# Can we all just agree... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 15, 2010, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309 "2010-08-15T05:41:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/41 "2010-08-15T17:23:39Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Well fuck me for being optimistic. I saw the thread title and thought there would at last be an effort to string together a coherent rant. _Sigh_ Aw, it’s so cute when you’re naive like that 😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Understander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@The\_Understander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Understander)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/42 "2010-08-15T17:26:17Z")
I agree. General, less-skilled labor is becoming woefully inadequate for people to experience a high quality of life, and even specialized laborers (say, for example, machinists) are feeling the pinch of a rough economy. There are nations where laborers work for low wages in order that large multinational corporations and those at the top experience most of the benefits, and a downward pressure for even your hated first world nations exists on wages for workers in those countries (who are also suffering, in case you missed that). The salient questions for me, then, are: 1. When has it been otherwise? You’re talking _decades_? Study history much? I daresay that a serf might look at his relative position in society versus that of a low-wage textile worker in Malaysia and drool, even if we dismiss entirely technological advancement and creature comforts. 2. How in the world is posting like an acolyte of Time Cube Guy lending any credibility to this argument? If you have the ability at all, **lurking guest** , to refocus your argument into a more presentable form, you might at least get a serious response. Or less derision. Or … I dunno, learn something? I rather doubt that you are going to take this well-meaning advice into account, but just in case: Proper paragraph structure, syntax, and organization of your thoughts matter here, OK? Otherwise, no one understands what the hell you’re talking about or really even cares to try. ---
**Author:** ![IdahoMauleMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71c47a/32.png) [@IdahoMauleMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IdahoMauleMan)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/43 "2010-08-15T17:43:40Z")
> [@lurking\_guest](#): > > That we have just been being hosed by folks with money and power for many, many decades. > > And not just in this country. > > In Every country and on Every Continent. > > AMERICANS are ‘Special’ of course, because their Government has the BIG GUNS. > > Still…no “Trilateral Commission” …no ‘Secret’ stuff… > > Just folks and connections to folks with lots and lots and lots and lots of dollars and connections to other folks with the same… > > …sit…and talk…and “assess” “WHAT TO DO” with the populations the world over. > > Where to turn. Where to twist. Where to be a ‘cheerleader.’ > > ANYthing. EVERYthing. Whatever it takes to keep the slaves in India and China and Russia and Tawain to keeeeeeeep believing that , They, ‘One Day Too’…can > “OWN YOUR OWN BUSINESS” !!! > > (As it HAS worked in America for decades.) > > He he he. > > It HAS worked to keep EARNING for the top 1% the world over. > > These DIPSHITS the world over whose BILLIONS of dollars of Wealth requires of us to to wonder…just how many hours of work per year brought them this wealth. > > He he he… Mostly…NONE. > > And YET… from one form of Government to another…they are able to pit one slavish wage-earner against another and crank about the ‘form of > Government, or the Continent or the freakin’, stupid Political Party in the United States… > > It matters not. > > WE are the folks who provide the LABOR to earn WEALTH. > > Freakin’ forget about WALL STREET. > > Let them play. > > When people quit producing… the ‘Money Game’ is done. > > Assholes. We are all victims. We are all helpless. We all twist and turn in the wind, and flail away fruitlessly to the cackles of glee of the Scrooge McDucks and Big Evil People and Bigger, More Evil Corporations everywhere. We have no power to control our own destiny. Our destiny has been pre-ordained for us by the rich, powerful and mighty. Somebody, please come and save us. Lead us to the Promised Land. Tell us everything will be alright. Tell us that you will take care of us. Heed our insecurity. Feel our pain. Spread the wealth around. Tell us that you will stick it to that guy over there, and take his stuff, and give it to us. We want an iron rice bowl. We want a chicken in every pot. We want a car in every garage. We want to go to college to study whatever we want, have healthcare whenever we want it, and retire and live comfortable lives when we grow old. Tell us you will give that to us. We will vote for you, then. We will enthusiatically back you. We will allow you to ascend to whatever leadership position you want, and sign over whatever reins of power that we now retain, but that you desire. We will allow you to tell us what drugs to ingest, what jobs we are allowed to have, what goods and services we are allowed to purchase from foreign trading partners, and how much of our own property we are allowed to keep. You can have all of that power, if you want. We will give it to you. Just please save us! Save us, please…from ourselves! We’re helpless! We’re victims! We don’t know what to do! But you do. You must! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/44 "2010-08-15T17:50:22Z")
