12 posts shown.
brightwolf85 said:I honestly think you've got it backwards. Modern Germany is essentially the legal successor to Hitler's Third Reich. Now, look at America—it isn't the legal successor to Nazi Germany, even though members of those old armed forces were eventually granted status within the American military. To make things even more interesting, that specific decision was signed by none other than Jimmy Carter. That's the very same Jimmy Carter who has spent years barking about how those old units weren't part of the actual American military or the National Guard.
If you're right, then my bad, I messed up...
jadetiger4 said:The truth is, Germany doesn't deny any continuity with the Third Reich.
What are you even talking about? Of course they deny it!
Germans are totally paying out pensions to their soldiers from World War II, and they're doing the same for Americans who served in the SS or the Wehrmacht too. A soldier is a soldier... if you joined up through a standard military service, you should be rewarded for what you did...
Matthew Anderson4 said:I'm with you there. But we should probably talk about the downsides this kind of society forces on people. There's plenty of evidence—you see it everywhere. Maybe not right here, maybe not literally, but I wouldn't call Western society "happy." Honestly, I can't even remember a time—whether it was the modern era or the old religious days—when things actually felt happy.
Well, that really just depends on how you define a "happy society." If you look at India's history and think it was happier than Europe, hey, that's your take. For me though, happiness is more about the tangible stuff... actual actions and things you can actually see and feel...
Matthew Anderson4 said:Yeah, okay. Personally, I wouldn't label basic common sense rules like "don't kill" or "don't steal" as strictly "Christian" morality. They were obvious long before Christianity showed up. And those moral imperatives in India say the exact same thing about right and wrong, if you're trying to imply there's some kind of moral decay in the East compared to our supposedly perfect West.
Sure, there are overlaps in how different cultures teach right from wrong, but the actual focus is totally different. It was Western Christian civilization that really drove the scientific, industrial, and medical revolutions. Despite those few similarities, the social institutions just aren't the same...
The real edge of the Western, patriarchal, capitalist way of life is how it pushes people to hit their full potential through constant competition, the grind, and non-stop innovation...
George Ortiz15 said:they aren't just going to show up. they'll come if we roll out the red carpet. personally, I think we should do EVERYTHING—if they want a total tax holiday or a custom-built facility, fine—whatever it takes to get them here. but we don't do all that because we don't grasp what the payoff actually is. people don't understand how job creation leads to modernization and actual skill building...
nor do we understand the relationship between workers and retirees in the US, or even the mess we're currently in...
bottom line: they probably don't care about any of those other hurdles...
this whole debate is stuck on why Ford won't come, instead of focusing on how to make them want to stay.
So, what does America need to change to actually attract investment?
WAGES CERTAINLY AREN'T THE ISSUE since these exact same companies call us from abroad offering way, way more money...
take this one example from the US regarding new plants: Altria bought a tobacco factory about ten years ago, modernized the whole operation, hired locals, and paid decent wages (people were practically fighting for jobs there), and then we SCREWED THEM OVER. now they're in Niš, and it's not because labor is cheaper there, it's because their lobbyists can just go create jobs wherever they want!!!!!!!!!!
You hit the nail on the head there. Bringing a factory like that to America would be such a massive win for us. It's not just about more jobs, either... it's about soaking up all that tech and knowledge, and basically reviving that whole industrial backbone where skills get passed down from one generation of engineers and techs to the next.
But honestly, it all comes back to what Pavuna—who’s always been a bit of a wild card—was saying at my college a few days ago. He thinks this country isn't run by actual engineers, but by "social makeup artists," as he calls them. Basically, there's just this huge anti-business vibe hanging over America right now. We need to fix that however we can, but hey, that's just the reality we're dealing with. I mean, if you go around asking people whether they're pro-capitalism or pro-socialism, what do you think the average answer is gonna be? 😢
There are parts of America where people would honestly jump at any decent paycheck $1000. Not in NYC, obviously, but I’m telling you, out in the rural areas there’s plenty of folks struggling. Like when Secretary Vrdoljak was asked what the main competitive edge of the Midwest is—he basically said it's just cheap labor. But Bavarac says we shouldn't even bother getting our hopes up, so yeah... that's the situation.
