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Growing up/Living in USA
Seggallion
Member UncommonPosts: 684
How is it to grow up/live in the states? In school, gym or work; Is it much 'competition' around you?
I don't mean anything negative with the question. Just trying to educate myself. But still you'll wonder why? Well, majority of the flamers and 'offensive' posters that I'll take notice of are from USA. I guess the majority are from states in these forums. But if I knew more about you I might understand why it is this way.
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The Sceptics, yes they're special but we've need them to.. I guess.
And if they're put more effort MMORPG.com can create a 'Team Sceptic'
and send them to the Special Olympus.
Comments
I go to many forums, and this (MMORPG.com) is the most negative group of game bashers I have ever seen. It has nothing to do with the US.
As far as growing up the in US, I had a great time. High school was one big party for me.
to your question, its probably just as good growing up here as it is in any civilized, capitalistic, election ran country. Our mindset and history is very different at large, however. Possibly because of our Isolation, unlike Europe, where the borders, region, politics and history have shaped a different mindset.
together we are just human. overall, not complicated. we are evolving.
the aliens you hear about are actually us in the future, visiting our history. can something be averted? thy [near]end cometh soon...or not?
stay tuned...
chips, dips chains & whips.
I'm guessing most people on this site are either from the US or Britain..
This is a really bad assumption to say that the majority of the US likes to flame. It's a pretty crappy assumption really. By the way, how many flamers did you actually check to make this little assumption of yours?
As they say "Assumptions make an "ass" out of "u"
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In memory of Laura "Taera" Genender. Passed away on Aug/13/08 - Rest In Peace; you will not be forgotten
All day is spent raping women, beating minorities, and eating the most unhealthy things we can find of course
member of imminst.org
Growing up? I don't fee properly equipped to answer that question. It's not like I can have the experience of growing up anywhere else for comparison. And America isn't really one country when you get right down to it. If I had grown up in a different state or even in a different area of the state I'm in, the experience would have been completely different.
As far as living in....
The only thing I have to compare it to is my short stay in South America which lasted about two years. Ultimately, I'd rather live in the U.S. than Columbia or Brazil. Before I went down there, I thought that that I was poor. After I came back, I knew better.
With that said, a lot of Americans care not to embrace these differences, as they've been taught to fear them instead. American culture is growing more paranoid every day. "We" have it all and "everyone else" wants to take it from us. We are bombarded by advertisements and worthless media daily, and taught to live in debt because consuming is patriotic. You cannot be a true American unless you have a gas guzzling SUV and a house where each resident has their own bathroom. We have laws to protect bird sanctuaries while children starve in the streets. We are, quite literally, the most wasteful and self-indulgent nation ever conceived.
Maybe this will help explain some American's love/hate relationship with their country and it's squandered resources. I choose to view my nation with the 'serenity prayer' in mind. If you haven't heard it:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
The United States is comprised of different areas, and different experiences. I happen to be privileged enough to live in the most economically depressed area.
Where I live people are losing their jobs, and their homes. Gasoline and food prices keep going up, welfare systems are strained, and there is no end in sight. There are many homeless living in shelters, or on the streets in a cardboard box, sometimes entire families. Of the three major cities in my State, two are ghettos. Crime (murders, robberies, rapes) and drug use are rampant. Street gangs control the inner ciies, places where even the police dare not go at night. The mayor of the largest city in my State is called "the hip hop mayor". He has been arrested for obstuction of justice, charged with stopping an investigation into the murder of a stripper that his wife beat with a baseball bat. The police in his city control about one square mile of the city in the downtown area. Street gangs control the rest. Even after his arrest, he is still the mayor. He has a defense fund paid for by people that have contracts to do business with the city. If he is no longer mayor, they will lose those lucrative contracts.
The infrastructure is now 60 years old. Two weeks ago a truck fell through a bridge, the pavement just crumbled. That was in the white suburbs. Last week the side of a building in a major city just collapsed. The water system in many areas still has wooden pipes. It leaks, and sinkholes occur. When the sewer system cannot keep up, the raw sewege is dumped in lakes and rivers. Many of the public beaches are closed during the summer because of dangerous levels of bacteria. Roads are just masses of potholes, patched, and then patched again. Road construction projects are just ways the politicians spread the graft and corruption to their campaign contributors. The same stretch of road is generally under construction year after year after year.
Schools are now generally free of weapons, however there are problems with drugs, alcohol, and violence. In the suburbs security cameras monitor the students. In the inner cities the buildings are trashed, ceilings collapsing, no doors on bathroom stalls, no toilet paper. Students don't have homework, because there are not enough textbooks. Only 25% of inner city students graduate from high school. The rest are out on the street hustling a dollar through crime to provide for their families. Random shootings occur all throughout the day. Nobody cares, as it's just black on black violence. The cities are now referred to using cute names, like "New Sadr City", or "New Fallujah". They are war zones.
