...or if, regardless of education, they are saddled with the basic inability to keep their heads above water except by using every ounce of energy and every waking moment, swimming with all their might like rats in a glass tank with nothing to hold onto. A populace running as hard as it can just to stay in place, doesn't have time or energy left to ponder things, much less organize. It can only collapse, exhausted, order pizza, and watch YouTube till it passes out so it can get up and run the race for an extra cracker the next day.
Yes, I'm cynical. But keeping the masses barely surviving is an excellent way to brook no opposition, politically. Making them believe it's their own fault for not aspiring, not striving, not trying hard enough? Genius in its simplicity.
Racism is EVERYONE's fight #BLM #StopAsianHate
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
It is a bill of goods we're all being sold, that asking for a decent way of life in exchange for a decent work/life balance, is sheer entitlement, indolence, etc. instead of simply making life livable so that people can mostly be happy and productive instead of in a state of the "quiet desperation" of the Pink Floyd song. The "keeping up of appearances" while the false promises of the meritocracy that never was, lure us like the will-o-the-wisp, into the marsh.
All for an extra quarterly return so that we can say "but the GNP is up!"
Countries in which people are happy because they have a reasonable shot at a reasonable life, provided they make a reasonable effort, are not countries in which unbridled economic inequality flourish, and are putting the lie to the idea that social Darwinism is either beneficial or necessary.
The book "Nickel and Dimed -On (not) getting by in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich was a very telling read for me a few years ago and still very illuminating about how expensive it is, to be poor, and how nearly impossible to claw one's way out of economic disparity.
I've lived it despite my parents' education levels, and knew firsthand how abysmally hard eking out a toehold in life is, if you must work whatever job you can walk to, because you can't afford a car, and can't afford a car because you must work an entry-level job because you're limited to whatever you can get in walking distance to a cheap rental. The things people take for granted when they have a certain level of stability (which is to say, a certain income in excess of dire needs) are simply not there below a certain income level, and the aspirations in life narrow to the point that being able to buy a cup of coffee out, becomes sensation of luxury, and low forms of entertainment, one's only relief of stress.
Her book details her experiment, living as one of the working poor (which she knows the whole time she's safe from the real consequences of, because she actually ISN'T one of them, merely dabbling a toe in the waters to see how it feels) and she finds it stinks on ice in ways she couldn't have fathomed before living it.
I've seen it so many ways: the "poor people's" stores in easy walking distance to my house, all charge a dollar if you want cash back at a register after shopping there. The poor people without the ability to shop farther afield as I can, pay a dollar if they want the same access to cash from their own debit card at the register, that better-offs like me, get for nothing, just because we can drive to a "proper" grocery store. I could as easily go by the credit union or ATM, but it's a convenience to me to draw out money without paying a penalty fee, when I grocery shop. Not so, for someone to whom each trip to the local poor-store, costs them cab fare in winter (unless they plan to carry many bags in the ice and snow for a mile or so...something I did when I was younger but would hate to do now) and their overall purchase total will be less, and their trips more frequent, and their overall income far less...so that niggling little extra dollar just to access their own money conveniently? It's usury, it's predarorial, and it's wrong. I also observe that the same beer at those "poor people" stores costs more than that brand at "better" grocery stores. As does nearly everything else, and the selection is far less healthy, far less fresh, and far fewer choices.
"Them that has, gets" has never been more true than it is today in the USA and countries with similarly Social Darwinist brands of Capitalism.
Racism is EVERYONE's fight #BLM #StopAsianHate
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
I'm quite dumbfounded to read about the grocery store charging people one dollar for access to their own money (although I know private ATM machines do it all the time, argh the greed! Sometimes as much as $2.50 to get your own money out because you're nowhere near your own bank's ATM, that's ridiculous.)
I used to be annoyed when most stores had a minimum spend in place before you could use EFTPOS (usually $10) - that's almost unheard of now, thankfully. Everybody uses EFTPOS after all, nobody carries cash! But it always annoyed me, it was another circumstance where you needed access to a few groceries, but in order to use EFTPOS you had to buy more an extra item or two that you didn't really want.
