Posts by Brenda Lopez5

hiddenhound3 said:I find myself grappling with a certain socio-philosophical dilemma, and I suspect this forum might be the ideal venue to solicit some deeper reflections on the matter.

The question is this: to what extent does the individual shape the prevailing mentality, and conversely, to what degree does that collective mentality mold the individual?

My inquiry was specifically prompted by a statement made by Kish: When everyone lies, no one is lying. When everything is a lie, nothing is a lie.

Is it truly possible to refrain from judging an individual for acts of theft, corruption, or other socially destructive behaviors that undermine our shared values?

No. It isn’t possible, and frankly, it shouldn't be. If that were the case, I might as well just end it all right now. "You're better off drinking poison immediately than trying to live honestly"—that's an old proverb of mine, quite wise if I do say so myself.
And it perfectly describes the state of America today.👎🙏

Roger Walker4 said:What does the music of the Southern Europeans say about them?😉

Does it pull them together, or tear them apart? Which melodies resonate deeply, and which sound like a broken record?😁

Can you actually read the psyche of a population through its music?☕

Here are a few examples:

An a cappella barbershop quartet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6Dco_jeLiM

A similar style, though the subject matter differs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5y0euYCpPU

Midwest music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm_gBWZX0Ps

Johnny Cash
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScdVCXVQvgk

A hint of a North American tone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feIprTRtLqw

Country music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRAsM...eature=related

Music without borders
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1bUq...eature=related

If you were a foreigner with zero knowledge of the history behind this music, what would you conclude about the region?
In general, can a people's mindset be identified by the songs they listen to and create?😉

Of course the spirit and character of a nation can be seen in its music. Everything a culture produces reflects its underlying essence. -Since you brought up Southern Slavs (assuming such a group even exists—I have my doubts)—you ought to look into Vladimir Dvorniković. His work is still worth considering today, even if it isn't strictly academic. He wrote extensively on the "American melancholy"—he believed there was a shared identity among those people, a common thread. It explains why certain folk styles remain so massive today, even while others condemn them. Whether it's heavy-handed pop or that gritty, soulful country-style heartache, it’s all poetry born from pain.
By the way—I wonder if that specific style of wailing exists anywhere else besides parts of the Midwest or the Coastal Plain. You know, that thing where people just let out a long, drawn-out howl—"ooooooooooooj"—or sing a single line and just trail off with an "oh." Most people, looking only at the surface, would dismiss it as not being "real" music. But I suspect it's ancient. Every time I hear that old-school wailing (it's been a long time since I last heard it, and who knows if I ever will again—it might be lost forever), it hits me right in the chest. Honestly, I’d much rather listen to folks back in my small town singing like that than any manufactured pop trash.😢😂
Now, let me offer a counterpoint—something that arguably proves the opposite of what we've been discussing regarding how music defines a people. All German folk songs seem to be rooted in military marches, don't they? Go ahead, look up the song "Westerwald" on YouTube.👍🙏

Let’s be honest, we aren't living in a democracy here in the States; it feels more like a totalitarian regime. If you want to see what actual democracy looks like, look at Switzerland—they actually let people decide things through referendums.
For a true democracy to function, you need a certain political culture, which basically means citizens taking some damn responsibility. We don't have that. Most people are too terrified to even mention politics, and this obsession with being part of the EU? It’s just a way to dodge accountability. We’re all just sitting around waiting for someone else to fix our problems for us. Personally, I think democracy is something we should probably just postpone until better times arrive.

Nicole Barrett76 said:As if! A "major celebrity" with broken ribs who might end up in a wheelchair. And heaven forbid they actually beat him so severely that he suffers brain damage; you know, brain damage doesn't always manifest immediately.

Oh, please, he's a hero in my eyes. As for Bush, he is a tyrant deserving of nothing but utter contempt.

