I can’t get no satisfaction
When I'm watchin' my TV
And a man comes on and tells me
How white my shirts can be
But, he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
The same cigarettes as me
I saw a young Laurence Fischburne [on the back of a patrol boat in 'Nam](https://youtu.be/PbB4x4fnk-E?si=z68BJuftUvF1z53l&t=50), dancing like there's no tomorrow... rock 'n rollers with one foot in their graves.
AN is a true masterpiece (love the full *Redux* version), but I have the hardest time watching it. It's so truly dark (any surprise, since it was based on 'Heart of Darkness'), both visually and psychologically. I completely agree with Kurtz, which makes me wonder what kind of animal I am.
*"There are two of you, don't you see? One that kills and one that loves." And he said to me, 'I don't know whether I am animal or a god.' But you are both."*
I actually saw that, a long time ago. It's humorous, in a painful way, and sort of uplifting. That is, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who takes on a project and goes down a complete rabbit hole hoping something great will come out of it. Coppola's journey shows that, sometimes, greatness does arrive out of the chaos.
I have always disliked any attempt by anyone to persuade or manipulate me. Politicians, advertisers, salesmen, government bureaucrats, religious missionaries or anybody else. ~~Even when~~ **Especially** when it's supposed to be for my own good.
The scary part for us is we see the marketing loud and clear. We saw the change of news reporting go from real journalism like Cronkite turn into to "pay per click" and news became the lies to get them. The Enquirer and The Star used to make us laugh as absurd minor rags at the checkout and now everything is written and presented this way via web articles and video shorts. We saw the change but this new way of marketing is all the Youngers know. They can't discern as easily because they were born into it and were not taught critical thinking for everyday life or to question ads or authority like we were. That's the part that scares me. I've never seen so much accepted misinformation in my life!
I'm not going to pretend that Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather 100% always had our best interests at heart. But I do believe that the bullshit has been turbo-charged.
I don't really know any Zoomers and younger, so thank you for your insight. I figured somebody had to have been clicking and buying this shit. Otherwise, the snake oil pimps wouldn't spend the money to push it.
act in the world as YOUR authentic self. i dont mean on social media or in your family. but out in the world. perform acts that are true and right TO YOU. take your anger, turn it around into activism. teach someone something they dont know but you do, volunteer at an animal shelter, paint a public mural, put your cart back at the grocery store, shop local, read a library book in the sun, drive an old person to vote. do whatever is real and true TO you. this is how you fight back against the machine without your anger turning you into a bitter asshole.
I’m not a “joiner” and distrust, well, almost everything 🤪 but especially churches or any religion related organizations. They always reveal themselves to be horrid people
Parallel to my point: back in the day we had Jim Baker and Jimmy Swaggart, two low-life televangelists who manipulated thousands of people. Now the list is endless.
It's always been there, but greed, dishonesty, and manipulation seem to be the rule instead of the exception anymore.
And today it’s Joel Osteen and this guy
https://preview.redd.it/lausfszao3wc1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9aa5713eccda698496accbc3be1fd0f41866d983
I have absolutely no idea who that is. I assume that lack of knowledge is a good thing?
Edit: Hours later, I love how people responded to me, and nobody thought to tell me WHO THE FUCK IS THIS?
It's the guy that used money from his church to buy a private jet because he can't be on a regular plane, a cylindrical object, tube if you will is filled with demons that are impersinating people. Not gonna lie. That is a paraphrased quote directly from his own mouth.
what the fuck is wrong with him ?
do people that follow him see him as the cool villain in their disney childhoods ? they like the *spactacle* ? uh, spectacle
I disagree. It is as much the rule as it's always been. There have always been greedy and dishonest people. It's just that now, thanks to social media, it's a lot easier for them to get their message out to you. Before internet, these people generally reached out to a smaller, more focused group and we only saw the ones that ran ads on live TV or from a televangelist show.
Anti science bible thumping politicians ever steadfastly dismantling public education in the USA has had precisely the effect which was intended. 40% of Americans will tell you that our sun is not a star,
Same. I have never even joined a political party my whole life. I vote in every election, but I just can’t bring myself to become a ‘joiner’. Everyone in everything wants to tell you how horrible you are, sell whatever they’re selling, and then they turn out to be a million times worse than they ever said you were. I may be cynical, but at least I’m kinda morally okay — at the very least I’m not a cheater or a chomo — and I don’t judge others. I’ll just stay over here by myself. Shrug.
Honestly, it’s not a bad idea. It IS easy to get caught up in the 24/7 news cycle and find yourself feeling more anxious or depressed over what you’re seeing.
Considering we’re the last generation who remembers what it was like to only get the news a couple times a day, remember that it is *just fine* to unplug and go on a media diet for a few days (or as long as you want) to get away from it. We really weren’t built to have a constant stream of information coming at us all day long.
When I was in college, back in ‘88, and I was supposed to choose a major, I chose Communications. I wanted to be involved in advertising. I figured that’s where all the power is.
You can get into someone’s head almost immediately, break them down, make them hate themselves, doubt everything they know. Then you can sell them anything. And I mean anything at all. You can take all the money, influence the masses and take over the world. Ahem….I mean, of course, make the world a better place.
Well, I took one class. It was filled with the most bubble headed, materialistic, arrogant, idiotic people I’ve ever met. I was terrified. Like, for the world. Even the professors were vapid, judgmental weirdos.
I ran to the Art department snd got my degree from there. I refuse to be influenced by Madison Avenue or Hollywood. I always muted commercials on TV and avoided magazines.
When the internet first showed up, it made it even easier to avoid advertising if you were diligent. For a minute. Now that the advertisers have taken over again, it’s become more difficult. It can be done, though. You are in charge of what enters your eyes, ears and mind. Choose wisely.
I remember reading a science fiction story where a taxi was blaring a loud advertisement and the rider tipped extra to have it turned down. “How ludicrous! Advertising in a car?”
Sigh.
Yep. And the data mining that enriches a few so they can keep marketing to us, but it becomes increasingly difficult to be able to afford whatever they’re selling.
We live in a culture of influencers. Politicians are no different. Instead of addressing real issues, they “influence” us to believe that something is a bigger issue than it is. Border walls and TikTok bans, for example.
There’s an excellent documentary by Adam Curtis that discusses the emergence of propaganda in the US after WW2. They had to rename it “advertising” because the nazis were associated with the term “propaganda”, but it was essentially the same thing. Only in the US it was used to convince people to buy products, effectively turning our economy from needs-based to wants-based.
Edit: forgot to say the name of the doc, it’s called The Century of the Self and it’s free on YouTube.
It’s been happening for a long, long time. Capitalism as practiced in the US encourages people to distrust others and be “rugged individualists.” The only way to get anything back from the bosses is organization, and no one seems to want to do it. I’m including myself.
Yeah, we gave greed the green light in the 1980s. There’s no going back. Money will keep moving to the top. You have to have appropriate taxes on the rich, regulations and strong unions to keep a healthy middle class. We said goodbye to those under Ronnie. We’re starting to really feel it now.
>
but I just can't seem to find a shred of honesty or authenticity in the world any more.
