The Not Happy Thread

Yeah, the violence was ridiculously stupid, and should definitely not have happened, but I don't get how the government didn't expect it to. The Lib Dems in particular did a massive drive to get students and young people into politics at the last election, and now they've shown them that the promises they were made didn't matter at all. It's understandable that people would be very angry at being lied to and essentially used.

And the EMA cut does make absolutely no sense. Clearly Osborne and Cameron (and Clegg too, I guess) have misunderstood just how much it helps young people from poorer backgrounds.

Oh, and it's not just the young who are angry with the Lib Dems. A lot of parents voted for them because of their tuition fee policies.

I couldn't disagree more with this. So, they're politicians, so it's okay if they lie? Absolutely not. People should be holding their politicians to account, not saying "Well, they're politicians, so it's alright?" People are right to be angry about being lied to, and all the better if they stand up for themselves. Politicians should not be allowed to walk roughshod over their promises just because it's "expected of them".

I don't think there's anything I need to add to this. Exactly right lads.

 

I can perfectly understand the reaction. Hell, I've been in a riot before, I know how easy it is to create sparks in emotional situations like that. The thing I found so amazingly thoughtless was protesters attacking the Prince's car. If the protesters had just let him be they would have came out much better than they did.

But, the real blame for that should really go to the guy who planned the Prince's route.

 

I heard a quote (I don't remember who said it): "The Lib Dems have two or three policies people like, three or four policies people hate, and a manifesto full of ones people don't give a **** about".

The reason for the student anger, is that for many Lib Dem MPs, their election was based almost entirely on the tuition fee promise.

 

With these protests (Every reason too!) and Jullian Assange being arrested over BS claims, the world is turning into a giant cow patty.

 

Did the protesters know who it was? I suspect that they simply saw a black car, flanked with police, and thought "Ministerial car!"

Not that that justifies it.

 

Ha, whoever said/wrote that quote, he has earned my respect.

Yeah, I'm well aware of the reasons why the protesters were angry. I'm just really glad I didn't vote for them is all.

I wouldn't believe they didn't know, considering an eye witness described the scene on the news last night, saying he could see the Prince inside the car clearly. The photographs of, and after the attack, are amazingly clear. Also it begs the question: why wasn't there more cars trashed if it was just a random attack?

 

There should really be a politics thread..

That's all I have to say since other people have already expressed pretty much what I think about this whole tuition fee etc. business.

 

^ agreed.

So to bring it closer to topic. I'm not happy with the reports of police brutality yesterday. And not just in London.

 

Ew. I can only imagine how mean and nasty people would get.

Oh wait...

 

I'm not saying that. I was saying that I'm amazed people are acting all outraged about it. Politicians lie. They always have. The fact that it's been so blatant is maybe a wake-up call to people as to just how corrupt and undemocratic the supposed democracies of the Western world really are. They are only ever in it for power and money.

I never said we should "expect it of them", or that it's okay, I simply said that's the way it is, has always been and will always be. I certainly don't think they should lie, but then I don't think anyone should – lying is despicable and should be far more frowned upon by society than it currently is. However, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is always true, and it stuns me that some people seem shocked over this rather tawdry affair.

 

Anyway..........

I'm not happy because Joel left the kitchen window open last night, so now it's like 65 degrees in our apartment. And I'm freezing.

 

True, but I hope we can all be civil.

 

My favorite character in the book I'm reading has just died.

 

I have too much work !
Exams this week, exams next week. I also have a migraine. This sucks.
I'm not happy.

 

It's cold and windy and I live in England. I do not need further reasons.

 

I'm not sure but I may be just a tad unhappy the UK Politics thread was closed. I did not agree with some of the comments but the parties didn't seem to say anything offensive or make any personal attack. I suppose the conversation could be faulted for being between a couple of folks that might have been discussed in PMs, however, I'm not really sure what prompted it's closure.

I'm new around here and this seems like a good place to read, write and share views with people capable of expressing said views in an intelligent manner. On so many tech threads whenever there is a controversial or difficult topic the posts quickly devolve into shouting matches and personal attacks. It was refreshing to not see that here.

I do understand the need for moderation but how far shall we go if we stifle the very discourse we so rightly claim to support within these very electronic halls?

Cheers,

 

It's not allowed, apparently. Because.

EDIT: Also, "it's" is a contraction, not a possessive. Grrr. [shakes fist vehemently]

We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavoring to stifle is a false opinion; and if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still. ~John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, 1859

The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion. ~Henry Steele Commager

The only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen. ~Tommy Smothers

Censorship reflects society's lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime. ~Potter Stewart

We have a natural right to make use of our pens as of our tongue, at our peril, risk and hazard. ~Voltaire, Dictionnaire Philosophique, 1764

 

I'm with you, EagleOne, on both Politics threads being closed. I understand the concerns about flame wars, but this was a classic case of prior restraint. If anything had gotten nasty, that would have been the time to close the threads. In my opinion, the forum gained nothing by closing them now and would have lost nothing by leaving them open until and unless something got out of hand.

