The $%*! frustration thread

[Lennis]

This is one of the most genuinely disturbing articles I've read in awhile.  To summarize: increasing numbers of young women, burdened with crippling student loan debts and the lack of available jobs, are selling themselves to wealthy benefactors - "sugar daddies" - to make ends meet.  The implications for the current generation, and indeed the generations to come, should bring every self-respecting citizen to tears.

EDIT: Moderator please move this to Humanity: Good News, Bad News

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/29/seeking-arrangement-college-students_n_913373.html?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl3%7Csec3_lnk2%7C220673

[Syna]

I really, really, really, really really really hate hate sitting through weddings.

I mean, I don't want to be a curmudgeon about it, since seeing my friends happy is important and participating in something significant to them is important, but I inevitably temporarily age into a forty year old Marxist and start grousing: "blah blah conformist blah blah sexist blah blah blah gendernormative blah blah I'll say 'congratulations' and buy you something from Target when you've maintained a good relationship for ten years and have actually earned something blah blah blah..."

(I hope it's clear by my tone that I know I'm being pretty stupid.)

On the plus side, in this last wedding I was in, the groom jammed and caterpillared down the aisle to "I Feel Good" by James Brown. And next year, my unmarried roommates who have been together 10 years plan on having a "we are drunk on the beach and so can you" party. Both those things are pretty redeeming.

[tushantin]

I really, really, really, really really really hate hate sitting through weddings.

Glad I'm not the only one. XDDD

This is one of the most genuinely disturbing articles I've read in awhile.

Sheee.... Sheeeiiiii .... Shheeeeeeeeiiittttt....

[utunnels]

I tried some optimizing software which removed unused junks from the system several months ago.
I didn't spot any side effect in a couple of days so I removed the backup...

Just yesterday I found I couldn't install Japanese IME anymore and had to try google IME instead. 

[tushantin]

The following website posts news on a tablet specially for rural areas that cannot afford a cellphone, much less an actual computer. But apparently I pissed off a loyal Apple fan.

Just buy an iPad with 10 year contract .

So my response to the fellow was as follows.

Right, and you assume the "poverty stricken areas" an afford that? Do note the price difference. This pad is 3k Rupees. The iPad? Over 50k Rupees. While I'm not from a poverty stricken area, even I can't afford Apple's trash and have no desire to, because I don't need to pay an arm and leg for something that only "looks" fancy.

Then some troll named ODoyleRulz comes about and apparently corrects me.

He did say 10 year contract! huh.. btw your comment is really stupid!  You can't afford Apple's trash? lool...  ok.. Have you even ever used one?  you can't afford Apple.. that's one thing, but you don't have to be ignorant. All major tablets cost around $500.. phones around $200 on contract, so wtf are you talking about?   I buy iPhone every year, iPad every year... and I still have two legs and two arms.  So I don't know what you are on....

I wouldn't mind being called ignorant, but offending the choices of poor folks is a completely different matter. Right. So, poor folks who barely get any education are supposed to sign a contract with Apple, especially when they've never in their lives purchased a fucking cellphone, much less worry about bills? And they should be giving up a dream-come-true technology and whatever they save for necessity expenses to play fucking Angry Birds? Oh, and he tells me he buys iPads and iPhones every year (more rant on this coming up).

I don't need to. Nobody needs to, lol. I'm just a gadget lover. If I like something and I can afford it, I get it... simple as that.

Okay, being a gadget lover is not a bad thing, and everyone wants some kind of novelty or another. But seriously? Would you buy an XBOX and a PS3 and a Wii just because you love them all? Would you keep four cars for yourself just because it's a technological marvel? Lastly, are the people from the west really that haughty, priming on the ignorance of value?

Ah no, not the people from the west. It is merely the wealthy I'd blame, whichever hemisphere they hail from. They say you do not value the worth of every drop of water until the well is empty. They wealthy have no limitations on monetary income, and they'd have no qualms about wasting a grand on nothing but selfish pleasures, even though somewhere a person's life hangs in balance, depending whether he can earn an extra 10 bucks. One day you want a new silver helm because all your friends have it, and there is that unfortunate fellow who is being denied education all because he is short on 50 Rupees.

