Will, your current video "Quick Morning Rant: Chinese VS American Solar Products"

[houseofancients]

It’s not strange at all when you consider that the Scandinavia countries.. Denmark, Finland, Norway Et Al.. each are about equal in size to a single State in the US with a very homogeneous population with shared values and history. Being small and of like mind a socialist/capitalist hybrid can work.. it’s all in the family so to speak.
One size does not fit all, which is why our founders in the US formed a federalist system of semi-autonomous states. Some of these States are more socialist than capitalist, others are more capitalist than socialist. Compare Texas to California for example. I’ll leave it to the reader to decide which has a brighter future.

that is an easy shot, as i was talking about europe as a whole, they have just about the same system throughout europe, and sorry to burst your bubble, but they are just about a 100 million more folks living in the eu compared to the usa :

China vs. E.U. vs U.S. vs. Japan: Population and GDP Comparison - Worldometer

We compare population and GDP figures for the four top economic regions in the world: China, the European Union, the United States of America, and Japan

www.worldometers.info

again, i'm not living a communist dream, and no where things are perfect or without issue, but please go get your information from other sources than what you hear on tv.

also, born and raised in the us, so please do not lecure me on the founding, founding fathers or constitution

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Your confusing capitalism and free market. Understandable mistake considering all media is corporate owned. Capitalists are fine with monopolies, slavery and forbidding free trade.

Free market IS capitalism. That it is defined differently or separately is merely a product of figureheads in academia trying to create their own legacy.

I totally don’t understand the “understandable mistake” comment about the media being corporate owned. I don’t listen to “the media.” Haven’t basically all my life, and my economic views are based on what I self educated myself at the public library.

My view of American history and the constitution, capitalism, and the purpose of government as intended by our forefathers was created between 11 years old and maybe 20 or 21 by reading Webster, John Locke, Adams, Jefferson, Adam Smith at the public library. I did have a cultural bias against Marxism and socialism until I realized I didn’t have the facts. So I read some of Marx, his protégés, and certain 20th century academics.

The nirvanic ostrich-head-in-the-sand intellectual leaps turned me off. And while reformulated to a degree this led me to conclude socialism is comfortable poverty with an elite - and highly likely to be corrupt- ruling class. I also decided Marx was brilliant , however errored I believed his conclusions. (He was trying to prove a theory he had- but his beliefs were so strong in the theory that he produced speculative conclusions when he couldn’t posit surety imho)

Maybe I’m weird but it sortof hurts me when people express an opinion that my mind’s output is a media product and not a self-controlled contemplative tool for exploring and discovering truth.

I believe Will’s dichotomous assessment of the subject of American decline is accurate- not specific to individuals but homogeneously applicable to our culture. The observation would be equally pertinent if America were some other system than capitalist, imho. It’s a deep cultural trend created over time, not a result of this or that political arrangement or economic system. Simplistically a rewrite of an old saw maybe appropriate: “produce locally, function globally.” It won’t fix everything but it would begin fix some of our national, internal crises.

 

[Steve_S]

I've just caught up on this thread and make One Observation about something everyone missed, probably because it is so obvious.

"The Instant Rice Society"
Origins of this is murky as it came about through a culmination of various factors.
People want "Instant Gratification", they want it now, they do not want to be patient.
They will eat "Instant Rice" because it takes 5 minutes to cook, versus proper rice which is healthier & better for you because it takes 20 minutes to cook. Waiting 15 Minutes is "just too much". Too much "Effort". Look at the proliferation of "Instant Meals in 5 Minutes or less" in your supermarket... Many have even forgotten how to cook these meals, even worse, many never even learned to cook anything beyond tossing it in a Nuke.

But this goes beyond "meals & rice" it also carries the whole Disposable Mindset with it. If it's broke, toss it & replace it. If it's difficult or hard to deal with "chuck it" and get something easier to use. This even hit's Human Relationships, where people hit a Rough Patch and work through it "together" they toss in the towel and split up. Life IS a Bowl of Cherries & it DOES have Pits but many can't deal with the pits, they will even accuse / attack their partners and blame / finger point rather than buckle down and deal with issues and resolve them.

This also supports NIMBYism as well... Everyone wants everything BUT not if it is their backyard ! Heaven's to Mergatroids NO ! Everyone wants Electricity but noone wants Power Generation (regardless of what type) in their "field of view"... Even Wind Turbines (look at all the nonsense spewed over that alone - take it offshore, or outright banning etc) Juts one simple example of many...