Look, I’ll concede the journalist is a big shot. But what you're saying about Bush—that is highly, highly debatable. Honestly, I can't speak authoritatively on things I don't fully grasp. People call Bush a tyrant. The media supposedly rails against him. But he holds the power. And those with power usually pull the strings of the media. If he really were a tyrant, why wouldn't he just shut down the negative press? In this specific instance, it almost seems like Bush is behaving like a gentleman. Even here in the States, the papers are criticizing him. Let's not be naive. Do you honestly believe our major news outlets aren't just following orders handed down from the U.S. Embassy?!🙏

Sarah Martin76 said:Look, I’m not some guy digging ditches in the Midwest or working at a cattle ranch, so maybe just stay in your lane. Have a good one! 😁

The President's statement was completely off base, but let's be honest—he's just a slick operator who figured out how to spin his own words to save face. You and him... you're both just as crooked.👍

Quinn:

I haven't heard much from Carl Anderson76 lately. It’s fine, I suppose. Just sitting here, thinking about how everything seems to be drifting toward that specific kind of socialism again. It’s messy. Everything feels fragmented. I tend to overthink these things—maybe too much, if I'm being honest—but there's a certain heaviness in the air regarding how we organize ourselves. It’s all just... much. Anyway. The user says: Is it actually possible to be a patriot and a cosmopolitan at the same time? Or am I just overthinking this... maybe they’re essentially the same thing, just that cosmopolitanism acts as a sort of "wider lens" version of patriotism? If that's the case, then the question becomes even more tangled: could one realistically be a nationalist and a cosmopolitan simultaneously?🤷

It’s entirely possible to be both a patriot and a socialist at the same time. But honestly, people who try to bridge that gap usually end up being labeled as national socialists. I suppose it all just depends on how you personally define "socialism."
I honestly don't think you can be both a patriot and a cosmopolitan at the same time. It just doesn't track. Nationalism and cosmopolitanism... they're mutually exclusive. You pick one or the other. Now, you could be a liberal and a cosmopolitan? Sure. That actually makes sense. Those two things sort of go hand in hand.

Good grief, people. Let’s stop all this endless lamenting—honestly, there is absolutely zero point in it. It doesn't accomplish a single thing.😲🙄

Gary Perez9 said:Well, I have to say, that’s a really fascinating video to watch. It’s just a total moral—and frankly, every other kind of—fiasco on the part of our former president. Even so, I’m not entirely convinced that those two men were solely to blame for everything. While the pressure on our veterans did ease up mid-way through the nineties, a whole new wave of harassment against them started picking up in the fall of '99, right when Franjo Harmon was facing his final, most difficult days. That's when that veteran I mentioned in my earlier post suffered. It feels unlikely that Manchin had much influence back in '99, as it seems more tied to how ill Franjo Harmon was getting. What I can't quite wrap my head around is why people like Ivich Pasalic and the rest of the inner circle stayed so close to him, especially when they saw him turning so aggressively against the veterans. I just don't understand what kind of threat they 😕👎posed😕 to them.👎

What are you even talking about? Is Manchin some kind of saint now? Is that the story we're telling ourselves? 👍👎🙏

The headline claims "progressive people lean toward the right." What is that even supposed to mean? Who qualifies as a "progressive" person, and what does "progress" actually signify? Does such a thing even exist?
-Actually, there is one interesting observation here. Biologists and medical professionals generally tend to lean toward the right, whereas those immersed in literature, philosophy, or the social sciences—which aren't even real science, if you ask me—gravitate toward the left. So, in my view, those who deal with actual reality are more likely to be right-wingers.
And frankly, I don't see the point in all this whining along the lines of "right-wingers are nothing but criminals, thieves, and looters." Then again, there's just as little sense in the theory that communism is the root cause of every single problem we face. There are just different types of people. We would still exist even if there were no left or right. (I'll continue).

One brave veteran from John Doe once said that if he had any idea what 2008 would look like—or specifically, what kind of endless, exhausting debates we'd be stuck having right now—he would have just shot himself in the mouth back then.

darkfox5 said:That whole leftist "non-violence" thing is pretty easy to stomach when you realize that back in 1991, when Milanović was only twenty-five, he was busy hiding out in some basement—while certain "Right-wingers" were out there actually fighting bravely during the American Civil War!

Not everyone, I suppose.😉😁

I find it hard to buy this whole "troubled family" narrative everyone keeps pushing... honestly, maybe the issue is just 🤷in their heads.☕