220 posts shown.
silentraven6 said:We all really need to take a hard look at what we’re doing here, because honestly, we’re all complicit in this mess.
When you see the way people talk to each other—how we adults fail to back one another up or even try to find any common ground—it’s painfully obvious why our kids look down on us. They aren't wrong to think we’re just a bunch of toxic caricatures who have nothing left to teach them.
Nobody here has the moral high ground. What we actually need is cooperation, and you can't get that without actual goodwill. You don't get it by sitting in an armchair scrolling through the internet and Reddit.
Speaking as someone working within the AFL-CIO, I can tell you straight: the truth lies somewhere in the middle, and the fault lies with everyone except the children. I honestly don't know which group is worse. Is it the incompetent educators who pocketed people's money and time but never actually apply their own garbage theories to real teaching? Or is it us parents, who clearly don't understand the learning process at all and—God, it hurts to even admit this—can barely hold a meaningful conversation with our own kids? Then there are the teachers telling students they're hopeless failures and resisting every single bit of progress, the publishers churning out the most useless textbooks in history, the mindless little bureaucrats who found a comfortable niche in this whole farce, or maybe it's just me, watching it all unfold and trying my hardest not to lose my mind or walk away from everything.
We don't need another "reform." We need a revolution. We either need raw force or massive amounts of love, but I'm terrified that the latter has completely vanished from us as human beings—and I'm scared because eventually, I'll have to tell the kids that.
👍
That final thought is just the sad reality underlying everything, globally speaking. Maybe a revolution fueled by love is the answer. But then again, those are just utopias and idealism...
urbantinker8 said:You're heading down the wrong path again, I suppose.😵
You are the one who isn't informed.
I know exactly what kind of tablets we're talking about; I've gone through three different models in a single school year.
Schools don't have Wi-Fi, and the mobile data gets burned through so incredibly fast that nobody is going to pay to top it up.
And you were planning on doing some hourly work for those kids that requires internet on the 25th of the month and... well, good luck with that.
Five people might be able to participate, but the rest won't be.
Furthermore,
do you have any idea what kind of tablets are actually being bought through these public procurement contracts?
😂
The kind where, after the first semester, you can count on one hand how many are even functioning in a single classroom.
But fine, go ahead and keep doing things your way if that makes you happy.🙂
I’ve heard similar stories from plenty of teachers, so there's clearly some truth to it. Regardless, I really hope that in the near future, these technical headaches get minimized so everyone can just focus on teaching students without all this unnecessary stress...
Kate Harris3 said:I was in Catholic Religious Education from first grade through high school. Every weekend meant sign-in sheets at church to track attendance—if you racked up too many absences, you weren't getting confirmed. There were exams, all the sacraments, choir, and even being used as a mouthpiece to tell parents they HAD to get married in the church. I even remember the priest threatening people in front of the whole congregation because I didn't continue religious studies after confirmation (😬). We had to log "pluses" in a notebook every single day to prove whether we actually prayed or not. Four years of religion in high school.
All that pressure actually gave me more time to reflect on faith, God, and the Bible, helping me reach my "age of reason" a bit faster—no offense intended to believers. 😁
Now we're facing this again as we prepare to enroll our little one in school. Since we aren't married in the church and haven't had the kids baptized, we won't be enrolling them in religious studies. We aren't hypocrites.
He'll spend his time in the library instead; he certainly won't be lacking anything there.
Honestly, I don't see the point of religious education in public schools. First, you learn about evolution, and then you're told God created the Earth a few thousand years ago and we're all products of inbreeding. Add in burning bushes and talking snakes for good measure. But sure, those are metaphors when it's convenient, and literal truths when it suits them. 😬
Between church taxes and donations from the faithful, the church should be fine. Real believers and the church shouldn't have anything to fear if their numbers truly match what people report in the US Census. 🍿
I feel you. 🙂
Kate Harris3 said:I was in Catholic Religious Education from first grade through high school. Every weekend meant sign-in sheets at church to track attendance—if you racked up too many absences, you weren't getting confirmed. There were exams, all the sacraments, choir, and even being used as a mouthpiece to tell parents they HAD to get married in the church. I even remember the priest threatening people in front of the whole congregation because I didn't continue religious studies after confirmation (😬). We had to log "pluses" in a notebook every single day to prove whether we actually prayed or not. Four years of religion in high school.
