Message boards :
Politics :
Mood of the US population
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Author | Message |
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W-K 666 Send message Joined: 18 May 99 Posts: 19075 Credit: 40,757,560 RAC: 67 |
This BBC article asks Why are Americans so angry? A CNN/ORC poll carried out in December 2015 suggests 69% of Americans are either "very angry or "somewhat angry" about "the way things are going" in the US. Is it because inflation adjusted incomes have fallen? Is it because of immigration, and that by ~2040 the white population of the US will be 50% compared to 84% forty years ago? Is the problem Washington? When asked if they trust the government, 89% of Republicans and 72% of Democrats say "only sometimes" or "never", Is it America's place in the world? Seventy percent of Americans also think the US is losing respect internationally Or because the left and right have moved further apart? And just for completeness - All/None of the above |
Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 30676 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32 |
They seem to have missed the problem: Opinion presented as News. |
Sirius B Send message Joined: 26 Dec 00 Posts: 24879 Credit: 3,081,182 RAC: 7 |
Is the problem Washington? I'd like to known the percentage of Americans that hold the same view as you. If it it is high enough, it will make me wonder: - WHY the hell aren't you doing something about it instead of sitting behind a keyboard |
Sirius B Send message Joined: 26 Dec 00 Posts: 24879 Credit: 3,081,182 RAC: 7 |
Who mentioned voting or street demostrations? Answer the question. |
Sirius B Send message Joined: 26 Dec 00 Posts: 24879 Credit: 3,081,182 RAC: 7 |
Who mentioned voting or street demostrations? Answer the question. So answer the question you were asked. |
Sirius B Send message Joined: 26 Dec 00 Posts: 24879 Credit: 3,081,182 RAC: 7 |
WinterKnight... The only silliness here is another retiree with nothing better to do than play word & mind games with a keyboard. |
Gordon Lowe Send message Joined: 5 Nov 00 Posts: 12094 Credit: 6,317,865 RAC: 0 |
I'm fairly content, but when I do get upset I don't really blame other people. The mind is a weird and mysterious place |
KWSN - MajorKong Send message Joined: 5 Jan 00 Posts: 2892 Credit: 1,499,890 RAC: 0 |
This BBC article asks Why are Americans so angry? On the whole, an interesting article from the BBC. Some parts are insightful, other parts are somewhat 'Captain Obvious'. Still other parts are either too simplistic or even outright wrong. At the risk of being 'Captain Obvious' myself, everyone that is angry about 'the way things are going' is going to be angry over at least a slightly different set of reasons. This article is generalizing a bit much at times in my opinion. 1. 'inflation adjusted incomes have fallen'. Re-title this 'the economy'. What is going on in the economy is an unavoidable artifact of increasing automation, globalization, government's laws, regulations, and tax rates, and worker greed. 2. 'immigration, and that by ~2040 the white population of the US will be 50% compared to 84% forty years ago'... Heh... You need to be a little more careful in your terms. 'White' includes a LOT of the Hispanics, and that number is going to remain somewhere between 2/3rds and 3/4ths of the population for the foreseeable future. Did you mean, perhaps, non-Hispanic whites? This is (one of) the number(s) that is falling. 2040?? In Texas, the number of non-Hispanic whites is ALREADY below 50% and has been for years. It won't be too many more years before the number of Hispanics takes 1st place. <shrug> Most all of us in Texas get along with each other. Some few don't. 3. 'Washington'... Yes quite a number are upset, even downright angry, at Government here in the USA. Some think it is doing too much, others too little. But remember this... We are NOT supposed to 'trust' our Government... ever... for any reason. Neither should you trust yours. Governments need to be kept on short leashes. Power corrupts. Being apathetic towards your Government greatly increases the odds that you will wake up some morning as a slave. 4. "America's place in the world". Just because most of us know that the USA is losing respect in the world does not mean we are angry about it. Most of us (myself and a few others NOT included) don't give a rat's behind about the rest of the world. Why should the average American care that the rest of the world does not like us? We don't like you either, so the feeling is mutual. 5. 'left and right' polarization. It comes and goes in cycles. It is the nature of the beast. So this leaves the two major stickers being the Economy and the Government. The other three are basically non-issues with most people. Me personally: 1. Its the era we live in. Yes, it kinda hurts but nothing to get angry about. 