Posts by Michelle Doyle61

Think of it this way: Dylan and Beethoven share a connection similar to how you might view Dostoevsky or Proust compared to someone like Caesar or maybe even Keats. They both fall under the umbrella of literature, sure, but they occupy completely different universes. I’m not trying to diminish Dylan's talent here—far from it—I just want to offer a perspective. It’s about the nature of the art itself. You can draw parallels between Dylan and certain poets, but when you put him next to Beethoven in the realm of music? They aren't even playing in the same league.

I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately. It's one of those things that seems simple on the surface, but once you start peeling back the layers, it gets complicated fast. I remember sitting in a small coffee shop in Seattle a few years back, just watching people pass by, wondering how much of our daily decisions are actually ours. It’s easy to feel like we’re in control, but there are so many outside forces at play. It’s a heavy thought, honestly. But I suppose that's just life.

Sophia Moore52 said:But what can you do? It seems the brainwashing of the 90s really worked...

http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...urn-of-marxism

"Today, 164 years after Marx and Engels wrote about grave-diggers, the truth is almost the exact opposite. The proletariat, far from burying capitalism, are keeping it on life support. Overworked, underpaid workers ostensibly liberated by the largest socialist revolution in history (the Chinese Communist Party's) are driven to the brink of suicide to keep those in the west playing with their iPads. Chinese money bankrolls an otherwise bankrupt America.

The irony is scarcely wasted on leading Marxist thinkers. "The domination of capitalism globally depends today on the existence of a Chinese Communist Party that gives de-localised capitalist enterprises cheap labour to lower prices and deprive workers of the rights of self-organisation," says Jacques Rancière, the French marxist thinker and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris VIII. "Happily, it is possible to hope for a world less absurd and more just than today's.""

http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...py-for-bankers

"Since the beginning of the global recession everyone from the literary critic Terry Eagleton
to former IMF economist Nouriel Roubini has been declaring "Karl Marx was right"."

Or maybe it was just brainwashing—that people from the nineties were being systematically brainwashed. 😉

crimsonwolf20 said:Give me a break! Marx and those ridiculous theories of his—built on nothing but faulty assumptions and straight-up manipulation—were already being laughed out of serious economic circles long before the next edition of Capital was even printed.

It’s easy to just toss an idea aside. It's much harder to actually sit down and try to wrap your head around it. Capitalism—as much as it beats out communism (though that’s a pretty broad brush to paint with since both systems have so many different flavors)—definitely has its flaws. And we aren't talking about minor hiccups; we're talking about massive, systemic failures that we've been trying to fix for over a century. We still haven't cracked the code. Part of the reason, I think, is that we tend to dismiss the deep thinking and the heavy analysis done by those who came before us.

You really have to read Karl Marx. It’s worth sitting down with his work and actually debating it, precisely because he had such a sharp eye for the flaws in our current system. He pointed out specific cracks in the foundation of capitalism that we're still tripping over today. I remember reading some of his theories back in college while sitting in a quiet corner of a library in Chicago, and even then, it felt like he was describing the exact struggles people face in modern America. His warnings about systemic instability aren't just history lessons; they are incredibly relevant right now.

Even the biggest champions of free markets, like Adam Smith, openly admitted that the system comes with its own set of deep-seated flaws. To me, the real divide isn't about whether the problems exist, but rather how you fix them. That’s where the fundamental split between Smith and Karl Marx happens—they saw the same cracks in the foundation, they just had completely different blueprints for the repair work.

I don't have much to add there. Just some food for thought.

neonhound18 said:It really isn't all that surprising that America is heading toward a total meltdown when you consider how many people here insist on babbling about things that Marx supposedly "proved" ages ago.🙄 😵

Maybe we should just toss every philosophy book ever written into a bonfire. Honestly, I think we're far beyond those old-school fools.

Sophia Moore52 said:none

It’s simple: the petrodollar, global banking, and occupying half the planet. It comes down to constant warfare and exploiting the poor all over the globe...
Fortunately, as Marx proved, capitalism is fundamentally flawed and destined to collapse under its own weight. Let's just hope it doesn't take the rest of us down with it...

Grace Wood5 said:🙏🙏🙏🤣🤣🤣🤣🙏🙏🙏

That’s the best joke I’ve read in a long time.

crimsonwolf20 said:🤣 🤣 🤣

neonhound18 said:To me, he comes across as someone who simply hasn't found anything more productive to do with his time than to scribble out nonsense that borders on the delusional, because I truly cannot fathom how a person with even a grain of reason could write posts claiming that Karl Marx proved everything ages ago. 🤣

Dismissing Marx so easily is a massive mistake. He was a profound thinker whose ideas remain incredibly relevant today, especially his critique of capitalism and the systemic flaws we still haven't managed to fix even a century later.

