Is this the new normal?

[gimmethesimplelife]

Constant controversy, I mean, seemingly coming at one from multiple directions?

On the political stage I worry that if Trump is reelected that this will become the new normal and stick and that there might not be a way to go back. On the work stage I worry with ever increasing competition and more and more automation and the stresses these factors lead to in regards to human health - that there may be no going back to a saner, less stressful and at least on the surface, calmer time. What do you think? Rob

[Alan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU

[Ultralight]

Rob, things are going to get worse, much worse. No joke.

[Zoe Girl]

Rob, things are going to get worse, much worse. No joke.

I agree, and am sorry to say it.

[Ultralight]

I agree, and am sorry to say it.

I try to enjoy as much of my life as I can -- taking Harlan to the park, slurping oysters, laughing with friends, a cold bottle of sparkling water, and so forth.

But I know we're on a sinking ship.

[Yppej]

If robots start doing all the work and I get to stay home and collect universal basic income I will be happy. Automation does not scare me. Trump on the other hand with his hand near the button...

[razz]

Rob, get the book, Factfulness, and read it. You cannot recognize all the progress that has taken place as you are part of it. So much good has happened and will continue to happen but hard to see when you only listen to news reports which focus on the extreme, the tragic, the distressed...
May I suggest - take a news fast for a month and regain your perspective.

[Ultralight]

Factfulness

Great book for optimists to confirm their biases! ;)

[Ultralight]

If robots start doing all the work and I get to stay home and collect universal basic income I will be happy.

Will you be designing, creating, or building these robots who will do all the work?
Or will you leech off the amazing work of the scientists and engineers who did the actual work in AI and robotics that will allow you to collect your income without doing any work?

[razz]

Great book for optimists to confirm their biases! ;)

bi·as
/ˈbīəs/

noun
1.
prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.
"there was evidence of bias against foreign applicants"
synonyms: prejudice, partiality, partisanship, favoritism, unfairness, one-sidedness;

The book is based on UN-based facts, objectively obtained according to scientific methods. This is what makes it credible. The author acknowledges those issues that need greater attention.

The point of my post was to raise the concept that the world is much bigger than the current depressing US news reports. What news channel reports positive ongoing activities and events that show ongoing human progress? It is not considered newsworthy to the masses who prefer to get emotional and dramatic. Gotta sell those ads so keep building the hype and sell lots of tranquillizers - whatever form they take, don't ya know.

[LDAHL]

This is not the new normal. It is the old normal. Change is a historical constant. There have always been winners and losers.

[frugal-one]

Normal until Trump is gone ... Trump is a Hitler-wanna be...the supreme commander.

[ToomuchStuff]

This is not the new normal. It is the old normal. Change is a historical constant. There have always been winners and losers.

+1

Just was watching some off the Moon programs that have been on the last week. It seems quite comparable, and to paraphrase one of the astronauts, there was three America's going on. The ones fighting for or against things (rights, the war, etc) and the ones inside the space bubble. In my limited time living, I have seen and been told by older folks, how we have traditionally swung from one side (too far) to the other (too far).

[LDAHL]

Normal until Trump is gone ... Trump is a Hitler-wanna be...the supreme commander.

Trump is not an epochal figure. He is about ten years away from being a trivia question.

[Ultralight]

Trump is not an epochal figure. He is about ten years away from being a trivia question.

I like your attitude! LOL

And, if you don't mind, I am going to borrow this witticism! :)

[LDAHL]

Looking at the progress being made on any number of fronts, even during my lifetime, I have come to the conclusion that if you aren’t an optimist you’re either selling something or you simply haven’t been paying attention.

[Ultralight]

Looking at the progress being made on any number of fronts, even during my lifetime, I have come to the conclusion that if you aren’t an optimist you’re either selling something or you simply haven’t been paying attention.

I kind of enjoy that outlook of yours. Though I don't share it.

Something I really like about my dog is that he is an optimist. He knows -- just knows! -- that I am going to give him treats and take him on walks at the park. :)

[frugal-one]

Trump is not an epochal figure. He is about ten years away from being a trivia question.