"If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none." - Captain Beatty in Fahrenheit 451

 

In case you hadn't noticed, it's not a democracy here. It never was, and never will be. If you've been around and paid attention to previous attempts at political debates, it results in a lot of anger and hurt feelings. And people become very nasty and mean. I know that when these things come up, it makes me not want to come around here anymore. It's a privilege that you're able to come around and meet people in a nice place like this. It's that way because it's run by real people with real lives take time out to monitor it. There's nothing wrong with preventative action because of how things have gone in the past. People are pretty predictable.

You can go around and feel insulted and victimized, but just remember: it's the Internet. Time to get over it, or find a different forum where you are more than welcome and encouraged to whine about politics. But it's not here.

xx

While everyone else has been busy bitching and bitching about people bitching, I've been trying to study for finals... Well, guess what? I've done the math, and it always ends up with me equating to a failure. To get the grade I need, I'll have to get 37 or more of the 40 questions right on my chemistry exam.

Like that'll happen. And then I get to go home to my father, who will give me a hard time when I'm already struggling as it is. Whenever people find out that I'm a science major, they automatically assume I'm intelligent.

No... You don't need to be smart to declare a science as your major. You can be pretty ridiculous and still declare. For instance, I'm stupid enough to think that I've got what it takes to handle the coursework, when, in fact, I'm probably not. So not only am I not smart, but I'm arrogant and deluded into thinking that I am as well, and that's probably as awful as dumb people can get.

 

Awww, don't be so hard on yourself! Is it the grade you need to keep your major, or the grade you need to be satisfied with yourself? Either way, I hope you get it. You can do it, Merc, you are smart!

 

Tonight I found out that my mother is making up for her Salvation Army youth, and now going out clubbing, while my Dad is working in Australia.
Their relationship has been rocky since I moved away to University, and it makes me feel awful not being able to look after my Mum. She's very frivolous. When she drinks, while she's not mean per se, she certainly doesn't care for anyone except herself.

I don't think my Dad knows what she's doing, and I don't want to have to be the one to break the news to him about her behaviour, AGAIN.

I love my family to pieces, but I hate to see how they are without me there. People tell me not to blame myself, but I can't see how not to, to be honest. Mum's mid-life crisis-ing because I've left home, and Dad is feeling betrayed because she's off partying every other night. And my poor little brother (he's 9) is stuck in the middle of it.

So I'm really not happy.

 

This.

Try and stay optimistic, Merc. The last two years there have been two subjects (one each year) I was convinced I was going to fail. I got myself really worked up about it too. In the end, I actually did better in those subjects because my panicking made me revise more.

Just do your best, and try to remember that your performance isn't a fixed variable. You might just surprise yourself.

 

I have the absolute worst luck in the history of students at my university!

How so? On the eve of a day where I have TWO FINALS I couldn't sleep at all because apparently my brain decided to forget the "Sleepy Time" chemicals. If there's anything good I can say about it, it's this: At least I've finished Silver Lies, the first of three mystery books set in 1880s Colorado and am now on Iron Ties.

And yes, I've spent all night reading the book. It was the only thing keeping me from going nuts trying to get to sleep. I even tried counting llamas (thought sheeps were overdone) and got to the 78th llama and still couldn't sleep.

I forsee myself buying sleeping pills one day.

EDIT II: Okay, maybe two things. It seems if I manage to doze off for three hours (and I did and had an odd dream that I was John Marston), I don't feel like I'm about to crash. Sure, I feel drowsy, but nothing a quick cup of coffee and lots of protein won't fix. I guess that's a gift.

 

Mercucial, don't be down on yourself. A bad grade is just paper, it's what you make of it that changes everything.
______
Link The Writer, I know two people who are insomniac. I also experienced that for a while last year when I completely destroyed my sleeping cycle and didn't sleep for 2 days at a time sometimes.
It's just a case of always getting up early, really, it helps. Always get up at 7am for example. (8 at the latest) that way you'll go to bed early. (Doesn't stop me from writing music 'til 4am though haha)
_____

I'm fed up with living in France, there are so many things I don't like about this country.
Oh look. I can't move back to the UK 'cause I don't have 9000 pounds to spend on education a year.
Awesome.

 

@ Metal, sorry you feel like that. Are you able to at least visit the UK? (I was told there was a tunnel connecting the UK and France.)