Defining Social Justice Warrior

[Hiro Protagonist]

Those are fairly common sites, but your search criteria are pretty generic.  Hurlshot can correct me if I don't get this right, but he has two kids so you probably need to redo the search criteria for 4bd+ and since his wife works add a two car garage.  That drives the minimum price to ~600,000$ just at asking and depending on demand houses frequently go for more than asking price.   Plus factor in real estate taxes and mortgage insurance and maybe figuring out how much Hurl is setting aside for his kids college and his own retirement.  So it's not such a cut and dried situation. 

 

Or you could have searched in Cupertino.  LOL 

 

Jesus Hurl those prices are freaking insane!

 

Parents + 2 kids doesn't mean you need a 4bd+ house. Just because you have two cars doesn't mean you need a two car garage. You can't park your car in the driveway? Also expecting to live in a million dollar suburb added to your check list? If you're going to have that sort of search criteria with a list of things that are outside your means, then of course you won't be able to afford to buy a house with those conditions. It's why people usually buy houses further out to live within their means.

[BruceVC]

 

Those are fairly common sites, but your search criteria are pretty generic.  Hurlshot can correct me if I don't get this right, but he has two kids so you probably need to redo the search criteria for 4bd+ and since his wife works add a two car garage.  That drives the minimum price to ~600,000$ just at asking and depending on demand houses frequently go for more than asking price.   Plus factor in real estate taxes and mortgage insurance and maybe figuring out how much Hurl is setting aside for his kids college and his own retirement.  So it's not such a cut and dried situation. 

 

Or you could have searched in Cupertino.  LOL 

 

Jesus Hurl those prices are freaking insane!

 

Parents + 2 kids doesn't mean you need a 4bd+ house. Just because you have two cars doesn't mean you need a two car garage. You can't park your car in the driveway? Also expecting to live in a million dollar suburb added to your check list? If you're going to have that sort of search criteria with a list of things that are outside your means, then of course you won't be able to afford to buy a house with those conditions. It's why people usually buy houses further out to live within their means.

 

What if you can afford that type of property....there is no guarantee you will be happy there 

[Hurlshort]

 

Those are fairly common sites, but your search criteria are pretty generic.  Hurlshot can correct me if I don't get this right, but he has two kids so you probably need to redo the search criteria for 4bd+ and since his wife works add a two car garage.  That drives the minimum price to ~600,000$ just at asking and depending on demand houses frequently go for more than asking price.   Plus factor in real estate taxes and mortgage insurance and maybe figuring out how much Hurl is setting aside for his kids college and his own retirement.  So it's not such a cut and dried situation. 

 

Or you could have searched in Cupertino.  LOL 

 

Jesus Hurl those prices are freaking insane!

 

Parents + 2 kids doesn't mean you need a 4bd+ house. Just because you have two cars doesn't mean you need a two car garage. You can't park your car in the driveway? Also expecting to live in a million dollar suburb added to your check list? If you're going to have that sort of search criteria with a list of things that are outside your means, then of course you won't be able to afford to buy a house with those conditions. It's why people usually buy houses further out to live within their means.

 

 

[Hiro Protagonist]

Not at all Hurlshot. It sounds more like a financial problem by trying to keep up with the joneses. It's quite a common problem with people who are earning 6 figure salaries but struggling to make ends meet.

[Nonek]

 

So what is a Social Justice Warrior?

 

 

Usually in my experience an inexperienced young person from a privileged background, with an elitist frame of mind, a smug demeanour and a hypocritical lack of regard for self reflection.

[Hurlshort]

Not at all Hurlshot. It sounds more like a financial problem by trying to keep up with the joneses. It's quite a common problem with people who are earning 6 figure salaries but struggling to make ends meet.

 

Suburbs, by their nature, should be an affordable option for the middle class.  They are not in the Bay Area.    

[Hiro Protagonist]

Suburbs, by their nature, should be an affordable option for the middle class.  They are not in the Bay Area.    

 

Nice deflection. You avoided the 'keeping up with the jones' part of my quote as well as your own financial problems.

