Posts by James Anderson5

It’s all about doing things because you truly believe in them. Just like Milanka over there—as if anyone in her life ever gave her anything more than a handful of wilted flowers from Milan...

Look, I don't care what people say, he earned everything he has through honest, hard work

https://www.nytimes.com/article/...a/2056434.aspx

Rachel Cooper3 said:Are you watching Congress?

A total disaster of a vote for the Republican Party 🤣 🙏

It’s no surprise, honestly. She recently mentioned joining up with the Bandoljeros. It feels like she's been playing a part for years, pretending to be someone else just to stay relevant. An old trick...

In a way, maybe this isn't all bad. At least some masks are finally slipping...

wiredrider9 said:It's not that they don't have a conscience—it's that if you point it out, they immediately slap a label on you like "commie," "secret agent," or "extremist," haha. For example, if I had the chance to land a cushy job at some city-owned utility through a connection, I'd say screw that. I end up making way less money because—I don't know—I actually have some shred of morals left. I'd hate the guy looking back at me in the mirror. But instead, everyone around me looks at me like I'm some kind of saint for making that choice, acting like, "Who does he think he is?" 🙄.

So, I was just grabbing coffee with this guy recently who was venting about how his whole biological rhythm was totally thrown off today. He usually grabs lunch at 10:00, but he had to wait until noon... He also gave me this wicked little smirk when I asked if things were busy at work, saying he hasn't actually done anything for the last two years... 🤣

Honestly, there's zero chance things will change here in the States. There are just too many people like him... for instance, this guy pulls in $6k-$7k with Social Security, works in the city, and couldn't care less about anyone else. Half of them who actually have some ambition even run side businesses just to grab whatever extra cash they can, since they aren't doing anything at their actual jobs anyway...

ruggedjackal46 said:They’re out here quoting Roman philosophers and training to be teachers... if we were living in the ancient era, they would have had VB16 running the show. Truly the golden age. ☕

The only thing they’d be leading is an invasion on the Roman Empire, just a bunch of barbarians ☕

Paul Martinez73 said:I can't tell if this is sarcasm or what?
You shouldn't be stealing from your employer, but let's be real—people do it just to survive because they're working for peanuts. If things were actually normal, it wouldn't even cross your mind. You'd have a decent salary, tips, and live like any regular waiter in a functional country.
If the boss didn't have to deal with such insane taxes, he’d pay you a fair wage, you wouldn't feel the need to skim from him and essentially steal from the government at the same time. You wouldn't risk your job over a few stolen bucks, and he wouldn't risk his business by paying you $333 under the table.

Well, it is irony; the whole system is broken at every single level. Here in America, it’s genuinely tough for any business owner to report an employee for their full salary because the tax burden is just way too high. And the reason those taxes are so heavy is because they have to fund public procurement fraud and political cronyism at every level, on top of all the standard government expenses...

Anyway, I personally don't know anyone working in the public sector who feels like they're living off someone else's hard work, even though I know plenty of people who barely do anything all day. And don't even get me started on fraudulent pensions; I haven't met a single person involved in that who actually felt a shred of guilt...

Paul Martinez73 said:It honestly baffles me when people act shocked that money was embezzled, stolen, or handed out as bribes. Look, that’s literally why the government exists... I seriously doubt there isn't a single layer of society in the US where someone isn't paying off an inspector, a cop, a judge, or just calling in a favor from a buddy, a cousin, or even their old man.
And then you have people acting all outraged, like, "Oh my god, they stole a billion dollars!" We all know how the game is played. Whether it's Todoric, Mamic, Nadan, or whatever other name you want to throw in there, it's been happening forever and it isn't stopping anytime soon.

I actually have a friend who dropped $200 on a cop just to avoid losing his license while driving through Austria. He ended up getting months of jail time instantly instead.

There is simply zero chance—not even a 1% shot—that you can be 100% straight with the rules here. In other countries, you might get by with maybe 20% of the time without screwing anyone over, giving you at least a fighting chance at being a decent human. But here? If you aren't ripping off your boss twice a day, you won't be able to afford rent. And if you don't rip off the government, your waiter isn't going to be able to pay their bills or give you anything extra under the table. It's just one big endless cycle.

So true. Moral lines aren't really drawn by whether you're cutting corners, but by how much you're doing it and whether you're being blatantly shameless about it. Like, maybe it's fine to pocket a few extra bucks from a couple of customers a day, but it's definitely not okay to join a massive corporation just to sit around and do nothing, or take bribes at a healthcare agency to get drugs added to a list, or rob a state-owned company until it goes bankrupt. Society is basically at rock bottom, with only a few rare exceptions...

Peter Thompson4 said:Who's surprised by any of this?
I'm just saying, there's no point in fighting about it because we're all getting screwed over anyway. That insider tip was the same story—if they can actually verify that Deloitte is hiring Albanians, then the level of shady corruption is so deep that there aren't even enough idiots left in the States to agree to it.

They were hiring Slovaks and other foreign nationals for years too (people who didn't necessarily have some incredible skills we couldn't find ourselves), so what's the actual difference between them and the ones you mentioned? Maybe the trick is that they have a perfect excuse to jack up their prices since they often work with government contractors...

Bryan Adams6 said:

Pretty interesting 🍿 and totally unseen

Just a gamer on his console ☕...

You’re probably going to tell me there was some shady business involved with Agrokor too...

Patrick Martin said:it’s turned into some second-rate competition ☕

Look, there was a reason they used to require you to actually win your domestic league first. Now? It’s just a joke. Honestly, I’d feel totally embarrassed walking around if I somehow won the LP without even being the champion of my own country. For real.

I'm sure you guys will make it to the big leagues one day too...👍

Oh, things actually got way worse than that:

"I've got more guts than you! None of those people who wrote bad stuff about the Mayor are even working in news anymore!" — that's what the Mayor told a reporter just a day earlier, according to the New York Post.

"You really ought to start believing in God, because He's going to punish you. You could slip down those stairs right now and break a leg, or maybe one of your family members could get hurt. You can write all that down if you want!" — the Mayor said.

https://www.nytimes.com/news/article/...li/301674.aspx

It's just that people with short memories tend to forget...

And if there’s someone else struggling just as hard, I guess it makes things feel a little better... kind of like when you completely mess something up and realize someone else managed to blow things up just as badly as you did 😁

Anyway, I was listening to the radio and heard they’re distributing prayer cards alongside the morning papers, and yesterday the President was presenting those new demographic initiatives—there might actually be some hope for America after all 👍

Paul Sanders5 said:😂

it's finally time for the green card lottery.

#republican #democrat #justwow👍

Adam King6 said:And you're screwing with me too, making me have to Google who the hell he even played for.🤣

He was on the field with Rakitic and Kitić too... 😁

brightpilot6 said:It’s been years since Hitchcock produced anything truly worth watching.

🤣

Speaking of great international cinema, we have to talk about the first two Elite Squad movies. They honestly blow just about every American action flick from the last few years out of the water... especially with that soundtrack 🙏

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0861739/

And then there's this incredible piece of Scandinavian filmmaking

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1614989/

Ashley Bailey6 said:I guess you have to be open to everything.

I’m constantly hunting for solid adventure thrillers—the kind where you can actually relate to the characters or find yourself in a similar spot (like *A Perfect Getaway*).
I’m also down for those psychological mindfucks (*Shutter Island*), something that really stimulates the brain so you can walk away feeling satisfied.

I don't mind mindless action flicks or comedies when I just want to zone out, but sometimes you want a high-budget movie with actual depth and tension. Nowadays, most big-budget films just lean into cheap sentimentality regarding social issues just to chase an Oscar.

There are definitely movies like that out there, they just aren't as mainstream

Here's one for you...

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4062536...nm_flmg_act_17

Noah Roberts46 said:I watched that movie and it was actually pretty solid; I didn't see those plot twists coming at all. 👍

But let’s get one thing straight: these big franchises aren't the reason quality elsewhere has tanked. We've always had blockbusters, and they never dragged down the rest of the industry. Hollywood's decline is due to a total lack of original ideas, not because of superhero movies. To claim those thirty DC and Marvel flicks are the culprit just proves people can't figure out how to make decent films anymore. Yeah, right. 🤣

I mean, look at the absolute garbage Vin Diesel and The Rock churn out—just endless piles of mindless action junk. The real issue is that superhero movies are actually significantly better than that trash. There are still good films out there; sure, maybe they're harder to find than they used to be, but they exist.

It's honestly great that someone finally checked out that movie... 👍

I remember seeing a great visual explaining how those scenarios get picked out... it was in that Matt LeBlanc series, Episodes or something like that. I watched the first season a while back and it was pretty cool...

Jessica Gonzalez said:It’s not really that these movies are childish or inherently stupid. Sure, they might be pretty mindless, and I get why people want to just switch off their brains for a bit. But I don't think we should accept movie theaters becoming exclusive venues for just that kind of stuff. It feels like Hollywood only produces one thing now. And honestly, I'm not even sure I'd call them movies anymore. To me, it's more like an amusement park ride—all the thrills without any actual surprises, just minor tweaks here and there. Like, maybe the roller coaster tracks are green instead of red, or the turn goes right instead of left. Or instead of a werewolf in the tunnel, it's LeBron James. That seems to be the difference between Hulk, Spider-Man, or Black Panther movies. They all feel identical. It feels like there's nothing else in theaters lately, except for these massive, two-hour long commercials packaged together.

I think I realized about 5 to 10 years ago that the return on investment in the film industry was hovering around only 5%. The studios probably caught on, which is why they've largely abandoned "risky" projects like smarter, original films. These superhero stories are clearly just a formula for easy cash and easy marketing. Everything else takes a backseat. It’s all about the money, and everything else is secondary. I think that’s the biggest issue with modern Western civilization today (and probably everywhere else too, though I wouldn't know)...

Noah Roberts46 said:I honestly think you’re just being blinded by nostalgia. Even those old classics had massive flaws if you actually bothered to look—at least that was my experience when I watched them. But nowadays, with high-speed internet and everything at our fingertips, plus a million theories and deep dives circulating constantly, everyone is much more susceptible to scrutiny. In this day and age, every single movie is going to have its fair share of critics and shortcomings.

Maybe so. Even those old Batman flicks weren't exactly masterpieces or deep intellectual studies. In fact, quite the opposite. But what we're seeing now is a step down even from that; for most of the movies I mentioned, Predator is basically Citizen Kane by comparison...

But every once in a while, a low-budget gem comes along that actually catches you off guard. A great example would be this: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0756683/

I stumbled upon this one by total chance. The budget was clearly as tight as it gets, but the movie isn't just smart—it's incredible. There isn't a single special effect, yet it stays completely intense...

Look, I get that superhero movies are meant to be light entertainment, but even then, they used to actually have a decent plot. Nowadays, most of these blockbusters just feel like a total mess. I couldn't even sit through ten minutes of Wonder Woman, and Black Panther was just as bad... honestly, even the last Star Wars movie felt like one of the dumbest things I've seen all year.