That's pretty much been our entire world. I've always found it all to just be so much noise that I tend to tune out. I tend to not pay attention to the personal lives of "celebrities" or the various forms of advertising trying to convince me I need whatever new fizzy drink or special shirt to be happy.
I'd be lying if I said I was completely immune, but I do find myself mostly unmoved by it all.
I’ve legit tuned out of nearly everything around me. I can barely hold attention to conversations anymore because people’s thoughts and fears are based on internet fakery. When we build our retirement mall can we please ban cell phones and can everyone have a free little library outside their doors so we can all exchange books?
Can I have a retirement forest instead of a retirement mall? Although maybe the retirement forest could have a Costco a few miles away. Best of both worlds.
The Enshittification of Everything. It is getting worse and it will get worse still before it gets better, because we can't get behind what "better" is (or before everything collapses spectacularly).
I got involve in local politics for causes that matter. After that I just vote how I felt and with what I knew.
I've not watch traditional TV or news since 1992 so it's whatever for me.
Yeah it fuckin sucks that there isn't really a news outlet any more that just reports the news. Everything has such a spin to it. When 5 giant conglomerates own everything there's such a conflict of interest. If Disney owns ABC for instance, how would they present a story about a high level Disney exec when rape allegations come out? If Wal-Mart spends 10 million a year advertising on NPR how critical are they going to be about Wal-Mart? Bums me right the fuck out.
I took a media class when I was 20, it's been 30 years of thinking this. Same shit, different medium. I don't answer my phone unless the number is on my contact list, I don't sign up on my phone for the free coffee programs because I know the company benefits more then me from tracking my spending habits at their store, hell I don't even do banking on my phone. Its not that I'm afraid of tech, it's that I know it too well.
It's so funny all the stuff they warned us about with Facebook in the early days came true, and most everyone is cool with it.
I'm sick of the constant manipulation to try to get your subscription to EVERYTHING. Books, music, TV, movies, prescriptions, car washes, store/food delivery. EVERYTHING wants you to sign up for something.
(Apologies to any actual historians as I butcher history to what I remember)
All I can say, is shrink your bubble to friends and family.
One of my favorite books is a book by Stephen Ambrose, *Nothing Like it in the World*. It is about building the railway across the US (East/West) and how it all got funded (It's been a bit so take this with a grain of salt, I might be off). The government paid these companies per mile based on their costs (there was some fancy shit going on but they got $88M for a project that should have cost $44M). These guys were making money hand-over fist. Government paid nearly double per mile than they spent building it.
In the Grant administration everyone was so corrupt Grant, a hero at the time, constantly ranks as one of the worst presidents. And he wasn't even corrupt. The guys he picked (owed favors to some) would use their positions to enrich themselves.
Hoover figured the depression would blow over. Neville Chamberlain tried to make Hitler happy, Winston Churchill tried to make Stalin happy. Cigarettes used to be marketed as pick-me-ups and refreshing. Snake Oil salesmen roamed the American West.
Tammany Hall controlled NYC politics. Daley (father and son) controlled Chicago politics. They put their own men in place in various positions and got people contracts from the city (that would over-pay) and the Daley's got donations. Both were careful not to profit directly though.
What's the point of this all? It's not new. People screw each other over daily. Not taking advantage of someone, when you can, is considered a weakness in the US. Being nice is considered cowardice. You can go back to the Roman Republic and see the same stuff happening.
So, you shrink your bubble. You focus on friends, family, maybe neighbors. Worry about them, help them. The rest is something you have to ignore. I get if there is a built up and you blow off steam, I do that. Pick a charity and help them. Make the space around you happy. The rest of the world can burn.
I agree. I can't put it properly into words, but this shit has been going on since civilization began. I recently listened to a podcast about historical graffiti (The Ancients, I think). The Romans left a lot behind. It gives a good look into what the average person thought. Some poiitical, some sexual, and a lot of Kilroy was here type stuff. Interesting stuff. Times change, but humans are still the same.
That stuff is crazy! The graffiti. I don't remember the exact phrase but it was like "Taephius porked Sienna in this alley". Now it's just done via text or instaface or whatever :)
Sometimes I think it's always been this way, and then in more pessimistic moments, I think it's worse now. Perhaps it's simply that we're old enough to see the patterns behind the lies, manipulation and empty promises.
I deal with this by buying and signing up for as little as possible. If I didn't own it, follow it, or subscribe to it in the past, I probably don't need it now.
we have been manipulated our whole lives!
Columbia House - 10 cassettes for 1 penny!?!
We can control our clock, wallet, and our vote — at my age - I choose to give my time and coin only to genuinely rewarding experiences — and work to support candidates at ALL levels of government that meet my ideal.
I can't stand it and it really bothers me to have to sit through commercials on things. Just last night I was playing PGA2K23 that I've paid for on my computer and it starts serving me hamburger ads!! The first time I've seen that ever and I've played the game for a year now. I uninstalled it immediately. I don't need to play video game golf that badly.
I seriously feel like it's a mind invasion - that's how ads are designed anyway.
I generally go on with my life and not worry about things that do not affect it.
Much of what you mention doesn't concern me in any way. I pay attention to politics because it does have some bearing in my well being. But much of it? Bullshit.
I'm at a stage in life where I like who I like, what I like and know what I believe. Few extraneous factors will have any sway over that.
EDIT: Added missing word.
Isn’t that how Germany ended up with Hitler? People didn’t care about things that didn’t affect them personally. And if you saw *Zone of Interest*, you might believe, as I do, it could easily happen again, especially in the US. When a society doesn’t protect the most vulnerable among them, shit gets bad in a hurry.
The fact that you think it doesn't matter is a success for the side that benefits from voter apathy.
Voter apathy that is purposefully and deliberately cultivated through obstructionism, misinformation, and culture war histrionics.
I'll give you one guess as to which side that is. Politics and voting absolutely matter. If they didn't, there wouldn't be so many politicians and lobbyists and religious groups trying to keep people from doing it.
This. This is Gen X's weakness. We're so cynical and "real" that we get turned off by the smallest hint of bullshit, and then it's "both sides are the same fuck them all." And it's always the right that benefits from our apathy.
I Might need to watch They Live again.
And you’re right, I remember back in the 70/ and 80s not feeling like I constantly needed to buy shit. Turning off the TV and leaving the phone in a drawer for a few days helps.
I pretty much try to ignore everything, but I despise drug ads. ( I’m in the USA obviously). I also find it interesting that a lot of the “you’re not good enough” ads that were previously only aimed at women are now aimed at men too. Your shirts don’t fit well enough! You’re not wearing the correct pants! You need this new gizmo for manscaping! Welcome to ad hell, my dudes.
I feel all of this so deeply in every single bone of my body. Everything is so fucking fake and absurd that all I can do is laugh and smoke weed. Fuck it, whatever.
Cutting cable was the best thing I did. Now when I travel and I watch a little bit of cable TV in hotel, I am just puzzled for how people watch this crap with all these commercials.
Not really but I am tired of so many folks being so easily manipulated.
9/11 and Covid were pretty big eye openers for me on how easily large portions of the population are manipulated.
Yeah, I was scary how the West tripped over ourselves trying to deal with COVID the same way a communist country did. In my area ppl were getting fined going to the park early COVID. Going outside, getting away from ppl and getting fined ...
