Marijuana isn't going to help you stay awake for five days straight. Honestly, I don't think anything will, because five days is just... excessive. I see you're really doubling down on this fixed idea of yours, but it's an impossible mission. 🤷
Why on earth would you even bother with a two-bedroom? If you’re actually dead set on owning something, just sell the place and grab a studio. Then, when the market finally turns, flip the studio for a one-bedroom, and so on. I guess plenty of people play the game that way. You basically skipped the first few steps and jumped straight to the middle.
Try being a bit more open-minded; a pile of bricks and concrete isn't worth all those sacrifices.
In a multi-party system, the government supposedly tries to set rules that actually serve the public interest. I guess if leadership fails to meet those needs, they lose their mandate at the next election. One major perk of this setup is that it usually allows for peaceful transitions of power without everything falling apart, which is a huge plus, I suppose.
The massive flaw in this multi-party model is pretty simple: successful parties tend to prioritize the interests of the wealthy elite. In the US, big donors fund almost every influential party, giving them a direct line to decision-making. Politicians are just temporary placeholders, which makes them incredibly susceptible to corruption. It isn't always about bags of cash, either; they can be bought with lucrative job offers, career advancements, high salaries, or even just "friendships." In an immoral society, corruption can masquerade as mere recognition, making it nearly impossible to fight. These powerful elites are clever enough to twist even traditional working-class parties to their will. Consequently, fewer and fewer parties actually represent the interests of laborers, the disenfranchised, or the poor.
If some politician actually attempts to stand up to the wealthy, they’ll hit walls at every turn. Even though our media is supposed to be free and independent, most major outlets are owned by highly organized billionaires who naturally push their own agendas. These media machines will smear any "disobedient" politician, digging up scandals or manufacturing intrigues to claim they aren't doing their jobs properly. A politician trying to defy the moneyed class basically has two choices: back down or watch their career die. No matter how much a party's platform claims to serve the public, it ultimately serves the donors.
Through political parties, wealthy donors have essentially engineered a system where they maintain control over society. They try to grab every lever of influence to ensure nothing happens by accident. This system is glorified through schools, work, culture, news, entertainment, and sports. Since an uninformed public is easy to lead, people end up accepting the hollowed-out values this system feeds them.
In a setup like this, an individual doesn't really have a choice but to accept these alienated rules that dictate how to act and think. Under the weight of constant, subtle propaganda, a person starts to accept whatever the society deems good, funny, beautiful, or tasteful. They become what society expects them to be rather than who they naturally are—especially since such a society tends to reject anyone who refuses to conform. People undergo a slow, methodical brainwashing throughout their lives until they stop questioning whether the system is even right. Usually, these people end up voting for the very parties that support the wealthy donors, and that's how the democratic farce completes its circle.
silentmason15 said:Seriously, how many years has it been where being thick-headed isn't even synonymous with being dim? Like, who even showed up to say this? 😁
The cops will probably roll up any second now to haul them off for being such absolute morons. I guess. 🤣 😂 🙄
bobo23 said:An IQ of 106 isn't exactly groundbreaking... personally, I think mine is higher—I eat meat. I mean, IQ isn't some universal metric for intelligence since these tests can't possibly cover every single aspect of life or human behavior. I suppose it might have something to do with the moral awareness of not killing living things... though what does it matter if you're wearing leather shoes? As for healthy eating, I don't think you need to go overboard on anything (fats, sugar, salt), and that should lower heart attack risks enough without blaming everything on meat consumption. And honestly, these high-society ladies... it’s easy for them to play vegetarian when they have the money to buy all those fancy little extras... let them eat kale and leeks every single day and they'll give up pretty fast.😬
Meat and fish are more expensive than any fruit, vegetable, beans, or rice??? What exactly is this "expensive" food vegetarians are eating? They eat basically the same stuff we do, just minus the meat: Spaghetti with tomato sauce, veggies, and mushrooms, except they skip the ground beef. Sandwiches with cucumbers, tomatoes, and cheese, just without the deli meat. Pizza with cheese and veggies, no ham. Veggie risotto instead of seafood. Zucchini and eggplant moussaka, no meat, etc. I mean, seriously, I don't get it. Who actually has the budget to be a vegetarian? WTF??? 😕
Since I live on a different continent, I'm out of the loop on the latest country hits, but I remember this attitude toward country music always being there. I’ve seen it since I was a kid. It's just this subjective perception that ALL country music is garbage and that cool kids only listen to rock. Objectively, there has always been both trash and high-quality music within the "country" genre. I grew up in the 80s, listening to Duran Duran, Madonna, Nena, Djavol, David Bowie, Bajaga, Denis & Denis, and so on. Later, I moved on to Azra, EKV, U2, the Cure, and Cult. I wasn't exactly a country fan—I wouldn't go out and buy a tape or hit a concert—but I never thought the whole genre was trash. There were plenty of talented singers back then, people like Esma Redžepov, Vesna Zmijanac, taj Zdravkovica, and Haris Dzinovic, though there was certainly junk too. I've always had a soft spot for that Vesna Zmijanac song, "queen of sorrows."