I agree Trump is not an important figure but he definitely is a Hitler-wanna be. He wants to be THE supreme commander.

[frugal-one]

Looking at the progress being made on any number of fronts, even during my lifetime, I have come to the conclusion that if you aren’t an optimist you’re either selling something or you simply haven’t been paying attention.

My conclusion is you are turning your head... you have blinders on and only see what you want to see. It is time to face reality before it is too late. Look at what happened with Hitler! All the warning signs are there. Trump saying he loves Kim and buddies with Putin. That is beyond bizarre!

[ApatheticNoMore]

The book is based on UN-based facts, objectively obtained according to scientific methods. This is what makes it credible. The author acknowledges those issues that need greater attention.

It may be right as far as it goes, but it seems to me many UN-based facts are none so optimistic, the IPCC climate report, the report on species extinction. "Issues that need greater attention" seems radical trivialization .

Trump in another time would be a bad farce, a wanna be Hitler dressed up for Halloween, a corrupt businessman, a spoiled brat born with a silver spoon up his @#$#, a jerk, a petty hater ranting on a soapbox, a ridiculous leader of a failing state. In these actual times he's something far worse: a waste of time we don't have.

[razz]

Every time, each poster gives Trump comments, pro or con, you are giving him power over your thinking. Really think about it. As long as he can keep himself in the news by whatever means, he is succeeding in his viewpoint. Don't help him play his game.

[Ultralight]

Every time, each poster gives Trump comments, pro or con, you are giving him power over your thinking. Really think about it. As long as he can keep himself in the news by whatever means, he is succeeding in his viewpoint. Don't help him play his game.

Agreed! Definitely don't spend any time thinking about the President of The United States or anything he does.

[razz]

Agreed! Definitely don't spend any time thinking about the President of The United States or anything he does.

Now you are being sarcastic, cleverly so. I was, of course, referring to the posts being made and choosing whether to post or not. There are so many other things to post about where one can make a difference. UL, what is your favourite book or author?

[frugal-one]

Now you are being sarcastic, cleverly so. I was, of course, referring to the posts being made and choosing whether to post or not. There are so many other things to post about where one can make a difference. UL, what is your favourite book or author?

I don't think posting on this website makes much of a difference one way or another. Might as well say what you believe.

[LDAHL]

“The world keeps ending but new people too dumb to know it keep showing up who think the party’s just started.”
-John Updike (I think)

Personally, I’ve made a sort of Pascal’s wager with the future. I will act and plan as if a pretty good one was in store. Not Utopia, but pretty good for people who work hard and put a little thought into it. If I’m wrong, I’ll be little worse off than the people who wasted their years hand-wringing.

[razz]

“The world keeps ending but new people too dumb to know it keep showing up who think the party’s just started.”
-John Updike (I think)

Personally, I’ve made a sort of Pascal’s wager with the future. I will act and plan as if a pretty good one was in store. Not Utopia, but pretty good for people who work hard and put a little thought into it. If I’m wrong, I’ll be little worse off than the people who wasted their years hand-wringing.

Wonderful philosophy that I share. I am gratefully enjoying all the good I encounter instead of fearfully looking around to see how it might be lost.

[frugal-one]

“The world keeps ending but new people too dumb to know it keep showing up who think the party’s just started.”
-John Updike (I think)

Personally, I’ve made a sort of Pascal’s wager with the future. I will act and plan as if a pretty good one was in store. Not Utopia, but pretty good for people who work hard and put a little thought into it. If I’m wrong, I’ll be little worse off than the people who wasted their years hand-wringing.

Worked hard planning for the future prior to retirement. Now, just enjoying the fruits of my labor. I do feel for those who will not have the chance to excel because of things outside of their control. The current regime is a deal breaker for many.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Personally, I’ve made a sort of Pascal’s wager with the future. I will act and plan as if a pretty good one was in store. Not Utopia, but pretty good for people who work hard and put a little thought into it. If I’m wrong, I’ll be little worse off than the people who wasted their years hand-wringing.

it can be comforting much of the time I guess. it can also become discomforting and too much of a lie to bear. I don't mean morally, because that would be about effect of others and I don't know that it matters much there, I speak of inner coherence.