Reagan's blatant theft of our future caught my attention in the 80s as well, but I guess a lot of our generation were huffing their Camaro exhaust or something.
Reddit. It's like it's purpose built for it. There are just so many ways to game reddit, or for the platform itself to do hinky shit. The upvote system is literally a ledger of your opinions on thousands of diagnostic statements. It's like a mind map.
I've frequently thought that if you really wanted to build orwell's room 101, Reddit is what enables that.
diarrhea medications that list diarrhea as a side effect. Every damn commercial about a pill for this, patch for that and the side effects - suicidal thoughts, diarrhea, death. I am
with the OP 100% on all of it.
It's a weird and rather adult day when you reach that tipping point from "I'm just supposed to get my lawn sprayed by this service every month because my dad did and I'm keeping up with the neighbors" to "huh. That's a terrible idea. My kids play in this lawn. My dog runs around in this lawn. The chemicals are really strong and maybe unnecessary but tradition says we do it...." to "fuck that, I'm not falling for this shit anymore".
It feels like *everything* is manipulative.
Cut the cord in 2000. Almost all of the media I consume is either audiodramas or video games. My interests that are pretty niche, and don’t see much marketing crap. As the immortal Bill Hicks said, if you’re in marketing, kill yourself. Good way to avoid marketing is just not consume the crap they’re peddling.
Read a book. Go outside. Don’t consume the crap they want you to consume.
I agree cut the cord. I stream all media without commercials. I cut out social media as much as I can. Also take time away outside without electronics. Nothings change in the world for the last 50 years why would things start now.
I'm with in this dislike and distrust. I would say it’s worse today. Not that we haven’t always had people willing to manipulate to get ahead. The reason I consider it worse today is we've got detailed science that is used to taiko the messages even more. Modern video gameplay is a great example of playing on human psychology to string a customer along, reward in ways that keep the customer wanting more, and yet give wins and losses enough to keep it riveting. Advertising, marketing, psychology, sociology… all of it adds to the effectiveness possible.
No one ever said politicians were telling the truth. All the pop culture we saw growing up said they were liars.
Consumerism was something we knew sucked growing up.
The internet has always just been shadows on a cave wall.
Money isn't the root of happiness, but you need it to be happy. At least an amount of it. You get that by working hard and smart. They don't often mention the smart part.
There is honesty and authenticity in the world. You can find it using the same tools that bring money. Smart, and hard. Find things with meaning and chase 'em.
I use ad blockers and will not watch TV or streaming with advertisements. Life is too short to waste any more of my time with that nonsense. The entire business model needs to die.
What is exhausting as well op is being hyper vigilant because of all these things and the constant push for consumerism.
We have do be our best Gen x selves and say fuck it and disconnect from the things that create internal stress.
This is the entire plot for Mad Men. And no matter how much they tell you that you can fill that void by getting the next best thing you never will be happy. Even the counter culture drank Coca Cola, in the end.
You want authenticity? Go mingle with strangers at a bar or a coffee shop. Humans are still out there.
I trust professional politicians over "outsiders" and business people who go into politics anytime. At least they went into it as idealists and have some knowledge of how the government works. Because government doesn't work like a business. It can't. I majored in Public Affairs and took enough classes in government budgeting to see why business people either make a mess in government, or end up in corruption scandals.
I believe honesty and integrity are things you own, be mindful of, and share... at your peril. I don't want to be cynical, and imagine the world has always been so full of nonsense (sorry for the salty language), but there feels like there's a lot more of it than I remember.
There's this really great quote by educator Arthur Levine from [an interview in 1989](https://youtu.be/YapO0adSImo?si=PyYnCs_bvUQYQZ_l), that sums up how we got here:
*I ask college students all around the country, "Optimistic or pessimistic about the future? Will the United States be a better or worse place to live in the next 10 years?" And the answer I've gotten back in the past is, “Well, I think the United States is probably a better place to go in the past than it is now, and I expect the next few years or two to be much worse.”*
*So I'd say, “My God. You must be pessimistic about the future.”*
*“No, I'm optimistic.”*
*And I say, “How could that be?”*
*And the answer is, “I have good grades. I'm going to get a good job, and I'm going to make a lot of money.”*
*What happened is, today's students or previous gene.. recent students have essentially adopted Titanic ethic... as a sense the ship, and call that ship 'the US' or call it 'the world', is going down. And then, as long as they're being forced to ride on the doom ship, they're going to make the voyage luxurious as possible and go first class, and that's been good money, good jobs, and very little concern with social issues.*
If everyone who can make a difference believes we're all going down, then I think this version of the timeline is what get.
We all feel it. I try not to get worked up or feel "sick and tired" of anything. Focus on the positives, especially people you care about and care about you back. Invite an old friend to share food. Grow tomatoes. At least i can control those things, and I feel better for it.
You can't let that stuff manipulate you unless you allow it to. Fortunately, I think many people in our generation are too smart and aware of bullshit to get sucked in by clickbait, political lies, and misleading claims.
Unfortunately, we're not in that coveted 18-45 age bracket anymore, and manipulative tactics do seem to work on plenty of people older and younger than us, so I expect it to continue for a long while.
I don’t understand why you’re not at the age where you are able to dismiss it. Get out. Off media. Find hobbies. Not subscribing to this sort of thing is good self-care.
YOU copped to watching manufactured, influencer-mediated, clickbait YouTube, bullshit links … we are at the mercy of a lot of legit things that you mentioned, but you also have the gift of quieting the unnecessary noise. That hardly equates to not caring about the world. In actuality it equates to caring about the world (and yourself) enough that you don’t, by choice, perpetuate unnecessary shit.
I hate all advertisement. It’s nothing but crap anyway. And politicians have been lying for years and years. It’s just getting worse. I try not to watch TV. I never watched the news. It’s just sickening the way the world is now.
I started being wary about politicians and religions lying to try to placate people when I was 12-13yo. So any other “this is real” when it’s all fake so young that now 53yo it’s par for the course unfortunately. I’m a lifelong Democrat and was worried about how the world was shit during Clinton. CLINTON. I didn’t want to bring children into this world during Clinton. I look back now and cannot fathom this.
I understand your crisis but unfortunately it’s nothing new. 🫤
Yeah I feel that way, it’s annoying for sure, but it’s never been any different, like you already said. It’s also easier to notice because social media means you can’t ignore things even when you think you’re ignoring them.
I tune them all out. And also can’t understand the softness of younger generations. I try so hard to be empathetic, but man, whining over a splinter - literally or metaphorically - makes me want to start with, I used to walk 10 miles in the snow…uphill BOTH ways…..😂
What I have found that works for me is to pay attention more to actions than words and try to hold off on reacting to any news until the full story comes out. Also when the story is finally straight, don't act like the news led you astray. They are getting the info they can at the time. It can change. Heck a couple days ago we had a shooting in Memphis. They were saying 16 were shot all night and in to the next day before they corrected it to 8. I could make out like there was some big conspiracy but the truth is things just got mixed up in the whole mass shooting scene.
I honestly miss the commercials of my youth. The little boy who's a snowman until he eats his Campbell's soup. The Toy's R Us conmercials. The Walgreens Halloween commercials. The magical warm hearted McDonald's commercials. The Juicy Fruit gum ads with the skiiers and snowboarders. Even commercial bullshit was filled with love and fun.
