and the kids were fine. No mobile phones in 1987.
Of course, I count my blessings because another family was left devastated on that awful day and my heart went out to them.
I think in many respects life in general was still simpler back then in 1987, mostly in the sense that it was still relatively low-tech for most people, and that we still didn't have mobile phones, Internet, social media, etc, back then, so not constantly bombarded with endless in yer face, wall-to-wall news coverage unlike today where it's constantly beamed into our faces virtually wherever we are, especially phones that constantly ping all the time with the latest news updates, texts, emails, you name it.
Back then, most people just watched the news on TV at set times throughout the day. BBC Breakfast Time on BBC 1 or TV-AM on ITV in the mornings, and the 6 o' clock News (then stylised as SIX) on BBC 1, and ITN News at 5.45 (with the iconic telex clatter intro) on ITV in the evenings.
Plus the daily rags were far less sensationalist and the general quality of journalism was far higher back then, unlike the kiddies' comics most of them have become now!
Having said that, I still wouldn't really want to go back to then as I am used to the here and now, despite its many flaws.
Plus we had certain unfavourable issues back then that are fortunately less apparent now.
I've seen the cartoon before actually, and I do get that component of it. There is a refusal to let the weapons go away from that dynamic as well though. The contact I mentioned just refused to accept that he should have to let his guns go, and the simple fact was that he just wanted to keep them. And this is the crux of it, in the US and most of the West now, we are so incapable of change that we reject reality as it's unfolding in front of us. The refusal to give up the guns is the same as the refusal to wear a mask or accept Covid for what it is. An excruciating inability for mental flexibility in the face of overwhelming evidence that change is necessary.
I have to agree with you there, Joe. But I'm not sure if this inflexibility is a new thing, or if this is just human nature in and of itself. When I look back in history, it doesn't seem like we've ever wanted to change, it just events MADE us change. So I've always wondered (morbidly) how many mass shootings it will take here to make us change our gun laws. I thought after Sandy Hook when 5 yr olds were slaughtered that it would have done it, but sadly, it did not.
MyNameIsTerry
07-03-21, 06:53
I have to agree with you there, Joe. But I'm not sure if this inflexibility is a new thing, or if this is just human nature in and of itself. When I look back in history, it doesn't seem like we've ever wanted to change, it just events MADE us change. So I've always wondered (morbidly) how many mass shootings it will take here to make us change our gun laws. I thought after Sandy Hook when 5 yr olds were slaughtered that it would have done it, but sadly, it did not.
They get little news attention now over here, Vee. At first we had reports all week, then days and now it's very brief. Reading UK boards when it happens you tend to see people saying it's just America, what do they expect with all those find, etc.
At first people were shocked but now it's just another school day in the US.
If events like that don't change it God knows what will. But all is not lost because look at the tobacco industry. How did we ever remove their grip on our governments? Whilst not wholly illegal the laws preventing smoking indoors were a massive change.
But for all the grief the US gets we have our own hypocritical behaviour too. How would we respond to banning alcohol? Aside from health it is involved in a ton of violent crime.
We have big problems with knife crime but our laws concentrate on carrying. Nothing stops anyone over 18 owning an arsenal of weapons from 3 inchers to swords. We had more than one knife amnesty but what's the point when you can just buy another one? The only attempt at a ban has been the broader bank of telescopic weapons which mean no flick knives.
I have been an advocate for labelling DV and many other effects on alcohol bottles for years,it won’t happen here in my lifetime.Too many political figures like their grog and I personally know of two that are wife bashers.:mad:
The same pollies attend the Catholic Church,the hypocrisy of it makes me bloody mad.
Hey Terry I have a nice Swiss Army knife I carry it on me all the time.
MyNameIsTerry
07-03-21, 09:54
I have been an advocate for labelling DV and many other effects on alcohol bottles for years,it won’t happen here in my lifetime.Too many political figures like their grog and I personally know of two that are wife bashers.:mad:
The same pollies attend the Catholic Church,the hypocrisy of it makes me bloody mad.
Hey Terry I have a nice Swiss Army knife I carry it on me all the time.
Seems like a good idea. Put something on about drink driving, violence and DV.
We can't here if it's bigger than 3 inches, Lola. You can if it's say for work and it's properly stored. But when you become elderly you can get away carrying a sword if you have a fancy walking stick :winks:
Politicians and booze. The Palace of Westminster has it's own bar! Years ago lots of workplaces did like one of the companies I worked at. Typical the rest of us have to wake up the modern walking world, where having a bar is just asking for trouble, yet not the politicians.
Did they by any chance go to the Aussie church that until recently had this obviously dodgy (perhaps intentionally trying to tell us to be wary of what some of the clergy were up to :whistles:) statue outside?
https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/61b109535b5138d751a31f6a29bea932?impolicy=wcms_cro p_resize&cropH=703&cropW=527&xPos=0&yPos=0&width=862&height=1149
You're right in that we rarely hear about baying mobs of kids from rival schools squaring up to one another now like we used to back in the 70s, 80s and even the 90s.