In the white suburbs there is no shortage of textbooks, students have computers, and all the modern conveniences for learning. Some high schools have hookups for laptops, school uniforms, interactive electronic blackboard displays. But behind all this glitz and glamor the foundations are crumbling, the politicians cut school funding, while, at the same time, saying how important education is.
30 years ago we passed a State lottery to fund our schools. The politicians then decreased school funding from the State, and passed it out to their cronies in exchange for kickbacks. The school funding actually got worse, so they passed a State sales tax increase to fund the schools. More graft and corruption, no better schools, so they legalized gambling. Now we have casinos, and when the welfare and social security checks come in, those that can least afford it are in the casino trying to hit it big so they can solve all lifes problems. In this economically depressed area there are 4 casinos that take in $1 million per day.
Racism by both blacks and whites is systemic. The white politicians maintain power by keeping their constituent base in fear of blacks. The black politicians do likewise. There is no integration of the races, segregation is the key to maintaining political power. Keeping the masses scared and divided is the poiliticians only interest. The politicians do nothing to create jobs, nothing to address the problems. They bicker over words like "liberal" and "conservative", and "right" and "wrong", but their sole purpose is to maintain power and control over contracts, awarding them to their supporters in exchange for kickbacks. One of their favorite tactics is to say the taxpayer's need to pay more, "for the children".
That is what it is like to grow up where I live.
How is the welfar and healthcare? Mr. Moores documentaries are scary, but how true are those statesments and facs he brings up? But all difference states has difference rules and laws? Some are better than others?
Olddady; Sounds rough were you live. In comparison were I live. I have never seen a weapon or even a knife in school, work or out in the cities.
On the other side, in Sweden you can't buy firearms or any kind of weapon if you don't have licens for it. Weapons for hunting require 7 books of the fauna and security (3 when I've read it), you've have to make test on chapters and a final exam were you must have a high score to get your hunting licens. And then you must pass the weaponhandle and targetshooting.
Small firearms, such as guns you much go to practice 6 month, and security exams. Then you must compete with a .22 for a while then make exams for bigger calibres. But if you're not activly compete you loose the license. And if you sell you're gun you loose it to. If you not buy a new one in a short period.
______________________________
The Sceptics, yes they're special but we've need them to.. I guess.
And if they're put more effort MMORPG.com can create a 'Team Sceptic'
and send them to the Special Olympus.
Wow, if Max Payne had a novel, it would sound something like that. Which city is that? Or are you reluctant to say?
Since the federal government has been given more and more power in this country, personal responsibility in matters has taken the backseat in most peoples minds. No one cares about anyone other than themselves and what they can get from Uncle Sam. Where we used to be the most innovative, creative, and industrious nation on the planet, we are now a shell of that past and if this continues our future is looking even dimmer.
We have two major parties that are hell bent on using the federal government to an authoritative means. One side wants to use the government to make us all "equal" through wealth redistribution. The other side wants to use the government to force people to play out their idea of morality and religiosity. Both sides have given up on the idea of self-determination and freedom from government oppression. And the people in this country salivate at the prospects they promise. Time and time again these promises have been shown to be nothing more than a carrot on a stick. But the ignorance of the people of this country cause them to be swayed time and again since folks on both sides consider the other party the enemy.
We used to be a place that believed in freedom and liberty. So much so that we would give up our lives for it. Now, we look only to cower away at the dream of safety given to us by the government. We used to feel it was our job to take care of our own affairs and issues. Now we feel that everything possible should be the governments job to correct. And the government has grown exponentially to accommodate. Only problem is, it will never be able to give what people ask. No government can. And we American's are headed towards learning that the hard way.
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do you live in Philly?
member of imminst.org
do you live in Philly?
No, the city is Detroit. Why, does it sound like Philly also?
I'm just going to throw my 2 cents in here about the mmorpg.com forums: I second the person who said it is one of the most negative forums. Overall, the game bashing seems to bring out the worst in people here. I'm as guilty of it as the next person, as I too fall victim to the overall negative attitude on these forums. In fact, it is the only forum I have been a part of that was so overwhelmingly negative. I believe it has something to do with the nature of video games, but that is for another thread.
As to your questions, the US is not all that "different" from other western cultures. I suggest you concentrate your questions on the subculture of mmorpg players instead of a geographical region because you are seeing a very, very, small cross-section of the US.
No, the city is Detroit. Why, does it sound like Philly also?
Philly, Detroit, Pittsburgh, St Louis, and New Orleans are all like kindred spirits in regards to your post.
Yes there is competion as what you do is based on how much better then the other guy you are.
For schools we have public schools that could rival any other school in the world and then we have schools that have very high drop out rates. The school system is all over the place as it uses taxes from the area they live in.
I love the food i live in Texas only thing im missing is Chicago Pizza.
I love living here though since i havent lived anywhere else its hard to compare. I do have a opition of a German exchange program but ive chosen to wait to do that.
Hold on Snow Leopard, imma let you finish, but Windows had one of the best operating systems of all time.