The worst part of the "Instant Rice Society". Their Need to have it right away because they are unable to be patient in the Hyper-Accelerated world, so they'll buy on Credit, get the "thing" and then resent having to pay for it over months and are angry (subconsciously) for having to pay for it... They end up not appreciate having the "thing" so they don't really care for it... So they buy more to compensate for their own ill-feelings while getting deeper into a hole they resent. Full-Circle and this goes beyond the average Jane & John Doe.

When you have to work everyday and save a portion of your paycheck for months & months to buy Item X, when you get item X you appreciate it because you worked for it, you will care for it & maintain it because you worked hard for it.

The Hyper-Speed world problem: No one has "downtime" constantly pummeled by emails, txt msgs, news flashes & bombardment from Social Media and ALL THE DISTRACTIONS do not provide the needed time for deep thought, consideration, reflection, it is jump from one to the next distraction... The NEWS is 90% CHAFF a waste/distraction...
Does it apply to YOU and YOURS directly, does it impact you ?
-- Or are you caught up with nonesense 1/2 around the world that has nothing to do with you ?
-- Is this CHAFF making you angry over things that you cannot affect which has no effect on you or yours ? WHY ??
-- Does this extra CHAFF focus your attention on something(s) which really have no other effect than to upset you ? why is it important ?

Grant me the Serenity to Accept the things I cannot change, Courage to Change the things I can and may I be Granted the Wisdom to know the difference.

Like my Signature says, Do what is RIGHT not what is EASY !

 

[Here for the boos]

What a disappointment of a video. I turned it off a couple minutes in because it was so low on critical thinking. This was akin to telling a depressed person "hey, have you tried just not being sad?". That's brilliant!!! Why didn't they just think to not be sad?!?!!?

This video was the definition of privilege. "I was able to do something therefore anyone can do it". Bezos, Zuckerberg, Musk, Gates, etc were all garage-starter billionaires so anyone can do it!..............Of course their families were all well-todo who they could fall back on if they failed, or maybe get a $300k loan like bezos. I don't know about Will's specific life growing up, I'm sure it wasn't perfect, but without acknowledging what people are going through noone should judge anyone trying to get by. Want people to be skinnier? Teach health in school (not all do). Provide lunches for kids. Give people a social safety net to fall back on. Expand the ACA and universal healthcare so people aren't tied to shitty jobs just so they can hopefully not go broke if they get sick. If parents are working 3 jobs just to afford rent, when do they get time to cook healthy meals? When do they get time to be a good example for their kids? When do they get time to help their kid with homework?

Guess what crime rates in ghettos, alcoholism in reservations, and opioid addiction in ohio (and tons of other places) all have in common? It's obviously not skin color. I'll just tell you. Poverty.

You want a better country? Start supporting your fellow Americans and stop with the "Fuck you! I got mine!" mentality. Stop voting for sociopaths who are just making the rich richer. Start pushing education more, and the taxes that go with it. Invest in future generations and you'll get those engineers you want. The next Tesla/Einstein/Feynman/etc. probably just got killed in a drive-by shooting.

You know what I'm tired of? Subsidizing big corporations employees. Pay people a living wage. If someone works 40 hours a week they should be able to afford food, clothing, and shelter. Minimum wage was historically made to be a living wage. I don't care if you don't think flipping burgers "deserves" $15 an hour. That's still not even really what it costs to live in this country now. If you think "but I have a trade skill and I barely make $15 an hour?!" Well you should probably get a raise too, or go flip burgers and when your former employer realizes they have no one left because everyone went to flip burgers they'll raise your pay. We're all in this together. The only "us against them" there should be is us against the 1%. I don't shop at Walmart, or eat from McDonalds, and yet I'm paying for their employees so they can make 300 million profit in a year instead of 270 million. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/19/wal...of-medicaid-and-food-stamp-beneficiaries.html

But they'll just raise prices on us?!!? Guess what....they're already raising prices on us, but our wages aren't keeping up with it. How much did lumber go up this past year? Do you think it was because all those people were just getting huge raises?