Same also for clashes between kids from certain suburbs/housing estates, which was a common staple of our local rag in the 80s and very early 90s, but virtually unheard of nowadays, thank God!
I'm sure there was even talk of tribalism between members of different working men's clubs in certain areas at one point.
I also heard that school riots were more commonplace back in the late 70s and early 80s, as epitomised in the 1982 made-for-TV film 'Birth Of A Nation', about a dysfunctional comp school in London, which was like a more 'adult' version of Grange Hill. Pupils also used to hijack the headteacher's office and/or staff room, trash them and/or do sit-ins.
We rarely seem to hear of such anarchic/militant behaviours from school kids nowadays.
They get little news attention now over here, Vee. At first we had reports all week, then days and now it's very brief. Reading UK boards when it happens you tend to see people saying it's just America, what do they expect with all those find, etc.
At first people were shocked but now it's just another school day in the US.
If events like that don't change it God knows what will. But all is not lost because look at the tobacco industry. How did we ever remove their grip on our governments? Whilst not wholly illegal the laws preventing smoking indoors were a massive change.
But for all the grief the US gets we have our own hypocritical behaviour too. How would we respond to banning alcohol? Aside from health it is involved in a ton of violent crime.
We have big problems with knife crime but our laws concentrate on carrying. Nothing stops anyone over 18 owning an arsenal of weapons from 3 inchers to swords. We had more than one knife amnesty but what's the point when you can just buy another one? The only attempt at a ban has been the broader bank of telescopic weapons which mean no flick knives.
Likewise, child battering (non-sexual) seems to get very little news attention in the UK these days, unlike back in the 80s and early 90s it seemed to be a big thing and even the subject of a full-on moral panic at times, plus emblematic of our sick society.
I know physical chastisement of kids has generally fallen out of favour over the past 30-odd years or so, but surely there still must be the odd brazen parents with a screw loose who bish-bash-bosh their kids willy-nilly, but the media hardly ever seem to make a song and dance over it anymore like they used to!
Whenever it's the opposite, about kids physically attacking their parents (and teachers), it's suddenly big news and often the subject of a moral panic plus the usual mutterings of 'kids today have no respect', 'bring back borstals', etc!!
But I guess the latter situation typically makes for more exciting reading, especially amongst the 'populist' press.
They get little news attention now over here, Vee. At first we had reports all week, then days and now it's very brief. Reading UK boards when it happens you tend to see people saying it's just America, what do they expect with all those find, etc.
At first people were shocked but now it's just another school day in the US.
Yes, it's getting the same way here, Terry. Unless there are a high number of casualties or the circumstances are very unusual, it's covered for a day or two on the news and that's it...especially with covid now. Although one of the top stories on the news this weekend is Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah. Why? I don't get it.
MyNameIsTerry
07-03-21, 21:25
Yes, it's getting the same way here, Terry. Unless there are a high number of casualties or the circumstances are very unusual, it's covered for a day or two on the news and that's it...especially with covid now. Although one of the top stories on the news this weekend is Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah. Why? I don't get it.
Meghan is good at networking. Marry a Prince, who's not a very strong person, and make connections to big media names. They can use the racism angle to make it on Oprah?
They fled the UK saying they wanted privacy and spent every minute courting the press. It's just another reason why people over here think she's full of BS.
Commonwealth Day today so more timing from them.
MyNameIsTerry
07-03-21, 21:28
Likewise, child battering (non-sexual) seems to get very little news attention in the UK these days, unlike back in the 80s and early 90s it seemed to be a big thing and even the subject of a full-on moral panic at times, plus emblematic of our sick society.
I know physical chastisement of kids has generally fallen out of favour over the past 30-odd years or so, but surely there still must be the odd brazen parents with a screw loose who bish-bash-bosh their kids willy-nilly, but the media hardly ever seem to make a song and dance over it anymore like they used to!
Whenever it's the opposite, about kids physically attacking their parents (and teachers), it's suddenly big news and often the subject of a moral panic plus the usual mutterings of 'kids today have no respect', 'bring back borstals', etc!!
But I guess the latter situation typically makes for more exciting reading, especially amongst the 'populist' press.
The unruly kids at school stuff seems to have fallen out of media favour now.
Physical abuse of kids always hits front page when it's extreme like a death. That will always be the case. Don't know about lower level abuse (not the smacking debate, that should never be conflated with abuse) but like anything it's probably more about when campaigns highlight it or the media decide to conduct a report and the rest follow suit.
Meghan is good at networking. Marry a Prince, who's not a very strong person, and make connections to big media names. They can use the racism angle to make it on Oprah?
They fled the UK saying they wanted privacy and spent every minute courting the press. It's just another reason why people over here think she's full of BS.
Commonwealth Day today so more timing from them.
Yeah, she hates the press, but at the same time, if she didn't have it, they would'nt have that Netflix deal that pays their bills. You can't have it both ways...
A lot of people hear really couldn’t give a flying shit on what the pair or royal family do.