[BruceVC]

 

Suburbs, by their nature, should be an affordable option for the middle class.  They are not in the Bay Area.    

 

Nice deflection. You avoided the 'keeping up with the jones' part of my quote as well as your own financial problems.

 

Hiro its considered rude to talk about money on a forum? 

[Hurlshort]

 

Suburbs, by their nature, should be an affordable option for the middle class.  They are not in the Bay Area.    

 

Nice deflection. You avoided the 'keeping up with the jones' part of my quote as well as your own financial problems.

 

 

Well you ignored the fact that I work in Cupertino and don't live in Gilroy, so I guess we are even?  I don't really know what your hang up is here, you seem very interested in my financials.  I guess I opened myself up to it by using myself as an example, so there is that.  I mean, congrats on making me feel bad about my money situation.  

 

 

edit:  Although it's odd to call it a deflection when I was basically restating my initial argument, which is that single family homes are too expensive in the Bay Area for the majority of single families.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Hurlshot

[Hiro Protagonist]

Hiro its considered rude to talk about money on a forum? 

 

Hurlshot brought up his six figure salary and how he can't buy a house. Shouldn't you be asking Hurlshot that question?

 

 

Well you ignored the fact that I work in Cupertino and don't live in Gilroy, so I guess we are even?  I don't really know what your hang up is here, you seem very interested in my financials.  I guess I opened myself up to it by using myself as an example, so there is that.  I mean, congrats on making me feel bad about my money situation.  

 

I didn't ignore the fact you work in Cupertino. And with Gilroy, I mentioned I was going by your profile. I was only working on the information at hand. I'm also not interested in your financials. I'm merely stating that this is a common occurrence with people earning six figure salaries and struggling to make ends meet. Google is your friend and I just googled ($100000 salary struggling) and that gave me results worldwide and there seems to be a common theme between a lot of those results - keeping up with the joneses and lack of financial planning.

[Hurlshort]

Have you googled Bay Area home prices?  While I'm sure bad financial planning and jonesian endeavors are an issue for many, it doesn't change the fact the Bay Area is not affordable.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Hurlshot

[Malcador]

Six figures isn't a that great with kids here in TO and I suspect SF is worse. While I suppose you can raise 2 kids in a condo, not sure living space is just luxury.

 

Townhouses here are maybe 3bd and run 800k or so. Detached are 1 mill plus, I think

[BruceVC]

Have you googled Bay Area home prices?  While I'm sure bad financial planning and jonesian endeavors are an issue for many, it doesn't change the fact the Bay Area is not affordable.

if the issue is the overall financial cost then just change your target...move into a smaller place by yourself. You could see the family over the weekend?

[Gromnir]

am amused by self-made man stuff... seeing as how Gromnir had, 'ccording to typical socialist dogma, every excuse to be un-made. came from extreme poverty. were not raised by parents. went to historical worst elementary schools in the country.  went to one o' the worst high schools in illinois.  we purposeful refused to identify our ethnic background on school and job applications until we were in our 40s, so am not having benefited from affirmative action.  am a member o' an ethnic group that has the highest rates o' alcoholism, illiteracy and suicide in the USA... and is some o' the worstest worldwide. etc.

 

am not bloomberg successful, but am frequent grousing 'bout our tax bracket and our inability to get any additional benefits from ca for purchasing a tesla 3.

 

https://cleanvehiclerebate.org/eng/information-fiscal-year-2015-16-income-limit-changes

 

we earned our success. we worked hard and took advantage of the opportunities available to us.  we also got lucky.  *shrug*  self-made man coming from any strata o' American society is hardly a myth, but it is hard.  gotta lot o' well-intentioned socialists telling us how impossible it were for a younger Gromnir to succeed were not helping.  

 

and you know what? immigrants from se asia, africa and eastern europe typical outwork Gromnir.  is embarrassing to recognize how hard the immigrants work while we complain.  and guess what, the kids o' immigrants is unsurprising successful in the USA.  wanna exclude such folks from self-made 'cause their parents made requisite sacrifices?  so be it.

 

...

