# That Screeching Moment When You Realize Just How Fucked Up Things Are **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 18, 2008, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004 "2008-01-18T12:45:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/41 "2008-01-19T00:12:57Z")
[QUOTE=Plynck] It seems to me that the \*\*OP \*\* is trying to make **two points**. I’m going to stay away from the Naomi Klein argument, because I’m not sure what **point** **he** is making. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Jackmannii] Well all right then, no wonder he’s so angry. He’s tired of people calling him Naomi. [/QUOTE] Just trying to get the subject (OP) and the gender to agree, but yeah - I’m not sure what point she’s making either. [QUOTE=Jackmannii] Is he, like, Finnish or something? [/QUOTE] [German](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Nomi), maybe? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/42 "2008-01-19T00:56:33Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] You know, thinking about this a little more, this is how things have always been in human society - the most powerful make the rules (and the rules ALWAYS benefit them), and the rest of us suck hind tit. It was this way when Og smashed his first sabre toothed tiger’s head in and started wearing the pelt, and it will be this way until us _Homo sapiens_ manage to wipe ourselves out. [/QUOTE] Actually, it’s largely happened since the rise of agricultural civilization; hunter-gathering societies are more egalitarian (though equally violent towards one another) than is seen in “civilization,” as it were. ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/43 "2008-01-19T01:00:01Z")
[QUOTE=Hamadryad] I think if more people listened to that _Fresh Air_ interview, they would have a much better idea of the frustration you’re feeling. I heard it when it aired too, and it made me want to throw things. [/QUOTE] Me too. I’m hearing a lot of things these days that make me cry “This country is FUCKED UP!!!” Cripes. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/44 "2008-01-19T01:48:21Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Moto] I’m missing it too. It can go the other way as well - [I’m linking a story](http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lahabra21dec21,1,1787865.story?ctrack=1&cset=true) about how some people were so concerned about the responsiveness of their fire department that they bought equipment out of their own pocket intending to donate it to them. The city refused, so these citizens formed a Fire Watch and trained to use it themselves, only to be told by the city that they’d be prosecuted if they did. [/quote] So at what point was _removing their elected officials for being such fuck ups not an option for them?_ You have to wonder why on earth they thought that there was nothing wrong with a city management which allowed such a situation to develop in the first place. Not only did they fail to realize that the fire equipment was inadequate, but when someone attempted to correct the situation, they actively tried to _block_ them. Why the _fuck_ are these people being entrusted with a public office? One would think that if they can’t figure this kind of shit out, there’s no way they can figure out how to do the basic day-to-day running of the city and should **not** be in such positions to begin with! > [@](#): > > The equipment is ideally suited for the area - 4WD brush rigs that can pump water out of swimming pools if necessary. But they’ll never be used unless some folks get their heads out of their asses. > > I understand there may be some jurisdictional or liability issues to iron out, but this sort of thing is handled fairly well by code anyway, so I don’t see what the big deal is. It _shouldn’t_ be a big deal. The city’s charged with protecting the citizenry, and if the elected officals _can’t_ figure out how to do it, they should be removed from office. That’s how it’s _supposed_ to work in a democracy. (Remember, in a democracy, if you hate the government, you hate yourself.) > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > What’s wrong with this? Here are a bunch of folks who will get out of town on a private jet instead of taking up space in the commercial jets or further clogging up the roads. Because it creates a false sense of security. Back when the clusterfuck of New Orleans was on the news routinely, I mentioned to a friend of mine that based on FEMAs inept response, I was going to create a “survival kit” so that if things ever got FUBAR’d because of a disaster, I wouldn’t be reduced to eating the cats. His response was, “Just leave.” Which is fine if there’s a disaster _you have ample warning is going to be heading your way._ I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the odds of a hurricane hitting TN are _nil._ What will the folks who signed up for HelpJet do if a large number of tornadoes strike and wipe out the airports and much of the infrastructure in the area? How will they get to their five star hotels _then?_ ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_Stream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@Carol\_Stream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_Stream)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/45 "2008-01-19T02:12:05Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] There are many, many reasons to hate the rich and the governments that cater to them off the backs of the masses. [/QUOTE] Wow. Can I subscribe to your newsletter? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/46 "2008-01-19T02:31:09Z")
I’ve always found catering off the backs of the masses to be better in theory than in practice; the slightest tremor (and so many of the poorest ones are prone to all sorts of twitching thanks to their their degenerative nerve disorders or malnutrition or what-have-you) sends your Pétrus and _foie gras_ flying. It really takes the wind out of your sails when it happens in the middle of a droll anecdote. ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/47 "2008-01-19T02:34:23Z")