I implore humanity, always value what you have. Every penny counts. Every grain gives a portion of destiny to the victims of misfortune.

btw... your government is butt raping you and your mandirs are taking all your gold

I agree with the first bit. The second is an offense I cannot tolerate. See, the Temple here is a holy place. Some might argue placing parsads and money in boxes there is even holy to begin with, but with every penny inserted in the box we feel better; not because we feel we're bribing God (as one idiot pointed out before) but because we know that the money collected will eventually be used to feed the poor at daily Satsangs and Prayers. Our faith in religion saves lives. But this guy warns us that these miserable, unfortunate fellows are a burden to us. Seriously, do the wealthy never know empathy? Do they cower in their cozy sofas behind platinum walls just to stay the fuck away from people in rags as if they are some parasites of the earth?

[ZeaLitY]

Fuck OneRepublic into the ground. Just let their fucking terrible music die.

[ZeaLitY]

http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20110805-292947.html

Send all the bear bile harvesters and buyers of bear bile to a re-education camp immediately. Force the eradication of both the practice and the superstition. This is just unconscionable.

This will not do.

Ugh: http://www.wwtdd.com/2011/08/this-is-why-everyone-hates-gwyneth-paltrow/

I don't like Brendan's (the writer's) sexist insults, but fuck, do I sympathize with the feeling. Does someone really deserve to have so much wealth for merely acting? Does someone really deserve so much wealth who is not committed to the illumination of humanity, as industrialist Andrew Carnegie so deftly implored in the Gospel of Wealth? And then this:

“Built-in slots hold holy books—including the Qur’an, Bible, and Tao Te Ching—all at the same level (which is how I like to think about religion).”

Yeah, they're all bullshit. I'd put them all on equal footing in an incinerator, so no one could possibly rescue these hateful, anti-human, misogynist, dark age texts from their deserved removal.

[Shee]

I agree that the list is disheartening, but to say that she or any other actor is not "committed to the illumination of humanity" is ridiculous.  Merely acting....I find that very disrespectful.  It is, in my opinion, the purest form of life.  It is living, without all the bullshit filters we put up around us constantly.  When acting, there is no "wrong" all you can do is deal with what is presented to you.  There can be no filters.  And when the writing, acting, and crew all line up perfectly....FUCK if that doesn't move us then nothing does.

This isn't even about her anymore in my mind.  I can't defend her use of her wealth.  I can defend the wealth though.  Um, sorta.  It's not that different from the ol' "why don't teachers make as much as professional athletes" argument.  The money isn't fucking there for teachers.  No one buys season passes, parking, merch, concessions etc etc etc for teachers.  People forget that a lot of the higher ups behind the scenes for a movie get about just as much money as the actors.  The money is there.  No one is buying tickets to go see a teacher.  And actors like GP here that have staying power are absurdly rare.  Look at how many flash-in-the-pans there are.  Look back seven years at who was "hot" and see how many still are.  And most actors at that level have put in and continue to put in massive amount of time and work.  They are rare, and rarity gets paid.  Is the pay too high?  We could argue all day, and there certainly is a part of me that thinks yes, it is.  But you never know which project could be your last.  Stars fade, get paid while you can for doing what you love.


Let's not be fucking stupid.  As an aspiring actor who is JUST NOW sniffing the outer rings of some real work and recognition I can say that I've busted my ass to get here.  And yes, the money would be fantastic.  No shit, I think anyone would enjoy more financial wiggle room.  Am I achieving great art while I try to sling some horseshit while at a commercial audition?  Of course I'm not.  But it's a damn foot in the door!  And heaven forbid I make rent doing WHAT I LOVE.  And yea, for every wonderful movie (or "film" as some fucknuts might say) there's another 10 Smurfs and Hop and all that BS.  I get it.  I'm, in it.  I see it every fucking day.  For every truly beautiful play that gets turned into a movie a la Proof or Talk Radio there's 1000 more out there that don't.  It's NOT all bullshit out there.