 

am knowing just how hard it is to overcome initial income disparity in the US.  the obstacles to become a self-made man is herculean.  is indeed twelve labors kinda herculean when looking at challenges facing youths who is poor and from a non-traditional family (regardless o' ethnic group) who wish to better themselves.  nemean lion is a "widdle putty tat" compared to the Certainty o' Failure.  have circumstances and well-meaning educated folks convincing you at every turn that improving your lot is impossible? am not the least bit shocked that most o' Gromnir's extended family failed to improve their situation and we believe such folks need and deserve help.  when we were making our self, we didn't want help.  foolish pride.  even so, am glad we made something o' our self. in the US, people make themselves and their children every day, and they do a better job than has Gromnir.  is no myth.

 

but again, once we reached our 40s, we has done a 180 regarding programs such as affirmative action.  self made ain't a myth, but is idiotic to expect that every young native american is gonna be as stubborn and angry... and smart, good looking and physically gifted as we were.  we prove that self-made ain't myth, but is foolish to expect every young native american to be like Gromnir... and such a reality would be a whole different kinda nightmare.  a few folks overcome a hurdle does indeed prove that the hurdle is surmountable.  the thing is, as hurl kinda implied earlier, is a fail to build a modern society in which only a small handful o' people can overcome ordinary obstacles.  in the US we need millions o' engineers and scientists and doctors, not just a handful o' elite. 

 

speaking o' fails, if we gotta says "Gromnir" more than once in a post, we consider it a fail. apologies.

 

HA! Good Fun!

Edited May 17, 2016 by Gromnir

[BruceVC]

am amused by self-made man stuff... seeing as how Gromnir had, 'ccording to typical socialist dogma, every excuse to be un-made. came from extreme poverty. were not raised by parents. went to historical worst elementary schools in the country.  went to one o' the worst high schools in illinois.  we purposeful refused to identify our ethnic background on school and job applications until we were in our 40s, so am not having benefited from affirmative action.  am a member o' an ethnic group that has the highest rates o' alcoholism, illiteracy and suicide in the USA... and is some o' the worstest worldwide. etc.

 

am not bloomberg successful, but am frequent grousing 'bout our tax bracket and our inability to get any additional benefits from ca for purchasing a tesla 3.

 

https://cleanvehiclerebate.org/eng/information-fiscal-year-2015-16-income-limit-changes

 

we earned our success. we worked hard and took advantage of the opportunities available to us.  we also got lucky.  *shrug*  self-made man coming from any strata o' American society is hardly a myth, but it is hard.  gotta lot o' well-intentioned socialists telling us how impossible it were for a younger Gromnir to succeed were not helping.  

 

and you know what? immigrants from se asia, africa and eastern europe typical outwork Gromnir.  is embarrassing to recognize how hard the immigrants work while we complain.  and guess what, the kids o' immigrants is unsurprising successful in the USA.  wanna exclude such folks from self-made 'cause their parents made requisite sacrifices?  so be it.

 

...

 

am knowing just how hard it is to overcome initial income disparity in the US.  the obstacles to become a self-made man is herculean.  is indeed twelve labors kinda herculean when looking at challenges facing youths who is poor and from a non-traditional family (regardless o' ethnic group) who wish to better themselves.  nemean lion is a "widdle putty tat" compared to the Certainty o' Failure.  have circumstances and well-meaning educated folks convincing you at every turn that improving your lot is impossible? am not the least bit shocked that most o' Gromnir's extended family failed to improve their situation and we believe such folks need and deserve help.  when we were making our self, we didn't want help.  foolish pride.  even so, am glad we made something o' our self. in the US, people make themselves and their children every day, and they do a better job than has Gromnir.  is no myth.

 

but again, once we reached our 40s, we has done a 180 regarding programs such as affirmative action.  self made ain't a myth, but is idiotic to expect that every young native american is gonna be as stubborn and angry... and smart, good looking and physically gifted as we were.  we prove that self-made ain't myth, but is foolish to expect every young native american to be like Gromnir... and such a reality would be a whole different kinda nightmare.  a few folks overcome a hurdle does indeed prove that the hurdle is surmountable.  the thing is, as hurl kin/da implied earlier, is a fail to build a modern society in which only a small handful o' people can overcome ordinary obstacles.  in the US we need millions o' engineers and scientists and doctors, not just a handful o' elite. 