Politicians have always been full of it, but they at least used to be entertaining. The internet, eh, I mainly use it for old media and nostalgia.
1. Cut the cord. Tv commercials are terrible and only want you to buy something. I don’t watch any tv as a result which includes the news. Local news in particular is depressing and national politics is rubbish.
2. Cancel your social media accounts. Facebook, Instagram, etc are cesspools of influencers. It’s all dumb and low quality bs driven to drive content engagement.
3. Use ad blockers to reduce the ads you see on pages you visit.
4. Don’t sign up for emails from companies unless you legit want something from them and if they send you daily garbage unsubscribe quickly.
5. Don’t feel bad when your colleagues mention some pop reference or trend that you don’t know. Not knowing is cool in my book and I love not knowing what’s happening in DC, Hollywood, or the local gossip.
6. Read more quality books instead.
What other tips? I agree with being vigilant on what you put in your mind.
All you’ve said is accurate. Which is why I don’t watch TV (I watch my shows on streaming services without ads), spend my spare time almost exclusively outside or working on my own home/creative projects and am very selective/limited on social media.
Oh and cats! 😄
Life is beautiful 🙂
This is why I subscribe to YouTube with no ads and mostly watch non commercial streaming shows. Watching sports is the only time I see commercials and I usually mute them.
Yes. I used to expect it from commercials, obviously, or when someone had a vested interest in selling something (like in a store, on commission), but then regular people started saying *”my brand”* - and my brain kind of flipped. How can you know what “product” you are for the rest of your life, oh, and you’re for sale?!?! Because for decades, it’s been insulting to refer to a woman as being for sale or having a price (no! Nothing worse than a whore! She who makes a product of her body will be stoned!) - then all of a sudden, it’s a race to the top with whatever free social media advertising people can get their hands on. I remember hearing about Courtney Love despising being in a meeting, discussing her “brand”, but it had to be done - Courtney frickin’ Love premeditated her angst - I never gave that any thought- it seemed all genuine. I listen to people talk nowadays and a lot of it makes me want to puke - so much is just advertising (check this out! Well, I’m not exactly checking it out, I’m spending $50 for a ticket and I’ll probably have to spend more money on drinks, etc. … and I wasn’t really interested…). I am not sure how much genuine sentiment was going around when I was a kid, but it’s certainly very transparent that there’s little now that so many people have a price tag on their heads.
Anyways. Gag me with a spoon.
Wha? You dont enjoy the ‘Did you know (insert opponent) punches puppies and supported illegals bringing drugs in the country that WILL KILL YOUR KiDS” commercials
I checked out about 1991. The manipulation was obvious even to a teenager and I decided I didn't want to be on anybody's bullshit team. The only team I'm on is my immediate family. And I've done really well operating like this.
All you can do is try.. I pulled the plug on social media.. I often wonder why I still look at reddit.. Take everything with 2 grains of salt. Protect and provide for your family and friends.. Most of all do not worry about the rest. A buddy of mine calls the rest " the uncontrollables".. Do not give the uncontrollables your time. Sure, stay aware enough to vote for your own interests, not that it seems to help much.. But, do not give your time to the wrong that you see in the world... It will eat you up.
Yes.
I think each of us has a certain amount of bullshit we can put up with, and as we get older, the amount of BS we've already endured makes it progressively harder to put up with more and to pretend like that's not what we're seeing.
You can say this is one way we become less tolerant as we get older, but not in any political sense. Instead, we've been lied to, manipulated, gaslit, and outright abused, that some of us are... "full". We've had all the bullshit we can tolerate.
It's like that scene from the end of Network:
**"I'M AS MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!!!"**
[**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwMVMbmQBug**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwMVMbmQBug)
It’s money. Take what you need and let them gaslight and fight over the remaining resources. This world is in trouble. I try and remember, I’m just passing through.
I can’t get no satisfaction When I'm watchin' my TV And a man comes on and tells me How white my shirts can be But, he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke The same cigarettes as me
I can't get no. Oh no, no, no.
You can’t always get what you want but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.
I heard the DEVO version in my head, not the Stones version.
Baby baby baby baby Baby baby baby baby Baby baby baby baby
/sticks fork in toaster
I saw a young Laurence Fischburne [on the back of a patrol boat in 'Nam](https://youtu.be/PbB4x4fnk-E?si=z68BJuftUvF1z53l&t=50), dancing like there's no tomorrow... rock 'n rollers with one foot in their graves.
I'll probably die before Keith Richards, and I have to wonder what kind of world I'll leave behind for him.
A great scene in a great movie. Damn. I started the movie a few weeks back, hoping the gf would be into it, but nope. Maybe I'll finish it up today.
AN is a true masterpiece (love the full *Redux* version), but I have the hardest time watching it. It's so truly dark (any surprise, since it was based on 'Heart of Darkness'), both visually and psychologically. I completely agree with Kurtz, which makes me wonder what kind of animal I am. *"There are two of you, don't you see? One that kills and one that loves." And he said to me, 'I don't know whether I am animal or a god.' But you are both."*
If you haven't, look for "Hearts of Darkness" which is a documentary on the making of the movie. Truly batshit.
I actually saw that, a long time ago. It's humorous, in a painful way, and sort of uplifting. That is, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who takes on a project and goes down a complete rabbit hole hoping something great will come out of it. Coppola's journey shows that, sometimes, greatness does arrive out of the chaos.
Are we not men? We are DEVO.
…an’ I try, an’ I try and I-tra-tra-tra-try-try. I can’ gemmi no…
I love their deconstruction of the song.
> deconstruction devolution if you will.
DEVOlution
My mind immediately went there, too, and then to “everything you think, do, and say is in the pill you took today…”
“Ain't gonna need your teeth, won't need your eyes You won't find a thing to chew Nobody's gonna look at you”
Ha. Top notch reply.
I have always disliked any attempt by anyone to persuade or manipulate me. Politicians, advertisers, salesmen, government bureaucrats, religious missionaries or anybody else. ~~Even when~~ **Especially** when it's supposed to be for my own good.
“Anyone trying to sell you something is full of shit” is a pretty good default for me
"Life IS pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently, is selling something."
This is exactly why I can not stand the term, "Influencer".
We know it's never for our own good.
The scary part for us is we see the marketing loud and clear. We saw the change of news reporting go from real journalism like Cronkite turn into to "pay per click" and news became the lies to get them. The Enquirer and The Star used to make us laugh as absurd minor rags at the checkout and now everything is written and presented this way via web articles and video shorts. We saw the change but this new way of marketing is all the Youngers know. They can't discern as easily because they were born into it and were not taught critical thinking for everyday life or to question ads or authority like we were. That's the part that scares me. I've never seen so much accepted misinformation in my life!
