I hope you're correct. But having had many discussions with contractors and other tradesmen in Caddo Parrish, I met a lot of people who appeared to hold conservative values but voted Democrat consistently. And were quite open that it was over the union support.
Unions accomplished good things in the past, but these days they create a parasitic mindset. It's also why we see this horror stories about teachers. There are plenty of great teachers. But the NEA attracts and empowers the crazed leeches, so that's what we hear about. I've sat in on some member discussions regarding policy and negotiation, and it'll make your skin crawl.
Well half the population isn't sober enough to vote, and out of those who are, even most of the conservatives there vote Democrat because of unions and all the money funneled to union members via the rampant corruption. When you're making bank from the grift, you vote for the grifters.
Caddo Parrish is corruption from roots to sky. There's nothing the government touches that isn't corrupt. One of the worst areas I've ever had to do business in. It's a pretty good reflection of the rest of Louisiana, at that. It's a poor, high crime state because of corruption. Other factors, too, but mostly just good old fashioned corruption. And has been for a long, long time.
Not wrong.
Several people here have touched on other symptoms, as well. But surprisingly, given what this site is about, I didn't see anyone hit the target. (I only skimmed the bottom, so I may have missed it.)
The issue is role models and leadership. Most teachers are not good role models, yet they see the children more than their parents. Parents are often focused on themselves, their careers, and financial struggles, not the children. So when they reach adulthood, many just kind of shrug and ask why they should bother. There is no one in their lives to lead them forward and show them why the struggle is worth it.
The solution is not simple.
We've lost the family structure. Even otherwise intelligent and decent women no longer see any purpose in family structure. Their mental concept of life is for themselves and their children, and men are largely rotating and incidental to their desires. This leaves a void in the home.
We've also lost community. Strong men in churches and other organizations were once surrogate role models for those who lacked one in the home, but now the person who would have filled that role has been poisoned as "patriarchy," or, if they take on roles of mentoring for children, they're often cast as potential child molesters. Only women are acceptable now, and women are (in general) nurturers, not leaders. They build the nest, not lead the path out from it. Thus a generation who has never taken flight.
This may sound a little misogynistic, but it is not meant to be. Women are amazing. Especially when they embrace being women instead of trying to be men. It's no different for men. They thrive as men, not in trying to be women. We can't escape our biology.
Everyone can find ways to make a difference in their personal lives. But to turn the tide culturally? History suggests that only happens when a tragedy occurs. A great war, a plague, genocide.
Maybe this time can be different.
I often wonder if there is any decent denominations remaining. Plenty of great Christians, not demeaning the people, but I live in a very Christian area and have frequent discussions with followers of various denominations. And it seems like every one has some kind of major exception inserted into their beliefs.
I am private about my beliefs, so I will leave that out, but when I read the Bible and picture a thriving, life-affirming congregation that follows the words of Jesus...I don't see that reflected in any congregation I have ever witnessed. I see "get out of jail free" Baptists, inclusive Catholics, myopic, death worshipping literalists like Church of Christ, and myriad new age Christian groups that are little more than social clubs.
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." If you truly believe, these words should be the rallying cry for a life and community that reflects the light of the blessing of life we have received, and the joy of lifting one another up to be better men and women every day. Not a crutch to make us feel better for our failings or a life lived in fear of punishment to come.
I'm going to offer a different take than others here.
One, I don't think you should consider the two of them to have entirely the same problems. Getting high is probably your son's largest problem. While some people can function through that, a lot of people cannot. If he's not sober, you're probably not making any progress. And it is certainly not a trait that builds a strong man. Beyond that, he sounds like a young man seeking purpose. Which is the one thing your children seem to have in common.
Your daughter sounds like she bought into the lie that living life like a man can be fulfilling for a woman. For the most part, that's not true. And now she's trying to find a foundation to build up a radically different worldview. But is getting ideas from social media, which is basically condensed insanity. This may sound really sexist and misogynistic, but more than anything it sounds like she just needs a good man to be her foundation. She was smart enough to figure out that the life she was sold sucks, but doesn't seem to understand the next step and is searching. And probably not even willing to entertain the old fashioned idea of a traditional relationship as a foundation.
I would support the searching and try to guide it in subtle ways, while drawing a hard line only on toxic behaviors (like substance abuse). They both lack a foundation, and are using you as that. Leverage it to help them build their own.
Unpleasant attitude there.. If something requires interpretation, people will have different opinions. It's well to respect people as individuals.
I recently posted a thread appreciating the hope and faith of people here. This is another point to appreciate. Not everything health related that is posted here is legit, but there is a lot of sound data.
Most health advice has two main objectives: lower your impact on the lives of the ruling class (bugs to replace beef, etc), and for the patient to reach a peaceful death by 80. If those are not your goals, the data in studies can still be useful, just throw out the conclusions. And read carefully. Most of the conclusions in studies are deceptively worded so they are technically true, but not functionally true.