Looks like the Strokes are dropping an album soon, haha

Honestly, what an absolute joke of a movie. They completely botched this character's portrayal. When he’s supposed to be lean and athletic, they made him look so unnatural; it just looks fake and cheap. The special effects are pretty much a disaster across the board—nothing feels grounded. That one scene where he's chasing after the car? Truly painful to watch. I honestly don't understand how movies can still be released today with such subpar visual effects. As for the lead, he's just totally lacking charisma. It's a shame. The only saving grace is that red lubanja. That actor is genuinely brilliant and stands head and shoulders above the rest of the cast. If they hadn't pushed this whole narrative about everything tying together into one big franchise, probably half the audience would have skipped these mediocre films entirely. The first Iron Man was a masterpiece, and these other silly attempts don't even come close. It actually makes me nervous to think about what The Avengers might end up looking like eventually.

Arcade Fire is just incredibly dull, honestly. It’s a level of boredom you rarely encounter in live music.

If The Strokes actually show up here, I could die happy.

I honestly don't get the appeal of movies like this. Sure, it might be a phenomenal piece of filmmaking, but let's be real—nobody is ever going to say it tops the original. It just feels unnecessary.

Honestly, what is even worse about these Lecce guys? They are just absolute garbage.

It’s kind of wild that Wimbledon is sponsoring Football Manager—that feels like such a weirdly mismatched pairing. And what is even going on with those Sevilla FC kits? Is that supposed to be local landmarks or something?

Jeremy Nelson5 said:Looking at all the garbage being released this year, I have to say—the Bundesliga kits are actually holding their own. Schalke definitely nailed it this time around... really classy stuff. classic The design... honestly? I think it looks way better than those national team kits Adidas puts out—you know, the ones with those weird, random stripes running across the chest and back that I’ve never actually understood the purpose of.

It looks just like some cheap roll of tape

Honestly, I found Tottenham Hotspur to be a total disaster this season. Watching them struggle with those yellow kits was just painful.

It looks like they’ve got that greasy texture on the chest area that everyone used to have back in the day. What was that actually called? If I recall correctly, Arsenal always sported that look.

Tyler Doyle said:"The Coachella organizers recommend it." ???

It’s the same old story when editors show up to cover an event. They just say whatever sounds official.

Well, unfortunately, Mando Diaw might show up, but he’s really the only big name I'm feeling a vibe from. Still, I'm holding out a little hope that maybe Strokes, Muse, or Ratm will make an appearance instead.

It’s just a total dud. Honestly, it’s pretty lukewarm. I really didn't care for it at all.

I’m going to drop this here because I didn't want to start a whole new thread, and I honestly couldn't find an existing one for the Kooks. Does anyone happen to know how much tickets are going for for their July 6th show in Chicago? This site says they're sixty-seven bucks, but my gut tells me that sounds way too cheap to be true. http://www.worldticketshop.com/conce..._kooks_tickets

I thought Lily’s set was pretty terrible, honestly. The only redeeming quality was the crowd, though even they looked a bit lost—just standing there with these vacant expressions, staring off into space. It was kind of a mess. I can appreciate Kraftwerk, but I could never sit through a full set of theirs. On the other hand, Franz Ferdinand was just too intense for me at times, though they were absolutely brilliant. Truly blew me away. Also, that silent disco thing? Such a clever idea. All in all, it’s been a fantastic day, and I’m genuinely looking forward to getting back out there later.

I have to say, I actually find it quite amusing when someone quotes fifty tiny little snippets and tries to address every single one individually. Honestly, though, nothing they said really resonates with me. It just seems completely unfeasible. I mean, running those kinds of procedures for every single question would be pure absurdity. Still, it’s a creative idea. Very well thought out. Personally, I’d suggest we hold a lottery every four years instead. We could just pick, say, 200 people at random to serve in Congress. You’d likely end up with every kind of person imaginable—a massive spectrum of education levels, perspectives, viewpoints, and expertise. That would be a truly representative sample of the American public. They’d spend those four years working solely for the good of the country. No salary, obviously; we’d just cover their housing and meals. Their real motivation would be either public praise or social disapproval. I suspect we might see something similar to this in the future.

This show is just too good. The humor hits perfectly because it doesn't try too hard; it just happens. Every single character feels completely laid back, almost sleepy, which I love. It’s one of those rare series that isn't desperate to force a laugh, yet somehow ends up being absolutely hilarious.