2 posts shown.
I think we actually got the thread title wrong here. Instead of saying "characters endure," it really should be about how being adaptable is what keeps you going. Like that old Darwin quote: "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change."
Humans are just wired to be social creatures, you know? You basically have to blend in with whatever group you're hanging out with or working with, otherwise you end up getting sidelined or totally shut out from the loop.
The only real exception to that rule is your family.
Nobody’s actually forcing you to follow all those unwritten rules and norms, but if you decide to go rogue and do your own thing, you’re the one who has to deal with the fallout. And honestly, even if you find some weird sense of satisfaction in being an outlier, it probably won't last long.
It’s not about how society is set up, it’s just about people. A whole system doesn't depend on some grand social ethics; it all boils down to the individual’s own moral compass.
The way I see our society, it basically breaks down into three groups: the poor souls grinding away in the private sector, those who aren't doing *too* bad working for the government, and then there’s that tiny group of maybe 100 or 150 ultra-wealthy families running the show.
"Those clerks behind the service counters are just looking for ways to cling to that cozy government comfort—doing the absolute bare minimum. In the middle of a huge line, they’ll just wander off for a coffee break... or even worse, they'll look down their noses at someone they deem 'lesser' and refuse to actually explain what you need to do."
People in the private sector—and I’ve been stuck in it for five years now—get screwed daily with unpaid overtime and those crappy three-month contracts. Then, once they're done with you, they just toss you aside, especially in this messed-up economy where finding any other gig is a nightmare.
That whole nostalgia for the old days—it’s actually pretty simple to explain. It comes down to one word: security. Back then, having a steady job and a place to live was enough for the average person, because honestly, nobody gave a damn about freedom of the press or all that other stuff. Would that be enough for the average person today? (Like, if you had a roof over your head and a solid job, but didn't have cable TV, or an iPhone, or enough gas money to get around?) Probably not. Most people these days can't function without high-speed internet, fancy smartphones, and more, let alone worrying about a few bucks for gas.
The real reason everything is falling apart and why we're seeing this global recession is just plain old human greed. It all started in countries that claim to love free-market capitalism (like the USA), but as soon as the big banks got themselves into deep trouble, the government stepped in to bail them out using taxpayer money. And the kicker? Those same taxpayers end up borrowing that exact same money back from the banks just to finance a new car or a house. We saw the same thing happen here. The government uses taxpayer cash to save the banks, only to sell those same banks off to foreign corporations for pennies on the dollar.
So, where does that leave the people running the country? Are they actually accountable to the citizens who voted them in, or are they just answering to the massive amounts of capital held by a handful of individuals?