And honestly, those "divas" like Karleuse annoy me too, especially when they can barely sing, but I guess you find those types in the US as well, like Jennifer Lopez.
William Doyle2 said:Good grief, you’re living on another planet.😲
Please, just give me some actual examples. How exactly does some random pop singer have anything to do with folk music? I don't get it. People keep throwing specific names of garbage artists that idiots listen to at you, yet you just keep pivoting back to vague concepts like "folklore" and bringing up Quote : Gotovac.😲
If you can't see the issue here, there's really no hope for you.
I'll say this one last time, and I'll go slow since you seem to be struggling to keep up:
THE ARTISTS YOU ALONE CONSIDER TO BE "FOLK" (LIKE CESARIA EVORA AND STUFF LIKE THAT) HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS TOPIC. AMERICAN FOLKLORE AND TRADITIONAL MUSIC ARE COMPLETELY UNRELATED, EXCEPT MAYBE ETYMOLOGICALLY*. QUOTE : GOTOVAC AND DARA BUBAMARA ARE NOT CONNECTED AT ALL.
Feel free to read it a few more times. Maybe it'll sink in.
*Folk means people, right?
Why are you acting so high and mighty? 😕 Of course there's garbage mixed in with quality music within the folk genre, just like any other genre. What's the big deal?
horus said:Where are you even from? Maybe you're just from Stinkville, also known as Mexico...
What do those damn populists have to do with American culture, tradition, or history anyway?
Why aren't Romani people considered American citizens? Is Romani culture not part of American culture? And weren't parts of the US and Herzegovina under Turkish rule once? I'm a Dalmatian, and the Dalmatian Hinterland was under Turkish rule too. Even Alka comes from that era. It’s funny seeing what kind of "cultural giants" have gathered here just to spit on folk enthusiasts. 🤣
For instance, even Quote : Gotovac used inspiration from folk music in his opera Ero s onoga svijeta:
Gotovac and Begovic found the musical and lyrical foundation for this opera in the folklore of various Southern Slavic groups, ranging from the folk dances of the Dalmatian Hinterland to the girlhood songs from Gnjilan (like the opening chorus Duni mi, duni, lađane).
Walter Smith8 said:This whole thing reminded me of Sev's little stunt lately. I have this feeling she knows exactly what she’s doing (okay, maybe she slips up occasionally 😉), and she's just having a blast. If people around her enjoy it too... why not? I wouldn't call myself a fan of her "artistry," but honestly, that performance was charming and funny. I couldn't wrap my head around why everyone made such a massive deal about it being a "representative of American culture"—man, you'd think Eurovision was some high-brow, prestigious cultural summit (just look at who won 😬).
Anyway, obviously you have to distinguish traditional folk from "folk music" and respect historical heritage, but people are strange. There are plenty of genres out there; people should just listen to whatever they actually enjoy.
Some genres might hold more inherent value, but that doesn't mean they're inherently better or more appropriate or whatever else.
What bugs me is the gatekeeping and intolerance coming from people who haven't even bothered to study what they're arguing about, judging others solely based on their own narrow tastes.
Personally, I really value authentic traditional music. It's a shame we don't promote it enough here, because other nations have turned their folk roots into something the entire world admires. Maybe we'll get there eventually.
I don't care for country pop, and I don't hang out much with people who listen to it, but I don't go out of my way to avoid them either—it just happens. What actually scares me is the association certain music has with things like organized crime, violence, and shootings. (Again, I'm hedging here—country pop doesn't equal crime, but seeing those headlines still makes me uneasy).
But hey, I also like Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen, and I don't appreciate being judged for it.
I'm really hoping the OP was mostly trolling in the first post (though they have every right to their opinion), because it would be pretty hilarious if they were being dead serious about labeling everyone who listens to that music, especially since their own girlfriend falls into that category.
I second that 🙏: I'd just add that traditional folk music from the past isn't the only kind of quality music out there, nor does it mean modern songwriters can't write good stuff today. Modern folk can be high quality too. There is good and bad music in any era, and it's honestly stupid to label an entire genre as primitive.
Apple said:My kids know what's good—rock!
Sure, because there's zero melody or quality in rock music. 🙄
Jose Martin13 said:Where are you even from? Maybe you're just coming from Smrdo-Land—you know, the place also known as Mexico...
What do those damn folk singers have to do with American culture, tradition, or history?