All that pressure actually gave me more time to reflect on faith, God, and the Bible, helping me reach my "age of reason" a bit faster—no offense intended to believers. 😁
Now we're facing this again as we prepare to enroll our little one in school. Since we aren't married in the church and haven't had the kids baptized, we won't be enrolling them in religious studies. We aren't hypocrites.
He'll spend his time in the library instead; he certainly won't be lacking anything there.
Honestly, I don't see the point of religious education in public schools. First, you learn about evolution, and then you're told God created the Earth a few thousand years ago and we're all products of inbreeding. Add in burning bushes and talking snakes for good measure. But sure, those are metaphors when it's convenient, and literal truths when it suits them. 😬
Between church taxes and donations from the faithful, the church should be fine. Real believers and the church shouldn't have anything to fear if their numbers truly match what people report in the US Census. 🍿
Exactly. There’s zero logic to it. One period you're in biology covering science, and the next you're in religion class. It finally clicked for me one day while I was flipping through my old religious ed notebook. It was all just busywork to keep us occupied... color in this little icon perfectly within the lines, use this specific shade for the saint, write this part in fancy calligraphy, memorize which saint died in what year... 🤣 🤦
The problem goes much deeper than that. Our entire social structure is unsustainable—it’s hanging by a thread, and everything is interconnected. A child's primary safety net is their family, yet almost any pathology that develops later in life can be traced back to their upbringing and the people they grew up with, usually their parents. Fixing this costs a fortune, but until the people in power actually get a reality check, nothing is going to change. There have been bans on hiring certain specialists in public institutions for ages; schools are desperate for psychologists, but they can't get approval. In many NASA branches, you'll find one single psychologist handling both adult and child cases. In smaller towns, the police don't even have staff psychologists—they just bring in a priest as a makeshift substitute. So many family service centers have been shut down, and the boarding schools and youth dormitories are pure chaos, staffed by people who aren't even qualified... as for school workshops, forget about it; those are just for show or basic education. The issues surrounding children displaying these behaviors are so deep, so massive, and so heavy... that you need an entire multidisciplinary team from various agencies working together to see any real change. Instead, everyone just passes the buck. The school calls NASA, NASA calls the police, the police send it back to NASA, the school calls the police, the police call NASA again, then it goes to the hospital, then there's a team review, and then they make a final decision based on maybe one or two brief observations of the kid. Then comes the stationary observation, then uncooperative parents, then a custody battle, then a failure to revoke custody... in this whole mess, the child suffers the most. And then the media gets involved, despite having absolutely no clue what they're talking about and no right to invade anyone's privacy. Then you have the rest of the public—curious onlookers who know nothing except how to judge, gossip, play telephone, and pretend to care only after the damage is already done. They devour sensationalized nonsense in the news and crucify everyone in sight, completely devoid of rationality and driven purely by raw emotion. On top of all that, there are plenty of parents who give their absolute all and provide their children with all the love they need... but they get chewed up by the system until they snap. We are all responsible, every single person in this world, for the kind of society we create.
Joseph Bailey41 said:The Whisperer. 🙂
A "vaginal whisperer" would probably have much better luck on the market... 🐔😁
Andrew Barrett4 said:E.
A little bit of vortexing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ and it’ll be ‘brand new again, like that DC10 never even happened.’😬
😂
Joseph Bailey41 said:That kind of swirling is just wild.😂
Honestly, this deserves its own YouTube channel.👍
A new business model... 😁
Andrew Barrett4 said:I'll be the first to admit it—I'm clueless when it comes to Vortex stuff.
Maybe try looking into one of those standard sports coaches instead.
You know the type. They'll spend a little time warming you up, throw in some boxing, move on to functional training, then finish off with stretching and trigger point work until you aren't quite sure if your head or your backside is more exhausted from all the jumping around.
