• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

What are you living for?

phattonez

phattonez

Catholic
DP Veteran
Joined
Jun 3, 2009
Messages
30,870
Reaction score
4,246
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Very Conservative
I had this thought the other day, that in the richest country on Earth, that you're expected to spend half of your waking hours at work while your children are raised by strangers and your home sits empty most of the day. Is this the best kind of existence that we've come to with our wealth? It just seems crazy to me. What is the point of this? So that we can afford a nicer house, and a nicer car? Is that really worth the time that we spend away from our families, our lack of time to rest, and neglecting our children? I'm not blaming the parents or saying that they're being cruel to their children, but that this is what our culture seems to expect. How did this happen? And is anyone really happy with this?

I couldn't really think of a better forum for this, so what do you think? Are you satisfied with the expectations of our culture? Are you happy? What do you want out of life?
 
You are living for the judgement.
Look your born you didn't ask to be here. If your lucky your born to a stable family. You then grow up and hope you raise a better generation then yours. Then you die. It's all a big nothing. Just be kind to others and do what makes you happy within the law.
 
phattonez said:
I had this thought the other day, that in the richest country on Earth, that you're expected to spend half of your waking hours at work while your children are raised by strangers and your home sits empty most of the day. Is this the best kind of existence that we've come to with our wealth? It just seems crazy to me. What is the point of this? So that we can afford a nicer house, and a nicer car? Is that really worth the time that we spend away from our families, our lack of time to rest, and neglecting our children? I'm not blaming the parents or saying that they're being cruel to their children, but that this is what our culture seems to expect. How did this happen? And is anyone really happy with this?

I couldn't really think of a better forum for this, so what do you think? Are you satisfied with the expectations of our culture? Are you happy? What do you want out of life?
Click to expand...

I have never done a job I didn't enjoy but shortly. When it was no fun I went for work that was. It's the only way to be good, I should have thought.
 
Jaygodmedia said:
You are living for the judgement.
Look your born you didn't ask to be here. If your lucky your born to a stable family. You then grow up and hope you raise a better generation then yours. Then you die. It's all a big nothing. Just be kind to others and do what makes you happy within the law.
Click to expand...

What's "a better generation then (sic) yours"? What does that mean? And how can you do that if you're not even the one raising your children?
 
phattonez said:
I had this thought the other day, that in the richest country on Earth, that you're expected to spend half of your waking hours at work while your children are raised by strangers and your home sits empty most of the day. Is this the best kind of existence that we've come to with our wealth? It just seems crazy to me. What is the point of this? So that we can afford a nicer house, and a nicer car? Is that really worth the time that we spend away from our families, our lack of time to rest, and neglecting our children? I'm not blaming the parents or saying that they're being cruel to their children, but that this is what our culture seems to expect. How did this happen? And is anyone really happy with this?

I couldn't really think of a better forum for this, so what do you think? Are you satisfied with the expectations of our culture? Are you happy? What do you want out of life?
Click to expand...

Nanook of the North syndrome? Modern life doesn't make sense to you anymore? Could try that, I suppose.
 
eohrnberger said:
Nanook of the North syndrome? Modern life doesn't make sense to you anymore? Could try that, I suppose.
Click to expand...

I've never heard of the film.

I guess what I can't understand is why it is that my parents could be raised by their parents and see them often, yet I would see my parents just a few hours of the day growing up. Now that I'm working myself, I see the same thing repeating. It seems like something has gone very wrong in our culture.
 
phattonez said:
I've never heard of the film.

I guess what I can't understand is why it is that my parents could be raised by their parents and see them often, yet I would see my parents just a few hours of the day growing up. Now that I'm working myself, I see the same thing repeating. It seems like something has gone very wrong in our culture.
Click to expand...

It used to be that the man left in the morning to go win the bread for the family, and mom stayed home and minded the house and the kids, until they went to school. Beaver Cleaver style.

Now it takes two middle class incomes to afford the same level of prosperity that a single income used to. :shrug:
Guess you have to do what you have to.
 
eohrnberger said:
It used to be that the man left in the morning to go win the bread for the family, and mom stayed home and minded the house and the kids, until they went to school. Beaver Cleaver style.

Now it takes two middle class incomes to afford the same level of prosperity that a single income used to. :shrug:
Guess you have to do what you have to.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that I totally buy that though. Look at what families have to spend their money on when the mother is working: childcare, prepared food, extra gas for the extra commute, after school activities, etc. It's not as if you need both parents working in order to feed the family. I'm not saying that this is true in every case, but moderately wealthy people could get by with just one income.

