Is Texas Next?
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@BBigford said in Is Texas Next?:
@Dashrender said in Is Texas Next?:
How's the advertising over there compared to over here, Scott? I think of of the things that drives the crime sprees here is that our advertising drives people to think they don't have enough, they aren't good enough where they are. That whole thing where companies are trying to squeeze every last cent out of the spending public.
Is that the case there?
What kind of people do you think are committing crimes? It's not middle class workers that want a new materialistic thing that they can't afford. It's people who got addicted to drugs and are feeding their demons with every item they can pawn for cash to score more drugs. Along with people who are homeless and can't even beg for enough money to pay for stuff. Push someone to the edge of desperation; have them question if they'll survive unless they harm you, and you'll see the animal inside of them.
I've noticed you mentioning homeless people before. Is that really that big of a problem over at your place? Can't really imagine that, because we have a rather powerful social system. Everyone, virtually everyone, will get some place to sleep or even some small apartment, at least the most important things (very basic things like a toothbrush, soap, towels, something to eat, clothes, ...), healthcare (or help on getting away from drugs) and this way a real chance to get back into "normal" life.
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I guess the drug problem must be of epic proportions in Texas then. I haven't seen this issue while visiting Chicago, LA or San Francisco. Not saying they don't have the drugees, but I haven't been part of a carjacking or attempted car jacking while visiting these places, nor in my own city.
That's not say it does happen in all of them, I know it does. I've heard news stories of carjackings on a sorta highway thoroughfare we have here in Omaha.
So what makes drugs huge a larger problem there than here?
As for those breaking into people's houses, around here it's a toss up mostly between unemployed people and what I'll call bored teens. It's rarely drug heads (as reported by the news anyhow). So the break ins I put more on the pressures of supposed to be living the good live.
But the drug addicts looking to pay for their next score.. yeah, that's pretty scary.
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@Dashrender said in Is Texas Next?:
How's the advertising over there compared to over here, Scott? I think of of the things that drives the crime sprees here is that our advertising drives people to think they don't have enough, they aren't good enough where they are. That whole thing where companies are trying to squeeze every last cent out of the spending public.
Is that the case there?
Not at all. Consumer culture effectively does not exist. Not as we know it anyway. There is advertising, but nothing like in the US. And what there is doesn't seem to drive people to act in the same ways that it does here. The views that you have to keep buying stuff that you can't afford, even that you take out a mortgage for a house, aren't common. Nor is the idea that you compare yourself to others based on income.
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@BBigford said in Is Texas Next?:
@Dashrender said in Is Texas Next?:
How's the advertising over there compared to over here, Scott? I think of of the things that drives the crime sprees here is that our advertising drives people to think they don't have enough, they aren't good enough where they are. That whole thing where companies are trying to squeeze every last cent out of the spending public.
Is that the case there?
What kind of people do you think are committing crimes? It's not middle class workers that want a new materialistic thing that they can't afford. It's people who got addicted to drugs and are feeding their demons with every item they can pawn for cash to score more drugs. Along with people who are homeless and can't even beg for enough money to pay for stuff. Push someone to the edge of desperation; have them question if they'll survive unless they harm you, and you'll see the animal inside of them.
Having lived in the heart of Newark, NJ, one of the most dangerous places anywhere, that's not what it is. Drugs some, yes, but poverty, no. Tons of opportunity, plenty of money. More a desire to not work than poverty itself.
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@scottalanmiller said in Is Texas Next?:
@Dashrender said in Is Texas Next?:
How's the advertising over there compared to over here, Scott? I think of of the things that drives the crime sprees here is that our advertising drives people to think they don't have enough, they aren't good enough where they are. That whole thing where companies are trying to squeeze every last cent out of the spending public.
Is that the case there?
Not at all. Consumer culture effectively does not exist. Not as we know it anyway. There is advertising, but nothing like in the US. And what there is doesn't seem to drive people to act in the same ways that it does here. The views that you have to keep buying stuff that you can't afford, even that you take out a mortgage for a house, aren't common. Nor is the idea that you compare yourself to others based on income.
That's changing, at least in central Europe.
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@thwr said in Is Texas Next?:
I've noticed you mentioning homeless people before. Is that really that big of a problem over at your place?
It's huge, especially in California and Texas (weather reasons mostly) but even in the north east where the weather is brutal. One of the most striking things when you get to Europe is the lack of homeless people on every corner. In many of the big US cities, and even smaller towns, you see homeless everywhere. Not literally every door, but nearly every block has a few. Whole areas are almost nothing but homeless. You can see it constantly, it's almost never out of site.
And they are out begging everywhere. At stop lights, on sidewalks, in the parks. I know a bridge overpass in downtown San Francisco that must have 200+ homeless in a self made camp.
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@Dashrender said in Is Texas Next?:
I guess the drug problem must be of epic proportions in Texas then.
It is. It's similar to VA and FLA.
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@Dashrender said in Is Texas Next?:
Not saying they don't have the drugees, but I haven't been part of a carjacking or attempted car jacking while visiting these places, nor in my own city.
Even in small upstate NY cities that are very, very far from NYC I've had the cops pull my wife over for being white and told her to immediately drive out of the city, not to even stop at the lights. Just go... because it was so dangerous to let the car slow to a speed that someone could come through a window. She didn't get car jacked. But the fear of it was very, very real.
In the same city she's been at a restaurant (not a bar, no alcohol) that had people thrown right through her table while she was eating there. Entire table smashed to the floor.
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I've heard stories like this before Scott, granted never first hand (and technically this is second hand), and they generally seem over stated. not saying it's not true, I guess I live a sheltered life in the middle of this madness grip locked country we live in.
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@Dashrender said in Is Texas Next?:
I've heard stories like this before Scott, granted never first hand (and technically this is second hand), and they generally seem over stated. not saying it's not true, I guess I live a sheltered life in the middle of this madness grip locked country we live in.
@eric and I have walked out of a club in upstate NY and had the fed rush in in swat gear and guns drawn. Boy were we glad we left when we did.
My dad had a friend's dad mowed down from machine gun fire while bartending just a few blocks from where my wife was told to leave without stopping.
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And none of that is in places as dangerous as Newark or Flint, both of which I have lived in.
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@thwr said in Is Texas Next?:
@BBigford said in Is Texas Next?:
@Dashrender said in Is Texas Next?:
How's the advertising over there compared to over here, Scott? I think of of the things that drives the crime sprees here is that our advertising drives people to think they don't have enough, they aren't good enough where they are. That whole thing where companies are trying to squeeze every last cent out of the spending public.
Is that the case there?
What kind of people do you think are committing crimes? It's not middle class workers that want a new materialistic thing that they can't afford. It's people who got addicted to drugs and are feeding their demons with every item they can pawn for cash to score more drugs. Along with people who are homeless and can't even beg for enough money to pay for stuff. Push someone to the edge of desperation; have them question if they'll survive unless they harm you, and you'll see the animal inside of them.
I've noticed you mentioning homeless people before. Is that really that big of a problem over at your place? Can't really imagine that, because we have a rather powerful social system. Everyone, virtually everyone, will get some place to sleep or even some small apartment, at least the most important things (very basic things like a toothbrush, soap, towels, something to eat, clothes, ...), healthcare (or help on getting away from drugs) and this way a real chance to get back into "normal" life.
Yeah it's pretty bad on the west coast. I haven't been on the east coast or the south very much but it is extremely problematic. When you get that many homeless in an area, especially around middle and upper class citizens, there is a kind of resentment when you interact with many of them. Also the "steal from the rich and give to the poor" mentality comes out, where people who wouldn't normally steal, start to do so because they think the middle and upper class can afford to lose certain things off their property.
Homeless people as a social behavior aren't the problem, it's when you put a desperate person in a situation where they can take what they need, because to them it is a life or death situation. If they don't assault you and take material items that they can sell for money to buy food and water (anything else like drugs or alcohol aside), then that is survival. It's the wildly aggressive homeless that are a problem, and it becomes more of a problem if you run across some that are high or intoxicated, especially at night in dimly lit areas that should be avoided.
There are shelters and programs, especially in really big places like Seattle. But they often get overrun and people stand in lines for many blocks. A lot of them don't get in, or can't get fed because there simply aren't enough supplies or beds available for the night. To rotate people, they will kick you out for the day to stand in line for another bed. You might not get one the next night.
There are some other REALLY great programs to help people find work, get them into affordable housing, and help rehabilitate them from drugs and alcohol, but it's a societal struggle because when you help 1,000 people, you may have another 1,000 that are newly addicted, unemployed, and their house foreclosed so they're on the streets.