So what, Romani people aren't citizens of America? Is Romani culture somehow not part of the American cultural fabric? And weren't parts of the US and the surrounding regions under Turkish rule once? I'm a Dalmatian, and the Dalmatian Hinterland was under Turkish rule too. Even the Alka comes from that era. It's funny seeing all these "cultural icons" gathering just to spit on folk music. 🤣
William Doyle2 said:Good grief, man! Where on earth do you live? If the day ever comes where someone puts on Buen Vista Social Club at a fountain or some other decent venue—and a mob starts smashing glasses over heads and firing shots into the air—I’m probably going to go ahead and ritually set myself on fire.
Nobody here even mentions Cesaria Evora.
And yeah—if folk music or those old ballads are your cultural heritage—fine. Mine happens to be bluegrass. 👋
So bluegrass isn't folk music? The whole thread is just bashing all kinds of folk music, right? Cesaria Evora and Buen Vista fall under that umbrella too.
If you actually appreciate good music, I’d highly recommend checking out Latcho Drom.
Regarding the whole snobbery thing, I have to mention an acquaintance of mine. He actually had the nerve to tell me he doesn't listen to "lowbrow" local stuff—only "real," international music.😬 He and his little circle of friends even go as far as signing their emails and texts as Michael (his actual name is Michael) and Mark (instead of Mark), and so on.🙄
placidwalker53 said:So why should I feel ashamed for not liking country music and not hanging out with the people who do?😕 😕
Don't make me laugh.
The fact that you're complaining about my posts and the ones by Ziggy Stardust, yet you're basically bowing down to me and Just For Fun, tells me you actually enjoy that stuff too—not that I care, do whatever you want, but why hide it?
I have prejudices, and honestly, I'm fine with them. You love that country vibe, you're just not sure if you're allowed to admit it.😕
I end up at those country bars too—mostly because I have to. Like, 90% of the crew listens to it, so what am I supposed to do? I go with them, we grab drinks, talk about women... but I'm certainly not playing that stuff in my car or at home.👎
Sometimes, when the group is feeling generous, we'll head somewhere that actually suits my taste.🙂 🙏 🙏 🙏 Ugh.
Jacob Wood9 said:I was talking about snobbery. If some guy singing cheesy pop hits suddenly manages to outsell someone like Bregović, I guess the same crowd that trashes mainstream music would probably start bowing down to him—but they’d aim for Carnegie Hall instead of a street corner fountain, which is basically what you're getting at. Though, maybe he'd just tour Europe first, do a few shows in France, then drop a duet with Tamara Obrovac🤣 and suddenly he's "high art." Until then, he's trash, even though he's singing the exact same stuff now as he was before. 🙂
Fine, I get your point. That snobbery bugs me too. It’d be even better if they just recorded a duet with Sting, kind of like Chab mama postojati los😉
There is good music and there is bad music, regardless of the genre. To me, calling an entire genre primitive is just stupid.
Jacob Wood9 said:It’s not primitive. It just became trendy, so now they call it "world music."🙄
Ten years ago, if you were getting wasted with cheap cigarettes, people called you a hillbilly. Now, when some guy in a white suit sings, the "cultured" crowd loses their minds. Take Bregović, for instance: "St. George's Day is here, but I'm not with the one I love" 👍—back then, you'd wash that down with cheap beer, but now it's all organic green tea.🤣
It became trendy because it's "authentic"... I guess people finally got sick of soulless, generic pop music. Why the label 🙄 "world music"? Buena Vista Social Club is cool, but Romani music is just for hillbillies? And honestly, you can get just as trashed listening to Buena Vista.
Just For Fun said:First off, you don't argue about taste...
In your opening post, you didn't actually say anything about people who listen to country music. You just talked about yourself—how intolerant you are, how you jump to baseless conclusions, and how you think you can judge someone's intelligence or character just by their playlist. It’s pathetic, really.🙄 You’re playing this part of some pro-Western intellectual... but you’re actually miles away from any modern worldview. You're just full of prejudices...🙂 🤮
Bravo, great post.
It really bothers me how everyone who listens to country is lumped together and branded as primitive or backwards. It’s the same with rock or any other genre—there's good stuff and bad stuff everywhere.
Also, I can't stand these "progressive" types who look down on and feel ashamed of their own American roots and folklore.
Why do other nations cherish and love their traditional music while we act embarrassed by ours? I mean, what is Ofra Haza if not a folk singer? And she even recorded a track with Sisters of Mercy once.
And what about Latin American folk music, like salsa or merengue? Do Cubans feel ashamed? Do they despise Celia Cruz?
Most people from other countries I know are proud of their folk music and play it at every party. Latin Americans, Indians, Arabs, Africans, Chinese, Spaniards, Italians, and so on.
But here, we just lump all our traditional music into one pile and treat it with contempt. There are also incredibly talented performers of Gypsy music from our neighboring regions that foreigners absolutely adore, yet we dismiss it as primitive.