 

speaking o' fails, if we gotta says "Gromnir" more than once in a post, we consider it a fail. apologies.

 

HA! Good Fun!

This is an interesting post. A couple  of questions 

 

• You didn't acknowledge your race  because of the bad perception about other Native Americans? That must have been weird, so what ethnic group did people think you were?
• AA makes perfect sense, dont feel guilty as you would have  worked hard irrespective of any advantage  AA could have given you
•  Immigrants from se asia, africa and eastern Europe worked harder than you? Gromnir that is plain wrong ....never let foreigners work harder than you 
• I have been watching Longmire, its set in Wyoming and there is a Native American reservation that he goes to....if you have seen this series would you say this is an accurate representation of life on the reservation?

[Gromnir]

affirmative action is unfair. am recognizing that there are long-term social benefits that accompany affirmative action, but am not gonna pretend that if Gromnir had, for example, gained admission to boalt 'cause some more qualified asian or caucasian applicant were denied a seat, that woulda' been manifest unfair.  the reason why we didn't avail our self of aa benefits is twofold: 

 

1) as we said, aa is unfair

 

2) if you are a minority, people tend to assume that you benefited from aa.

 

in the eyes o' our colleagues, our accomplishments has been diluted by aa 'cause folks reasonably believe that we benefited from aa. we know better, but we understand the knee-jerk.

 

*shrug*

 

never watched longmire. we recommend renting powwow highway if you is genuine interested in indian and reservation life. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098112/

 

the typical african immigrant works... really works.  we need nap time. we need game time.  we watch football on weekends and hit the gym multiple times a week.  we work hard, but we don't feel a need to work any harder than we do.  

 

“the art of life is the art of avoiding pain; and he is the best pilot, who steers clearest of the rocks and shoals with which it is beset.” -- thomas jefferson

 

am not actual a thomas jefferson fan, but am a big fan o' avoiding pain.

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

ps we continue to say native american instead of indian. oh well. old habits.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Gromnir

[BruceVC]

 

affirmative action is unfair. am recognizing that there are long-term social benefits that accompany affirmative action, but am not gonna pretend that if Gromnir had, for example, gained admission to boalt 'cause some more qualified asian or caucasian applicant were denied a seat, that woulda' been manifest unfair.  the reason why we didn't avail our self of aa benefits is twofold: 

 

1) as we said, aa is unfair

 

2) if you are a minority, people tend to assume that you benefited from aa.

 

in the eyes o' our colleagues, our accomplishments has been diluted by aa 'cause folks reasonably believe that we benefited from aa. we know better, but we understand the knee-jerk.

 

*shrug*

 

never watched longmire. we recommend renting powwow highway if you is genuine interested in indian and reservation life. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098112/

 

the typical african immigrant works... really works.  we need nap time. we need game time.  we watch football on weekends and hit the gym multiple times a week.  we work hard, but we don't feel a need to work any harder than we do.  

 

“the art of life is the art of avoiding pain; and he is the best pilot, who steers clearest of the rocks and shoals with which it is beset.” -- thomas jefferson

 

am not actual a thomas jefferson fan, but am a big fan o' avoiding pain.

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

ps we continue to say native american instead of indian. oh well. old habits.

 

You are the first person who comes from a minority background that did face degrees of systemic discrimination that thinks AA is unfair. Its very magnanimous but I  think AA is fair but it needs to be done in the right way. Also it doesnt mean white people wont get a job

 

For  me white people have plenty of advantages already, in South  Africa its black people who still live in poverty and 60 % earn less than $800/day. Yes there are valid reasons for this as Apartheid lasted for 50 years and trust me Gromnir no race in this world could go through 50 years of a system like Apartheid without some kind of psychological impact

 

So its normal for us to want black people to benefit from AA....but still there is high unemployment for black people  

[Leferd]

Have you googled Bay Area home prices?  While I'm sure bad financial planning and jonesian endeavors are an issue for many, it doesn't change the fact the Bay Area is not affordable.

