Post: #1

Someone tried to piss in my ear today, and convince me that it was raining..... Are you buying or selling this "American dream? Your thoughts?

Post: #2

Can you elaborate?

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #3

(12-23-2011 04:16 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  Can you elaborate?

For some the "dream", is that you own a home, others, it's having a great job , or access to education. Maybe it's no government intrusion in your life . It varies.

Post: #4

I thought that the term was reserved for people who want or did come here from another country.

Post: #5

There is an American Dream, that is universal.

But obviously we are not confined to this or it shouldnt be the barometer to success.

You can have your OWN American Dream imo

Post: #6

My interpretation of the "American Dream"--and the one that I think is most common--is the concept of social mobility. In America, the myth goes, you can ascend from the dregs of society to the very top in a matter of a generation, which of course has not been the case for most of human civilization.

I think this dream still exists, but it is available to an ever-shrinking number of people. People, in fact, have taken to calling it the Northern European Dream since, apparently, social mobility--by certain objective measures--is a lot more available in Finland or Sweden than it is in the sinking ship we call the United States.

Post: #7

It is indeed possible to live the American Dream.

You must ignore the rules that banks and government tell you, if you want to live the Dream.

Post: #8

Post: #9

The American Dream : "It's gone up in smoke or Credit Default Swaps"

Spot on.

Post: #10

I will ask these two questions without having an "agenda". Should government play a role in making this "dream" accessible to its citizens? Also, if you believe government is involved/should be involved in making the "dream" possible for all of its citizens, why should it limit itself to the degree of intrusion on your freedom and rights?

Post: #11

So many Americans were scorched in this crisis,seems the new Hispanic immigrants bought into the "American Dream" big time.

$360,000 100% mortgage !! What were they thinking??

If you can't scrape together a 10% deposit on a house what makes you believe you can afford it!!

A Dream is exactly what they bought into..i.e. they were fast asleep!

Post: #12

The term, "American Dream" is just the lube the system uses to fuck you up the ass.

Post: #13

(12-23-2011 07:19 PM)Samseau Wrote:  The term, "American Dream" is just the lube the system uses to fuck you up the ass.

Are you saying it is merely a mirage, created to manipulate society into thinking it is attainable as long as you play within the rules? Or , is it a way of making you strive to do better financially as long as it benefits the republic?

Post: #14

(12-23-2011 07:42 PM)Pusscrook Wrote:  

(12-23-2011 07:19 PM)Samseau Wrote:  The term, "American Dream" is just the lube the system uses to fuck you up the ass.

Are you saying it is merely a mirage, created to manipulate society into thinking it is attainable as long as you play within the rules? Or , is it a way of making you strive to do better financially as long as it benefits the republic?

It's a way of making you believe that the American Dream consists solely of financial advancement and material acquisition!

And to make you feel you're nothing if you don't have the biggest and the best /most expensive of everything.

Think about the young girls looking through fashion magazines with $2000 handbags being advertised .

"Don't have one young lady? Well then, you're just nothing,you're shit..you don't even exist ..get back in your hole!"

Now spread that over society and see what you get !

Post: #15

The American Dream is defined by freedom. The American Dream is about acting on your own dreams and having the freedom to earn the means to doing it.

(12-23-2011 04:12 PM)Pusscrook Wrote:  Should government play a role in making this "dream" accessible to its citizens? Also, if you believe government is involved/should be involved in making the "dream" possible for all of its citizens, why should it limit itself to the degree of intrusion on your freedom and rights?

The government does have a role in making this Dream possible. The government's role is to protect our rights, to make sure that no one hurts me, damages my property, or otherwise restricts my ability to act with the means that I've made for myself. Many seem to think that the government's role in this is to hand out free goodies to the "disadvantaged" but this only makes problems worse, as we're seeing with the student loan and housing crises we have going on now.

The Dream is about allowing people to build their own lives based on their own desires through their own diligence. Government, which is an institution of force and control, acts to prevent this if it goes beyond its basic purpose of defending rights.

Post: #16

(12-23-2011 07:42 PM)Pusscrook Wrote:  

(12-23-2011 07:19 PM)Samseau Wrote:  The term, "American Dream" is just the lube the system uses to fuck you up the ass.

Are you saying it is merely a mirage, created to manipulate society into thinking it is attainable as long as you play within the rules? Or , is it a way of making you strive to do better financially as long as it benefits the republic?

It's a hoax. The idea that if you work hard to accomplish something you'll be rewarded is utter bullshit. The system doesn't reward the hard workers, it rewards the gamers who exploit others.

Post: #17

Quote:The idea that if you work hard to accomplish something you'll be rewarded is utter bullshit. The system doesn't reward the hard workers, it rewards the gamers who exploit others.

Elaborate.

