Nick Against the World (113 Viewers)
- Thread starter IncuboRossonero
- Start date
There's more people heading for the exits. But if you're semi-competent, you should always have an opportunity at the "in" door just in natural company turnover alone. There are much worse industries to be in right now. But this is one situation affecting everybody.
The one detractor to your "Greater Depression" comment is that saying "this country will no longer be what it once was" is just a slice: this is true for more than just the U.S. these days.
I was watching the first episode of a decent BBC series from one of my favorite narrative historians, Simon Schama. The episode was about the history of water usage and management in the Western U.S., but it was also a pre-election (2008 election) reminder about the natural situation (not just economic, mind you) we're in.
I don't remember too much about the Jimmy Carter presidency other than he was run out of town. But seeing old video in that program where Carter totally laid out to the American people that they were getting too fat, that they were consuming beyond their means, and that culturally we've replaced our value system with consumerism and conspicuous consumption was, IMO, downright shocking for me to see in this day and age.
You can see why Carter was run out of town. Besides a number of his clear mishandlings of government, he also espoused a message no one wanted to hear: that we're getting too fat, that we're valuing the wrong things, that our appetites for stuff are becoming unsustainable. He was totally right, of course, but the message was something we all preferred to have denial over instead. Reign in Reagan; no wonder why Reagan was brought in with such joy -- it allowed this nation to bury its head in the sand for another couple of decades.
Interesting statistic I've seen is that all of the U.S.'s national growth since 2000 was based entirely on credit. In 2008, the credit market goes belly up, and the growth and pretty much the entire Bush Administration's worth of accumulated stock market value vanishes before his departure. Coincidence? I think not.
Sometimes it really depends on your field. My older brother, a really bright and brilliant guy, went through high school as a social recluse. He left home to go off to college and turned into a party animal, getting academically suspended and earning no better than a C+ average. He fared well because he chose the right field (actuarial sciences, if you can believe that).
Some heavy life lessons here from Paul.
Dru ordering "Thai" again?
The one detractor to your "Greater Depression" comment is that saying "this country will no longer be what it once was" is just a slice: this is true for more than just the U.S. these days.
I was watching the first episode of a decent BBC series from one of my favorite narrative historians, Simon Schama. The episode was about the history of water usage and management in the Western U.S., but it was also a pre-election (2008 election) reminder about the natural situation (not just economic, mind you) we're in.
I don't remember too much about the Jimmy Carter presidency other than he was run out of town. But seeing old video in that program where Carter totally laid out to the American people that they were getting too fat, that they were consuming beyond their means, and that culturally we've replaced our value system with consumerism and conspicuous consumption was, IMO, downright shocking for me to see in this day and age.
You can see why Carter was run out of town. Besides a number of his clear mishandlings of government, he also espoused a message no one wanted to hear: that we're getting too fat, that we're valuing the wrong things, that our appetites for stuff are becoming unsustainable. He was totally right, of course, but the message was something we all preferred to have denial over instead. Reign in Reagan; no wonder why Reagan was brought in with such joy -- it allowed this nation to bury its head in the sand for another couple of decades.
Interesting statistic I've seen is that all of the U.S.'s national growth since 2000 was based entirely on credit. In 2008, the credit market goes belly up, and the growth and pretty much the entire Bush Administration's worth of accumulated stock market value vanishes before his departure. Coincidence? I think not.
Sometimes it really depends on your field. My older brother, a really bright and brilliant guy, went through high school as a social recluse. He left home to go off to college and turned into a party animal, getting academically suspended and earning no better than a C+ average. He fared well because he chose the right field (actuarial sciences, if you can believe that).
Some heavy life lessons here from Paul.
Dru ordering "Thai" again?