 

Truth.

 

Do you all realize how inflated prices are here in the Bay? Cheapest NBA Playoff ticket prices for the First Round:

 

Golden State Warriors – $205

Toronto Raptors – $95

Houston Rockets – $88

Boston Celtics – $60

Portland Trail Blazers – $55

Oklahoma City Thunder – $51

San Antonio Spurs – $45

Cleveland Cavaliers – $40

Detroit Pistons – $39

Miami Heat – $39

Charlotte Hornets – $37

Dallas Mavericks – $35

Los Angeles Clippers – $35

Atlanta Hawks – $27

Memphis Grizzlies – $24

Indiana Pacers – $16 

 

I'm a Warriors season ticket holder and I can barely make a profit trying to sell off my seats. I mean, c'mon --can't even be a decent capitalist.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Leferd

[213374U]

You had me until the self-made man part.  I do believe it is possible to rise up from the bottom in our society, probably more so now than most of human history.  Hard work and dedication can get you far today.  But there is a point where you have to ask at what cost?

 

I have a buddy I grew up with that has managed to build a business and find a good deal of financial success.  He has a big house, fancy cars, etc.  I worked with him for a short while after college.  He worked tirelessly building his business.  I admire him, but I wouldn't change places.  He is also on his second marriage and had his first kid a decade after mine.  The point is, you can build yourself up, but not everyone should have to.  The country needs regular workers as well, and their salaries should be able to keep pace with the cost of living.

 

That's not exactly what I meant.

 

There are two things to look at here. First, hard work and dedication are indeed essential to get anywhere in life... unless you are born into a wealthy family. For the overwhelming majority of mankind, that's not what happens, so you gotta work. However, hard work and dedication are not a guarantee of anything. For some, it's not even a guarantee of a decent living. How many exactly is "some" depends on where you're looking, but globally it's billions. Any factors beyond hard work and dedication are outside of your control. For most people, hard work is a necessary condition, but not sufficient. The rest boils down to luck.

 

Now, while I don't doubt that you know of people who started at the bottom and have triumphed, that's exceedingly rare. Looking at economic mobility research, US-specific, the odds of striking rich aren't good:

 

"The "rags to riches" story is much more common in Hollywood than on Main Street. Only 6 percent of children born to parents with family income at the very bottom move to the very top."

 

http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2007/11/generations-isaacs

 

You can't just dismiss 94% of those born into the bottom-earning bracket as just lazy, no matter what the Donald might say. Now, it's patently ridiculous to think that everyone has a right to be rich, or that everyone would even want to be. But outside of selected anecdotal evidence, why do you believe that, even if you had put in at least the same amount of work as the people in your examples, you would have gotten anywhere near where they did?

 

Is it possible to succeed despite the odds? Yes. Does it take hard work and dedication? Sure, among other things. In this sense, one can consider themselves to be "self-made", even if that ignores the millenia of societal progress that have afforded "self-made" men the opportunities to succeed rather than just hunt for food or starve. For each of these "self-made" men, millions have just gotten by, and some not even that, despite putting in the work too. But then, "self-made" is just a self-aggrandizing way of saying "hard working".

 

That's the second thing to look at, as Newton put it: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants". Perhaps the most brilliant scientist in history understood that his accomplishments couldn't have occurred in a vacuum, and were built upon the centuries of work of those who came before him. "Self-made" men not wanting to pay taxes because they don't owe anything to the society that has enabled them is not just incredibly arrogant, it's laughable. Or it would be, were it not because it's such a widely accepted idea.

 

edit: can't into English

Edited May 17, 2016 by 213374U

[BruceVC]

 

You had me until the self-made man part.  I do believe it is possible to rise up from the bottom in our society, probably more so now than most of human history.  Hard work and dedication can get you far today.  But there is a point where you have to ask at what cost?

 

I have a buddy I grew up with that has managed to build a business and find a good deal of financial success.  He has a big house, fancy cars, etc.  I worked with him for a short while after college.  He worked tirelessly building his business.  I admire him, but I wouldn't change places.  He is also on his second marriage and had his first kid a decade after mine.  The point is, you can build yourself up, but not everyone should have to.  The country needs regular workers as well, and their salaries should be able to keep pace with the cost of living.