I was shocked just last year when a specialty grocery store I attended (and lined up for a long time to get served) told me they still have the minimum $10 charge! I thought "what year is this?". I had no cash on me, and I wasn't going to pick up extra items I didn't want and go to the end of that loooong line again. I was so peeved, I reacted in an uncharacteristically rude manner by dropping my items on their counter in front of them and just walking away. Sure, I could have afforded an extra couple of items, but the principle really riled me.
I hate the atm thing. My bank has atms everywhere thankfully so it's very seldom an issue. They also reimburse me for a couple a month I forget how many. But if I have to use it I have to pay out that charge until they reimburse me. A couple years ago I couldn't take my last 20 dollars out of my account because I was at a job orientation in a fairly undeveloped area so their was only a 3rd party atm and I literally had like maybe 21 dollars in my account with a 2.50 withdrawal cost. I had to walk for like 30 mins until I found my banks atms. All I even wanted was bus tickets home and wanted to buy those on card but nobody sold those either. It was great... not.
We still have some places here that have the minimum spend for card payments but really only smaller businesses thankfully. It's because the banks charge them so much so some smaller businesses aren't willing to/can't eat the cost on it. Larger businesses will gladly and can eat the cost on it they'd lose more business with the limit than they will spend on transaction fees (and they can get better deals). But yeah they mostly did away too thankfully. I put almost everything on card even before the pandemic when everyone wants you to anyway. I find my spending more manageable that way (I know many prefer cash if they have to watch their spending). So yeah I often just don't have cash even if it's 2 bucks. Or it's emergency cash and I just don't want to spend it unless it's well.... an emergency.
I've never had to use an ATM, I always have cash. I bank, rather than withdraw.
When you say you bank, rather than withdraw, it sounds like you are saying you only deposit money, never take it out. But you always have cash...that you didn't withdraw? You get paid in cash, maybe?
Racism is EVERYONE's fight #BLM #StopAsianHate
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
I've never had to use an ATM, I always have cash. I bank, rather than withdraw.
When you say you bank, rather than withdraw, it sounds like you are saying you only deposit money, never take it out. But you always have cash...that you didn't withdraw? You get paid in cash, maybe?
Yes that right - sort of. We pay house hold bills with our debit cards, and I also use my card for online buying.
I get paid in cash or by bank transfer - as a self employed hairdresser, and I still get enough cash that I don't need to withdraw.
Most places I go automatically push the eftpos machine in my direction when I go to pay, but I tell them it's cash. A lot of people still use cash, but not as many as their cards.
We don't even own credit cards.
Still laughing at my rabid fan making comments about me spending all my time playing the sims and posting here.
I think I may have played the sims once this year, and I look at the forum briefly most days.
I work in some shape or form most days, and I'm hopefully getting more studio space sorted, at last!
Still laughing at my rabid fan making comments about me spending all my time playing the sims and posting here.
I think I may have played the sims once this year, and I look at the forum briefly most days. I work in some shape or form most days, and I'm hopefully getting more studio space sorted, at last!
I was looking at all that today
What do you do @Movotti?
@February11 I do lots of things. My current dabble is screen printing. I also do occasional leatherwork, jewellery, I make costumes. I'm one of those annoying people who can do an ok job of most arts and crafts, within a short period of time of learning how. But I get bored quickly.
Speaking of annoying people, I do believe that my troll has been harassing me since early 2017, maybe longer.
Should one admire the dedication, or question the obsession?
Still laughing at my rabid fan making comments about me spending all my time playing the sims and posting here.
I think I may have played the sims once this year, and I look at the forum briefly most days.
I work in some shape or form most days, and I'm hopefully getting more studio space sorted, at last!
I saw that. Reported it. And it's not admirable in any way. Spending a lot of time online or playing games is not an offense. Spending a lot of time online for the sole purpose of a hate campaign, is.
Racism is EVERYONE's fight #BLM #StopAsianHate
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
Still laughing at my rabid fan making comments about me spending all my time playing the sims and posting here.
I think I may have played the sims once this year, and I look at the forum briefly most days.
I work in some shape or form most days, and I'm hopefully getting more studio space sorted, at last!
I saw that. Reported it. And it's not admirable in any way. Spending a lot of time online or playing games is not an offense. Spending a lot of time online for the sole purpose of a hate campaign, is.
Same here. It's horrible.
Back to work for me on Thursday. 2 days of freedom left. Where did those 3 weeks go?