[LDAHL]

Worked hard planning for the future prior to retirement. Now, just enjoying the fruits of my labor. I do feel for those who will not have the chance to excel because of things outside of their control. The current regime is a deal breaker for many.

There will always be forces outside my control. I do the best I can within the constraints, which has worked pretty well for me. I can’t say it has mattered much to me who the president is for most purposes. I think the problem with a victim mentality is that it holds you back even if you’re right.

[JaneV2.0]

A lot of people who "worked hard and put a little thought in it" (how smug) have been wiped out by medical bills.

That said, even in these trying times I have some optimism that good people will rise up and take back the reins.

But I still have fantasies of Cascadia...:welcome:

[Teacher Terry]

Jane, at one time my friends had a paid for house, etc. They died broke due to medical bills. At least they didn’t die in debt. She could have went to a nicer nursing home if that hadn’t happened. He worked until a year before he died when it became physically impossible.

[JaneV2.0]

Jane, at one time my friends had a paid for house, etc. They died broke due to medical bills. At least they didn’t die in debt. She could have went to a nicer nursing home if that hadn’t happened. He worked until a year before he died when it became physically impossible.

Clearly, they were just thoughtless slackers, like my friends and relatives who have been pauperized by the medical establishment...>:( (note sarcasm) I forget which flavor of Christianity believes the rich are beloved by God whose favors are made manifest on earth, but I reject that philosophy wholeheartedly.

[Teacher Terry]

Jane, I had clients that were solidly in the middle class owning their homes, having retirement savings, etc. Then they acquired a disability and if there spouse didn’t have a decent job often they spent retirement money trying to keep their homes. Sometimes long term marriages fell apart. Man plans and God laughs as the old saying goes.

[LDAHL]

I guess I don’t see how living one’s life as if thought and effort would make a difference is the same thing as wanting to cast the unfortunate into the outer darkness and sneering at them. Luck has played an important role in my life, but I also think I tried to prepare for the good times and bad. If that’s “smug”, I’m happy to own it. Is everything due to my own efforts? Of course not. Have my efforts made a difference? I think they have, and I make no apology for it.

I can’t see how assuming the role of a helpless plaything of larger forces can make for anything except a miserable and embittered life.

[Teacher Terry]

Most people I know have financially planned for retirement. I think what Jane is pointing out is that things can still go horribly wrong.

[flowerseverywhere]

Every time, each poster gives Trump comments, pro or con, you are giving him power over your thinking. Really think about it. As long as he can keep himself in the news by whatever means, he is succeeding in his viewpoint. Don't help him play his game.
unfortunately the media keeps falling for it. How about this question. ‘You said several weeks ago the senate would be introducing your health care plan. Where is it.” (Look up exact quote for wording)

how about “despite the economy and unemployment figures how much has the deficit increased under your administration?” ( again look up latest figures)

all the outrage etc. is not helping. Stick to facts on exactly what is happening in real time.

One only needs to review all the archived archived tweets to ask questions that will eventually have some substance. Because with the current democratic field, who all seem to advocate decriminalizing illegal entry and helping illegals with obtaining healthcare you might as well leave a democratic candidate off the 2020 ballots. Not a winning strategy. Even Medicare for all can be a loser.

[Teacher Terry]

Flowers, you are absolutely correct. They need to pull their heads out of their butts and be smart.

[iris lilies]

I agree that there are plenty of areas of concern the media could cover and probably does cover, but those efforts dont achieve the headline news of the day. We are all likely to blame for that.

[Teacher Terry]

I could use a little less drama on the news and more real information.

[oldhat]

I could use a little less drama on the news and more real information.

Cable news is the main culprit. They have to be in a lather about something all the time, and the Trump show has been a godsend for them. This is true regardless of political bias. The talking heads on CNN and MSNBC may cluck and tut-tut all they like, but they are loving every minute of this sideshow.

[Simone]

In these actual times he's something far worse: a waste of time we don't have.

Agree with your points and your conclusion.