If the Powerball lottery was like Lotro, nobody would win for 2 years, and then everyone in Nebraska would win on the same day.
And then Nebraska would get nerfed.-pinkwood lotro fourms
AMD 4800 2.4ghz-3GB RAM 533mhz-EVGA 9500GT 512mb-320gb HD
I used to grow up in North Virginia and there was alot of competition. However, competition is a pretty good thing. It challenges people to excel. When I moved to California, there was no competition with people in school and it... suffered. I came into the school districts here 4 years ahead. No I am not kidding, they are literally that far behind. I didn't learn 1 new thing. Whats worse is they thought I was some country yocal too. They even get mad at you for ... Ruining the curve (considering for 3 years I had nothing but 100%). What is up with the curve anyway? Seems like a week way to make people feel accomplished. I ended up getting out of the standard k-12 system and went to charter graduating way early. Then just working until I can get into college and actually learn something again.
/agreed and the strangest thing is people from all over the world still try to get into this hellhole and some even die in the attempt, go figure, so just for the record we the USA have tried to be like the world and friends with the world for so long we have become you. Just another third world hellhole.
I am currently growing up in the U.S., and I hate it.
However, if you go to different states, you'll notice that there are many places are very different in terms of how people live. For the most part, we're all just products of a government that is going rapidly downhill. I hate my high school. It's full of ignorance and unhygenical people (people who don't bother to wash their hands or brush their teeth). To put it simply: My school is full of idiots. There are some good schools in America though, you just have to find the right ones, and unfortunately, there are very few good public schools.
The average American citizen works two days out of their week solely to pay taxes. While other countries have higher taxes, they usually have good benefits; the USA just gives our damn money to stupid funds, organizations, and "plans" that eventually achieve absolutely nothing.
I'm not saying it's a bad country, as I realize I have it far better off than most countries. I think the entire society over here is just becoming stupid. Stupid people are having sex with other stupid people, putting more stupid people into this world, that's how I see it. There are cliches everywhere, and if you're not popular with a certain crowd, it can be very difficult to find any friends.
Honestly, I think there are better places to live than the USA. However, I'll never know until I try living somewhere else, which is why I plan on moving to Norway or Sweden when I'm older.
do you live in Philly?
No, the city is Detroit. Why, does it sound like Philly also?
I always knew there was something wrong with Detroit from this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmrrO0YjSes&feature=related
That is tough to answer, it depends on were you live, were you come from what areas you are from or living in. In any and every state in the USA you have areas that have great chances to make a good life, like wise you also have areas in every state that are no different then fourth worl burnt out shit holes were the only thing to look forward to is death. For myself Growing up and living in the USA if I had a choice I would pick Canada. Bring it on down now.
Damn byotch dat aint no friggn moon fool, dat be a friggn space station byotch.
The U.S. government gets involved in everything now, and failed programs merely bring more determined efforts. Whether the programs actually work or not doesn't seem to matter much anymore. Even in places like NASA I've been told from friends/relatives that the worthless people there often get promoted to management to keep them away from the engineering departments. Government is about the only place where if you do a lousy job you get promoted.
As for living in the U.S., a LOT depends on your area. Living in the middle of Chicago can be very competitive and very expensive and very fast-paced and thus stressful and stress can bring attitude and anger. Meanwhile, if you live more in a rural area, there's more freedom to do a lot of things on your own property, less people around to annoy you or steal from you, kids might be able to trick-or-treat on Halloween without an armed guard, etc. People from certain areas are just plain nicer (on average) than people from other areas. I'm never surprised anymore when someone from a different state visits my area and says how shocked they are that people are genuinely nice.
These forums, yeah, lots of negativity, a big part probably due to having a forum for every MMO and then people who hate certain games constantly visiting those forums. An amusing study would be to see if the more negative and competitive people are people who are more into PVP than PVE.
Anyway, I don't think it's much of a U.S.-only thing. Every country has people who are mean and rude. There are probably a higher percentage of U.S. players on here than from other countries, though. That's just a guess, however.
Take everything that you have ever heard Michael Moore say and throw it in the toilet, he makes documentaries for the sole purpose of filling his own agenda and almost everything that he says is either a half truth or a whole lie.
Your argument is like a two legged dog with an eating disorder...weak and unbalanced.
Also, all the sources Mr Moore uses are immediately discredited because Mr Moore uses them.
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No, the city is Detroit. Why, does it sound like Philly also?
Philly, Detroit, Pittsburgh, St Louis, and New Orleans are all like kindred spirits in regards to your post.
after reading his "story", i just think he may live in Philly...
Boohoo! Cry me a river, why don't you try living in an actual third world country where people don't even have clean drinking water and struggle to find food every day, where people live and sleep on the fucking dirt, where rampant militias terrorise people every day, raping and killing.
Yet here you are sitting on your ass in front of a computer complaining that your country is a third world hellhole.
O_o o_O