Anyway, rant over. I'll leave you with this video I think everyone should watch. https://www.ted.com/talks/nick_hana..._capitalism_and_a_new_way_forward?language=en

 

[Hendo7]

i personally did not like the video we don't need to be reminded of the obvious , it's not only here in the US that things are getting bad because of government hand outs its in the UK also enough said i come to this forum to get away from real life .
not to be reminded of how people are nowadays ,
" the more people i meet the more i like my dog and i don't even own a dog "

 

[time2roll]

Brown rice

"The Instant Rice Society"
Origins of this is murky as it came about through a culmination of various factors.
People want "Instant Gratification", they want it now, they do not want to be patient.
They will eat "Instant Rice" because it takes 5 minutes to cook, versus proper rice which is healthier & better for you because it takes 20 minutes to cook. Waiting 15 Minutes is "just too much". Too much "Effort". Look at the proliferation of "Instant Meals in 5 Minutes or less" in your supermarket... Many have even forgotten how to cook these meals, even worse, many never even learned to cook anything beyond tossing it in a Nuke.

Been eating brown rice lately. Takes 45 minutes instead of the 20 for the white rice.

 

[Hedges]

We all pay the price for an obese populace. It increase healthcare costs, for example.

From what I've heard and read (can't confirm 100% because it's not my field, but inclined to believe), obesity and other health issues are contributed to as well by things other than laziness and eating too much.

The diet of refined white flour, sugar, etc. are poor for our health. There was an attempt to promote a different food pyramid, but it ran counter to goals of food industry. Proper diet provides nutrients and slow release of sugar into bloodstream from starches. Bad diet releases a slug of sugar which body has to deal with, throw insulin at, pack away in cells. Then you're hungry again. It is a twofer, because the pharmaceutical industry wins too.

Also, we are not a single species (or hybrid of a couple.) Rather, we are a symbiotic relationship with 10,000 different species that live in and on our bodies. Studies show that introducing a particular bacteria in the gut makes mice obese or exhibit Parkinson's-like symptoms. Kill of that organism, and the mouse is cured. Our diet, including fiber, supports population of gut bacteria. Antibiotics can wipe them out, changing how our bodies work. Koalas and Cows can't live on the diet they eat; gut bacterial processes it into something they can. Industrial farming doesn't put antibiotics (or arsenic!) in feed to prevent illness. It is to kill off bacteria so livestock produces more pounds of meat per pound of feed. Antibiotic residue in our meats may or may not affect us (kill some of our gut bacteria, breed superbugs.)

A boss brought in to run company I once worked for said, "There's a lot of money to be made managing diabetes!"
I thought, "That's true ..."
"There's a lot of money to be made managing diabetes."
"There is a bit of money to be made curing diabetes." ?
"But there isn't any money at all to be made preventing diabetes."

In junior high (45 years ago) someone came in to tell us how rice and wheat are processed. It is harvested, the fiber is polished off (used for pig feed), vitamins are added, and it is sold to us.
I thought (didn't speak up), "So you give the pigs the nutritious part, and sell us food with synthetic vitamins."
The few dozen vitamins you know of weren't identified for our health. No money in that. The research was to benefit production of livestock.

... versus proper rice which is healthier & better for you because it takes 20 minutes to cook.

That's what I'm talking about. White rice, cooks in 20 minutes. That stuff will kill you.
What you should be eating is brown rice, which takes 45 minutes.

 

[fat_old_sun]

When you see the label "Made in America" that designation only requires a certain portion is made in America. The converse is true as well, that many Toyotas and European cars are mostly made in America and even more within the auspice of the North American USMCA. This 22 year old is describing a value added American business that serves other Americans. American households receiving the productivity of an American worker in an American company. There are no solar companies that can honestly say they have zero connections to foreign products or labor. Will is right. If we want to strengthen nation's competitiveness there are many ways to do it. This young man is doing all the types of positive things Will recommends. Hats off to him

The FTC requirements for 'Made in USA' designation: "..the product must be "all or virtually all" made in the U.S.." -

Laser welding tabs & adding busbars does not meet these requirements! Battleborn assembles China supplied cells into battery packs in the US (they are part owned by the company that makes the cells). They don't claim their packs to be 'Made in USA'.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm not dismissing his efforts. The current political & economic climate in the US simply does not support risk taking - too many investors are looking to make 10x their investments in 2-3 years. And with US customers aggressively price shopping, making simpler items like inverters in the US is not profitable.

It's a catch-22 situation and I don't see an easy way out.