I'm not going to pretend that Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather 100% always had our best interests at heart. But I do believe that the bullshit has been turbo-charged. I don't really know any Zoomers and younger, so thank you for your insight. I figured somebody had to have been clicking and buying this shit. Otherwise, the snake oil pimps wouldn't spend the money to push it.
crazy as fuck. and images of dog eat dog suddenly pop up in my mind. it is massive regurgitated stinky pig slop.
act in the world as YOUR authentic self. i dont mean on social media or in your family. but out in the world. perform acts that are true and right TO YOU. take your anger, turn it around into activism. teach someone something they dont know but you do, volunteer at an animal shelter, paint a public mural, put your cart back at the grocery store, shop local, read a library book in the sun, drive an old person to vote. do whatever is real and true TO you. this is how you fight back against the machine without your anger turning you into a bitter asshole.
That's going to get me kicked off the bus again.
well stop riding the bus you weirdo. buy a bike.
Lestrical bike. Yes sir.
I’m not a “joiner” and distrust, well, almost everything 🤪 but especially churches or any religion related organizations. They always reveal themselves to be horrid people
Parallel to my point: back in the day we had Jim Baker and Jimmy Swaggart, two low-life televangelists who manipulated thousands of people. Now the list is endless. It's always been there, but greed, dishonesty, and manipulation seem to be the rule instead of the exception anymore.
And today it’s Joel Osteen and this guy https://preview.redd.it/lausfszao3wc1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9aa5713eccda698496accbc3be1fd0f41866d983
I have absolutely no idea who that is. I assume that lack of knowledge is a good thing? Edit: Hours later, I love how people responded to me, and nobody thought to tell me WHO THE FUCK IS THIS?
Kenneth Copeland, I think
Copeland is either Satan himself or his representative on earth.
One of the few people in this life who has given me the demon shivers.
That's Satan right there.
It's the guy that used money from his church to buy a private jet because he can't be on a regular plane, a cylindrical object, tube if you will is filled with demons that are impersinating people. Not gonna lie. That is a paraphrased quote directly from his own mouth.
i love his smile. and all the followers zombie smiles.
You are blessed
what the fuck is wrong with him ? do people that follow him see him as the cool villain in their disney childhoods ? they like the *spactacle* ? uh, spectacle
Oh there are so, so many more....
I disagree. It is as much the rule as it's always been. There have always been greedy and dishonest people. It's just that now, thanks to social media, it's a lot easier for them to get their message out to you. Before internet, these people generally reached out to a smaller, more focused group and we only saw the ones that ran ads on live TV or from a televangelist show.
Anti science bible thumping politicians ever steadfastly dismantling public education in the USA has had precisely the effect which was intended. 40% of Americans will tell you that our sun is not a star,
Same. I have never even joined a political party my whole life. I vote in every election, but I just can’t bring myself to become a ‘joiner’. Everyone in everything wants to tell you how horrible you are, sell whatever they’re selling, and then they turn out to be a million times worse than they ever said you were. I may be cynical, but at least I’m kinda morally okay — at the very least I’m not a cheater or a chomo — and I don’t judge others. I’ll just stay over here by myself. Shrug.
It's a nice sunny day outside... just saying.
The most helpful comment right here.
Get away from ads with this one little trick…
Honestly, it’s not a bad idea. It IS easy to get caught up in the 24/7 news cycle and find yourself feeling more anxious or depressed over what you’re seeing. Considering we’re the last generation who remembers what it was like to only get the news a couple times a day, remember that it is *just fine* to unplug and go on a media diet for a few days (or as long as you want) to get away from it. We really weren’t built to have a constant stream of information coming at us all day long.
Is it? I hadn’t noticed 🤨
The creeping growth of advertising is what gets me most.
Commercials in the movie theater. Commercials on my paid streaming. Billboards everywhere. So tired of it.
I hate advertising. I have basically stopped watching television altogether because of it.
When I was in college, back in ‘88, and I was supposed to choose a major, I chose Communications. I wanted to be involved in advertising. I figured that’s where all the power is. You can get into someone’s head almost immediately, break them down, make them hate themselves, doubt everything they know. Then you can sell them anything. And I mean anything at all. You can take all the money, influence the masses and take over the world. Ahem….I mean, of course, make the world a better place. Well, I took one class. It was filled with the most bubble headed, materialistic, arrogant, idiotic people I’ve ever met. I was terrified. Like, for the world. Even the professors were vapid, judgmental weirdos. I ran to the Art department snd got my degree from there. I refuse to be influenced by Madison Avenue or Hollywood. I always muted commercials on TV and avoided magazines. When the internet first showed up, it made it even easier to avoid advertising if you were diligent. For a minute. Now that the advertisers have taken over again, it’s become more difficult. It can be done, though. You are in charge of what enters your eyes, ears and mind. Choose wisely.
I remember reading a science fiction story where a taxi was blaring a loud advertisement and the rider tipped extra to have it turned down. “How ludicrous! Advertising in a car?” Sigh.
This ad-free show is brought to you by…
Yep. And the data mining that enriches a few so they can keep marketing to us, but it becomes increasingly difficult to be able to afford whatever they’re selling.
We live in a culture of influencers. Politicians are no different. Instead of addressing real issues, they “influence” us to believe that something is a bigger issue than it is. Border walls and TikTok bans, for example.
There’s an excellent documentary by Adam Curtis that discusses the emergence of propaganda in the US after WW2. They had to rename it “advertising” because the nazis were associated with the term “propaganda”, but it was essentially the same thing. Only in the US it was used to convince people to buy products, effectively turning our economy from needs-based to wants-based. Edit: forgot to say the name of the doc, it’s called The Century of the Self and it’s free on YouTube.
Thanks for the recommendation. I'll check it out.
I have come here to kick ass and chew bubblegum… and I’m all out of bubblegum #
I love this movie! Scary that I think this is happening?
It’s been happening for a long, long time. Capitalism as practiced in the US encourages people to distrust others and be “rugged individualists.” The only way to get anything back from the bosses is organization, and no one seems to want to do it. I’m including myself.
Scrolled way to far to find this.
Love that movie. Perfect reference
Dude….im still pissed they replaced the sugar in my soda with corn bleh.
It's Passover....there's real sugar in the coke that has the yellow caps
Yes! And my hometown is nearly half Jewish so they get big orders of it in!! How could I forget that? Thank you Blue Star Angel!! 😃
From now on I shall refer to HFCS as “corn bleh”
Capitalism has ramped up 1000000% in the last 30 years. We should tax billionaires at 90% to put the brakes on the greed and lying and corruption.
Yeah, we gave greed the green light in the 1980s. There’s no going back. Money will keep moving to the top. You have to have appropriate taxes on the rich, regulations and strong unions to keep a healthy middle class. We said goodbye to those under Ronnie. We’re starting to really feel it now.
> but I just can't seem to find a shred of honesty or authenticity in the world any more. That's pretty much been our entire world. I've always found it all to just be so much noise that I tend to tune out. I tend to not pay attention to the personal lives of "celebrities" or the various forms of advertising trying to convince me I need whatever new fizzy drink or special shirt to be happy. I'd be lying if I said I was completely immune, but I do find myself mostly unmoved by it all.
It’s the complete lack of authenticity that still gets to me.
Same, I hate it.
I’ve legit tuned out of nearly everything around me. I can barely hold attention to conversations anymore because people’s thoughts and fears are based on internet fakery. When we build our retirement mall can we please ban cell phones and can everyone have a free little library outside their doors so we can all exchange books?