I'm almost out of wine. We've got various things that need fixed around the house too- broken bathroom fan, broken windows, broken floor tiles. But wine is cheaper to replace, so I'll complain about that. Lol.
That my tea subscription box that I ordered 5 weeks ago but only started shipping a few days ago has been stuck in Quebec not moving for 3 days. I'm several provinces over so that is not helping. Oddly for once I wish it was being shipped via Canada Post it probably would be here today maybe tomorrow. For all their faults they move really fast (in my experience). It's shipping via UPS though and is expected Friday. And TBH I've for some reason never had a problem with Canada Post shipments from David's Tea. Every other seller yes but David's Tea no IDK why but that's how it is. Bright teal usually large box that can't be hidden they leave on my doorstep no problem but a small non-descript grey mailer envelope that can be hidden in a mailbox... that they guard with their lives. I've also had a lot of couriers but never UPS so IDK if they're any good or what. I mean it's hard to be worse than Canada Post but you never know (FedEx sure tries!) I just know I want my box!
But I know it's very whiny and first world because so far the darn thing is coming just not as fast as I want. I just don't like waiting for surprises I gotta know what's in that stupid thing! I've been slowly dying of suspense for the last 5 weeks!
The leather wallet with a chain, that I got for hubs for Christmas, never arrived, and said it was delivered. It was either delivered to the wrong house, or swiped. But I'll just have to buy another one, darn it.
Racism is EVERYONE's fight #BLM #StopAsianHate
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
I'm almost out of wine. We've got various things that need fixed around the house too- broken bathroom fan, broken windows, broken floor tiles. But wine is cheaper to replace, so I'll complain about that. Lol.
Nice to know you get your priorities right
I'm never out of wine. I have a wine rack in our store room which holds 120 bottles, and one in the living room which holds 24. Although there are a few "holes" here and there, it's more full than not.
My First World Problem over Christmas was, I was given about 30 bottles of wine from my clients, and I didn't have 30 "holes" to fill! Shame, I just had to stick the extras in the fridge and drink them.
Centrelink are painful to deal with from what I've heard. I'm glad so far I have had no dealings with them. They make it as hard as possible to get anything you're entitled to without numerous forms to fill in, numerous trips to them and useless phone calls, as you end up on the phone for hours until it eventually cuts out and you get nowhere.
No wonder you're worried. All the best and I hope you manage to sort it out to your advantage.
I was on Job Keeper payments for the best part of last year. That's stopped now. At least the ATO were easier to deal with. I hate dealing with the ATO. They scare me!
Ah! Centrelink. The land of red tape and impossibly placed hoops.
Thoroughly investigate before paying any 'debts' to them, many people find that they're owed money, not owing it.
Comments
Yes, I'm cynical. But keeping the masses barely surviving is an excellent way to brook no opposition, politically. Making them believe it's their own fault for not aspiring, not striving, not trying hard enough? Genius in its simplicity.
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
All for an extra quarterly return so that we can say "but the GNP is up!"
Countries in which people are happy because they have a reasonable shot at a reasonable life, provided they make a reasonable effort, are not countries in which unbridled economic inequality flourish, and are putting the lie to the idea that social Darwinism is either beneficial or necessary.
The book "Nickel and Dimed -On (not) getting by in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich was a very telling read for me a few years ago and still very illuminating about how expensive it is, to be poor, and how nearly impossible to claw one's way out of economic disparity.
I've lived it despite my parents' education levels, and knew firsthand how abysmally hard eking out a toehold in life is, if you must work whatever job you can walk to, because you can't afford a car, and can't afford a car because you must work an entry-level job because you're limited to whatever you can get in walking distance to a cheap rental. The things people take for granted when they have a certain level of stability (which is to say, a certain income in excess of dire needs) are simply not there below a certain income level, and the aspirations in life narrow to the point that being able to buy a cup of coffee out, becomes sensation of luxury, and low forms of entertainment, one's only relief of stress.
Her book details her experiment, living as one of the working poor (which she knows the whole time she's safe from the real consequences of, because she actually ISN'T one of them, merely dabbling a toe in the waters to see how it feels) and she finds it stinks on ice in ways she couldn't have fathomed before living it.