**IdahoMauleMan** , why are you even bothering to take him seriously? Maybe we could give him and **r. w. jefferson** their own little room where they could rant on and on about nothing? ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/45 "2010-08-15T19:12:43Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > > [@lurking\_guest](#): > > > > **Can we all just agree…** > > Not until we know what you want us to agree to, no. No shit. This dude makes my head hurt. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/46 "2010-08-15T19:24:14Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Didn’t LG used to have posts than this? It’s really reading like conspiracy nonsense now, but I could have sworn he used to be a valuable (if infrequent) contributor. > > I’m honestly worried about him. (Granted, just a little.) Hmm.. according to his/her posting history it seems that although he/she has always been a little off, he/she used to post in at least a semi-coherent fashion. [Example](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=11620010&postcount=177) (and interesting given the current state of mental degeneration he/she is showing) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/47 "2010-08-15T19:39:22Z")
> [@lurking\_guest](#): > > Whatever it takes to keep the slaves in India and China and Russia and Tawain to keeeeeeeep believing that , They, ‘One Day Too’…can > “OWN YOUR OWN BUSINESS” !!! > > (As it HAS worked in America for decades.) > > He he he. > > It HAS worked to keep EARNING for the top 1% the world over. So the evil conspiracy, which induces he-he-he chuckles, involves pulling the same con that allegedly worked on people in America on people in India and China and Russia and Taiwan: to keep 'em earning _ **for** _ the top 1% the world over. And the obvious rejoinder, as pointed out by multiple posters in thread after thread after thread, is that it worked in America by dint of putting so many of us into that top 1%: I’m one of 'em, just like many of us on these boards. > [@](#): > > \*It matters not. > > WE are the folks who provide the LABOR to earn WEALTH.\* Er, no; WE are the folks with the wealth, and you’re foolishly trying to rabble-rouse US against the 1% that WE are. Possibly you’re one of us and haven’t yet realized it. > [@](#): > > _Can we all just agree… > That we have just been being hosed by folks with money and power for many, many decades._ No, we can’t; we are those folks. What are you offering us? ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/48 "2010-08-15T19:41:54Z")
Is it right for Tim Geithner to regulate vice? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/49 "2010-08-15T20:21:43Z")
Cripes, this fucking jerk-off is still around? As soon as whatever is in his system this time around causes him to crash again, we won’t hear from him until the next injection. What a putz. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/50 "2010-08-15T22:03:49Z")
I’ve seen this occasionally, in college. It’s like drinking your first beer. This guy might be reading Marx for the first time: I dunno. Point is, it unlocked his brain from the normal everyday life pattern of semi-thinking about current events, and instead formulates the HELL YEAH! ANARCHY RULEZ! mindset. Thus, the budding Anmarxist sees a way he can get stuff without having to pay for it, and before you know it, breaking store windows and screaming FIGHT THE POWER becomes a laudable goal. The SDMB probably represents the ruling elite to the **lurkster** , with us being all smart and hoity toity and stuff, so rants like these are the online equivalent of TPing our stately manors. Then, when he gets banned, he’ll be able to brag about how he’s too EXTREME for this place. ---
**Author:** ![Gustav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Gustav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gustav)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/51 "2010-08-15T22:22:14Z")
At this point, if it’s really that big a deal to just ban him, you may as well set up an official “incoherent Lurking Guest rants” megathread, rather than have him create a new topic twice a week. He’s obviously not going to stop. Hell, give him a subforum. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/52 "2010-08-15T22:30:07Z")
Maybe when the new school year starts up, he’ll disappear into academia and give it a rest for nine months. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/53 "2010-08-15T23:15:13Z")
> [@Gustav](#): > > At this point, if it’s really that big a deal to just ban him, you may as well set up an official “incoherent Lurking Guest rants” megathread, rather than have him create a new topic twice a week. He’s obviously not going to stop. Hell, give him a subforum. We should merge it into another recent thread and call it “Stupid **Lurking Guest/Dio** Opinion of the Day” thread. All the yummy goodness in one place! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/54 "2010-08-15T23:20:11Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Maybe when the new school year starts up, he’ll disappear into academia and give it a rest for nine months. I doubt it. In [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=535484) he says he is over sixty. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/55 "2010-08-15T23:23:39Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > > [@Chefguy](#): > > > > Maybe when the new school year starts up, he’ll disappear into academia and give it a rest for nine months. > > I doubt it. In [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=535484) he says he is over sixty. He also says he’s female. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/56 "2010-08-15T23:58:47Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > > [@Colibri](#): > > > > I doubt it. In [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=535484) he says he is over sixty. > > He also says he’s female. 😃 So he does. I couldn’t force myself to read that far. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/57 "2010-08-16T00:43:13Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > > [@Lobohan](#): > > > > He also says he’s female. 😃 > > So he does. I couldn’t force myself to read that far. 😃 Ah, so it’s a medical marijuana-induced rant. Maybe she’s that looney that was meandering around at the McCain ralley accusing Obama of being an Arab. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/58 "2010-08-16T01:30:33Z")
Fortunately for the rest of you, I speak Gibberish. Allow me to translate the OP: “Money BAD!!!” You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/59 "2010-08-16T01:57:55Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Fortunately for the rest of you, I speak Gibberish. Are you Gibberian? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309/60 "2010-08-16T02:14:22Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > > [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > > > Fortunately for the rest of you, I speak Gibberish. > > Are you Gibberian? No, but I have giblets from a previous relationship. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-all-just-agree/550309.md?page=4)