 

[Steve_S]

Umm, Instant Rice has zero natural value, any vitamins etc are added and are chemically sourced. Natural Long Grain, even White has it's natural vitamins. THIS IS NOT ABOUT White vs Brown or Basmati or whatever....

Instant Rice being done and ready in 5 Minutes because it's fast and fill the hole but has little to no real nutritional value at all.
But of course some go off on a tangent over the example used to highlight something... sheesh.

 

[Here for the boos]

I've just caught up on this thread and make One Observation about something everyone missed, probably because it is so obvious.

"The Instant Rice Society"
Origins of this is murky as it came about through a culmination of various factors.
People want "Instant Gratification", they want it now, they do not want to be patient.
They will eat "Instant Rice" because it takes 5 minutes to cook, versus proper rice which is healthier & better for you because it takes 20 minutes to cook. Waiting 15 Minutes is "just too much". Too much "Effort". Look at the proliferation of "Instant Meals in 5 Minutes or less" in your supermarket... Many have even forgotten how to cook these meals, even worse, many never even learned to cook anything beyond tossing it in a Nuke.

But this goes beyond "meals & rice" it also carries the whole Disposable Mindset with it. If it's broke, toss it & replace it. If it's difficult or hard to deal with "chuck it" and get something easier to use. This even hit's Human Relationships, where people hit a Rough Patch and work through it "together" they toss in the towel and split up. Life IS a Bowl of Cherries & it DOES have Pits but many can't deal with the pits, they will even accuse / attack their partners and blame / finger point rather than buckle down and deal with issues and resolve them.

This also supports NIMBYism as well... Everyone wants everything BUT not if it is their backyard ! Heaven's to Mergatroids NO ! Everyone wants Electricity but noone wants Power Generation (regardless of what type) in their "field of view"... Even Wind Turbines (look at all the nonsense spewed over that alone - take it offshore, or outright banning etc) Juts one simple example of many...

The worst part of the "Instant Rice Society". Their Need to have it right away because they are unable to be patient in the Hyper-Accelerated world, so they'll buy on Credit, get the "thing" and then resent having to pay for it over months and are angry (subconsciously) for having to pay for it... They end up not appreciate having the "thing" so they don't really care for it... So they buy more to compensate for their own ill-feelings while getting deeper into a hole they resent. Full-Circle and this goes beyond the average Jane & John Doe.

When you have to work everyday and save a portion of your paycheck for months & months to buy Item X, when you get item X you appreciate it because you worked for it, you will care for it & maintain it because you worked hard for it.

The Hyper-Speed world problem: No one has "downtime" constantly pummeled by emails, txt msgs, news flashes & bombardment from Social Media and ALL THE DISTRACTIONS do not provide the needed time for deep thought, consideration, reflection, it is jump from one to the next distraction... The NEWS is 90% CHAFF a waste/distraction...
Does it apply to YOU and YOURS directly, does it impact you ?
-- Or are you caught up with nonesense 1/2 around the world that has nothing to do with you ?
-- Is this CHAFF making you angry over things that you cannot affect which has no effect on you or yours ? WHY ??
-- Does this extra CHAFF focus your attention on something(s) which really have no other effect than to upset you ? why is it important ?

Grant me the Serenity to Accept the things I cannot change, Courage to Change the things I can and may I be Granted the Wisdom to know the difference.

Like my Signature says, Do what is RIGHT not what is EASY !

Sometimes instant rice is all people can do. It's great that you have 20 minutes to do it, or 45 minutes to do brown rice, but to the point I posted everyone assumes because they can do something that everyone else can too. Stop judging people based on your life experiences. I do realize that instant rice is just a metaphor, but I think everyone is ignoring the real problems and just looking for the easy things to blame. What's the real cause of the problems? Is it people want things instantly, or is that just another symptom of something deeper?

 

[Supervstech]

What a disappointment of a video. I turned it off a couple minutes in because it was so low on critical thinking. This was akin to telling a depressed person "hey, have you tried just not being sad?". That's brilliant!!! Why didn't they just think to not be sad?!?!!?

This video was the definition of privilege. "I was able to do something therefore anyone can do it". Bezos, Zuckerberg, Musk, Gates, etc were all garage-starter billionaires so anyone can do it!..............Of course their families were all well-todo who they could fall back on if they failed, or maybe get a $300k loan like bezos. I don't know about Will's specific life growing up, I'm sure it wasn't perfect, but without acknowledging what people are going through noone should judge anyone trying to get by. Want people to be skinnier? Teach health in school (not all do). Provide lunches for kids. Give people a social safety net to fall back on. Expand the ACA and universal healthcare so people aren't tied to shitty jobs just so they can hopefully not go broke if they get sick. If parents are working 3 jobs just to afford rent, when do they get time to cook healthy meals? When do they get time to be a good example for their kids? When do they get time to help their kid with homework?