I think what the OP is talking about is the fact that the motto " United we stand, divided we fall" seems to be replaced by “Screw you, I"ve got mine.” I find it pretty difficult to believe that so many respondents to this thread don’t get that. After Katrina a ton of folks from my city went down to LA to help out, the tragedy did elicit a huge outpouring of national support. So a local hospital who did business as usual certainly wasn’t the norm. Either you have to think that reflected poorly on that hospital, or that the rest of the country was a sucker. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/48 "2008-01-19T02:46:21Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] You know, thinking about this a little more, this is how things have always been in human society - the most powerful make the rules (and the rules ALWAYS benefit them), and the rest of us suck hind tit. It was this way when Og smashed his first sabre toothed tiger’s head in and started wearing the pelt, and it will be this way until us _Homo sapiens_ manage to wipe ourselves out. [/QUOTE] Well, actually things vary over time. In the 1970s tuition for state university was lower. Before managed care, a lot of doctors interpreted their work as a calling. When I was a kid, my suburban pediatrician would divide his time between his the office that I went to and the his inner city location. When he went into semi-retirement, it was his suburban office that got cut back. For more anecdotes, talk to a physician over 60. CEO pay packets were a lot lower. Look, today’s social standards aren’t as bad as Ancient Rome. But (setting race aside) they aren’t as equitable as those of the 1950s - 1970s either. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/49 "2008-01-19T03:11:05Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] So you’re saying violent revolution and some salutary hangings are called for? 😃 [/QUOTE] As long as we can line some marketing executives up against the wall, I’m all for it. [QUOTE=Zebra] A long time ago, I read Catch-22. I’m not sure when I realized that it was not fiction nor satire but just plain truth but I see it more and more. From Blackwater to **Otto** getting a written verbal warning, it always comes up more and more and more these days. [/QUOTE] If you’ve ever worked with the military or in the defense sector, you’ll recognize many scenerios from _Catch-22_ as not being in the least absurd, but in fact drawn straight from reality. Also, Terry Gilliam’s _Brazil_ is a documentary. With that said, as “Fucked Up [as] Things Are” now, it’s nothing in comparison to how fucked up they’re going to be in the future. That is how you know that you are making progress. Hey, Rome didn’t burn in a day, you know. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/50 "2008-01-19T03:18:53Z")
I’m a waffling over posting this, as it is way left field of the way the thread has gone, but, from the OP title, it fits. This was the [Picture worth the proverbial words](http://cache.wonkette.com/assets/resources/2007/05/prescott-nixon.jpg), that broke my spine this week, to a screeching halt. It makes me see how much power is beyond the grasp of what is supposed to be a democracy. Tip o’ the hat to my wilting heart. Prescott Bush anointing disciple Richard Nixon. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/51 "2008-01-19T03:23:50Z")
[QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] …With that said, as “Fucked Up [as] Things Are” now, it’s nothing in comparison to how fucked up they’re going to be in the future. That is how you know that you are making progress. Hey, Rome didn’t burn in a day, you know… [/QUOTE] Well, thank you, Mr. Sunshine… ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_Stream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@Carol\_Stream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_Stream)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/52 "2008-01-19T04:00:13Z")
[QUOTE=elelle] This was the [Picture worth the proverbial words](http://cache.wonkette.com/assets/resources/2007/05/prescott-nixon.jpg), that broke my spine this week, to a screeching halt. It makes me see how much power is beyond the grasp of what is supposed to be a democracy. Tip o’ the hat to my wilting heart. Prescott Bush anointing disciple Richard Nixon. [/QUOTE] IT’S A CONSPIRACY! ILLUMINATI! NEW WORLD ORDER! ACK! ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/53 "2008-01-19T04:07:43Z")
Hmm, wasn’t really an ACK! outburst, more like a simple spine shudder. There’s a lot of mileage that might could vary… ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_Stream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@Carol\_Stream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_Stream)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/54 "2008-01-19T04:20:55Z")
[QUOTE=elelle] There’s a lot of mileage that might could vary… [/QUOTE] Does not compute. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/55 "2008-01-19T04:22:02Z")
Like slime mold porno. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/56 "2008-01-19T04:35:37Z")
Yes! Exactly, muy thanks. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/57 "2008-01-19T05:31:38Z")
Welcome to the Dark Side of the Rive Gauche of the Democrat Party, **Tuckerfan**. James Carville will be along in a moment to take your drink order. Sure, the Republicans have Linda Carter, but Carville won’t water your drinks. I spent the past 7-1/2 years fellating the ultrarich and justified it as pulling money out of their pockets and into the economy (with a brief sojuourn in my pocket) but now I don’t have to, so now I’m with **silenus**. _Aux barricades, mes freres!_ The old definition of a conservative was “a liberal who has been mugged.” A liberal is “a conservative who realized who was fucking whom, and realized he hadn’t brought enough Vaseline.” ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/58 "2008-01-19T05:43:48Z")
They used to style themselves as “compassionate conservatives”, what they meant was the “reacharound Republicans”. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/59 "2008-01-19T06:08:11Z")
[QUOTE=Carol Stream] Wow. Can I subscribe to your newsletter? [/QUOTE] Sorry, I don’t have a newsletter. You can still send me money, though. I thought the U.S. was supposed to be a republic, not a democracy? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004/60 "2008-01-19T06:24:24Z")
The Bechtel story comes from "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man’ in which they got a contract to take over the water supply for an Argentine town. The leverage came from huge pressuring by the US gov and large corporations. They jacked up the prices of water to make huge profits . They passed laws to keep people from collecting water in barrels when it rained. The town people rioted and threw them out. But.it was ugly with the police on the side of Bechtel in the beginning. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-screeching-moment-when-you-realize-just-how-fucked-up-things-are/434004.md?page=4)