I guess the real question is, what have we earned as a society by having mothers working instead of taking care of their family? How is society better off? And remember, educated men today are also working more hours per week than they used to in the 1950's, so it's not as if this is just a feminism issue.
 
Careful, now. It's thinking like that that leads to dissatisfaction with our current economic set up in this country. It's thinking like that that's will lead you to seeing income disparity as a problem. And then, well...then you get labeled a liberal, lol.

You also don't have kids. So, why do I do this? I do it to make as much money as I can so I can try to set up my children for a more successful life than my own. In the hope that they'll have the oportunity to do what they love, and if not, at least something that doesn't entail 70 hour work weeks. And yeah, I work for cool toys, too.
 
phattonez said:
I'm not sure that I totally buy that though. Look at what families have to spend their money on when the mother is working: childcare, prepared food, extra gas for the extra commute, after school activities, etc. It's not as if you need both parents working in order to feed the family. I'm not saying that this is true in every case, but moderately wealthy people could get by with just one income.

I guess the real question is, what have we earned as a society by having mothers working instead of taking care of their family? How is society better off? And remember, educated men today are also working more hours per week than they used to in the 1950's, so it's not as if this is just a feminism issue.
Click to expand...

It's because trickle down economics works so well, lol.
 
KevinKohler said:
Careful, now. It's thinking like that that leads to dissatisfaction with our current economic set up in this country. It's thinking like that that's will lead you to seeing income disparity as a problem. And then, well...then you get labeled a liberal, lol.
Click to expand...

Don't worry, I'm about as far away from egalitarianism as you can get.

You also don't have kids. So, why do I do this? I do it to make as much money as I can so I can try to set up my children for a more successful life than my own. In the hope that they'll have the oportunity to do what they love, and if not, at least something that doesn't entail 70 hour work weeks. And yeah, I work for cool toys, too.
Click to expand...

I do have a daughter, and though young, I know that she loves spending time with me and my wife more than playing with any of her toys, or being with anyone else.
 
phattonez said:
I'm not sure that I totally buy that though. Look at what families have to spend their money on when the mother is working: childcare, prepared food, extra gas for the extra commute, after school activities, etc. It's not as if you need both parents working in order to feed the family. I'm not saying that this is true in every case, but moderately wealthy people could get by with just one income.
Click to expand...

It costs between $12,350 and nearly $14,000 a year, on average, to raise a child. Throw in house payments, car insurance, life and health insurance, groceries, gas, and yeah, that adds up. That's a lot of money for a lot of families.
 
KevinKohler said:
It's because trickle down economics works so well, lol.
Click to expand...

Or our current system of debt fueled consumerism is serfdom by another means.
 
Jredbaron96 said:
It costs between $12,350 and nearly $14,000 a year, on average, to raise a child. Throw in house payments, car insurance, life and health insurance, groceries, gas, and yeah, that adds up. That's a lot of money for a lot of families.
Click to expand...

My wife and I are raising a child right now. We spend no more than a few hundred dollars a month on her. Then again, my wife doesn't work, so we save a ton of money on child care.
 
What gets me is that people just forget that daycare is worse for children. All they really care about is that the mother gets what she wants out of life like the kids well being don't count. Then to top it off we get to hear complaints about how expensive daycare is like that is at all surprising. You want them to watch your kid all damn day, so naturally it will cost you a lot of money. What did these people expect it was going to cost exactly? Daycares are not employed by teenage babysisters, but a paid professionals that have families of their own. Why in the **** would they not want good money? Seriously, wtf?

And btw, who in the hell thinks working all day is the best way to live life? The whole feminist thing about female empowerment makes literally no sense. Working all day sucks.
 
phattonez said:
I had this thought the other day, that in the richest country on Earth, that you're expected to spend half of your waking hours at work while your children are raised by strangers and your home sits empty most of the day. Is this the best kind of existence that we've come to with our wealth? It just seems crazy to me. What is the point of this? So that we can afford a nicer house, and a nicer car? Is that really worth the time that we spend away from our families, our lack of time to rest, and neglecting our children? I'm not blaming the parents or saying that they're being cruel to their children, but that this is what our culture seems to expect. How did this happen? And is anyone really happy with this?



