Yeah, I’ve been reading all this. I agree with your observations on people, but disagree with what should be done about it, if anything. My own personal belief is 50% of people are idiots and 50% of people are pretty neat (which category I belong to remains to be seen). However, even if this is true, I think it’s okay for things to be the way they are, with slight shifts towards progressivism/conservatism depending on need and time.Jomei wrote: ↑Sat Jun 28, 2025 11:34 am I've worked minimum wage retail and have seen lifers of various kinds. Your view seems to preclude the possibility of anyone's decisions and efforts being a major factor in their lot.
Like, this is true even beyond the far end of the poverty line. I witnessed much of the same phenomenon with grad school. Despite access to everything needed to succeed, many, perhaps most of the students neglected to put in the real effort required to obtain jobs and publications related to their field. There's a strong tendency to just wait for things to happen, get complacent, and then resent the people who actually worked their assess off to achieve something.
(LSD, if you're reading this, you can probably think of the countless people who've muttered about how great it would be to try living in Japan, but they never take the steps to make it happen.)
In regards to Japan, I’ve seen what happens to people who come here, and then don’t know what to do next. They blame the government for their inability to speak basic Japanese after living here for 2 years, and don’t think about what the next step is, or how they can improve their own resumes and life.
Barring me working at an international university, I’ve hit the upper limits of what I can do here. Rather than complain about it, I’ve accepted that I’ve learned a lot, gained a lot, and most importantly, had fun. I’m thinking what the next steps are in a timeframe of 2-3 years, possibly depending on the American political situation+how much where I work will give me more when I inevitably explain my desire to move on amicably. Always head upwards no matter what.
Still? I recognize I might be insane, and I’ve already done a lot more than other people have in their life. Not everyone should have to constantly have this internalized panic-pleasure drive I have to do better. The other thing, is I need to think about other things outside myself, like my two daughters.
To give one last comment on the politics at hand, and use the Japan topic: health care in Japan. It’s a good system. Under 18 is free (although this is an incentive to make people have more children) and for adults it’s not that expensive. I got a dental cleaning the other day, and only had to pay $15 out of pocket. But, a lot of this is directly tied to my employment, and I’m taxed heavily. Still, it feels nicer and is less worrying than whatever the fuck is going on with America.
I’m not a socialist, but I think a lot of social programs would greatly benefit society, and America. The key is figuring out the precise moment when those social programs become ineffectual, and I think bad actors on both ends of the spectrum have motivation for things to not go as planned.