Guess what crime rates in ghettos, alcoholism in reservations, and opioid addiction in ohio (and tons of other places) all have in common? It's obviously not skin color. I'll just tell you. Poverty.

You want a better country? Start supporting your fellow Americans and stop with the "fudge you! I got mine!" mentality. Stop voting for sociopaths who are just making the rich richer. Start pushing education more, and the taxes that go with it. Invest in future generations and you'll get those engineers you want. The next Tesla/Einstein/Feynman/etc. probably just got killed in a drive-by shooting.

You know what I'm tired of? Subsidizing big corporations employees. Pay people a living wage. If someone works 40 hours a week they should be able to afford food, clothing, and shelter. Minimum wage was historically made to be a living wage. I don't care if you don't think flipping burgers "deserves" $15 an hour. That's still not even really what it costs to live in this country now. If you think "but I have a trade skill and I barely make $15 an hour?!" Well you should probably get a raise too, or go flip burgers and when your former employer realizes they have no one left because everyone went to flip burgers they'll raise your pay. We're all in this together. The only "us against them" there should be is us against the 1%. I don't shop at Walmart, or eat from McDonalds, and yet I'm paying for their employees so they can make 300 million profit in a year instead of 270 million. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/19/wal...of-medicaid-and-food-stamp-beneficiaries.html

But they'll just raise prices on us?!!? Guess what....they're already raising prices on us, but our wages aren't keeping up with it. How much did lumber go up this past year? Do you think it was because all those people were just getting huge raises?

Anyway, rant over. I'll leave you with this video I think everyone should watch. https://www.ted.com/talks/nick_hana..._capitalism_and_a_new_way_forward?language=en

Since you did not watch the video, ya really shouldn't make a post "opposing" it... it comes off as you simply have an addenda to rant about poverty...

 

[Jennifer]

This video was the definition of privilege. "I was able to do something therefore anyone can do it". Bezos, Zuckerberg, Musk, Gates, etc were all garage-starter billionaires so anyone can do it!..............Of course their families were all well-todo who they could fall back on if they failed, or maybe get a $300k loan like bezos. I don't know about Will's specific life growing up, I'm sure it wasn't perfect, but without acknowledging what people are going through noone should judge anyone trying to get by. Want people to be skinnier? Teach health in school (not all do). Provide lunches for kids. Give people a social safety net to fall back on. Expand the ACA and universal healthcare so people aren't tied to shitty jobs just so they can hopefully not go broke if they get sick. If parents are working 3 jobs just to afford rent, when do they get time to cook healthy meals? When do they get time to be a good example for their kids? When do they get time to help their kid with homework?

Guess what crime rates in ghettos, alcoholism in reservations, and opioid addiction in ohio (and tons of other places) all have in common? It's obviously not skin color. I'll just tell you. Poverty.

You want a better country? Start supporting your fellow Americans and stop with the "fudge you! I got mine!" mentality. Stop voting for sociopaths who are just making the rich richer. Start pushing education more, and the taxes that go with it. Invest in future generations and you'll get those engineers you want. The next Tesla/Einstein/Feynman/etc. probably just got killed in a drive-by shooting.

Hi "Here for the boos", if no one else has said it, let me be the first.... Welcome to the forum", the best thing about America is the freedom of speach and the best thing about this board is that the people here are all mature enough to konw that we may not agree with what you say but we'll all stand beside you and fight to the death your right to say it..... welcome.

Now, that being said.... I have a couple thoughts, please note that these are MY thoughts, not those of a moderator, I do not speak for Will, the board or anyone else other than myself. I am saying these words as a fellow board member, that's all..... kapiche (understand)? Good... now then..

1: Not sure if you are "here for the boo's", if so, check this link, if that is the case great, I'll end it there... request granted.

2: If the above does not apply and you are here for the booze, I'll buy the first round, you're among friends here, agree or disagree.

3: If you're here to get boo's, a reaction by tossing a bucket of chum in the water to see what'll get a bite, you'll be greatly dissapointed, we're all vegetaraian on this board and are not so easily drawn into drama filled "master debate" sessions.