I hope Malcolm Turnbull keeps pushing for Australia to become a Republic country.
:yesyes:
The unruly kids at school stuff seems to have fallen out of media favour now.
Physical abuse of kids always hits front page when it's extreme like a death. That will always be the case. Don't know about lower level abuse (not the smacking debate, that should never be conflated with abuse) but like anything it's probably more about when campaigns highlight it or the media decide to conduct a report and the rest follow suit.
Yes, I do remember the unruly kids at school stuff being the subject of moral panics back in the 90s and 2000s, and the calls to bring back caning, especially from the hard-righters.
I've also noticed over the past decade or so the media haven't been making such a big deal over general ASB and chav culture. I remember rags like The Scum and Daily Fail spewing out lurid headlines such as 'Yob Britain', 'No-Go Britain', 'Broken Britain', 'UK Teens Worst Behaved In Europe', etc, all of which epitomised the typical noughties' moral panics!!
MyNameIsTerry
08-03-21, 13:34
A lot of people hear really couldn’t give a flying shit on what the pair or royal family do.
I hope Malcolm Turnbull keeps pushing for Australia to become a Republic country.
:yesyes:
Brits are much the same, Lola. Sick of hearing about them. The Diana era was relentless.
Less want a republic but just want less of a media circus over 'woman has baby' type stuff and their pontificating about what we common folk shoukd be doing all while they jet around in luxury.
Brits are much the same, Lola. Sick of hearing about them. The Diana era was relentless.
Less want a republic but just want less of a media circus over 'woman has baby' type stuff and their pontificating about what we common folk shoukd be doing all while they jet around in luxury.
Same also goes for other 'celebs'.
For example, the endless media coverage certain members of the Spice Girls received when they were pregnant with their first kids and when they finally gave birth to them back in the late 90s really did my nut in at the time.
Big deal, women have babies every day the world over. Always have and always will.
Let's face it, when both me and my younger brother were born, the local rags alone never made a song and danced over it. Ditto for all three of my brother's kids.
Reason being, we were (and still are) just an ordinary family and insignificant to most other people, unlike the Beckhams, et el.
A lot of people hear really couldn’t give a flying shit on what the pair or royal family do.
I hope Malcolm Turnbull keeps pushing for Australia to become a Republic country.
:yesyes:And a lot of Brits too Lola. The Royal Family is really just a tourist attraction.
Well, here are the CDC results for life expectancy by state:
Five out of the top 10 states with the highest life expectancy were in the Northeast. Of the 10 states with the lowest life expectancy in the nation, eight were in the South.
These are the Top 10 states:
Hawaii
California
New York
Minnesota
Connecticut
Massachusetts
Washington
Colorado
New Jersey
Rhode Island
These are the bottom 10 states:
Missouri
South Carolina
Arkansas
Oklahoma
Louisiana
Tennessee
Kentucky
Alabama
Mississippi
West Virginia
glassgirlw
12-03-21, 20:21
One more reason to move to California or Hawaii :shrug:
One more reason to move to California or Hawaii :shrug:
LOL Guess I can't blame Harry and Meghan anymore... but Texas was not in the bottom 10 though...only Bible Belt states... I was surprised that South Carolina was on there. I thought it would be Florida.
Pamplemousse
13-03-21, 10:39
And a lot of Brits too Lola. The Royal Family is really just a tourist attraction.
When I first walked into a bar in Australia when I was working there, it was suggested to me that it might be inadvisable to point out that it was just like being at home because there was a bloody Strine behind the bar...
Pamplemousse
13-03-21, 10:39
Well, here are the CDC results for life expectancy by state:
How does that relate to wealth/poverty, Vee?
How does that relate to wealth/poverty, Vee?
Oh, yes, they pretty much line up line for line, PM
Here are the 10 states with the lowest household income:
Mississippi ($62,835)
West Virginia ($63,680)
Arkansas ($66,557)
New Mexico ($69,077)
Alabama ($69,842)
Kentucky ($70,144)
Louisiana ($71,001)
Oklahoma ($72,695)
New Mexico is on there because it has a lot of reservations for native nations, and many of them still remain very poor :/
When I first walked into a bar in Australia when I was working there, it was suggested to me that it might be inadvisable to point out that it was just like being at home because there was a bloody Strine behind the bar...
Yep usually an old Pic,of the old girl mainly in RSL clubs these days and now they throw darts at her.:roflmao:
I am one of those dart throwers.:yesyes:
Pamplemousse
16-03-21, 18:51
Returning to Texas...
(https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-56412074?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=6050e25587098402eb748d6a%26WATCH%3A%20 Texas%20woman%20arrested%20for%20refusing%20to%20w ear%20mask%262021-03-16T17%3A15%3A19.030Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:c512e05d-b92c-4093-ad41-1b5469aded60&pinned_post_asset_id=6050e25587098402eb748d6a&pinned_post_type=share)I enjoy this sort of video as much as I enjoy watching Sovereign Citizens/ Freemen On The Land get humiliated/educated... :roflmao:
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