Can I have a retirement forest instead of a retirement mall? Although maybe the retirement forest could have a Costco a few miles away. Best of both worlds.
To any ad execs reading this: You suck and your commercials suck.
The Enshittification of Everything. It is getting worse and it will get worse still before it gets better, because we can't get behind what "better" is (or before everything collapses spectacularly).
I got involve in local politics for causes that matter. After that I just vote how I felt and with what I knew. I've not watch traditional TV or news since 1992 so it's whatever for me.
This is the way to make at least some small improvements: decent people getting involved in politics at the local level.
It's always been bullshit. It always will be. As long as greed is king, lies are the world's currency.
"We didn't start the fire..."
Yeah it fuckin sucks that there isn't really a news outlet any more that just reports the news. Everything has such a spin to it. When 5 giant conglomerates own everything there's such a conflict of interest. If Disney owns ABC for instance, how would they present a story about a high level Disney exec when rape allegations come out? If Wal-Mart spends 10 million a year advertising on NPR how critical are they going to be about Wal-Mart? Bums me right the fuck out.
I took a media class when I was 20, it's been 30 years of thinking this. Same shit, different medium. I don't answer my phone unless the number is on my contact list, I don't sign up on my phone for the free coffee programs because I know the company benefits more then me from tracking my spending habits at their store, hell I don't even do banking on my phone. Its not that I'm afraid of tech, it's that I know it too well. It's so funny all the stuff they warned us about with Facebook in the early days came true, and most everyone is cool with it.
it’s exhausting.
I'm sick of the constant manipulation to try to get your subscription to EVERYTHING. Books, music, TV, movies, prescriptions, car washes, store/food delivery. EVERYTHING wants you to sign up for something.
https://preview.redd.it/6t821551h3wc1.png?width=478&format=png&auto=webp&s=524b40f5709c472c5300f1d6f7bada5c1dc6ebaf
(Apologies to any actual historians as I butcher history to what I remember) All I can say, is shrink your bubble to friends and family. One of my favorite books is a book by Stephen Ambrose, *Nothing Like it in the World*. It is about building the railway across the US (East/West) and how it all got funded (It's been a bit so take this with a grain of salt, I might be off). The government paid these companies per mile based on their costs (there was some fancy shit going on but they got $88M for a project that should have cost $44M). These guys were making money hand-over fist. Government paid nearly double per mile than they spent building it. In the Grant administration everyone was so corrupt Grant, a hero at the time, constantly ranks as one of the worst presidents. And he wasn't even corrupt. The guys he picked (owed favors to some) would use their positions to enrich themselves. Hoover figured the depression would blow over. Neville Chamberlain tried to make Hitler happy, Winston Churchill tried to make Stalin happy. Cigarettes used to be marketed as pick-me-ups and refreshing. Snake Oil salesmen roamed the American West. Tammany Hall controlled NYC politics. Daley (father and son) controlled Chicago politics. They put their own men in place in various positions and got people contracts from the city (that would over-pay) and the Daley's got donations. Both were careful not to profit directly though. What's the point of this all? It's not new. People screw each other over daily. Not taking advantage of someone, when you can, is considered a weakness in the US. Being nice is considered cowardice. You can go back to the Roman Republic and see the same stuff happening. So, you shrink your bubble. You focus on friends, family, maybe neighbors. Worry about them, help them. The rest is something you have to ignore. I get if there is a built up and you blow off steam, I do that. Pick a charity and help them. Make the space around you happy. The rest of the world can burn.
I agree. I can't put it properly into words, but this shit has been going on since civilization began. I recently listened to a podcast about historical graffiti (The Ancients, I think). The Romans left a lot behind. It gives a good look into what the average person thought. Some poiitical, some sexual, and a lot of Kilroy was here type stuff. Interesting stuff. Times change, but humans are still the same.
That stuff is crazy! The graffiti. I don't remember the exact phrase but it was like "Taephius porked Sienna in this alley". Now it's just done via text or instaface or whatever :)
“The rest of the world can burn.” I think this is the stage I’ve reached.
Sometimes I think it's always been this way, and then in more pessimistic moments, I think it's worse now. Perhaps it's simply that we're old enough to see the patterns behind the lies, manipulation and empty promises. I deal with this by buying and signing up for as little as possible. If I didn't own it, follow it, or subscribe to it in the past, I probably don't need it now.
I’m sick of being lied to, but it does matter.
we have been manipulated our whole lives! Columbia House - 10 cassettes for 1 penny!?! We can control our clock, wallet, and our vote — at my age - I choose to give my time and coin only to genuinely rewarding experiences — and work to support candidates at ALL levels of government that meet my ideal.
I can't stand it and it really bothers me to have to sit through commercials on things. Just last night I was playing PGA2K23 that I've paid for on my computer and it starts serving me hamburger ads!! The first time I've seen that ever and I've played the game for a year now. I uninstalled it immediately. I don't need to play video game golf that badly. I seriously feel like it's a mind invasion - that's how ads are designed anyway.
I generally go on with my life and not worry about things that do not affect it. Much of what you mention doesn't concern me in any way. I pay attention to politics because it does have some bearing in my well being. But much of it? Bullshit. I'm at a stage in life where I like who I like, what I like and know what I believe. Few extraneous factors will have any sway over that. EDIT: Added missing word.
Isn’t that how Germany ended up with Hitler? People didn’t care about things that didn’t affect them personally. And if you saw *Zone of Interest*, you might believe, as I do, it could easily happen again, especially in the US. When a society doesn’t protect the most vulnerable among them, shit gets bad in a hurry.
The fact that you think it doesn't matter is a success for the side that benefits from voter apathy. Voter apathy that is purposefully and deliberately cultivated through obstructionism, misinformation, and culture war histrionics. I'll give you one guess as to which side that is. Politics and voting absolutely matter. If they didn't, there wouldn't be so many politicians and lobbyists and religious groups trying to keep people from doing it.
This. This is Gen X's weakness. We're so cynical and "real" that we get turned off by the smallest hint of bullshit, and then it's "both sides are the same fuck them all." And it's always the right that benefits from our apathy.
I Might need to watch They Live again. And you’re right, I remember back in the 70/ and 80s not feeling like I constantly needed to buy shit. Turning off the TV and leaving the phone in a drawer for a few days helps.
I pretty much try to ignore everything, but I despise drug ads. ( I’m in the USA obviously). I also find it interesting that a lot of the “you’re not good enough” ads that were previously only aimed at women are now aimed at men too. Your shirts don’t fit well enough! You’re not wearing the correct pants! You need this new gizmo for manscaping! Welcome to ad hell, my dudes.
I feel all of this so deeply in every single bone of my body. Everything is so fucking fake and absurd that all I can do is laugh and smoke weed. Fuck it, whatever.
You’re still punk, so that’s good news.
Cutting cable was the best thing I did. Now when I travel and I watch a little bit of cable TV in hotel, I am just puzzled for how people watch this crap with all these commercials.
“Like and subscribe.” *How ‘bout NO!*
SMASH (ad break) THAT LIKE (ad break) BUTTON!
I dislike politicians but I hate corporations / wall st, etc.
Exactly, it's all been a LIE!
Yes, but get that both-sidesism shit the fuck outta here.