4: (Getting serious now).... referrring to the above chum toss, you are all over the map on items you found offensive so I'm not going to try to address all of them with a rebuttal, although I could, it's summer and we all have better things to do.. get outside and enjoy the sun.... but I will address one or two that hit me hard.... and you will not get a response from me after this one other than to again say welcome to the board.

I was born in a VERY small town in British Columbia, in a home of welfare, my mom never worked a day in my life that I saw, was a smoker who always had cash for smokes but we ate out of what was called the goodie box (tossed brown veggies behind the Safeway) and food bank, there were no "school lunches" in BC and there were many many a day if not many in a row we did not eat. My mom was not a drinker or physically abusive (psychologically yes, physically no... I'd have prefered physical, it's easier to get closure on) yet the men she brought into the home (my real dad left us when I was 7) who smashed her skull in with a hammer in front of me one day because he knew in BC it was legal to assault your wife but not the kids when he thought I did something wrong, literally pulled her by the hair to my bedroom door and did it telling me why he was doing it (so don't preach to me about psychological trauma), or the day she tried to jump from a moving car when he took her glasses and tossed them out the window, cus she'd rather die leaving her kids behind than take another fist smash to her face that he was giving her as he drove with us in the back seat...I've had a life of poverty, I've had a life of being looked down on at school because the only clothes we had were out of the second hand store and were flood pants... I left home at 15 and hitch hiked to America, crossed the border illegally and lived a "unique" life to better myself, and to get away from the torture I saw and experienced, and the fact my mom chose them over her kids and told me to leave...... I only returned to Canada at the age of 20 after working for Motorola, several other large size well known US companies etc... (don't ask how, it's not important) because I wanted to better my life.. I wanted to NOT BE MY MOTHER...... I busted my ass and did ANYTHING it took to survive, I've lived in cars, spent 7 years with a truck driver traveling around the US unloading his truck to make a buck...... and worked my way up from that defeated, victim, welfare person you allude to, the one you seem to be ok with sitting on their ass and taking offense when others do something about their life, instead of waiting for others to do it for them.... I returned home to Canada at 29 and worked a few normal jobs... NEVER spending a day on welfare, never a smoke in my life, never hit a girl I dated (yes I am, don't need to ask)... and did EVERYTHING in my power to get ahead.... I took a heavy duty mechanics course and started an apprenticeship with Detroit Diesel Allison.... and in 1995, started spending my nights in a cool app called IRC... and became pen pals with someone in Australia.. someone who was smart, (although he was younger than I, he was much more savy), he and I chatted for months... he was arrogant, a dick at times, thought he pooped ice cream (some of the same traights you alude to seeing in Wills video, which I did NOT see I might add).... and then one day, as I was saying to him... I hate this work, I'm worth more than this, is this my future... he went on a rant identical to what you saw with Wills video... You saw a different video than I... you seem to have heard "I'm better than you, you're a failure, your country is a failure"... what I heard was exactly what Omar (his name) said to me that day, a lift up, motivational talk to improve your situation.... Jennifer, you're worth so much more... what are you doing..... give your head a shake, you're working yourself to the bone, you're insolvent and you are missing out on life.... your sitting in a little shit hole town with your only connection to the world IRC when there is so much more, you just need to get out there and reach for it.... I'll have to be careful here as it was and still is a very emotional day in my life as it changed everything, I needed someone to remind me of the real me, the person I was inside, the potential I had, why was i letting it waste away.... I sold everything I owned that week, and accepted an invite from Omar to come to Australia for a visit...and see what life was suppose to be like....(no it was not sexual, in fact he MANDATED that I send him several thousand dollars up front for rent to show me that there was trust.. yes crazy.... ) I flew down... and spent the next 6 months rebuilding what was my true self... one of get out there and do it, you can do so much more.. etc... I flew back to America 6 months later, my first job upon getting back on US soil was at Microsoft, then Boeing, then Compaq, HP, Intel, (I could go on... jenniferbond.com goes into detail).... but I won't... had I never met Omar.... and he not shown me my true potential and given me the confidence and yes telling me I was letting myself down and I he was dissapointed... I'd still be swapping universal joints on tractor trailers in a diesel shop.... I could go on all night, I won't...

