What Really Grinds My Gears

[Youk Of The Nation]

The internet has brought a whole bunch of annoying new crap into our lives, period.

To be fair, no one is forced to watch these people. If I could make tons of money from people watching me do boring or dumb shit on YouTube, I'd absolutely do it. We may find no point to it but millions of subscribers do. I say more power to these Internet celebrities. They're harnessing the money-making opportunities of an evolving technology, like people have done for centuries. I'm sure there were people in the 40's and 50's complaining the same way about television as we do about idiots on the internet.

I read about one of those people who has a page where people watch his commentary as he plays video games. In ad revenue alone he makes more in a year than I have in any five years of my life combined. If I could make that kind of cash just posting videos of myself talking about sci-fi shit I'd do it in a heartbeat.

[Northern Star]

I read about one of those people who has a page where people watch his commentary as he plays video games. In ad revenue alone he makes more in a year than I have in any five years of my life combined. If I could make that kind of cash just posting videos of myself talking about sci-fi shit I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Cr1Ti1kaL, or whatever his name is? His videos are hilarious.

But I wasn't referring to commentary/criticism videos in my post. I was referring to videos like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ4qEMuvoqc

[Sox75]

It is certainly interesting that proponents of "free speech," as Twitter, Facebook, etc. would have us believe they are, have such a lopsided standard for judging who deserves to be silenced.
Offensive, inciting, insulting, ad hominem, threatening, violent, race-baiting, etc. speech is routinely tolerated from one side, while the same is (& should be) shut down from the other side.
I have no problem with such speech being censored, but it would be nice to see a level playing field in the world of on line debate.

Then again, they own the companies, & have the right to control speech as they see fit within their business. An argument could certainly be made that these are publicly traded monopolies and should be regulated. PERHAPS like Ma Bell, even be broken up to create real competition in the market?

[Sox75]

Another thing that grinds my gears & chaps my arss, is this debate over "a border wall," and the shutdown of Government services.
I don't want to debate "the Wall" per se. We already have a border wall, so that debate seems silly to me. Sure, it's extremely ugly, & far too porous, but a border wall is an existential fact.
Should it be re-built? I really don't know? It certainly is ugly? & largely ineffective as is.

Anyway, what grinds my gears is the fact that most people don't seem to understand that the problem is not really "the wall." THE PROBLEM is our our Asylum Laws, & Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Without addressing those two things, a New Wall is irrelevant. You could build the biggest, brightest, nicest, & most effective wall imaginable, & it wouldn't matter. Build it 100 yards from the Rio Grand! Guess what? You make it to that wall, & you are on U.S. soil, and have the legal right to an Asylum Hearing.

Anyway, both sides drive me crazy. On the one hand, WE ALREADY HAVE A WALL, so that debate seems silly. I don't hear people saying, "tear down that wall!" On the other hand, the existing wall is a truly ugly eye-sore.
Both sides can't grow the hell up & address the real issues.

Please don't get me wrong either! I love the Mexican people. I would vacation there more if I didn't need to help 3 kids through college, & revitalize my home. I've also personally helped 2 families stay in the U.S. when dads were deported.

Anyway, it's just the juvenile & uninformed debate that grinds my gears. From both sides.

[Northern Star]

This will end well!

[Sox75]

LOL :0
Good point!
Fahgettaboutit.
I'll let that one go....
Come to think about it, I'm over it.

[Northern Star]

btw, if you're gonna build a wall, it might be an idea to build one that can't be sawed through. Just sayin'....

[Sox75]

btw, if you're gonna build a wall, it might be an idea to build one that can't be sawed through. Just sayin'....

LOL :0 I "saw" that too!

[Bellhorn04]

btw, if you're gonna build a wall, it might be an idea to build one that can't be sawed through. Just sayin'....

OK, now I have to ask: precisely what sort of material is Trump proposing that the wall be made of?

[notin]

btw, if you're gonna build a wall, it might be an idea to build one that can't be sawed through. Just sayin'....

How about one that can be taken down by a zombie dragon?

[cp176]

How about our completely dysfunctional government on both side of the aisle. Political posturing at its ugliest. As the government continues to be in shut down mode, citizenry suffers.

[Northern Star]

OK, now I have to ask: precisely what sort of material is Trump proposing that the wall be made of?

I just saw an article saying the steel one can be cut through.

[Northern Star]

How about our completely dysfunctional government on both side of the aisle. Political posturing at its ugliest. As the government continues to be in shut down mode, citizenry suffers.

How about any of us in our line of work having the office or factory shut down and no one paid because of a dispute in management?

[a700hitter]

House fires that burn down the whole place. Last Thursday at 1:30 am, I got a call from my wife who was staying for a couple of days at my son's house in Newton. She told me that the whole house had burned down and that my son had lost everything. All 4 apartments in the old (1896) house were completely destroyed and the structure has been condemned. You know that it is a big fire when it makes the local newscast. We are all staying at my daughter's and putting his life back together.

[moonslav59]

That's horrible!

I'm sure your son greatly appreciates you being there with him.

Best of luck.