I couldn't really think of a better forum for this, so what do you think? Are you satisfied with the expectations of our culture? Are you happy? What do you want out of life?
Click to expand...

it depends on the person, some people want everything that advertised to them, others are more content on living life in a simpler way, its free will.

by working to have a nice house, a BMW and a new iPhone everytime ones come out, we bury ourselves deeper into working longer.

but i would say this if you are young, meaning under 40, 30 would be better and that is to start a IRA now if you don't want to have to work until you are 65.

some people get a thrill of having the newest gadgets like phones other toys, instead of the thrill of thinking about not having to work most of their lives by just investing, even if its a very small amount a week.
 
Henrin said:
What gets me is that people just forget that daycare is worse for children. All they really care about is that the mother gets what she wants out of life like the kids well being don't count. Then to top it off we get to hear complaints about how expensive daycare is like that is at all surprising. You want them to watch your kid all damn day, so naturally it will cost you a lot of money. What did these people expect it was going to cost exactly? Daycares are not employed by teenage babysisters, but a paid professionals that have families of their own. Why in the **** would they not want good money? Seriously, wtf?

And btw, who in the hell thinks working all day is the best way to live life? The whole feminist thing about female empowerment makes literally no sense. Working all day sucks.
Click to expand...

I had a feeling that you of all people would be sympathetic.
 
phattonez said:
Or our current system of debt fueled consumerism is serfdom by another means.
Click to expand...

By design, though. For an employer, it is beneficial for debt ridden employees. It's why college is pushed so hard, when, ultimately, the majority of the jobs in this country require only on the job training.
 
KevinKohler said:
By design, though. For an employer, it is beneficial for debt ridden employees. It's why college is pushed so hard, when, ultimately, the majority of the jobs in this country require only on the job training.
Click to expand...

It's insidious when you really think about it.
 
phattonez said:
My wife and I are raising a child right now. We spend no more than a few hundred dollars a month on her. Then again, my wife doesn't work, so we save a ton of money on child care.
Click to expand...

I'd love to do that, but without her 50k a year, we'd be unable to afford our house, power, oil, etc.

Or have a savings account, or anything like that.
 
phattonez said:
My wife and I are raising a child right now. We spend no more than a few hundred dollars a month on her. Then again, my wife doesn't work, so we save a ton of money on child care.
Click to expand...

Good for you. My family wasn't so lucky.
 
Jredbaron96 said:
Good for you. My family wasn't so lucky.
Click to expand...

We're not rich either, by any means, but we want to be there for our daughter. The alternative, for us, is worse.
 
Henrin said:
What gets me is that people just forget that daycare is worse for children. All they really care about is that the mother gets what she wants out of life like the kids well being don't count. Then to top it off we get to hear complaints about how expensive daycare is like that is at all surprising. You want them to watch your kid all damn day, so naturally it will cost you a lot of money. What did these people expect it was going to cost exactly? Daycares are not employed by teenage babysisters, but a paid professionals that have families of their own. Why in the **** would they not want good money? Seriously, wtf?

And btw, who in the hell thinks working all day is the best way to live life? The whole feminist thing about female empowerment makes literally no sense. Working all day sucks.
Click to expand...

So it's feminists fault? Has nothing to do with stagnant wages coupled with increasing cost of living?
 
KevinKohler said:
So it's feminists fault? Has nothing to do with stagnant wages coupled with increasing cost of living?
Click to expand...

Feminism has absolutely shaped the perception in our culture that you derive your worth in life from your career.
 
phattonez said:
I had this thought the other day, that in the richest country on Earth, that you're expected to spend half of your waking hours at work while your children are raised by strangers and your home sits empty most of the day. Is this the best kind of existence that we've come to with our wealth? It just seems crazy to me. What is the point of this? So that we can afford a nicer house, and a nicer car? Is that really worth the time that we spend away from our families, our lack of time to rest, and neglecting our children? I'm not blaming the parents or saying that they're being cruel to their children, but that this is what our culture seems to expect. How did this happen? And is anyone really happy with this?

I couldn't really think of a better forum for this, so what do you think? Are you satisfied with the expectations of our culture? Are you happy? What do you want out of life?
Click to expand...

i'm grateful for my job, and i do my best at it. do i think that it's a great idea to spend almost every weekday of the year at work? no, i don't. i think that America's "power through with no vacation" norm is fairly backwards and unhealthy as first world countries go. others have it much worse, though. i wouldn't be anyone but myself given the choice, and this is where i live.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom