Do any of you ever feel just completely overwhelmed and hopeless when you start to realize just how many problems there are in this country right now? War, debt, education, crooked politicians, an administration with no respect for public opinion, environmental problems, growing gap between rich and poor, the list just goes on and on. Maybe this can be the N&D thread where we can vent our frustrations on a personal level instead of throwing articles back and forth, or discuss how we deal with feelings like the ones I have, or how we prioritize what to focus on, since it's impossible to deal with everything at once. Sometimes I want to just not read the news, not care what politicians are up to, not give a fuck about the war in Iraq--sort of a "You fucked it all up, you fix it" kind of attitude, but I really do love this country and I really don't want my kids to grow up in such a divided nation.

I used to be such a nice guy, to everyone. I didn't even think of people in political terms. Now, it's like, "Oh, you've got a Bush/Cheney or "Marriage=One Man + One Woman" bumper sticker? Fuck off." I have no desire to go out of my way to be nice to people anymore. I think of those on the opposite end of the political spectrum not as my countrymen, but as my enemies, because honestly, I think they look at me the same way. And it saddens me greatly, because I never used to be this way. And I don't want my kids to grow up to be this way. And I don't want this country to continue this way. But I see no end in sight.

Ditto.

I second that!

Wanna get high?

I just want the world to be a better place.

So did these guys:

Overwhelmed doesn't even describe my life at this moment.

We are closing on our new house on July 12th and we are getting married on Oct. 15th. I've been running around for the last few days getting blinds for the new windows, carpet for the hardwood floor, rented a moving truck, window well covers, fence, etc. Then there is the wedding....

Honestly talking about silly political issues is helping me blow off steam. On most days I forget what I've posted when I leave the office because wedding and house items have taken over.

P.S. You can talk about all the negative things about this country, but its one great place to live.

Honestly Ara, I've gone into apathy on almost all issues.

Like you, there are too many things going on that outrage me and I simply do not want to dedicate that much energy or time to do whatever miniscule differences I can do. I always felt like there was a biblical flood coming and all I had was a wheelbarrow full of sand, well I'd rather just have a canoe right now.

Well see, that's the interesting part. As far as my personal life goes, it's better than ever. I have a wonderful family--a beautiful, intelligent wife and two sons to match, a great house in a nice part of town, a great job that I love, money in the bank, and great friends. I should be happier than I've ever been in my life. But I'm not. When I read the news and it says shit like "Congress to cut funding for PBS" I just want to throw my hands up in the air. Yes, this country is a great place to live, my fear is that it's not going to stay that way much longer. I don't know, I went through this once before, and I basically had to shut myself off from the news and this forum. I want to be a part of the solution and debate, but I just don't know if it really accomplishes anything other than getting me riled up and taking away precious time that should be spent enjoying my life.

i will post this later
*stares at towlies nuts*

I have no idea where to direct my energy.

The looming public school crisis?

The GLBT/civil rights problem?

The racism disguised as patriotism that pervade our country?

The religious ferver that parades as patriotism in this country?

The heath care crisis?

Obesity, AIDS, cancer?

Stem cell research?

Legalization of marijuana?


I'm going to go make a pie...strawberry rhubarb...mmmmm...pie....

this is the reason i put down chomsky and the like... i cant take it... i believe in a lot of what they say, but i also believe we are way beyond changing things to my liking... now i just try and go with the flow and only read fiction

When I hear things about PBS, I think it sucks too. But then I think about the things my grandparents gave up and my parents gave up as kids during WWII and think to myself we got it damn good. My grandfather worked for a company that made parts for all kinds of weapons and vehicles for the war. He was in lock down for months. They put up fences around the plant. My dad remembers going to visit him on Sundays.

Could you imagine if that happened in today's society?? We got it pretty damn good even in this bad economy. And just like everything in life, economies have good times and bad times. Right now its hopefully at the end of some bad times. It will be a few years before we see a boom like the mid 90's but at least we are getting out of the recession. So if some funding for PBS needs to be cut so we get through this economic slowdown, so be it. Yeah it pisses me off to that more money is going to Iraq than schools and such, but what are you going to do?

I go through phases of news vs. music. Sometimes I'll listen to nothing but NPR in my car for months at a time, and then I'll stop and listen to nothing but cd's. Right now I'm in a 75% music phase, but I'm still here much of the day at work, so I guess I'm getting both fixes.

The truth of the matter is that some days I lose my cool. Yesterday wasn't exactly my finest hour around here, I'll admit. But most of the time, I'm able to have an absurdist sense of humor about all of this because I know there's not a whole heck of a lot I can do about it. I can't completely ignore it though because I take pride in being aware of what's going on around me.

The other night, my wife, who is 7 months pregnant and very uncomfortable from it, and who was being pounced upon by our 20 month old son, turned to me and said, "How am I going to do this? How am I going to take care of a newborn with this little monster jumping all over me all the time?" I totally sympathize with her fears, but I just said to her, "You're going to do it, and you're going to be just fine." She asked me how I could not be worried, and I explained that worrying is only for situations where you have a choice of action, because if you have no choice, there's no point in worrying, you just do what has to be done.

That's how I see politics. I've subconsciously painted myself into corners before in my life so as to make myself act because I know that when I have fewer choices, it's easier for me to make a decision. It puts my mind at ease. If I felt like I could make a big difference in the world and was doing nothing, then I'd be depressed.

I used to have this recurring dream, I called it my "save the world" dream. The basic theme in these dreams was that something terrible was going to happen to many people, I knew what was going to happen, and I was the only one who could stop it. Invariably, I would try to warn people, but of course no one would listen to me. I'd always wake up extremely frustrated that no one could see the impending doom that I saw.

In a strange way, I almost accept the doom now. I still have faith that truth and the good in people will overcome in the end, but if this is the end, so be it. Needless to say, I don't have "save the world" dreams anymore.

I've kind of thrown in the towel on many things because it's just talk for the most part.

I can only really control what I do so I'm trying to make changes in my own life. It can be as simple as walking to the grocery store and recycling everything possible. That's something I'm doing now. Shouldn't we all start with our own lives anyway? From there I've really considered getting involved in my local organizations.

Sorry, but it's the first thing I thought of when I saw that.

I'll see if I can add something more constructive to this once I think about it.

I'm just waiting for WWIII...and then for the Vulcans to make first contact and enlighten us earthlings with their non-violent, logical philosophy.

:retreats to fantasy world of star trek:

This is kind of what I was thinking of posting, something along those lines.

Ironically, I just came back from a bike ride to the grocery store.

I don't quite get the joke...

The other Simpsons geeks here will.