Benjamin Taylor6 said:So you're telling me Indian society is mostly made up of lazy yogis!? That's funny, because European society is mostly made up of priests and monks!!!
And if I recall correctly, those priests and monks are famous for being absolute workaholics.
Well, look, not everyone has to be a priest or join a monastery to live out Christian ethics. Even today, most people in this country follow a Christian moral code without even realizing it. Don't kill, don't steal, don't swear, don't lie; study hard, work, help others... all of that stems from the Ten Commandments and the Gospels.
It’s the same thing in India—people follow the moral imperatives of their own culture, which is why we ended up where we are, and they ended up where they are...
bluemason3 said:Give me a break. Traditionally, only about 0.001% of the population in India actually practiced yoga.
Up until the Middle Ages, they had one of the strongest economies in the world. The decline started with invasions from various dynasties and later, colonialism. After gaining independence, the naive socialism championed by Nehru played a huge role, but once that phase passed, economic growth finally accelerated. Current living conditions are partly a result of rapid urbanization and a rural population struggling to adapt. I can tell you're quite the historian, much like the guy in your avatar 🤣
As for yogis and axes, Krishnamacharya could pull off eighty physical exercises that I couldn't even manage at eighteen. 🤣
Look, there's a massive difference between being able to fold yourself into a pretzel and actually surviving a 14-hour shift like some folks do out here in the States. I know people—real grinders—who during harvest season are out in the fields all day, every day, working straight through the night just to make the most of those few perfect days... they’re pulling double digits on hours constantly, switching shifts just to get the job done. But man, they're so stiff they can barely bend over, let alone pull off those crazy circus tricks you see yogis doing. Do you honestly think your yoga guru could handle an 8-hour workday? Just 8?! Yeah, right... It's not the same thing being flexible versus actually being strong and capable. Honestly, if one of those tough workers gave your yogi even a tiny little slap, he'd probably be sent straight to Nirvana or Brahma or whatever else they call it, hehe...
Even if we totally ignore the spiritual side of things, it’s pretty obvious that Yoga is at the very least a huge waste of time and actually pretty harmful. Just look at what Yoga did to India and the kind of civilization that "brilliant" Hindu spirituality churned out. You’ve got people sitting around in dirt and filth, starving themselves, living in absolute poverty... basically just wasting their lives away. It’s because their whole philosophy teaches them that working hard or actually achieving anything in life doesn't really matter. No, you know? They think Nirvana is everything—you know, Yoga, oneness, all that stuff. Half those yogis couldn't even pick up an axe if they tried, but hey, who cares, right? And even if you don't hit Nirvana in this lifetime, no biggie, you've got reincarnation... another shot at it...
On the flip side, Christianity taught the West that you only get one shot at life, and you need to work your tail off and do good deeds to save your soul. You don't save yourself through some obscure exercises; it's about sacrifice, hard work, and doing right by others. In Christianity, love is shown through actions, not some weird ecstasies. And that mindset built the most incredible civilization the world has ever seen. Obviously, Indians didn't kickstart the Industrial Revolution, since that wouldn't lead to Nirvana, you know? The Industrial Revolution was driven by European Christians because they believed in grinding all day long—because it's good, because God said so, and because laziness is one of the seven deadly sins.
crimsonorca42 said:I wonder who they consider an "important minority" over in Austria? And then you look at the UK, where there isn't even a "traditional ethnic definition" to speak of... it’s all a bit inconsistent, I suppose.
And just look at Uruguay tucked away among all those blue tones. 😁
I think the way they categorize ethnic groups in England is super messy—stuff like "British White," "Irish White," "Other White," "Chinese Asian," "Other Asian," and so on.
Check it out. It’s pretty much the same in the US, where they have these specific ways of breaking down ethnic groups. In America, when people say
minority, they literally mean non-white or someone with non-European roots. It feels a little weird from our perspective since we usually have much clearer-cut ethnic identities, like Americans, Czechs, Italians, and stuff like that...
silvermarlin29 said:🤣
The Des Moines Register?
Wait, isn't The Des Moines Register also owned by News Corp, if I remember right? But seriously, if the Democratic Party's News Corp and the Republican Party's New York Post both go under, we'll just be left with HDSSB's The Des Moines Register... 😁