Stories of money and how people spend it (Part I)

I know people who buy new phones, televisions, go on holidays, when they still owe money. I mean they make a fine salary in terms of the average, but their money just goes. Aren't people able to live tight because it depresses them or something? Why do so many people live beyond their means? Were human beings ever good? The reason America is in an economic downturn at the moment because people buy shit they don't need or can't afford. Because we're condition to think that buying shit makes us happy. It doesn't. Buy houses well above their income. Banks have to foreclose when they can't pay their mortgage. Also, for many people, having visible status symbols like a nice car, big TV, vacations are pretty important. Nothing wrong with that, though. It's great to have stuff.

No one wants to work and only be able to afford food and scrape by and survive. Because the point of living would be just to work to feed and shelter yourself. But there needs to be some kind of balance. People who aren't well off buy iPhone 3G. Fine, it's a bit expensive but no problem. Then then the iPhone 4 comes out, the rush out and buy that too. Why do they need to do this? What is wrong with iphone3G which is only 2 years old? The iPhone developers are upgrading something when they probably have a lot of other bills and expenses to think about. Capitalism is about productivity and volumes of products. Businesses do all they can to move as much product as possible. Where that means creating a culture of idiotic consumption, they will do so. American debt based economy ridden in easy credit, predatory loans, fiat currency, rampant inflation, etc. Most people are completely retarded with economics, which doesn't help.

Blaming an economic system instead of people who live beyond their means is the answer I always hear and it's a cop out.

1. The average person is taught no budgeting skills and a line of credit allows them to overspend perpetually
2. The average person being fucking retarded doesnt help either
3. Money is the worst thing humanity has ever invented next to crack and AIDS

It's funny because I used to think when I was an undergrad that when I got my fancy ecoonomics degree and started making tons of money, I'd be happy living in a crappy apartment and saving my money for a cool car. It turns out the expenses always scale up with your income. No cool car for me yet but at least I could eat sushi twice a week. Social status, upholding appearances, makes me feel better about myself, etc. If I was going to work just to pay off debts and bills I would just kill myself. The best thing I could do for anyone is recommend Economics In One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt.

If people can afford their wants what's so wrong about it? Why must I feel this urge to judge/ criticize others for such arbitrary reasons? Perhaps it is people like me who are the reason humanity is turning to shit.

Everything America has contributed to the world comes from Europe

The rich get a good education and opportunities, while the poor are encouraged to have sex as early as possible.

Education as it stands in the US today is analogous to operant conditioning. Americans are generally anti-intellectual. If it involves work, they'll vilify it. That's why the best paying, highest worth jobs involve so little work, whereas the lower paying jobs that don't earn you much respect require so much work. Think a manager vs a construction worker. There's a reason why the politicians try to present themselves as "someone Joe the Plumber could have a beer with".

Unlike Europe, where in every country, every student is given private, 1-on-1 tutoring growing up, and they all legitimately want to be in school, and everyone strives to do the best the can to make something of their lives. Since the poorer people are a majority, you have bigger classes in public school. Students usually receive less attention and there is a bigger chance you'll have people being rude and not caring. When you don't pay for school, what incentive do you have to make it worthwhile? It sucks, but that's America.

Stars and celebrities don't encourage it, making the masses not give a shit at all about it. They want the fame, the riches, and the glory that follows it. A single baseball player gets paid millions for what he does. A teacher gets paid a couple hundred for what it does. Celebrites get instant millions for simply acting. Someone going to school to "get an education" ends up waiting tables to pay off their student loan, then eventually end up turning into a stripper. In other words, Americans want something that will make them instant money. They don't want to go through a slow process to aquire it.

Americans want the glamour life. They want instant money. They want the lavish lifestyle/ material shit. They want ways to make money without needing an education. If they can't download an education into their brains instantly, they wont mind remaining stupid and misinformed. It's a fucking contest over there of who can get rich without having to do nothing, quickly! Their media and magazines promote glitz & glam. Americans want that lifestyle, not an education.

10 ciri orang yang paling mengganggu

10 ciri orang yang paling mengganggu versi Ohjal

1. Attention whore
2. Kebanyakan berdandan
3. Sok modis
4. Egois & suka seenaknya sendiri
5. Suka ngatur orang lain, merasa bisa menyuruh orang
6. Gila hormat
7. Pengen tau urusan orang, tapi gak bisa jaga rahasia
8. Pelit informasi, pura2 enggak tau kalau ditanya
9. Prejudice yang berlebihan
10. Enggak bisa beradaptasi dengan orang yang berbeda status sosialnya

Tambahan satu lagi deh: Aku paling benci sama orang yang kalau minta tolong suka marah-marah, dan memaksa tapi giliran dimintain tolong selalu menghindar/ enggak mau/ malah nyuruh orang lain.

Selama tinggal di kota NY ini aku sudah ketemu 3 orang yang punya semua 10 ciri menyebalkan yang aku sebut. 1 udah aku kenal dari lama tapi baru akrab, yang 2 lainnya baru kenalan 3-4 tahun yang lalu. Entah hanya aku sendiri yang merasa begini, orang lain banyak yang suka dengan mereka dan mau aja diperintah oleh mereka. Ke 3 orang itu dari satu kelompok yang suka kerja bareng sama aku. Mau enggak mau selama aku tinggal di kota ini aku mesti berbaik2 dengan 3 orang ini, soalnya kalau kenapa2 malah aku sendiri yang dikucilin dari komunitas Indonesia.

Semoga aku bisa ingat dan menghindari sifat2 yang seperti itu

Urge to pick up the guitar again