"Merely acting"....tell that to your Tron avatars.

[Lord J Esq]

http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20110805-292947.html

Wow. For those of you who didn't read the link, it's pretty gruesome...worth a read just to remember that this sort of thing is still very widespread in the world. Including, presumably, in elements of our own food production system.

It's an article about a bear who killed itself and its cubs to escape being tortured for their bile.

[ZeaLitY]

I know, I know; acting is an extremely important thing. But I mean, damn, like $30 million for a single movie? And so on. People make less money for curing diseases.

[FaustWolf]

I imagine Paltrow has a few saving graces. Heck, even Charlie Sheen might have a redeeming quality or two. Reflecting on the philanthropy of big name stars, I think our society has done a fair job of socializing them into pumping at least a portion of their wealth where it can be put to societally optimal use.

Ultimately I think the blame for poverty, stalled eradication of diseases, and lack of progress in other areas must be laid precisely at the footstep of government, which commands far more resources than all these people combined.

...Or does it? I guess Apple does have more cash on hand than the U.S. Treastury nowadays, huh? Well, shit. I'll just leave this where it is, 'cause it's all so damn confusing. And that's my frustration for now.

[ZeaLitY]

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/06/10/241830/top-10-thing-texas-gov-rick-perry/

Rick Perry can get fucked. Also, Bachmann winning that straw poll? Hilarious. There are few greater cases of hoisting oneself with one's own petard than casting a vote for that fucking ignorant, hateful loon.

[Lord J Esq]

I suspect his secessionist streak will make him much less electable than he otherwise would have been, and the whole "right-wing governor from Texas" thing doesn't help either. I've been living in Texas this year, and he exudes a vague evil force like Sauron from Mordor.

No Republican has any chance at winning unless the economy goes into recession again or Obama manages to erode his support base even more.

Let’s look at the plausible contenders. Following are my in-depth dossiers.

Michele Bachmann
The most extreme fundamentalist Christian in the race. She is probably delusional. Her style of governance would resemble Nazi Germany more strongly than any other plausible Republican contender. The Tea Party’s star candidate. She has a moderate chance of winning the nomination, and no chance of winning the general election.

Rick Santorum
A washed-up ultraconservative Christian fundamentalist ex-Senator who got voted out of office for his excesses. Self-absorbed and egomanaical. He has very little chance of winning the nomination.

Tim Pawlenty
A solidly conservative former governor of Minnesota. Notwithstanding his Christian fundamentalism, Pawlenty is not a lunatic like many of the other candidates, but he has staked out all the right positions to appeal to the lunatics. He is the Republicans’ best mainstream candidate, but his campaign has yet to gain traction. He has a good chance of winning the nomination, and a low chance of winning the general election—although second only to Romney in that regard.

Rick Perry
A noted secessionist, Perry is the most negligent governor Texas has ever seen, responding to budget pressures by eviscerating Texas’ already spare state government and leaving poor people, science, and the sick and elderly to rot. He is a hardcore conservative Christian fundamentalist and has pandered to the Tea Party for support, but he is not truly one of them. If his record as governor were applied to parenting a child, he would be thrown in jail for abuse and neglect. Perry has the best chance of winning the nomination, and a low chance of winning the general election, but is the only one who has a plausible shot at it other than Romney and Pawlenty.

Ron Paul
A shameless cult leader and pseudo-anarchist who loves to run for president. He would dismantle much of the federal government, or at least attempt to. A Christian fundamentalist. His disciples resemble a quasi-paramilitary force of brainwashed jackboots, and they often dominate local Republican events to glorify Paul’s name and bring attention to his candidacy. He has no chance of winning the nomination.

