Comments on: end of the week http://www.wallsofthecity.net/2007/09/end_of_the_week.html defending our rights from the ramparts Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:53:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: walls of the city http://www.wallsofthecity.net/2007/09/end_of_the_week.html#comment-474 walls of the city Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:15:33 +0000 http://www.wallsofthecity.net/?p=387#comment-474 <strong>damn skippy</strong> ... and is damned proud of it. Ok, I have to admit, I firmly believe this "Net Authority" website is a hoax of the finest nature (the varieties that are easily believed because they are just so damned believable). But... damn skippy

… and is damned proud of it. Ok, I have to admit, I firmly believe this “Net Authority” website is a hoax of the finest nature (the varieties that are easily believed because they are just so damned believable). But…

]]> By: Linoge http://www.wallsofthecity.net/2007/09/end_of_the_week.html#comment-473 Linoge Fri, 14 Sep 2007 20:40:54 +0000 http://www.wallsofthecity.net/?p=387#comment-473 I admit that at Tech, I did not encounter that kind of rudeness terribly often. That said, there were a variety of other forms of impoliteness that we wielded, so I was not left out in the cold on that count. I think you are spot-on about saying whatever is needed to fix our society, as it is, starts early. Parents are no longer parenting, no longer instilling in their children the concepts of personal responsibility and accountability, and are instead simply writing them off to day cares or the school system or the government as a whole. The children, in turn, see the parents not caring, and then they stop caring, and the vicious cycle just keeps going. Unfortunately, there is no way to legislate good parenting (even though that would never stop the American government from trying), or coerce it in any way, really. Or, rather, there are, but they would not be socially acceptable. Interestingly, I think I have changed more in the second half of my life than the first. That said, I would not be where I am now, in as good a position as I am now, if my parents did not raise me to be a polite, considerate, and responsible adult. Without those attributes, no matter what anyone else may say, you stand a very slim chance of doing well at anything. I admit that at Tech, I did not encounter that kind of rudeness terribly often. That said, there were a variety of other forms of impoliteness that we wielded, so I was not left out in the cold on that count.
I think you are spot-on about saying whatever is needed to fix our society, as it is, starts early. Parents are no longer parenting, no longer instilling in their children the concepts of personal responsibility and accountability, and are instead simply writing them off to day cares or the school system or the government as a whole. The children, in turn, see the parents not caring, and then they stop caring, and the vicious cycle just keeps going.
Unfortunately, there is no way to legislate good parenting (even though that would never stop the American government from trying), or coerce it in any way, really. Or, rather, there are, but they would not be socially acceptable.
Interestingly, I think I have changed more in the second half of my life than the first. That said, I would not be where I am now, in as good a position as I am now, if my parents did not raise me to be a polite, considerate, and responsible adult. Without those attributes, no matter what anyone else may say, you stand a very slim chance of doing well at anything.