2. For the most part a non-issue. My main problem is with the 'illegal' immigration and its flouting of the rule of law. I do think that the immigration quota system needs re-working to better match the mix of people wishing to come here to be US Citizens, and a guest-worker system needs to be put in place to handle those that wish to come here to work for a time then return home. But the illegal border crossings need to be STOPPED. 3. In my opinion, gridlock is the way the system should be working, so that much is 'working as intended'. Government should NOT be trusted, so that is working as intended. But lack of respect for the rule of law, as well as Government corruption, that burns my backside. In the USA, we are supposed to be ruled by laws, not by people. 4. It is sad, but totally understandable that much/most/most all of the rest of the world hates the USA. But, for the most part, it is our fault. With our military interventionism, our cultural exports to places that don't really want it, our being busybodies in the internal affairs of other nations, and the like down over the centuries, it is little wonder that most everyone hates us. 5. left/right polarization: the system working as intended. helps to maintain the gridlock, insuring that only the MOST VITAL legislation gets passed. |
Sirius B Send message Joined: 26 Dec 00 Posts: 24879 Credit: 3,081,182 RAC: 7 |
Now this Clyde is a response to the OP's question. Much better than your 2-step B/S. |
KWSN - MajorKong Send message Joined: 5 Jan 00 Posts: 2892 Credit: 1,499,890 RAC: 0 |
Now this Clyde is a response to the OP's question. Much better than your 2-step B/S. Now, now Sirus B... Nothing wrong with the 2-step as long as you are talking about the Texas 2-step dance... If, however, you are talking about the Texas 2-step digestive disorder... that gets messy... <evil grin> |
Sirius B Send message Joined: 26 Dec 00 Posts: 24879 Credit: 3,081,182 RAC: 7 |
<innocent grin> Sorry MK :-) |
W-K 666 Send message Joined: 18 May 99 Posts: 19075 Credit: 40,757,560 RAC: 67 |
Isn't the difference between White and Latino the predominate language they use at home. Because you also say the same about some Asians. My cousin's husband in Seattle is Asian, but you wouldn't know it until you heard him speak Gujarati. His mother doesn't speak any English. |
Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 30676 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32 |
As a White person of Latino Heritage (Italian Heritage is truly Latino): Last time I heard Latino was Latin-American with the American meaning First Peoples of central and south America. So Italian gets the Latin part, so what tribe is your First People's part? Aztec? Inca? Maya? ?? |
bobby Send message Joined: 22 Mar 02 Posts: 2866 Credit: 17,789,109 RAC: 3 |
As a White person of Latino Heritage (Italian Heritage is truly Latino): Trying to use words as they are commonly understood might be your mistake. As with all things, CLYDE is correct about the true meaning of Latino, from this day forward it's been appropriated by those of Italian descent. Next we'll have some guy come along and argue that I'm making a Clintonesque "is" point. Hispanic or Latino. A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. The term, "Spanish origin," can be used in addition to "Hispanic or Latino." (source) I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that ... |
Sarge Send message Joined: 25 Aug 99 Posts: 12273 Credit: 8,569,109 RAC: 79 |
Does the current title apply to the thread subject? Maybe. My two cents. I try not to use any of those terms at all. Many of my neighbors and students where I now am would meet the "requirements" of at least one of those designations. I deal with them as individuals and call them by their first names. Not too long ago, I mentioned that I was once mistaken for a Mexican in the past 6.5 years ... by a Mexican! He wanted me to sing Feliz Navidad with him for karaoke. (His name was Sergio or something close to that. Of course, at karaoke, as in many places, I go by what I go by here, Sarge.) I am 75% English/Irish and 25% German. All I can think of is perhaps my German ancestors were from southern Germany, close to Austria and therefore close to Italy. Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes. |
Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 30676 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32 |
As a White person of Latino Heritage (Italian Heritage is truly Latino): A different authoritative source http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/latino?q=Latino on English usage. Of course if Clyde wasn't speaking English ... |
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