Newt Gingrich
A disgraced former Speaker of the House who was responsible for government shutdowns in the 1990s and helped to engineer the economic problems of the 2000s. He is best known for leaving his wife as she coped with cancer. He makes millions from his book deals, speeches, and television appearances. He is the most corrupt Republican candidate in the race, but his campaign has imploded from what little traction it ever got. He has no chance of winning the nomination.

Mitt Romney
The least-objectionable Republican in the race. He is a moderate who has disguised himself as an ultraconservative, although as president he would govern very conservatively. As a Mormon, he has an unusually low support ceiling due to all the bigoted Christian fundamentalists who would never support him. Despite this, as the establishment candidate and a fairly popular politician he has a good chance of winning the nomination, and a low chance of winning the general election—but the best of all the Republican contenders.

In Conclusion:
Either Bachmann, Pawlenty, Perry, or Romney will win the nomination. Of those, all but Bachmann would be a legitimate contender to win the election. However, unless the economy goes into recession again, or Obama manages to significantly further erode his support base, the odds strongly favor his reelection in 2012 due to the extremism of the Republican candidates.

I previously thought that Pawlenty had a lock on the nomination, and I am surprised his campaign hasn’t caught on yet. With Perry entering the race now, however, Pawlenty may be doomed. Perry is very likely to suck up all the right-wing fascist energy that isn’t going to Bachmann.

Chance of Winning the Nomination
Perry: 47%
Romney: 26%
Pawlenty: 17%
Bachmann: 8%
All other candidates: 2%

Chance of Winning the Election
Obama: 67%
Romney: 33%

Obama: 70%
Pawlenty: 30%

Obama: 83%
Perry: 17%

Obama: 100%
Bachman: 0%

[Syna]

I sincerely think actors do as much for humanity as the people who cure diseases - if not more, to be honest. But people hate Gwenyth Paltrow because she's a fucking pretentious asshole. And I am not one to say that kind of thing lightly of people I don't know, particularly people whose public perception is likely to be distorted for the services of the media machine. She's a decent enough actor, but doesn't have a role to her name that is particularly resonant or relevant -- to say nothing of the awful, entitled bullshit she spews on her little self-help website (GOOP, for those of you as masochistic as me) and in that article. I'm inclined, personally, to direct my hate at rampant materialism in the guise of liking fine, exquisite, aesthetically pleasing things.

The article about the bear bile breaks my heart. Humans routinely underestimate and misinterpret animals, and for centuries one of the supposed differences between animals and humans was that animals did not committed suicide (presumably because they did not have the self-awareness and ability to premeditate that requires). Not only was the bear able to commit suicide because her conditions were so abhorrent, she was able to have the empathy necessary to save her cub from a similar life of suffering by killing it.

Lord J, that's a great breakdown of the candidates. To add some fuel to the Rick-Perry-is-frightening fire, here's an article about what he's been doing in Texas these past years: http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/06/10/241830/top-10-thing-texas-gov-rick-perry/

I can't even bring myself to think about Bachman, to be honest. She is directly inspired by many of the cultural staples of the evangelical environment I grew up in, most notably Francis Schaeffer, whose take on philosophy, art, and history is so utterly abhorrent to me and antithetical to my own that I can smell the stench of him miles away (sure enough, after hearing some of Bachman's comments, I did my research and was right: Bachman thinks Schaeffer was a prophet, basically). He believes things like "modern, abstract art is inferior to classical art because it is non-representational, "chaotic" opposed to the "orderliness" of our Creator," and tellingly thinks we all started to go downhill during Renaissance humanism. Auugggggh.

[tushantin]

He believes things like "modern, abstract art is inferior to classical art because it is non-representational, "chaotic" opposed to the "orderliness" of our Creator," and tellingly thinks we all started to go downhill during Renaissance humanism. Auugggggh.

Wow, that's a new record. He collectively insulted over 10 million artists with a single, simplistic sentence. 

But he forgets the primary philosophy shared by true artists: only from chaos can beauty reign, and it takes a true stroke of genius to accomplish that. The very genii he collectively offended.


The bears! Please, not the bears!