]]> By: DirtCrashr http://www.wallsofthecity.net/2007/09/end_of_the_week.html#comment-472 DirtCrashr Wed, 12 Sep 2007 10:35:01 +0000 http://www.wallsofthecity.net/?p=387#comment-472 At College I guess what struck me - coming from overseas, and also from a less "advantaged" background - was the rudeness of all the affluent, spoiled brats of my generational swath - who it seems have turned into the greedy and irresponsible adults of today. The spandex-clad bicyclists carrying $1200 Bianchi's into the lecture hall and expecting other students to make-way - but also just dressing so inappropriately like that: rude. If I were a professor I'd have kicked 'em out. And then the Walkman came along and people stuck things in their ears and tuned-out the rest of society - and they'd walk out into a busy street and passive-aggressively demand that other people watch-out for their criminal negligence. Some say that it's just "Change" and something you have to embrace, that "holding on" is self-repression and uptightness and you have to get-over it - but clearly standards have been lowered - and I don't know what the fixers are either, but it starts early on. As a kid I think I changed and grew more in the first ten years of my life than from ten to twenty - even thought that was the most awkward and uncomfortable time. Since twenty I changed only a little until forty, spending my thirties fairly self-absorbed and into experiencing as much as possible. Since forty, in the past nine years I've changed more to be like the ten year old I was - under the vague 10-yr old impression of what an adult is/was and that I thought I wanted to become. I've become conservative again, and caring less about what impressed others or feeling the need to impress or please them. At College I guess what struck me – coming from overseas, and also from a less “advantaged” background – was the rudeness of all the affluent, spoiled brats of my generational swath – who it seems have turned into the greedy and irresponsible adults of today.
The spandex-clad bicyclists carrying $1200 Bianchi’s into the lecture hall and expecting other students to make-way – but also just dressing so inappropriately like that: rude. If I were a professor I’d have kicked ‘em out. And then the Walkman came along and people stuck things in their ears and tuned-out the rest of society – and they’d walk out into a busy street and passive-aggressively demand that other people watch-out for their criminal negligence.
Some say that it’s just “Change” and something you have to embrace, that “holding on” is self-repression and uptightness and you have to get-over it – but clearly standards have been lowered – and I don’t know what the fixers are either, but it starts early on.
As a kid I think I changed and grew more in the first ten years of my life than from ten to twenty – even thought that was the most awkward and uncomfortable time. Since twenty I changed only a little until forty, spending my thirties fairly self-absorbed and into experiencing as much as possible.
Since forty, in the past nine years I’ve changed more to be like the ten year old I was – under the vague 10-yr old impression of what an adult is/was and that I thought I wanted to become. I’ve become conservative again, and caring less about what impressed others or feeling the need to impress or please them.

]]> By: Linoge http://www.wallsofthecity.net/2007/09/end_of_the_week.html#comment-471 Linoge Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:39:34 +0000 http://www.wallsofthecity.net/?p=387#comment-471 Being born only a year after you graduated from college, I guess I grew up with the understanding that the "rudeness an freak show" you saw was kind of the norm. Boiling a frog, and all that. However, even in the scant quarter-century I have been alive, even I have been able to notice a decline in how people relate to each other, relate to the country, etc. I had no doubt it extended farther back than my memory, though, and thanks for confirming that. The only question now is what to do with it, and like many people, I am quite good at pointing out flaws, but not always so good at coming up with fixes. Being born only a year after you graduated from college, I guess I grew up with the understanding that the “rudeness an freak show” you saw was kind of the norm. Boiling a frog, and all that. However, even in the scant quarter-century I have been alive, even I have been able to notice a decline in how people relate to each other, relate to the country, etc. I had no doubt it extended farther back than my memory, though, and thanks for confirming that.
The only question now is what to do with it, and like many people, I am quite good at pointing out flaws, but not always so good at coming up with fixes.

]]> By: DirtCrashr http://www.wallsofthecity.net/2007/09/end_of_the_week.html#comment-470 DirtCrashr Tue, 11 Sep 2007 14:29:48 +0000 http://www.wallsofthecity.net/?p=387#comment-470 Interesting set of personal confluences here, having been a fan of his and graduated a year prior to 1982 from U.C. Santa Cruz - the University where Heinlein's archive housed at McHenry Library since 1968 - which gave me a BA degree in Cultural Anthropology... I'm still a big fan of his and reading between the lines now see/remember that such rudness and freak show that he disliked and was a symptom of decline, was well in evidence at Uncle Charlie's Summer Camp back then. Interesting set of personal confluences here, having been a fan of his and graduated a year prior to 1982 from U.C. Santa Cruz – the University where Heinlein’s archive housed at McHenry Library since 1968 – which gave me a BA degree in Cultural Anthropology…
I’m still a big fan of his and reading between the lines now see/remember that such rudness and freak show that he disliked and was a symptom of decline, was well in evidence at Uncle Charlie’s Summer Camp back then.

]]>