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@scottalanmiller said in Is Texas Next?:
@BBigford said in Is Texas Next?:
@Dashrender said in Is Texas Next?:
How's the advertising over there compared to over here, Scott? I think of of the things that drives the crime sprees here is that our advertising drives people to think they don't have enough, they aren't good enough where they are. That whole thing where companies are trying to squeeze every last cent out of the spending public.
Is that the case there?
What kind of people do you think are committing crimes? It's not middle class workers that want a new materialistic thing that they can't afford. It's people who got addicted to drugs and are feeding their demons with every item they can pawn for cash to score more drugs. Along with people who are homeless and can't even beg for enough money to pay for stuff. Push someone to the edge of desperation; have them question if they'll survive unless they harm you, and you'll see the animal inside of them.
Having lived in the heart of Newark, NJ, one of the most dangerous places anywhere, that's not what it is. Drugs some, yes, but poverty, no. Tons of opportunity, plenty of money. More a desire to not work than poverty itself.
I've saw a few people like that but not many out here. Mostly just dirt bags that don't have a criminal history, but just couch surfers and occasionally stealing something out of a pickup bed but not getting caught. Are those kind of people just committing crimes because they simply don't want to work, or are they gang affiliated and that is what they simply do for a living?
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@Dashrender said in Is Texas Next?:
I've heard stories like this before Scott, granted never first hand (and technically this is second hand), and they generally seem over stated. not saying it's not true, I guess I live a sheltered life in the middle of this madness grip locked country we live in.
I'd like to live there. What area do you live in?
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@scottalanmiller said in Is Texas Next?:
And none of that is in places as dangerous as Newark or Flint, both of which I have lived in.
Wow... Flint is marked as the most dangerous city in Michigan when you look at crime rates. Why did you live there? I can't imagine there was any good work available, at least something that couldn't be done remotely...
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@BBigford said in Is Texas Next?:
@scottalanmiller said in Is Texas Next?:
@BBigford said in Is Texas Next?:
@Dashrender said in Is Texas Next?:
How's the advertising over there compared to over here, Scott? I think of of the things that drives the crime sprees here is that our advertising drives people to think they don't have enough, they aren't good enough where they are. That whole thing where companies are trying to squeeze every last cent out of the spending public.
Is that the case there?
What kind of people do you think are committing crimes? It's not middle class workers that want a new materialistic thing that they can't afford. It's people who got addicted to drugs and are feeding their demons with every item they can pawn for cash to score more drugs. Along with people who are homeless and can't even beg for enough money to pay for stuff. Push someone to the edge of desperation; have them question if they'll survive unless they harm you, and you'll see the animal inside of them.
Having lived in the heart of Newark, NJ, one of the most dangerous places anywhere, that's not what it is. Drugs some, yes, but poverty, no. Tons of opportunity, plenty of money. More a desire to not work than poverty itself.
I've saw a few people like that but not many out here. Mostly just dirt bags that don't have a criminal history, but just couch surfers and occasionally stealing something out of a pickup bed but not getting caught. Are those kind of people just committing crimes because they simply don't want to work, or are they gang affiliated and that is what they simply do for a living?
Gang stuff has to exist and is probably all around, but it was not organized in that way where I was.
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@BBigford said in Is Texas Next?:
@scottalanmiller said in Is Texas Next?:
And none of that is in places as dangerous as Newark or Flint, both of which I have lived in.
Wow... Flint is marked as the most dangerous city in Michigan when you look at crime rates. Why did you live there? I can't imagine there was any good work available, at least something that couldn't be done remotely...
Top university in the world used to be there... right in the worst part of town. It blew MIT, CalTech, Harvard, Princeton, UPenn, etc. out of the water in its day. Highest SAT, ACT, cost, salary, placement, etc. It held them all for a couple of decades. Fell apart not long after.
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@BBigford said in Is Texas Next?:
@thwr said in Is Texas Next?:
@BBigford said in Is Texas Next?:
@Dashrender said in Is Texas Next?:
How's the advertising over there compared to over here, Scott? I think of of the things that drives the crime sprees here is that our advertising drives people to think they don't have enough, they aren't good enough where they are. That whole thing where companies are trying to squeeze every last cent out of the spending public.
Is that the case there?