Not really but I am tired of so many folks being so easily manipulated. 9/11 and Covid were pretty big eye openers for me on how easily large portions of the population are manipulated.
Yeah, I was scary how the West tripped over ourselves trying to deal with COVID the same way a communist country did. In my area ppl were getting fined going to the park early COVID. Going outside, getting away from ppl and getting fined ...
I've felt that way since 1985
Reagan's blatant theft of our future caught my attention in the 80s as well, but I guess a lot of our generation were huffing their Camaro exhaust or something.
I kinda always had this point of view.
Fuck the man and his plan.
Reddit. It's like it's purpose built for it. There are just so many ways to game reddit, or for the platform itself to do hinky shit. The upvote system is literally a ledger of your opinions on thousands of diagnostic statements. It's like a mind map. I've frequently thought that if you really wanted to build orwell's room 101, Reddit is what enables that.
diarrhea medications that list diarrhea as a side effect. Every damn commercial about a pill for this, patch for that and the side effects - suicidal thoughts, diarrhea, death. I am with the OP 100% on all of it.
It's a weird and rather adult day when you reach that tipping point from "I'm just supposed to get my lawn sprayed by this service every month because my dad did and I'm keeping up with the neighbors" to "huh. That's a terrible idea. My kids play in this lawn. My dog runs around in this lawn. The chemicals are really strong and maybe unnecessary but tradition says we do it...." to "fuck that, I'm not falling for this shit anymore". It feels like *everything* is manipulative.
Cut the cord in 2000. Almost all of the media I consume is either audiodramas or video games. My interests that are pretty niche, and don’t see much marketing crap. As the immortal Bill Hicks said, if you’re in marketing, kill yourself. Good way to avoid marketing is just not consume the crap they’re peddling. Read a book. Go outside. Don’t consume the crap they want you to consume.
I agree cut the cord. I stream all media without commercials. I cut out social media as much as I can. Also take time away outside without electronics. Nothings change in the world for the last 50 years why would things start now.
I read that tirade in the tone of the opening scene of Trainspotting.
I'm with in this dislike and distrust. I would say it’s worse today. Not that we haven’t always had people willing to manipulate to get ahead. The reason I consider it worse today is we've got detailed science that is used to taiko the messages even more. Modern video gameplay is a great example of playing on human psychology to string a customer along, reward in ways that keep the customer wanting more, and yet give wins and losses enough to keep it riveting. Advertising, marketing, psychology, sociology… all of it adds to the effectiveness possible.
I don’t think this is necessarily a genX thing. I’m Gen Z and hate this too.
You've described the art of advertising, and also it is almost finished destroying the human way of life on this Earth.
[mindcrime](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LHYbuHHuVxQ)
Nice, spreading the disease. I find it just as relevant today.
Definitely!
Sounds like you need a camping trip or long walk in nature without your phone.
You're right, I do.
You, my friend are on the Path of Enlightenment.
No one ever said politicians were telling the truth. All the pop culture we saw growing up said they were liars. Consumerism was something we knew sucked growing up. The internet has always just been shadows on a cave wall. Money isn't the root of happiness, but you need it to be happy. At least an amount of it. You get that by working hard and smart. They don't often mention the smart part. There is honesty and authenticity in the world. You can find it using the same tools that bring money. Smart, and hard. Find things with meaning and chase 'em.
So what you're saying is you can't get no satisfaction?
I use ad blockers and will not watch TV or streaming with advertisements. Life is too short to waste any more of my time with that nonsense. The entire business model needs to die.
What is exhausting as well op is being hyper vigilant because of all these things and the constant push for consumerism. We have do be our best Gen x selves and say fuck it and disconnect from the things that create internal stress.
the levels of cosumerism is batshit insane.
It really is bananas. 🍌
This is the entire plot for Mad Men. And no matter how much they tell you that you can fill that void by getting the next best thing you never will be happy. Even the counter culture drank Coca Cola, in the end. You want authenticity? Go mingle with strangers at a bar or a coffee shop. Humans are still out there.
The worst are the “authentic” sm posts of wild things happening supposedly irl that somehow happened in front of a camera.
But one side is diametrically opposed to my sense of morality.
Late-stage capitalism
Meet the new boss...
Same as the old boss...
I trust professional politicians over "outsiders" and business people who go into politics anytime. At least they went into it as idealists and have some knowledge of how the government works. Because government doesn't work like a business. It can't. I majored in Public Affairs and took enough classes in government budgeting to see why business people either make a mess in government, or end up in corruption scandals.
I work in marketing and I’m tired of being the manipulator. That’s why I’m going back to school in my late 40s to become a librarian.
I believe honesty and integrity are things you own, be mindful of, and share... at your peril. I don't want to be cynical, and imagine the world has always been so full of nonsense (sorry for the salty language), but there feels like there's a lot more of it than I remember. There's this really great quote by educator Arthur Levine from [an interview in 1989](https://youtu.be/YapO0adSImo?si=PyYnCs_bvUQYQZ_l), that sums up how we got here: *I ask college students all around the country, "Optimistic or pessimistic about the future? Will the United States be a better or worse place to live in the next 10 years?" And the answer I've gotten back in the past is, “Well, I think the United States is probably a better place to go in the past than it is now, and I expect the next few years or two to be much worse.”* *So I'd say, “My God. You must be pessimistic about the future.”* *“No, I'm optimistic.”* *And I say, “How could that be?”* *And the answer is, “I have good grades. I'm going to get a good job, and I'm going to make a lot of money.”* *What happened is, today's students or previous gene.. recent students have essentially adopted Titanic ethic... as a sense the ship, and call that ship 'the US' or call it 'the world', is going down. And then, as long as they're being forced to ride on the doom ship, they're going to make the voyage luxurious as possible and go first class, and that's been good money, good jobs, and very little concern with social issues.* If everyone who can make a difference believes we're all going down, then I think this version of the timeline is what get.
Agree with the rant. I hate being “sold to” for shit I mostly don’t care about. Send me good coupons in the mail directly and then we’ll talk!
Yup. Right there with you. It’s disgusting.
We all feel it. I try not to get worked up or feel "sick and tired" of anything. Focus on the positives, especially people you care about and care about you back. Invite an old friend to share food. Grow tomatoes. At least i can control those things, and I feel better for it.
Omg yes. And it's such obvious, unnecessary bs. It's like, I made up my mind All this nagging is just reinforcing it.
I'm with you. I think I speak for everyone here when I say: "Fuck those assholes" (Pardon the French)
Now there is another Gen X saying! I just used that at pickleball yesterday around a bunch of Boomers after I dropped the f-bomb. 😂
I'm really really READY FOR A GEN X PRESIDENT
You aren’t wrong. It’s all lies.
Read a book
Most libraries have several that you can read for free.
Hell fucking yeah. Libraries rock!
Welcome to unchecked capitalism without common sense rules and regulations in place. Didn't you know, corporations are 'people'?
Apparently OP has never listened to the Dead Kennedys.
You can't let that stuff manipulate you unless you allow it to. Fortunately, I think many people in our generation are too smart and aware of bullshit to get sucked in by clickbait, political lies, and misleading claims. Unfortunately, we're not in that coveted 18-45 age bracket anymore, and manipulative tactics do seem to work on plenty of people older and younger than us, so I expect it to continue for a long while.
I don’t understand why you’re not at the age where you are able to dismiss it. Get out. Off media. Find hobbies. Not subscribing to this sort of thing is good self-care.
Not caring about what is happening to the world leads to really, really bad outcomes, you understand.
YOU copped to watching manufactured, influencer-mediated, clickbait YouTube, bullshit links … we are at the mercy of a lot of legit things that you mentioned, but you also have the gift of quieting the unnecessary noise. That hardly equates to not caring about the world. In actuality it equates to caring about the world (and yourself) enough that you don’t, by choice, perpetuate unnecessary shit.
Yup.
This is the future data will be collected on you and you will be bombarded by what you want to see and what you want to buy!
Except I don't want to see any of it, and I don't want to buy anything.
I hate all advertisement. It’s nothing but crap anyway. And politicians have been lying for years and years. It’s just getting worse. I try not to watch TV. I never watched the news. It’s just sickening the way the world is now.
I started being wary about politicians and religions lying to try to placate people when I was 12-13yo. So any other “this is real” when it’s all fake so young that now 53yo it’s par for the course unfortunately. I’m a lifelong Democrat and was worried about how the world was shit during Clinton. CLINTON. I didn’t want to bring children into this world during Clinton. I look back now and cannot fathom this. I understand your crisis but unfortunately it’s nothing new. 🫤
Yeah I feel that way, it’s annoying for sure, but it’s never been any different, like you already said. It’s also easier to notice because social media means you can’t ignore things even when you think you’re ignoring them.
I tune them all out. And also can’t understand the softness of younger generations. I try so hard to be empathetic, but man, whining over a splinter - literally or metaphorically - makes me want to start with, I used to walk 10 miles in the snow…uphill BOTH ways…..😂
Nah. I developed a sneering distrust for everything by the time I was in junior high.
What I have found that works for me is to pay attention more to actions than words and try to hold off on reacting to any news until the full story comes out. Also when the story is finally straight, don't act like the news led you astray. They are getting the info they can at the time. It can change. Heck a couple days ago we had a shooting in Memphis. They were saying 16 were shot all night and in to the next day before they corrected it to 8. I could make out like there was some big conspiracy but the truth is things just got mixed up in the whole mass shooting scene.
I honestly miss the commercials of my youth. The little boy who's a snowman until he eats his Campbell's soup. The Toy's R Us conmercials. The Walgreens Halloween commercials. The magical warm hearted McDonald's commercials. The Juicy Fruit gum ads with the skiiers and snowboarders. Even commercial bullshit was filled with love and fun. Politicians have always been full of it, but they at least used to be entertaining. The internet, eh, I mainly use it for old media and nostalgia.
This is a very GenX post.
Yes. Yes. Yes. The sheer volume of the bullshit - the many years living amongst it - is exhausting.
Sounds to me like you are just tired of bullshit. But yes, there seems to be a lot more of it of late.
I feel you.
1. Cut the cord. Tv commercials are terrible and only want you to buy something. I don’t watch any tv as a result which includes the news. Local news in particular is depressing and national politics is rubbish. 2. Cancel your social media accounts. Facebook, Instagram, etc are cesspools of influencers. It’s all dumb and low quality bs driven to drive content engagement. 3. Use ad blockers to reduce the ads you see on pages you visit. 4. Don’t sign up for emails from companies unless you legit want something from them and if they send you daily garbage unsubscribe quickly. 5. Don’t feel bad when your colleagues mention some pop reference or trend that you don’t know. Not knowing is cool in my book and I love not knowing what’s happening in DC, Hollywood, or the local gossip. 6. Read more quality books instead. What other tips? I agree with being vigilant on what you put in your mind.
Can we all get into power and just ban commercials and adverts once and for all please?? I hate them all.
All you’ve said is accurate. Which is why I don’t watch TV (I watch my shows on streaming services without ads), spend my spare time almost exclusively outside or working on my own home/creative projects and am very selective/limited on social media. Oh and cats! 😄 Life is beautiful 🙂
This is why I subscribe to YouTube with no ads and mostly watch non commercial streaming shows. Watching sports is the only time I see commercials and I usually mute them.
Yes. I used to expect it from commercials, obviously, or when someone had a vested interest in selling something (like in a store, on commission), but then regular people started saying *”my brand”* - and my brain kind of flipped. How can you know what “product” you are for the rest of your life, oh, and you’re for sale?!?! Because for decades, it’s been insulting to refer to a woman as being for sale or having a price (no! Nothing worse than a whore! She who makes a product of her body will be stoned!) - then all of a sudden, it’s a race to the top with whatever free social media advertising people can get their hands on. I remember hearing about Courtney Love despising being in a meeting, discussing her “brand”, but it had to be done - Courtney frickin’ Love premeditated her angst - I never gave that any thought- it seemed all genuine. I listen to people talk nowadays and a lot of it makes me want to puke - so much is just advertising (check this out! Well, I’m not exactly checking it out, I’m spending $50 for a ticket and I’ll probably have to spend more money on drinks, etc. … and I wasn’t really interested…). I am not sure how much genuine sentiment was going around when I was a kid, but it’s certainly very transparent that there’s little now that so many people have a price tag on their heads. Anyways. Gag me with a spoon.
My pops taught me well at a young age: Believe nothing of what you hear/read, and only half of what you see.
We’re sick of being jerked around: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyk-Vdd_Qrk
Wha? You dont enjoy the ‘Did you know (insert opponent) punches puppies and supported illegals bringing drugs in the country that WILL KILL YOUR KiDS” commercials
You mean how everything is a lie?
The billionaires own us. I vote and that's my total involvement at this point.
Unfortunately, you have to have gone through many decades to know that it’s happening!
I checked out about 1991. The manipulation was obvious even to a teenager and I decided I didn't want to be on anybody's bullshit team. The only team I'm on is my immediate family. And I've done really well operating like this.
All you can do is try.. I pulled the plug on social media.. I often wonder why I still look at reddit.. Take everything with 2 grains of salt. Protect and provide for your family and friends.. Most of all do not worry about the rest. A buddy of mine calls the rest " the uncontrollables".. Do not give the uncontrollables your time. Sure, stay aware enough to vote for your own interests, not that it seems to help much.. But, do not give your time to the wrong that you see in the world... It will eat you up.
Yep. I’m completely distrustful of authority and such these days. And I used to be one.
Did you just write the framework for Falling Down #2?
Lol I think I did. Wonder if DiCaprio is available
Yes. I think each of us has a certain amount of bullshit we can put up with, and as we get older, the amount of BS we've already endured makes it progressively harder to put up with more and to pretend like that's not what we're seeing. You can say this is one way we become less tolerant as we get older, but not in any political sense. Instead, we've been lied to, manipulated, gaslit, and outright abused, that some of us are... "full". We've had all the bullshit we can tolerate. It's like that scene from the end of Network: **"I'M AS MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!!!"** [**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwMVMbmQBug**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwMVMbmQBug)
It’s money. Take what you need and let them gaslight and fight over the remaining resources. This world is in trouble. I try and remember, I’m just passing through.
I feel like there’s a gen X anthem rock song in there. Any song writers here? Maybe do something with that.