Senior pushes suicide jumper in south China

[katiuska]

Originally Posted by Smarty McBarrelpants

It's harder to tell where white people come from? I'm not even sure what you are getting at there when your next statement is that you can't even boil black people past Africa which is far larger than say Europe.

...I have a whole spiel on this, but it's straying too far off topic. Actually, this is probably what that thing I was going to do is for, so I'm taking it there.

Anyway, ageism.

Originally Posted by Rejected Again

Bit you don't live in Iowa do you? Once you come here you suddenly realize those cliches are true. I live in a small community here are I swear that they all act in one of those 3 manners.

How small are we talking? I'll grant that the bigger cities are a bit different, but my only "get off my lawn" incident involved a guy probably in his mid-thirties. There was a park, and I was sidling around the fence looking for the entrance. He happened to live to one side of said fence and did not like me going through the edge of his property. This was in Ames.

We've addressed the issue of ageism in class a bit. It can go either way, but U.S. culture prizes youth. Senior citizens have a disturbingly high rate of depression, because hey, being old here sucks. Offhand I'd say that old folks are entitled to a certain amount of respect, to the extent that age implies a decades-long record of adding to the community. The classes were instructive, though. When asked, all of us admitted we'd want a counselor no older than middle age, because anyone older would be too "out of touch" with our needs. "There aren't universal truths about some things?" the professor asked. "Like love?"

My instinct is to say yes and no. The fundamental experiences are probably the same, but context can change. I've noticed this even with my parents, who are not elderly but left the dating scene some 30 years ago. It applies doubly to my dad as a man who grew up in a more traditional and patriarchal country. I find his opinions vis-a-vis men and women quaint. For example, a few years ago he said that staying over at a male friend's house was disrespectful to my then-boyfriend... whereas I saw it as not in any way different from staying with a female friend--the fact that said friend was a previous boyfriend notwithstanding (Dad didn't know this part, he would have disapproved even more). (We dated briefly at the beginning but both agreed that it didn't work, and we've stayed as friends for years now, so he's fundamentally a friend to me. So yes, cross-sex friendships can exist and be just like same-sex friendship, though it can be harder. In that case it helped that there were no regrets on either side.)

When my then-boyfriend and I had to do the long-distance thing for a while (well, sort of long-distance, we were 2 hours apart) both my parents were concerned, because were coming from an expectation that the boy travels to the girl. In that context, making her travel means something bad. In our context, I drove there, because I had a car, he didn't, and it was that simple. In turn, he paid for most meals.

...Holy shit I write too much. What I'm saying is that they don't quite get that we do things differently then they did. But if I were to ask them a question like, "What characterizes a loving relationship?" I'd have a good chance of getting an answer that could apply to me as well as them. So basically, I feel conditionally justified in preferring a younger person's opinion... but maybe there's covert ageism that I can't see as well because I can't step outside myself?

[Azisien]

Originally Posted by Smarty McBarrelpants

Back on topic:
There is some meaning to the "Old people are crazy" stereotype as older people are far more susceptible to mental deteriration and change. But it's not all that much more accurate than "asian people are smart" or "Irish people like to get drunk and fight".

But all my asian friends are smart and all my Irish friends like to get drunk and fight...

Ahhhhh!

[Osterbaum]

Originally Posted by POS

See, that doesn't work though because we had the good sense to put "America" in the name of the country before anyone else did and had it notarized and such. We're officially Americans and everyone else can suck it.

You are officially United Statetians of America, so suck it.

[bluestarultor]

Originally Posted by Smarty McBarrelpants

It's harder to tell where white people come from? I'm not even sure what you are getting at there when your next statement is that you can't even boil black people past Africa which is far larger than say Europe.

And you can boil black people past "Africa". Skin colour is usually a dead giveaway as to which part of Africa they are from as is voice.
Same with how "Asians" aren't just from Asia and can generlaly be narrowed down.

Only my point was that America is full of mutts. I'm personally German, Irish, Scottish, English, French, Austrian and Polish, with rumors of a little Jewish thrown in there. People are NOT going to look at me and recognize me as "German-Irish-Scottish-English-French-Austrian-Polish-with-rumors-of-a-little-Jewish-thrown-in-there American." If you have people who are African American who don't have a ton of European blood in their family tree, then yeah, maybe you can boil it down a little further, but with education of all the tribes sorely lacking in the general populace, it's just not common to have people rattling off specific African regions.

Asians are easier to guess at because you've got a few well-known regions to work with whose people have certain distinguishing features, but even then, you look like a total ass if you guess wrong.

Originally Posted by SMB

Unlikely! Big business has been holding back such energy developments for the last 40 years. They are unlikely to stop now.