You heard what you wanted to hear in Will's video.. as someone who's lived in the streets, in their car, has left home at 15 with complex PTSD from the violence and been able to change their life... I heard the exact opposite.. and I for one wish there were more Wills and Omar's out there helping people like myself, change our lives... and possibly save them.

My tractor (Kubota, not over the road tractor..grin) is running so I'm not going to go back and re-read all this and it's probably full of typo's.... I said what I wanted to say.... I'll fight to the end for you to have the right to say it, but I may not agree.... and a long time ago, a "Will" both saved and changed my life and I hope we never lose people like that in this world, it will be a darker day if that happens.

Sent with love brother.. welcome to the board... oh PS: Did you have a solar question by chance?

 

[Sanwizard]

One person on their own can not fix the crap storm north america has made for itself, period. That is like one person trying to fight the tide. Its a waste of effort. To actually do something takes organization and collective action. One person could start the movement, that is reasonable and practical but starting a small business isnt going to do anything in terms of actually making a "difference".

Social issues are not the cause of the rapidly declining american position on the global stage, they are just another symptom of the pathetic mind set and greedy business practices that the american people have allowed their politicians to establish as the norm. North american society at large is to blame because we elect politicians and then turn our back for 4 years while they do what they want while we get back to eating mcdonalds and sticking our noses to the grindstone or wake and bake and sit on the couch playing video games.

North american culture is pathetic. Change the culture and there is a chance things may turn around in our lifetimes if not we are headed for hard times:

“Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.”

G. Michael Hopf,

We are at the tail end of the good times if collectively we dont quit being so pathetic and toughen up.

Jan 6 was supposed to be the start of a movement, but was overtaken by false media narratives, and the government coming down hard on any supporters of freedom. The deep state turned DC into war zone when they became scared that the people may complain about the coup they just performed, with the help of the supposed free press.
The NSA and FBI are being used to clamp down on ANY opposition to the takeover.
The IRS is coming down on anyone who speaks out. There is no more free speech. Tech is turning off your opinion.

I agree with Will, and hope China or Iran or Putin or North Korea dont get any ideas now that they have their weak sister running the US, until the people wake up and take back the country.

The truth is dribbling out. Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, all the corruption being exposed. Let the light shine, so everyone can see for themselves.

 

[time2roll]

“Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage.”

Winston Churchill

 

[Here for the boos]

Since you did not watch the video, ya really shouldn't make a post "opposing" it... it comes off as you simply have an addenda to rant about poverty...

I watched about half of it. China is beating us because we're all dumb, fat, lazy, asking for handouts, and going to school for liberal arts. Miss anything? What I posted about was what he talked about, and the underlying cause, but hey we can keep talking about fighting symptoms while the cancer rages on. That's what the 1% and the politicians in their pocket would prefer us to do. But whatever. It's his channel he can talk about what he wants. He'll lose some subscribers like me, but I'm sure he'll gain others that want to hear their confirmation bias. I would prefer to just see videos on solar though. If he's gonna rant and whine about social or political issues then there's way better, and more informed people, than him I'd go to.

Again my opinion, his channel, he should talk about it if he wants.

 

[Here for the boos]

Jan 6 was supposed to be the start of a movement, but was overtaken by false media narratives, and the government coming down hard on any supporters of freedom. The deep state turned DC into war zone when they became scared that the people may complain about the coup they just performed, with the help of the supposed free press.
The NSA and FBI are being used to clamp down on ANY opposition to the takeover.
The IRS is coming down on anyone who speaks out. There is no more free speech. Tech is turning off your opinion.

I agree with Will, and hope China or Iran or Putin or North Korea dont get any ideas now that they have their weak sister running the US, until the people wake up and take back the country.

The truth is dribbling out. Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, all the corruption being exposed. Let the light shine, so everyone can see for themselves.

I hope you're trolling and don't actually believe any of the stuff you just posted. Wow, that's some stuff right there. Lemme guess they're gonna arrest Hillary any day now right? The last 7 predictions from q have been wrong so that means this time it has to be right! Wow. Trump lost 60 election lawsuits some from judges he appointed. He clearly lost the popular election both times. There's no conspiracy.

 

[Cdkipp]

Sometimes instant rice is all people can do. It's great that you have 20 minutes to do it, or 45 minutes to do brown rice, but to the point I posted everyone assumes because they can do something that everyone else can too. Stop judging people based on your life experiences. I do realize that instant rice is just a metaphor, but I think everyone is ignoring the real problems and just looking for the easy things to blame. What's the real cause of the problems? Is it people want things instantly, or is that just another symptom of something deeper?