 

That's not exactly what I meant.

 

There is two things to look at here. First, hard work and dedication are indeed essential to get anywhere in life... unless you are born into a wealthy family. For the overwhelming majority of mankind, that's not what happens, so you gotta work. However, hard work and dedication are not a guarantee of anything. For some, it's not even a guarantee of a decent living. How many exactly is "some" depends on where you're looking, but globally it's billions. Any factors beyond hard work and dedication are outside of your control. For most people, hard work is a necessary condition, but not sufficient. The rest boils down to luck.

 

Now, while I don't doubt that you know of people who started at the bottom and have triumphed, that's exceedingly rare. Looking at economic mobility research, US-specific, the odds of striking rich aren't good:

 

"The "rags to riches" story is much more common in Hollywood than on Main Street. Only 6 percent of children born to parents with family income at the very bottom move to the very top."

 

http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2007/11/generations-isaacs

 

You can't just dismiss 94% of those born into the bottom-earning bracket as just lazy, no matter what the Donald might say. Now, it's patently ridiculous to think that everyone has a right to be rich, or that everyone would even want to be. But outside of selected anecdotal evidence, why do you believe that, even if you had put in at least the same amount of work as the people in your examples, you would have gotten anywhere near where they did?

 

Is it possible to succeed despite the odds? Yes. Does it take hard work and dedication? Sure, among other things. In this sense, one can consider themselves to be "self-made", even if that ignores the millenia of societal progress that has afforded "self-made" men the opportunities to succeed rather than just hunt for food or starve. For each of these "self-made" men, millions have just gotten by, and some not even that, despite putting in the work too. But then, "self-made" is just a self-aggrandizing way of saying "hard working".

 

The second thing to look at, Newton put it best, though the concept predates him: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants". Perhaps the most brilliant scientist in history understood that his accomplishments couldn't have occurred in a vacuum, and were built upon the centuries of work of those who came before him. "Self-made" men not wanting to pay taxes because they don't owe anything to the society that has enabled them is not just incredibly arrogant, it's laughable. Or it would be, were it not because it's such a widely accepted idea.

 

I reject the view that if you do come from a wealthy  family you dont have to work hard, thats a myopic generalization

 

 

I work in the financial sector with software but much of my family are traders, currency strategists or investment bankers and I promise you they all work 9-14 hours a day sometimes 

 

With security trading in SA my one cousin  gets to work at 6am and leaves at 6 pm .....every single day , 5 days a week

 

So lets not be silly and say  scurrilous things like  " if you come from a wealthy family you dont have to work hard " ....

[ManifestedISO]

https://cleanvehiclerebate.org/eng/information-fiscal-year-2015-16-income-limit-changes

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

Prop 30 should have been written to allow certain canine persons to be considered dependents.

 

Singles discrimination is the least-known injustice in government taxation. 

[IndiraLightfoot]

Hurlshot: I feel your housing cost pain. We've lived for two decades in an area where getting a detached house was nigh impossible for us, economically. After lots of saving, a few uses of career stepping stones (It's funny how getting a new job usually gets you a higher salary - well, for me, that was ages ago - I have my own business) and finding the right bank, we managed to get ourselves a decent rural-ish property while the kids just had left kindergarten. Each year, it seemed, the housing prices rose faster than we could save up.

 

I'd reject the concept of self-made as well. My childhood would be considered horrific, by most standards in privileged countries. Let's just say, as a pre-teen, all I did each day for almost a decade was surviving, since I was carted around by criminals in what nowadays is called trafficking. I had no books, and went to school sporadically, in different places, different countries.

 

I was saved by a very brave teacher and the police and social workers. Without them, I'd been dead, like at least two of the far too many kids I encountered under those vicious circumstances. I managed to stay away from drugs and alcohol, and when I finally did go to school. I was 14, I reckon, it turned out that I had a knack for it. At 16, I could continue to higher education, and another teacher there, did something for me that was life-changing. She thought I was deserving of scholarships, so for a couple of months, she helped me apply, and that got me the funds (on top of the money I got from my work I had as a mailman at off-hours when I was studying), so that I could begin at uni. There, I had a blast, being one of the youngest ever to get a PhD at that university.