Which is why it needs to happen outside America. :P

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Originally Posted by bluestarultor

Only my point was that America is full of mutts. I'm personally German, Irish, Scottish, English, French, Austrian and Polish, with rumors of a little Jewish thrown in there. People are NOT going to look at me and recognize me as "German-Irish-Scottish-English-French-Austrian-Polish-with-rumors-of-a-little-Jewish-thrown-in-there American." If you have people who are African American who don't have a ton of European blood in their family tree, then yeah, maybe you can boil it down a little further, but with education of all the tribes sorely lacking in the general populace, it's just not common to have people rattling off specific African regions.

Asians are easier to guess at because you've got a few well-known regions to work with whose people have certain distinguishing features, but even then, you look like a total ass if you guess wrong.

I think it's really just a cultural symptom in that we distinguish, say, different european countries, say this man is Irish and this man is British, which are virtually identical while homogenising whole continents such as Africa when they have huge differences in them.
I mean if you are going to call them African-Americans then all white Americans should be European-Americans with no real difference between them.
Like all those countries you liste din your blood are all very very similar to each other.

Which is why it needs to happen outside America. :P

The problem is that America still controls the world's manufacturing and economy so wherever you develop a new product it'll get shut down.
It's the same reason that we drive vastly inefficient cars that are basically the same design as they were in the 30s. People have designed vastly superior cars but they got shut down by the car industry who didn't feel like redesigning their entire business and production lines.

[bluestarultor]

Originally Posted by Smarty McBarrelpants

The problem is that America still controls the world's manufacturing and economy so wherever you develop a new product it'll get shut down.
It's the same reason that we drive vastly inefficient cars that are basically the same design as they were in the 30s. People have designed vastly superior cars but they got shut down by the car industry who didn't feel like redesigning their entire business and production lines.

Counterpoint: China doesn't import our cars because we don't meet their emissions standards. China also is the manufacturing capitol of the world. Very little is actually made in America.

Just because America is stuck in the 50s technologically does not mean the same for the world. While we began many technologies, the rest of the world has largely been the ones to advance them.

[Aerozord]

Probably alot of it is because these old people grew up when being old in and of itself granted you authority and respect. My grandpa for example believes he is older, therefor more knowledgable, therefor correct and you should always listen to your elders based on that reason.

Atleast thats what he says. Its also possible he only says that because he is older and its just him rationalizing a superiority complex, and if he wasn't the oldest he'd just make up some other reason to justify why you should listen to him

[Jagos]

Originally Posted by Smarty McBarrelpants

I think it's really just a cultural symptom in that we distinguish, say, different european countries, say this man is Irish and this man is British, which are virtually identical while homogenising whole continents such as Africa when they have huge differences in them.
I mean if you are going to call them African-Americans then all white Americans should be European-Americans with no real difference between them.
Like all those countries you liste din your blood are all very very similar to each other.

As the only African American here, I must say that it's rather perplexing that this argument of race continues to proceed posthaste. Forthwith, we are all Americans until further advancements and merits dignify a fair change that allows us to see and agree on a difference other than skin.

Seriously, it's rather hard to find the difference unless you're looking for it. If you talk to someone from Ethiopia, they can tell you just by a name which clan you're a part of. Ask a guy with dark skin about the different people in Chicago. Personally, a stereotype only goes so far before it's broken 20 ways from Sunday. Then you have to acknowledge that someone can be different from what's portrayed. No amount of grouping will change the fact that even within the similarities, someone's going to break the mold.

The problem is that America still controls the world's manufacturing and economy so wherever you develop a new product it'll get shut down.
It's the same reason that we drive vastly inefficient cars that are basically the same design as they were in the 30s. People have designed vastly superior cars but they got shut down by the car industry who didn't feel like redesigning their entire business and production lines.

Well, GM and Chrysler are hurting from those decisions. More than likely we'll see them make different choices based on the market or go the way of the dodo.

Regarding the suicide jumper?
Aerozord said it best:

Far as he was concerned this was a man just trying to get attention, and if not, well he wanted to jump anyways. Plus think about what this man had seen in his 65 years of life. He probably looks at his complaints and just thinks "What? Thats it?"

All that attention for his 15 minutes of fame? Didn't go as he planned, he's not dead, and he can think up a way to pay that money back.

[bluestarultor]

Originally Posted by Jagos

All that attention for his 15 minutes of fame? Didn't go as he planned, he's not dead, and he can think up a way to pay that money back.

Or, y'know, be executed. This is China we're talking about. Is suicide punishable by death over there? :P

Seriously, though, I see the guy at least seeing the inside of a cell for holding up traffic. China is pretty strict.

[Premmy]

Originally Posted by Jagos

As the only African American here,

Oh shit, Lost my title! GET THE GLOVES! somebody call H4x Mage! three-way cage match! There can only be one!!!!!

ANNNNYWAY, as a reasonable, forward thinking young man who posesses the knowledge of the unfathomable complexity of the conditions of an individual's motives for suicide, I feel apalled at this elderly gentleman's actions. As a hyperactive idiot, I feel in awe of this old dude's bad-assery "Fuck it, I'll kill 'em!"