I've seen it so many ways: the "poor people's" stores in easy walking distance to my house, all charge a dollar if you want cash back at a register after shopping there. The poor people without the ability to shop farther afield as I can, pay a dollar if they want the same access to cash from their own debit card at the register, that better-offs like me, get for nothing, just because we can drive to a "proper" grocery store. I could as easily go by the credit union or ATM, but it's a convenience to me to draw out money without paying a penalty fee, when I grocery shop. Not so, for someone to whom each trip to the local poor-store, costs them cab fare in winter (unless they plan to carry many bags in the ice and snow for a mile or so...something I did when I was younger but would hate to do now) and their overall purchase total will be less, and their trips more frequent, and their overall income far less...so that niggling little extra dollar just to access their own money conveniently? It's usury, it's predarorial, and it's wrong. I also observe that the same beer at those "poor people" stores costs more than that brand at "better" grocery stores. As does nearly everything else, and the selection is far less healthy, far less fresh, and far fewer choices.
"Them that has, gets" has never been more true than it is today in the USA and countries with similarly Social Darwinist brands of Capitalism.
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
I hate the atm thing. My bank has atms everywhere thankfully so it's very seldom an issue. They also reimburse me for a couple a month I forget how many. But if I have to use it I have to pay out that charge until they reimburse me. A couple years ago I couldn't take my last 20 dollars out of my account because I was at a job orientation in a fairly undeveloped area so their was only a 3rd party atm and I literally had like maybe 21 dollars in my account with a 2.50 withdrawal cost. I had to walk for like 30 mins until I found my banks atms. All I even wanted was bus tickets home and wanted to buy those on card but nobody sold those either. It was great... not.
We still have some places here that have the minimum spend for card payments but really only smaller businesses thankfully. It's because the banks charge them so much so some smaller businesses aren't willing to/can't eat the cost on it. Larger businesses will gladly and can eat the cost on it they'd lose more business with the limit than they will spend on transaction fees (and they can get better deals). But yeah they mostly did away too thankfully. I put almost everything on card even before the pandemic when everyone wants you to anyway. I find my spending more manageable that way (I know many prefer cash if they have to watch their spending). So yeah I often just don't have cash even if it's 2 bucks. Or it's emergency cash and I just don't want to spend it unless it's well.... an emergency.
When you say you bank, rather than withdraw, it sounds like you are saying you only deposit money, never take it out. But you always have cash...that you didn't withdraw? You get paid in cash, maybe?
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
Yes that right - sort of. We pay house hold bills with our debit cards, and I also use my card for online buying.
I get paid in cash or by bank transfer - as a self employed hairdresser, and I still get enough cash that I don't need to withdraw.
Most places I go automatically push the eftpos machine in my direction when I go to pay, but I tell them it's cash. A lot of people still use cash, but not as many as their cards.
We don't even own credit cards.
I think I may have played the sims once this year, and I look at the forum briefly most days.
I work in some shape or form most days, and I'm hopefully getting more studio space sorted, at last!
I was looking at all that today
What do you do @Movotti?
Speaking of annoying people, I do believe that my troll has been harassing me since early 2017, maybe longer.
Should one admire the dedication, or question the obsession?
I saw that. Reported it. And it's not admirable in any way. Spending a lot of time online or playing games is not an offense. Spending a lot of time online for the sole purpose of a hate campaign, is.
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
Same here. It's horrible.
Back to work for me on Thursday. 2 days of freedom left. Where did those 3 weeks go?
Origin ID: BadArkane
But I know it's very whiny and first world because so far the darn thing is coming just not as fast as I want. I just don't like waiting for surprises I gotta know what's in that stupid thing! I've been slowly dying of suspense for the last 5 weeks!
Let's make Liberty and Justice For All a reality.
I'm never out of wine. I have a wine rack in our store room which holds 120 bottles, and one in the living room which holds 24. Although there are a few "holes" here and there, it's more full than not.
My First World Problem over Christmas was, I was given about 30 bottles of wine from my clients, and I didn't have 30 "holes" to fill! Shame, I just had to stick the extras in the fridge and drink them.
No wonder you're worried. All the best and I hope you manage to sort it out to your advantage.
I was on Job Keeper payments for the best part of last year. That's stopped now. At least the ATO were easier to deal with. I hate dealing with the ATO. They scare me!
Thoroughly investigate before paying any 'debts' to them, many people find that they're owed money, not owing it.