If you supposedly know how the system works, why aren't you living it up or are one of the gamers exploiting the masses?

Post: #18

(12-24-2011 02:09 AM)blurb Wrote:  

Quote:The idea that if you work hard to accomplish something you'll be rewarded is utter bullshit. The system doesn't reward the hard workers, it rewards the gamers who exploit others.

Elaborate.

If you supposedly know how the system works, why aren't you living it up or are one of the gamers exploiting the masses?

You are shitting me? I'm gaming the system so hard right now, you have no idea.

My job is an easy joke, which allows me almost unlimited free time to write, read, and pursue other hobbies.

My school loans will be deferred or alleviated into oblivion, thanks to Obama, inflation, and the Income Based Repayment scheme.

My love life is great, thanks to game.

My needs are low, because I'm not dumb enough to want more.
Therefore I get by with minimal effort; I'm relatively happy, and alive.

Post: #19

How the System Works
by Samseau


Competition is for suckers.


Private workers are the gladiators who get a "prize" if they manage to kill each other, just so they can live to fight another day.

Public workers are spectators of the gladiator matches....they don't get the glory of victory, but have the security of enjoying the competition without having to participate in such a brutal cutthroat activity.

The elites are the ones making bets on the gladiators. Wall st. workers are the bookies.

Then there are the loyalty old-money folks at the top: congressmen, bankers, judges, bureaucrats, and other lawmakers of various stripes. These guys write rules of the game for everyone else to play. The rules are written so no matter who wins, no one else gets the write the rules.

Meanwhile, immigrants and foreign laborers are the slave class who do most of the productive shit work but can't afford to pay to see the gladiators.

Post: #20

You'd have to be a fool to try and be in any other group except for the public workers.

Post: #21

(12-24-2011 04:24 PM)Samseau Wrote:  You'd have to be a fool to try and be in any other group except for the public workers.

You are like a fucking ninja, wise and stealth. Checking you out man!

Post: #22

(12-24-2011 04:24 PM)Samseau Wrote:  You'd have to be a fool to try and be in any other group except for the public workers.

Can you give some examples of public workers?

Post: #23

(12-25-2011 06:03 AM)blurb Wrote:  

(12-24-2011 04:24 PM)Samseau Wrote:  You'd have to be a fool to try and be in any other group except for the public workers.

Can you give some examples of public workers?

Any state or federal agency; any job which isn't performance based; any job that relies on approval from others instead of actual real world results; cannot be fired from short of committing a crime. Any job that falls into these categories are "public" jobs.

Private jobs require you to work over 40 hours a week; can be measured by tangible results; address specific consumer wants/needs; have the "honor" of making far more money if results are good (i.e. you win the gladiator fights); can be fired from at your employer's whim.

Post: #24

redacted

Post: #25

(12-26-2011 06:14 PM)WestIndianArchie Wrote:  

(12-22-2011 10:35 PM)Pusscrook Wrote:  Someone tried to piss in my ear today, and convince me that it was raining..... Are you buying or selling this "American dream? Your thoughts?

I totally bought in.

did well in grade school.
went to good college
got job
went to good grad school
got better job, a soul crushing 60-90 hour a week job
bought the good car (bmw), had the nice apartment (dupont circle, murray hill), enough dress clothes for an entire office

almost got married and would have had 2/3 kids in the next 5 years.

I think I was living the typical American Dream, but it's really a nightmare.

I discovered the "game" way back, like say 2001-02? A few quick reads of mASF and I had more ass than I could handle. I would flub the basic concepts, ignore all the rules, just got my feet wet with a faint idea of where to go, but it worked. And it worked well. I was juggling 5-6 bitches at a time. There were always more to talk to and bed. It got to be physically tiring.

Found a dime and a relationship later, went back to being a cunt hound with a few more lessons, and easy peasy swimming in chicks.

Job took me to god forsaken DC. Still, game works wherever. Ran through a couple, found one i liked. Moved to NY, now single again.

In that 10 year span, 25-35, I worked...and worked...and amassed goods...took 5-7 day trips around the world...and worked. But my student loans barely have a dent in them. (most of your money goes to interest)

I'm done with the American dream. I think of the hundreds of thousands if not millions I've made my employers over the years, and my managers and supervisors further along were still working the same schedules. They're making the company even more $.

Around the water cooler, talking about last night's game, bitching about this that and a third.

The shit is pathetic.

I woke up about 5 months ago and started plotting my way out. At first it was for the 2 of us, but now it's just me.

This shit sucks. This corporate life?

I don't know why any of you guys would want to get attached to some soul sucking career in finance or mining just so you can travel the world. Teach english? It'll get you out there and sliding into some foreign tang, but you're still not free.

There are other ways. People on this board are showing it to you.

Let's get free.

What is your definition of freedom, Archie?