Personal anecdote: on a recent doctor visit, I was advised to decline an out of pocket procedure that would radically improve my quality of life because, "there's no point in that type of procedure at your age. You'll get a few good years and then age will break your body down anyway." I don't want to dox myself, but let's just say that I don't even have any wrinkles. Yet the physician's advice was to embrace death and decline a procedure I can afford out of my checking account.
It's a death cult, that's for sure.
That is difficult to say, and part of the agnosticism. There are clear proofs of inside information at times. I feel like that is well founded. But to balance that, there are many posts that sound like fantasies and have not come to fruition.
I do believe simply raising awareness was a goal. And rallying support for Trump. But unlike many who think the movement is winning, I remain very skeptical. There are all these lofty statements, and I see everyone hoping that this year will be the year the post was meant for, but I don't see the groundwork to make any of those lofty statements come true.
For example, I was not surprised by 2020. It went exactly as I expected, right down to finding ways to stop the counting as needed. Because I see the people who are the ground forces for corruption every day.
And I think that's the piece where I disagree with most here. Yes, we need hope and faith. Of course we should never give up on striving for a better day and a better world. But the corruption in our country is unassailable through conventional means. It has a stranglehold on media, education, military, and government. Not just at the top, but throughout the ranks. And history suggests very few options for changing that, and none that I think are possible in the modern world.
Essentially, I think Q was meant to motivate people. And I have great respect for the hope and faith of the people here. I just think it's a century too late to make a difference. Yet even if I am not a Q adherent like most here, I, too, will keep doing my part to make a difference. The good fight goes on, and there's no point in ever giving up.
Force in defense of one's life, family, and property has long been an accepted response. Only modern sympathy for criminals had changed that.
Theft is a small murder. The victim cannot recover the time and effort, that piece of their life, that was put into the stolen object, nor the future losses that often result.
No one needs to steal. Ever. If they choose to steal a portion of another's life, it is acceptable that they are risking their own lives.
You do realize that DaVinci being gay is just a rewrite of history by these same people, yes? Read his actual writings. There are several passages that make it clear he wasn't gay. In fact, if you read enough of his writings, you'll begin to see that he struggled with the desire for women on a primal level versus his intellectual reflection on the subject and his disgust with the lack of cleanliness that was rampant in his day.
I urge anyone with access to read DaVinci. He was definitely brilliant, but the pop culture portrayal of his character is a travesty of academia pseudo-intellectual gaywashing. It's no different than several other recent revisions of history. He was the pinnacle of intelligence in his day, and the ego of the modern academia "intellectual" has an inherent need to remake him in their own image.
Of note, we see the same behavior with all ego-driven, low intelligence groups that cling to a false facade of superiority. Such groups come in all colors and creeds, including as you named, those who care what race Jesus might have been. Academia is almost exclusively such a group at this point, as well.
I am guessing you are, like myself, on this site as a curiosity, not as a follower of Q. Try treating the people here with respect. I may not agree with everything they believe, or even close, but I do believe that most here are good people that want the best for all. When you disrespect that, you only look foolish to everyone.
Long time observer and skeptic. But I respect the people here, so I try to only comment when it's constructive or will feed discussion.
This is totally different from everything Q has seemed to be about prior. Oh, there's been a few hints, but mostly it's been political in nature. I suspect I know what it being referenced here, but I am uncertain if I know how to explain it. It's definitely along the lines of things that must be learned through action and initiative, rather than teaching. Which IS the one aspect that is consistent with the Q 'protocol,' if you will.
I will say this actually makes me think the Q phenomenon is even less likely to be anything more than, at best, a psychological operation. This could be a very mechanistic message shrouded in metaphysical language, but if not....then basically nothing discussed here has begun to touch the point of the Q endeavor. And it's simply been too long of a game for that to be viable. The same goes for how long Q has played coy with the identity of the enemy. While referencing fragments that have lead people down the path of assuming it to be aliens or demons.
There are times and places to play coy. But when you do it for years, it's only to fool your audience. The question then, I guess, is it you believe that Q followers are the audience, or that the target audience is the enemy.
I'm not certain this observation is spot on, (the problems being pointed to are more a consequence of other things), but I do agree there was a focused attack on the traditional family. However, I would bet that most of the people here espouse some views that are contributing to the problem. Examine all changes versus longstanding traditions and ask yourself what the consequences might be. Even the changes you support. You might be surprised.
These are practiced expressions. Literally. It's based on a philosophy of being "powerful" by following traits of aggression in animals. (Compare to an aggressive dog.)
Many of the ways these people act and look in non traditional ways is because they are operating from a baseline where humans are purely animal, so they mimic animals, and men and women are the same, so they frequently mimic male traits and expressions when attempting a practiced appearance of dominance, regardless of their gender.
I'll abstain from injecting my opinion on that approach. But it's not demons. It's simply a change in baseline influencing approach and expression.
