Things I dislike about modern society

[mcostello]

Stores hate the labor to empty the returned bottle conveyor. And having to take up space to store them, and the loss when the bottles fall off the conveyor. Bananas are not packaged here till check out. Oranges etc. are loose or come in mesh bags. Sugar in meat? Will have to check.

 

[Eddyde]

My major gripe is the quality, or lack there of, mainstream music...

 

[MrWhoopee]

Stores hate the labor to empty the returned bottle conveyor.

I once had a conversation with a retired member of the military. We were discussing the ongoing elimination of low paying jobs and the fact that the trend was moving upward into better paying, semi-skilled jobs. He then asked me "What's the endgame? What happens when there are no longer jobs for the unskilled and semi-skilled?" I had never thought that far out and had no answer.

We still need jobs for the Epsilon minuses.

 

[GeneT45]

I once had a conversation with a retired member of the military. We were discussing the ongoing elimination of low paying jobs and the fact that the trend was moving upward into better paying, semi-skilled jobs. He then asked me "What's the endgame? What happens when there are no longer jobs for the unskilled and semi-skilled?" I had never thought that far out and had no answer.

We still need jobs for the Epsilon minuses.

Even the military doesn't have much use for Epsilons. I won't pretend to remember the stats, but there is a huge percentage of the military-eligible age folks that cannot meet the physical entrance requirements (which have not been tightened) nor the intellectual requirements (tightened for some postions, but not for the military as a whole). When I went in, we referred to the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) - the US Military entrance exam - as a test to see if you were still breathing. I never heard of anyone failing it. Apparently there is a non-negligible percentage of willing candidates (which implies they have a HS diploma) that cannot pass the 'are you breathing?' test...

<scratch> exploring the idea further strays precariously close to politics. *I* don't think it would be political, but it could be taken that way, so I shall refrain.

GsT

 

[pdentrem]

The tree huggers and carbon taxing governments seem to not understand that only about 20% of the crude oil is used for transportation.
As for me, I have switched back to cast iron fry pans as they will out live me and any Teflon pan made.

 

[woodchucker]

I once had a conversation with a retired member of the military. We were discussing the ongoing elimination of low paying jobs and the fact that the trend was moving upward into better paying, semi-skilled jobs. He then asked me "What's the endgame? What happens when there are no longer jobs for the unskilled and semi-skilled?" I had never thought that far out and had no answer.

We still need jobs for the Epsilon minuses.

of course there will always be those that are unskilled. There's a huge demand for them right now.. and no one wants them. And people want them to be paid a lot. My father in law was a cop and worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. He never complained about it according to my wife and her siblings.

 

[strantor]

I expected something more substantial than complaints about bottle caps from a thread titled "Things I dislike about modern society." I take it we are trying tip-toe around anything that might be taken as political? I will try to stick to things that are equally recognizable from any political perspective so nobody feels singled out.

My gripe about modern society is that it is falling apart. We are going the way the Romans, the Huns, the Babylonians, Mayans, et. al; every great civilization that has risen under its own power, has fallen under its own power. They aren't defeated, they self destruct. I think we humans only ever truly thrive in opposition to some foe/ opponent/ boogeyman. We build a civilization running on the fuel of opposition; we conquer, commandeer, assimilate everything and everyone in reach, and once that fuel is exhausted, once there are no more credible threats to the civilization, it loses its purpose. Without a "them," there is not much point in a "us." Without an opposing force to unite against, we don't unite very well.

The United States are not behaving in a very United manner these days. I suspect that also applies in varying degree to other western countries (Australia, et. al). We haven't had a good war in a while and it shows. We are dividing and (seeking to) conquer ourselves. We grow bored without a boogeyman to oppose so we make boogeymen of one another.

The left grows further left while the right grows further right, leaving a wasteland in between that few are brave enough to occupy since they end up being hit by stones thrown from both directions.

We invent "hot button social issues" and hurl the most virulent insults imaginable among the commotion they cause. We have worked ourselves out of quite a few jobs so there is plenty of free time to be spend dreaming up new and inventive ways to stir the pot.

The economy gets worse every year so folks are getting increasingly hopeless, disgruntled, and harbor more resentment against their fellow man (especially those who are better off).

This general societal malaise manifests, among other ways, as a growing desire to throw off norms, buck the system, fight back against tradition. Just for the sake of doing that. Even at personal detriment. I'm all for it if it makes sense but the things I've been seeing haven't made any sense for a while now.

We have cancer. I'm not saying we should start a war to cure it, but... a war would probably cure it (temporarily).

 

[Janderso]

It has been our observation that the oranic produce is more likely to be contaminated with insect life and it spoils more quickly the the "industrial" produce.

Bingo.
My wife buys organic whenever she can. Paying the premium always pisses me off.
And the products generally have a shorter shelf life.

 

[Janderso]

Epsilon minuses.

A simple minded non skilled worker?

https://www.hasdk12.org/cms/lib/PA01001366/Centricity/Domain/912/Chapter%204%20Study%20Guide.pdf

 

[WobblyHand]

I expected something more substantial than complaints about bottle caps from a thread titled "Things I dislike about modern society." I take it we are trying tip-toe around anything that might be taken as political? I will try to stick to things that are equally recognizable from any political perspective so nobody feels singled out.

My gripe about modern society is that it is falling apart. We are going the way the Romans, the Huns, the Babylonians, Mayans, et. al; every great civilization that has risen under its own power, has fallen under its own power. They aren't defeated, they self destruct. I think we humans only ever truly thrive in opposition to some foe/ opponent/ boogeyman. We build a civilization running on the fuel of opposition; we conquer, commandeer, assimilate everything and everyone in reach, and once that fuel is exhausted, once there are no more credible threats to the civilization, it loses its purpose. Without a "them," there is not much point in a "us." Without an opposing force to unite against, we don't unite very well.

The United States are not behaving in a very United manner these days. I suspect that also applies in varying degree to other western countries (Australia, et. al). We haven't had a good war in a while and it shows. We are dividing and (seeking to) conquer ourselves. We grow bored without a boogeyman to oppose so we make boogeymen of one another.

The left grows further left while the right grows further right, leaving a wasteland in between that few are brave enough to occupy since they end up being hit by stones thrown from both directions.

We invent "hot button social issues" and hurl the most virulent insults imaginable among the commotion they cause. We have worked ourselves out of quite a few jobs so there is plenty of free time to be spend dreaming up new and inventive ways to stir the pot.

The economy gets worse every year so folks are getting increasingly hopeless, disgruntled, and harbor more resentment against their fellow man (especially those who are better off).

This general societal malaise manifests, among other ways, as a growing desire to throw off norms, buck the system, fight back against tradition. Just for the sake of doing that. Even at personal detriment. I'm all for it if it makes sense but the things I've been seeing haven't made any sense for a while now.

We have cancer. I'm not saying we should start a war to cure it, but... a war would probably cure it (temporarily).

Thank you for stating this. It is sad to see society apparently degenerating this way. Intense division, folks fighting for their way or the highway, it's pitiful. I hope to live long enough to see this situation improve. We should be endeavouring to make this world a better place than when we got here, not pillaging it for our personal plunder. Not saying we shouldn't improve our personal situations, but not at the expense of everyone and everything else.