In short, if it wasn't for all those kind people, in my case, teachers and social workers and a child psychologist, I would have been nada.

 

Also, remember, me being a fast learner and having a neat memory and so forth in school, there's nothing self-made about it. It's mostly genetics. Obviously, good teachers make one hell of a difference, but I had nothing of the sort and was like 10 years behind everyone else, and simply had no obstacles in any subject. Compare it to how musicality works. So, luckily, for me, it wasn't too late, but I needed help from others, and that brings me to the other side of the coin: 

Obviously, my bizarre background has taken a toll. I'm very anti-social in a way. I simply love being alone - working alone - playing PC games alone - (my presence on forums, such as these, are telling, no? ). The only people that make me happy in IRL are my wife, my kids and my new family on her side.

 

These are serious issues I bring up, but I can't help giggling in my head a bit, as I come think of this funny sketch, which I adore:

 

Hey, hey, hey! Let's be careful out there!

Edited May 17, 2016 by IndiraLightfoot

[BruceVC]

Hurlshot: I feel your housing cost pain. We've lived for two decades in an area where getting a detached house was nigh impossible for us, economically. After lots of saving, a few uses of career stepping stones (It's funny how getting a new job usually gets you a higher salary - well, for me, that was ages ago - I have my own business) and finding the right bank, we managed to get ourselves a decent rural-ish property while the kids just had left kindergarten. Each year, it seemed, the housing prices rose faster than we could save up.

 

I'd reject the concept of self-made as well. My childhood would be considered horrific, by most standards in privileged countries. Let's just say, as a pre-teen, all I did each day for almost a decade was surviving, since I was carted around by criminals in what nowadays is called trafficking. I had no books, and went to school sporadically, in different places, different countries.

 

I was saved by a very brave teacher and the police and social workers. Without them, I'd been dead, like at least two of the far too many kids I encountered under those vicious circumstances. I managed to stay away from drugs and alcohol, and when I finally did go to school. I was 14, I reckon, it turned out that I had a knack for it. At 16, I could continue to higher education, and another teacher there, did something for me that was life-changing. She thought I was deserving of scholarships, so for a couple of months, she helped me apply, and that got me the funds (on top of the money I got from my work I had as a mailman at off-hours when I was studying), so that I could begin at uni. There, I had a blast, being one of the youngest ever to get a PhD at that university.

In short, if it wasn't for all those kind people, in my case, teachers and social workers and a child psychologist, I would have been nada.

 

Also, remember, me being a fast learner and having a neat memory and so forth in school, there's nothing self-made about it. It's mostly genetics. Obviously, good teachers make one hell of a difference, but I had nothing of the sort and was like 10 years behind everyone else, and simply had no obstacles in any subject. Compare it to how musicality works. So, luckily, for me, it wasn't too late, but I needed help from others, and that brings me to the other side of the coin: 

Obviously, my bizarre background has taken a toll. I'm very anti-social in a way. I simply love being alone - working alone - playing PC games alone - (my presence on forums, such as these, are telling, no? ). The only people that make me happy in IRL are my wife, my kids and my new family on her side.

 

These are serious issues I bring up, but I can't help giggling in my head a bit, as I come think of this funny sketch, which I adore:

 

Hey, hey, hey! Let's be careful out there!

Hi Indira darling "waves " 

 

Where have you been? We have missed you ....lots of news to tell you, I'm doing really very well on these forums building sustainable relationships that matter ....only 10 or people ignore me 

 

If you want and have time I want you to read a long assessment Longknife wrote about me ...please excuse LK utter lack of brevity .....he is truly unable to make a point without subjecting  everyone to paragraphs of true grandiloquence ..but this post is worth reading because its horribly wrong 

[Oerwinde]

Re: Housing Prices

 

http://www.crackshackormansion.com/

[Meshugger]

Re: Housing Prices

 

http://www.crackshackormansion.com/

 

Fun for the whole day!