Political Chaos and ERE

Intended for constructive conversations. Exhibits of polarizing tribalism will be deleted.
Mikeallison
Posts: 162
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2018 12:26 am

Re: Political Chaos and ERE

Post by Mikeallison »

@campitor

I definitely agree that the mainstream news, and certain youtubers are part of the problem, but they have always been that way. I know this is anecdotal, but I'm seeing it in my neighbors and friends too. People that used to be much more moderate are now full of venom for people on the other side. Maybe it is different where you are? I'm almost to Canada, so I will check out that gardening book.

@vexed87

Everything you said about tribalism is true, but only in so far as it deals with fellow tribe members. People range from indifferent to horrifically cruel to those outside the in group. My concern is I see the negative traits of tribalism manifesting themselves, not the good altruistic stuff (and even altruism can look pretty cruel when it isn't applied universally). I will definitely look into those books, even though I'm trying to cultivate some optimism here haha.

@7wannabe5

Thanks for the comical image of two people cooperating to fix the cable so they can get back to feeding their confirmation bias and hating each other lol. I really do hope it is as superficial as that! and people spare their neighbors, at least, If things get tough.

@Jacob

Let's hope being different in regards to being FI and following a different path from the norm, doesn't place us in one of those marginalized groups eh?

RealPerson
Posts: 875
Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2012 4:33 pm

Re: Political Chaos and ERE

Post by RealPerson »

Mikeallison wrote:
Wed Mar 21, 2018 3:49 pm
Let's hope being different in regards to being FI and following a different path from the norm, doesn't place us in one of those marginalized groups eh?
Actually, I think it does. Just me retiring early triggered a lot of jealousy in some people I know. I don't brag about my finances but people aren't stupid. They know I retired because I can afford to. That alone is enough for people to be jealous. But those that ask me how I did it are not interested after I tell them how I did it. Some of these people may come after me with pitchforks if society collapses.

As for politics being especially vitriolic now, I don't think that is true. When you read the accounts of political discourse in previous centuries, it was brutal! A duel, anyone? Gentlemen, clean your pistols! More recently, I remember people telling me that the election of Bill Clinton would bring about the end of America.

The 24 h nonstop news cycle shoves partisan politics in your face. In the past, you could read about it once a day in the newspaper. That alone creates a very different perception of reality.

Campitor
Posts: 1227
Joined: Thu Aug 20, 2015 11:49 am

Re: Political Chaos and ERE

Post by Campitor »

RealPerson wrote:
Wed Mar 21, 2018 10:20 pm
As for politics being especially vitriolic now, I don't think that is true. When you read the accounts of political discourse in previous centuries, it was brutal!
You're 100% right.

Caning of Charles Sumner

The Caning of Charles Sumner, or the Brooks–Sumner Affair, occurred on May 22, 1856, in the United States Senate when Representative Preston Brooks (D-SC) attacked Senator Charles Sumner (R-MA), an abolitionist, with a walking cane in retaliation for a speech given by Sumner two days earlier in which he fiercely criticized slaveholders including a relative of Brooks. The beating nearly killed Sumner and it drew a sharply polarized response from the American public on the subject of the expansion of slavery in the United States. It has been considered symbolic of the "breakdown of reasoned discourse" that eventually led to the American Civil War.

IlliniDave
Posts: 3845
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2014 7:46 pm

Re: Political Chaos and ERE

Post by IlliniDave »

My whole life I've encountered people passionately convinced we're on the brink of collapse and chaos. The words are myriad but when they echo off the far side of the canyon they sound the same: "Wolf...wolf...wolf..." I think the best thing to do if you happen to get swept up in the effort to duck the falling sky is to work on your personal resilience and grit. Comforting intellectual ideas/strategies probably aren't going to hold up if life becomes an ongoing melee. For my part I'm going to put most of my effort into the outcome that I believe has the highest odds: that in the big picture sense things will remain largely unchanged for the rest of my life. I do have a few hedges if that is a bad guess such as a hideout in a remote area (near Canada, coincidentally), some skills that might keep me fed for a time and let me put up a token effort at self-defense, but being realistic, no matter what I do I probably won't last long once Armageddon commences.

Mikeallison
Posts: 162
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2018 12:26 am

Re: Political Chaos and ERE

Post by Mikeallison »

@realperson

"Actually, I think it does. Just me retiring early triggered a lot of jealousy in some people I know."

Ya I've encountered the same issue, people don't get it, so I just say I'm in school or some other BS and that seems to work for random encounters. Family and friends are more understanding, but they still think I'm weird.

@campitor

Uh, I kinda get were you are going, but I'm not very reassured by your example, if our politics look like those that led to the civil war, that's not really a place I want to be. At least no one is dueling yet I guess?

@dave

I agree you would be hard pressed to survive something like that. I've come to the conclusion that all you can do is prepare a little and hope for the best too, but it is still scary and fascinating watching this unfold.
Last edited by Mikeallison on Fri Mar 23, 2018 8:03 pm, edited 6 times in total.

RealPerson
Posts: 875
Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2012 4:33 pm

Re: Political Chaos and ERE

Post by RealPerson »

IlliniDave wrote:
Thu Mar 22, 2018 7:25 am
no matter what I do I probably won't last long once Armageddon commences.
That's true for me as well. But just like the Roman empire was well entrenched and took centuries to unravel, we may see the same here. A gradual decline over many decades seems more likely than a sudden collapse. My plan is to run out the clock. Western civilization, I suspect, will last longer than the decades I have left. And no need to buy 500 lbs of rice and beans, or buy a bazooka. ;)

IlliniDave
Posts: 3845
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2014 7:46 pm

Re: Political Chaos and ERE

Post by IlliniDave »

A bazooka could be quite a hoot though!

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