I agree with boos. I didn't watch the video either but I have watched other videos of Will's where he gets political and they are lacking. I really wish Will and this forum would avoid these issues. Ironically, Will's videos analyzing the economic, societal, and geopolitical issues actually reflect the need for a population with a broader perspective and probably a liberal arts education. You cannot take your life experience and extrapolate it as the answer for everyone else. That doesn't work. This isn't solar panels and batteries. I have no desire to get in a debate but Will's views lack nuance and appreciation of extremely complex issues. There is no "one size fits all" solution or silver bullet.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Geesh. I don’t want to get kicked off this board. I can’t write what I should.

The context: where exactly is the privilege? Getting results by working hard is… privilege?

Confirmation bias: context problems again. Do you know what that is? I mean confirmation bias? I don’t have Jennifer’s story. Holy crap! I’ve got my own. But holy cow you just insulted huge numbers of people that came from nothin’ or came from behind, or came from self inflicted failure- and made something of themselves.

Who is lacking critical thinking skills? You throw these cnn and fox soundbite fodder words around to make accusations or reference an implied obligatory conclusion and leave the reader’s imagination to connect the dots.

I gotta exit stage left here.
I lurked here for a while before joining. I’d like to stay joined, thanks.

 

[Here for the boos]

Hi "Here for the boos", if no one else has said it, let me be the first.... Welcome to the forum", the best thing about America is the freedom of speach and the best thing about this board is that the people here are all mature enough to konw that we may not agree with what you say but we'll all stand beside you and fight to the death your right to say it..... welcome.
(And the rest of the quote)

I never said Will meant he thought he was better than anyone. I said he's not taking the time to understand the problem, and just assuming it's this simple thing he figured out, and now people just have to listen to him. Everyone is unique and has unique experiences that get them to the place they are now. Most people that are successful have help, and usually more help than they realize, or maybe they don't want to acknowledge because it gets in the way of their "I pulled myself up completely by the bootstraps with no help!" story. They don't realize that a lot of people don't get the opportunities/connections that they got for one reason or another, and can do everything "right" and still not have things work out for them.

That sounds like a rough childhood and a rough way to grow up. I'm sorry for the things you've experienced, I can't imagine the trauma you've endeared. I'm sure there's reasons your mom was in the position she was in too, and men were abusing her. Truly horrible though. If she was on some sort of government support system, and had some stability in her life, she may not have felt the need to do all that, but I don't know her or you. I just know I've been in bad situations before too and I've always just needed a little help to get by. "I turned out fine!" to me, is just horrible. More like "I survived, and I don't want anyone to go through what I did." I'm glad you're doing well now, it sounds to me like it was an incredibly hard journey to get there, and if an extra bit of taxes helps someone not go through what you, or I did? Then yeah take a bit more from my paycheck. That's just me, and raised Christian. I'm not really anymore because when I learned Jesus's teaching it was about loving and helping your neighbor, and that's not what any of the churches actually do.

My name was just because I thought it was a funny play on words, but mostly for the booze drinks.

I'm here to figure out a better system to prepare for more Texas blackouts this summer since nothing has changed from the winter icepocalypse. I have no faith in our current governor or railroad commissioner. They're going to get a lot of people killed, but hey! It worked out great for Jerry Jones so as long as he can get a little richer then someone wins.

I saw will's video on the bluetti AC200, and clicked through for him to get the credit when I bought it on the original indiegogo kick starter. I like those kinda videos, but as you said, and I agree, you have the freedom to say whatever you want, so does he, and so do I. This is y'alls forum though so I also recognize that you can ban someone for any reason you want. That's part of the freedom. I'm going to try and only post solar/battery things after this post though.

Thank you for the welcome! Hopefully we'll get back on solar topics now.

 

[Here for the boos]

Geesh. I don’t want to get kicked off this board. I can’t write what I should.

The context: where exactly is the privilege? Getting results by working hard is… privilege?

Confirmation bias: context problems again. Do you know what that is? I mean confirmation bias? I don’t have Jennifer’s story. Holy crap! I’ve got my own.

I gotta exit stage left here.

Nope. It's getting results, and assuming it was automatically because of your hard work solely when in reality it's still your hard work, but it's combined with the people that were a part of it, and the current situation you're in.