I know the answer you want to hear, but I see both as at fault. I also happen to know your stance on gun control, but I can't give away all of my tricks.
However, I do see both at fault as well. We actually agree. PRetty much.
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College Conspiracy
- Thread starter MIJ-VI
- Start date
However, I do see both at fault as well. We actually agree. PRetty much.
I didn't say it was because of posting about gun control itself. I am not a psychic and don't posess ESP, although I used to own one of their guitars once.
I didn't say it was because of posting about gun control itself. I am not a psychic and don't posess ESP, although I used to own one of their guitars once.
Ah, so you are ASSuming!! Actually, you cannot safely assume my ideas and beliefs. They don't go into neat little black and white areas like most of the cable news watching drones in America.
I can't assume or shouldn't assume? There's a difference.
Don't take offense, I'm a very mechanical and methodical person that breaks stuff down. I don't even have much of a psychology background, but I tend to figure people out fairly accurately. That's not to say my opinions or observations matter.
my god, does anyone actually believe this rubbish??
it makes Zeitgeist look like a non-biased, well-thought-out piece of documentary making.
it makes Zeitgeist look like a non-biased, well-thought-out piece of documentary making.
I beg to differ. The only difference between what you could achieve then and today is that the retirement will be different. What is a pension for him will need to be investments for you. Otherwise, the same opportunity - or more - is there. Facts do not support your argument. Yes, unemployment is high - but your goal is get out of that status, and get into a position which rewards you.
Is your argument "The economy is different now, it's harder to be successful" ?
It sounds simple and I'm sure there are more dimensions to it, but considering the measure of success is relative to a societal standard of living, aren't there equal chances of being successful, however different the paths leading there may be?
Have you learned nothing from the housing bubble?
Of course no one forced (or is forcing) kids to take out bigger loans than they can afford, but that doesn't stop institutions (be it in academia or our own government) from telling students that if they go to college they will get a job out of school that will pay them enough to cover all their debts, buy a huge suburban home, drive nice cars, have a family, etc...
It taught me nothing I didn't already know. Perhaps my lack of sympathy is offensive and maybe I should try to be more sympathetic, but greed built the system to collapse upon itself. While unfortunate, it was only a matter of time. Taking loans for beyond what you can repay combined lending to those who can't pay back was a fatal move. Both parties thought it was a win-win and it obviously became a lose-lose on a massive scale that affects most of us in some way or another.
I suspect you would also like to single out the blame. I just don't see a point in that. It was like watching an episode of Jackass. Way to go, the system screwed up so badly that winning the prize of biggest screw-up was a competition and fairly depressing.
To your 2nd points, the American way of spending and saving is obviously not something I live by. Yes, it's easy to blame the teachers for creating false hope and feeding a sense of entitlement, but it's not their fault that delicate snowflakes expect it all without working for it. Even with student loans, how many students will get a credit card and max it out their 1st semester? Meanwhile my parents wouldn't let me get one, not that I had much of a desire after seeing so many classmates make the same mistakes. Hell, people did that before my day and after my day. I don't think it was that hard to learn from.
There's some contextual info re the above which I can't post here.
If anyone is interested, PM me for a link.
Bolded for emphasis.
Your previous post made it seem like you were putting all the blame on the students for taking out these loans when, in fact, it's a bit of everyone's fault - our society for giving our teens and young adults unrealistic ideas of what life immediately after college is like, our banks and government for giving out loans that they know kids won't be able to pay off without serious financial help, our parents and teachers for not educating our kids in regards to debt and loans (I never was taught this stuff and I went to one of the best high schools in TN), and our kids for being ignorant and overly trusting of those in authority positions (bankers, lenders, teachers, etc...).
Also, you realizing this problem (IMO) puts you in the minority. We aren't going through this housing crisis because one or two people defaulted on their loans and made poor choices. We're going through it because tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people began defaulting.
he's the ultimate lurker-enabler. He's given me HOURS of reading with the debates he starts, and he doesn't even have to try. How awesome is that?
Or the professors don't wind up using the books at all. My g/f is going for her Masters and MBA in accounting (staring at a 100k bill when she finishes, talking about tuition) and she said most of hers never teach out of the books, or when they do, they dispute what is in them.
That's one thing I like about the doctoral level: If there are required texts, you can be assured that you're going to read them and that they are important, even if only for comps.
The downside, however, is that most classes require multiple texts. Whereas for my undergrad and Master's programs, I usually only had one required text per course, it's not uncommon now for me to have three, four, or even six required texts per course at the Ph.D level. Luckily, most of the books come in paperback and the profs encourage us to get older editions.
I thought I did, but sometimes my thoughts get a little disorganized.
I wish my thoughts and opinions weren't considered so radical. It doesn't help that I show little sympathy ad seem to be proud that I'm a jerk.
In a non-political way, my family are financial conservatives. This doesn't mean cheap, but a heck of a lot more patience and planning. I could spend days talking about the stuff they taught me, which seemed strict as hell as a kid, but basically minimizes debt. You take out loans for college, house, and 1st car only. When you're done paying off the car, that doesn't mean to get a new car!!!
Personal views aside, I sincerely hope we learned from all of this, but I doubt it. Hell, despite the economic crunch, the population still doesn't spend responsibility and it doesn't help that politicians spend money like rock stars.
Being able to have a car to run, that's a luxury many of us can't afford . . .
Massive +1
People seem to think a degree makes them. There is so much else that is required. Something many people seem to forget is that, with graduate level jobs, everyone already has one!
Here's where I think it went wrong: The cost of life for workers entering the job market and getting their first annual-pay job climbed to their presumed credit capability, instead of their actual revenue. Maybe it cascaded in college tuition too?
BUT! That "cost of life" is comprised of many things that are thought to be essential for no particular reason. So there's a point to discuss here too.
I'm Canadian, so my view is a bit distant and maybe lacks context.