After maybe an hour or so, I can pretty much guarantee you'll have a bit of an epiphany. It's not some pseudo-scientific mystery or anything, it's actually fairly predictable: your blood sugar will drop so fast you'll swear you're seeing the Northern Lights right in front of your eyes. 😬
But the truth is 😁
Andrew Barrett4 said:Regarding rejuvenation, I'll admit I only recognize a certain kind of faux-rejuvenation 😬
🤣
Why wouldn't you? You learn to love your own version of reality, no matter how messy it is... 😳
briskwalker10, something for you. 🤣
ironrider11 said:Oak. That line is invisible, but it's definitely there. Some days it "feels" like you're just crawling on the floor, and other days you're deep in thought, thinking, "I can't do this anymore, I need to get up, but what if I just end up back on my knees in a few days..." One day you look at a red coffee mug and convince yourself it's blue, or green... or that the color doesn't even matter. Then the next day, it's strictly red, and it matters too much. You spend the whole damn day spiraling because you can't think about anything else besides that red mug. What dictates those shifts, or how bad they get... honestly, who knows. Maybe it's just brain chemistry... Or maybe not. But only chemistry could be doing that. If it even is...
Exactly. That's it right there.
silverheron91 said:Names?
ironrider11 said:+1
I'll shoot you a DM.
ironrider11 said:Nah, it isn't. There’s "critical," and then there’s critical. Both probably get lumped together as critical, sure, but they aren't even close... 😬
Where do we draw the line? Or rather, what happens once we cross it? Hmm...
silverheron91 said:Are you into poetry?
I’m a fan of literature in general. I usually lean toward prose, but I can appreciate a good poem now and then. I actually just stumbled upon two up-and-coming American female authors that I’m planning to dive into soon. They aren't exactly household names yet, but they've both published work—one has even released a second book. One focuses on gritty, real-life psychological themes, while the other writes existentialist sci-fi dystopias mixed with horror...
silverheron91 said:Honestly, who knows. Could be! I guess I’m just a total softie when it comes to anything I actually care about—and my work is my heart, so there's that—but on the flip side, I absolutely live for a little provocation. Back when I was working as a reporter in Chicago, I had plenty of haters breathing down my neck, but it never rubbed me the wrong way. If anything, the more they tried to tear me down, the more fuel I had to write even better. I just love the reaction.
🕺
Look, there will always be trolls. That’s just life. People are unpredictable, everyone has their own weird tastes, and frankly, criticizing others is the easiest thing in the world to do. But for every genre out there, there’s an audience that actually gets it and appreciates the craft.
If you aren't too shy about it, shoot me a DM with whatever you've written so far. I'd really love to give it a read. 😉
silverheron91 said:Honestly, my biggest problem is that people actually read what I write. 🕺
In what sense? Are you worried about criticism? A confidence thing?...
Daniel Kelly57 said:Still hanging out here, Jeffrey Ramos4, with Daniel Kelly57 and the rest of the crazy crew! 🎉🎉
Josh! Where have you been hiding? 🙂
silverheron91 said:It’s basically a critique of fundamentalism, wrapped up in this neo-existentialist sci-fi vibe.
I try to be all edgy and culturally provocative, but honestly? At the end of the day, it usually just boils down to killing off the main characters because of some tragic romance. I'm such a cliché.
Sure thing. Where can I find your work? 🙂
silverheron91 said:I just can't seem to finish anything I start. I’m honestly the worst.
What are you talking about? 🍿
silverheron91 said:Hey, everyone!
So, are you working on a new novel?
🍿
jadeowl2 said:I don't even know where to start with this one... just absolute nonsense. Honestly, it's like people aren't even trying anymore. Just total chaos and zero logic... it makes my blood boil... kaže:
Look, the real issue here is that we’re basically stuck in this endless grind just to keep our heads above water. We need cash—plain and simple—for ourselves and to take care of our families, so obviously, you gotta go where the jobs are actually being offered... It's not even a choice at this point. Plus, moving to a bigger city like Chicago or Austin is a huge draw. You want to catch a massive concert, have actual stuff to do, and find a decent variety of things without getting totally ripped off by prices... It's about the lifestyle too...
Pollution, wasting half your life stuck in soul-crushing traffic, that constant, frantic rush to stay ahead of the clock... honestly, none of this is good for you. Not even a little bit. It’s just killing us...
It’s not really an apples-to-apples comparison or whatever, but I was watching this documentary a few years back about hedge fund managers—some of them are straight-up billionaires, too—and how they basically bail the second the work week wraps up. They just jet off to some total nowhere... I think it was somewhere in Connecticut, actually. Just a massive house, complete peace and quiet, total isolation from everyone else...
Ever since that whole smog mess back in New York City... man, those rich folks are just booking it, trying to get as far away from the cities as they can possibly get...
Not really the main topic here, but it honestly feels like those folks out in the rural sticks are gonna end up getting way more perks than all the wealthy elites living in the big cities... 😛
Oh, please... nice comparison you've got there. Really top-tier stuff... 🤣.
Look, if you move to a smaller town in the States, you honestly need way less cash to get by. It’s not even about the math... it's more about what kind of person you actually are. If you're the type who constantly needs fancy upgrades, high-end thrills, or someone constantly entertaining you just to stay sane, then living in the middle of nowhere is gonna be a disaster for you. You'll just end up miserable...
So, in my last massive rant, I mentioned how most of my cash actually stayed sitting in my bank account because I literally didn't know how to spend it... though honestly, since then, I’ve basically moved everything online. Before that, I didn't even realize you could just buy whatever you wanted with a click... like, seriously... 🤣).
Nature, wide open spaces, those deep connections—which, let’s be honest, can be a total double-edged sword if things ever go south and you end up having a massive fallout... Not to mention the sports scene was actually pretty solid too... I guess those "quiet" midwestern vibes just draw in a certain type of person. People who actually know how to be alone with their own thoughts for once...
Look, you can always head into the city if you feel like it. But honestly? Hardly anyone around here actually goes out to catch a show, hit up a theater, or catch a concert unless they’re some college kid or absolutely loaded—and let’s be real, having cash doesn't always mean you have the time... Back in the day, we’d make a whole thing out of it maybe once every three months. We’d hop on a train to catch a big concert in a major hub—it was a solid three-and-a-half hour trek just to get to the nearest big city, but we’d push even further on the weekends. You’d crash at a buddy's place, stay out late, just live it up... it was always such a blast and a total vibe. But I’m not saying I need that kind of chaos every single day or every damn week. Not for me...
Man, I’m stuck in the middle of this massive concrete jungle, and it’s driving me insane. It’s not even just that everyone is loaded... it’s the sheer pressure. Like, there's this unwritten rule that you *have* to jet off somewhere fancy for vacation. If you don't, you're basically failing at life. You can't even catch a break because the whole culture is built around this constant need to escape. Honestly, back when I was living in my old hometown, I didn't even feel like I needed a vacation. Everything was just... chill. Low stakes. Relaxed. Now? It’s all just performative nonsense...
Look, let's be real here—this whole experience is actually pretty interesting, provided it's just a temporary thing. You see all kinds of weird stuff when you're riding the subway, and even in a massive, chaotic mess like that, there are still these weirdly set patterns. Like the beggars. At first, they totally creeped me out, but now? Now they feel like old acquaintances or something... And then there's the million different streets and side alleys I've stumbled into. Honestly, even someone who’s lived in a city like Chicago their whole life probably hasn't seen half of these paths because people usually just stick to the main drags. Every weekend, it’s just me wandering through these unexplored corners of the city for hours on end. I can't even lie and say I'm not kind of loving it...
Honestly, looking at the big picture, that whole setup just doesn't do it for me anymore... especially now that I’ve got a kid to think about. I really don't want them growing up breathing in all that smog and nasty city air. Plus, you can't even see the stars through the haze. And don't even get me started on the crowds... everywhere you look, there's just way too many people...
Having had the "luck" of moving around constantly throughout my life, I actually know the difference between big-city living and life in some tiny rural town. And look, while a small village or some backwater suburb might offer pretty views and clean air, they also come with a lot of baggage. In those places, nepotism is everywhere. It’s all about who you know and which political lines you run in. People stick their noses into everyone else's business, and the stereotypes and prejudices are just constant. A major US city, on the other hand, offers much better opportunities—better healthcare, social services, non-profits, cultural institutions, free resources, education, jobs, and a chance to actually meet diverse people...
Joseph Bailey41 said:True, especially when you talk about communal living. In the US, the only media-exposed experiment of that sort I remember was "gold coin." Out of the ten people living in that rented house, I only met three of them after the "experiment" ended, and yeah, they were pretty quirky. But there’s another factor at play here—this way of life doesn't just attract those types of people; after a while, all that internal pandemonium that was suppressed by social norms starts bubbling to the surface. That might be useful in a therapeutic setting, but in everyday practice, it's just chaos. 😁
I know from firsthand experience. I wouldn't do it again.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by "know from experience"? Are we talking about actually living in a commune like that, or just meeting the people who did? And in what way were they "eccentric"?