What kind of people do you think are committing crimes? It's not middle class workers that want a new materialistic thing that they can't afford. It's people who got addicted to drugs and are feeding their demons with every item they can pawn for cash to score more drugs. Along with people who are homeless and can't even beg for enough money to pay for stuff. Push someone to the edge of desperation; have them question if they'll survive unless they harm you, and you'll see the animal inside of them.
I've noticed you mentioning homeless people before. Is that really that big of a problem over at your place? Can't really imagine that, because we have a rather powerful social system. Everyone, virtually everyone, will get some place to sleep or even some small apartment, at least the most important things (very basic things like a toothbrush, soap, towels, something to eat, clothes, ...), healthcare (or help on getting away from drugs) and this way a real chance to get back into "normal" life.
Yeah it's pretty bad on the west coast. I haven't been on the east coast or the south very much but it is extremely problematic. When you get that many homeless in an area, especially around middle and upper class citizens, there is a kind of resentment when you interact with many of them. Also the "steal from the rich and give to the poor" mentality comes out, where people who wouldn't normally steal, start to do so because they think the middle and upper class can afford to lose certain things off their property.
Homeless people as a social behavior aren't the problem, it's when you put a desperate person in a situation where they can take what they need, because to them it is a life or death situation. If they don't assault you and take material items that they can sell for money to buy food and water (anything else like drugs or alcohol aside), then that is survival. It's the wildly aggressive homeless that are a problem, and it becomes more of a problem if you run across some that are high or intoxicated, especially at night in dimly lit areas that should be avoided.
There are shelters and programs, especially in really big places like Seattle. But they often get overrun and people stand in lines for many blocks. A lot of them don't get in, or can't get fed because there simply aren't enough supplies or beds available for the night. To rotate people, they will kick you out for the day to stand in line for another bed. You might not get one the next night.
There are some other REALLY great programs to help people find work, get them into affordable housing, and help rehabilitate them from drugs and alcohol, but it's a societal struggle because when you help 1,000 people, you may have another 1,000 that are newly addicted, unemployed, and their house foreclosed so they're on the streets.
Thanks for getting back. I was afraid a bit that you could take that personally what I wrote. Anyway.
I knew that the USA got a next to non-existing social system and that there are at least 633,782 homeless people and probably many, many more. That's completely different here in good ol' Germany: "Hinz & Kunzt" (1) - an INSP (International Network of Street Papers) newspaper sold by homeless with the idea behind to get them some (extra) income - stated back in 02/2013 that there are at least 1,029 Homeless people in Germany's second largest City of Hamburg (estimated 1,77 Mio ppl, 5,05 Mio with surrounding areas according to Wikipedia).
What's the point of all those numbers? Maybe we care about others. Sure, there are still people who are homeless, but I guess that's more kind of a lifestyle or to "fight the system". Anyway, if you take a look at the German constitution, you'll find this in the very first article:
Article 1
[Human dignity – Human rights – Legally binding force of basic rights]-
Human dignity shall be inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all state authority.
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The German people therefore acknowledge inviolable and inalienable human rights as the basis of every community, of peace and of justice in the world.
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The following basic rights shall bind the legislature, the executive and the judiciary as directly applicable law.
Source: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_gg/englisch_gg.html#p0015
There are more detailled laws that define what that means, for example the amount of money you'll get per month or what "dignity" means in detail (a roof over your head, for example). Here's some good post about that: https://www.quora.com/How-does-Germany-deal-with-the-homeless-and-the-poor
From what I've been reading in this thread, the system itself seems to be failing over at your place. Or it doesn't exist at all. That isn't something new, I was just shocked by the sheer numbers. We got our own problems here, sure, but nothing compareable to homeless people raiding your home to get some food, out of desperation.
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@thwr The bad part seems to be that the government took over responsibility for taking care of people that fall into that situation. This is the same government that's currently 19 trillion (US dollars) in the hole. History is not kind to anyone that puts themselves in this same situation.
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@travisdh1 said in Is Texas Next?:
@thwr The bad part seems to be that the government took over responsibility for taking care of people that fall into that situation. This is the same government that's currently 19 trillion (US dollars) in the hole. History is not kind to anyone that puts themselves in this same situation.
Same here, government's responsibility, so it does work if you want to. And we don't even got the system that Switzerland has, for example. They at least tried to make it to "unconditional basic income". I don't see the world through rose-colored glasses, but shouldn't a government voted by the people at least care for them? Pointing to Obama-Care, for example...