I think a lot of people here don't realize that the top personalities of the left think they have total control and are taking a victory lap. The FBI raid was part of that. There's so much plan trusting here that I think y'all miss that, outside of this and similar sites, the sentiment is that the left is a few short steps from eradicating the right forever.
Please read from outside this information channel, or you may be blindsided by matters in the near future. The team you think is winning is not, so far. Perhaps there's a plan and things will suddenly turn around. But a dystopian nightmare is a little more likely at this point.
Fun topic that I've never seen in my time observing this board. I don't know if that's surprising or not. Ha.
I'd like to believe that there aren't. I have firsthand, shared experiences that have made it clear that the world isn't entirely what we "know" it to be in a materialistic sense. Not that I have any answers, only experiences and observations. But it's always made me wonder about aliens and all the other non human intelligence that many believe in.
At the end of the day, if there is something out there...even if it resides on another planet, I expect it wouldn't be aliens in the pop culture sense. We are the ants, staring up at the sun and thinking our anthill is the world. I don't think we even understand what we are or what our planet is, so forget about understanding anything extraterrestrial.
For those who actively seek...be wary of the things we don't understand. All that we know is one grain of sand.
While the thriftiness is commendable, time is money, and that's a lot of time involved. Not saying don't be frugal, but I would advise that everyone assess their time investment as cost.
I grew up with super frugal parents who were perpetually poor. I copied their example for years, and I struggled to survive but made the most of it. Then one day I realized the point of "time is money." I began to evaluate the things I did to save money as a time cost. It flipped a lot of the frugality on it's head, and now I am better off than I ever could have imagined being. Because I'm no longer over investing large blocks of time to save a small amount of money.
My formula is pretty simple: if I were at work, would I make more money in the time invested than I am saving? If so, skip it.
Not saying that's for everyone or that we shouldn't be frugal. I'm still a cheap bastard. Lol But I have met many people, especially those influenced by Depression era thinking, who burn up their days to save a buck instead of going out and making more. Be wise in your time investment.
I hear that argument a lot and it baffles me. Nothing in the Bible accepts homosexuality.
I like to think that i am a very open minded person. I post on here even though I think a lot of the Q interpretations are pretty whack, just because this is a community of people with good intentions. I don't have to share all the same beliefs. I don't hate people who are sexually deviant, either, as long as they live their lives and don't try to dictate the lives of others. But I can't wrap my head around how anyone reads the Bible and comes away thinking Jesus was accepting of gays. 🙄
Like, I genuinely want someone to explain that one. I can't see how they could.
Someone else has probably said this, but just one tip: you succeed through your people succeeding. Yes, you have to set the bar and demand they meet it, (and weed out the unemployable), but that's all another function of helping your people succeed.
Keep that in mind and you'll go far.
"Woke" is a weapon. Always view it that way. If a company is woke, they have a profit-based agenda. They do not care about the environment - they want an excuse to use poorer materials and packaging that are often government subsidized. They don't care about LGBTQ, they care about using damaged people who cry in the public forum as free advertisement, and cashing in on social programs. I could continue, but you see the gist.
On the street, yes, there's woke folks. But there are very few truly woke companies or politicians. They're mostly predators leveraging the weak minded for power and profit.
As someone who is an executive in a service industry, what happened is a combination of factors. First and foremost, companies that are dominated by analysts discovered that being totally awful to their customers with the excuse of COVID didn't really hurt their business. So they are leaning into that, banking that people will want their products no matter how difficult they make them to acquire or how poorly they treat their customers.
Second is that this COVID enabled mistreatment of customers coincides with a lack of skilled leaders in the workforce. Many decry the laziness of the latest generation, but the real problem is that they grew up without leaders - be it from a broken home, or school teachers that thrive as crybullies, or simply the lack of strong leaders to look up to. Yes, yes, I know many hear would point to Trump as a strong leader, but I'm not really sure of that. He's a strong person with charisma that can lead others. This is not entirely the same as a strong leader. I think he makes up the gap by being invested in people. Nothing wrong with that, but not as easy to emulate as a thoroughly strong leader.
In any case, the point is that a lack of strong leadership role models has lead to a lack of leaders in the current generation, even as that generation thirsts for leadership. We condemn them for their "NPC" status, but the truth is that they follow influences or trends or the media only because those are the strongest voices they know. So for the analytical executive, the best road is to disregard the customer, boost the product, and remove the employee as much as possible, so they don't have to develop the rudderless, lost generation entering the workforce.
I am thankful to work for a company that still values customer service and taking care of our people, but it's not a model that will survive another 40 years at our society's current trajectory.
Ha I like that!
I guess I still don't get it 😂
I asked because it struck me odd. I had a very unusual day in the late 90s... And the most vivid thing that I always remembered from that day was the song Thirty-Three stuck in my head as I walked past a store with a large sign advertising bumblebee tuna. So your username on this thread made me remember and laugh.
I think the word you want is parasites.