Why are we so apathetic?

[muir]

Something rubs me the wrong way with this and I think I finally figured it out. Not only had he already made his million dollar salary and amassed a nice "nest egg", but the company itself should not exist. It's a credit card processing company for small businesses. He made a 7 figure salary being a middle-man, creating a business that has no productive value to society. He doesn't manufacture anything. He doesn't research anything for science/progress. His company just picks up the scraps from the banks that are too big to be bothered with the small details. This pretty much puts him and his company on the same level as the investment bankers, real estate agents and lawyers.

I agree with everything you say here

but.....

This story received massive coverage...it went 'viral'

So it is planting seeds in peoples minds....both the workers minds and the CEO's minds

It is highlighting the issue of the disparity of pay

Will it encourage more business chiefs to follow suit? Probably not the guys at the top (who have an agenda), but maybe people running smaller companies like his

 

[muir]

I feel like apathy stemms from whether it's a concern for our own lives. If we feel like [insert issue here] makes a difference to how we live our every day lives, whether it's physical or emotional, then we are more inclined to do something about it.

In a globalised world everything is connected

For example if TEPCO don't do a good job of cleaning up fukishima then the fish you eat in the US will be irradiated

Therefore what goes on in Japan is your business because you are affected.

 

[muir]

We can’t even provide running water now…all while Nestle bottles billions of gallons of water, and fracking wastes millions of gallons of water.

[video=youtube;JnkskGt4-w8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JnkskGt4-w8[/video]

I think they have been deliberately running down the water. It's all part of their wider geoengineering scheme

Watch them push the whole climate change agenda after this

 

[Skarekrow]

These numbers are quite scary.

They compared Wall Street bonuses to the total earnings of every minimum wage worker.
Oh, it's sad.​

In 2014, Wall Street bonuses totaled $28.5 billion.

First, congratulations, Wall Street!
I'm sure you really earned each and every dollar.

Now let's break that down to a figure the rest of us can wrap our heads around.
According to the New York State comptroller, Wall Street employees (167,800 of them, to be exact) received an average bonus of $172,860.

My math put it at just shy of $170,000, but when you're rolling like that, what's a few thousand dollars?
Especially considering this figure doesn't include their salaries, which are almost certainly very generous.
But hey, they're doing God's work.

Meanwhile, in the vast land of minimum wages, a million workers earned about half as much as Wall Street made in bonuses alone.

​

The average Wall Street bonus is three times higher than the median U.S. household income.
While those 1 million minimum wage employees also include tipped workers who are probably earning more than the federal minimum, let's be real: A server's earnings are a far cry from a six-figure bonus on top of a six-figure salary.

$28.5 billion would be more than enough to pay living wages to millions of low-wage workers.

​

If the term "living wage" is new to you, here's the short of it:

A living wage is "an approximate income needed to meet a family's basic needs.” Today's minimum wage doesn't even come close. According to MIT's living wage calculator website:

"The minimum wage does not provide a living wage for most American families. A typical family of four (two working adults, two children) needs to work more than 3 full-time minimum-wage jobs (a 68-hour work week per working adult) to earn a living wage."

​

Putting more money in the pockets of low-wage workers does more for the overall economy than Wall Street bonuses.

Before we dig in, try to put yourself in the shoes of a Wall Street worker.
What are you going to buy with that $170,000 bonus?

Remember, this is just extra cash on top of your salary, and all of your basic needs are well taken care of.
And how much of it are you actually going to spend?

Got some stuff in mind?
OK, hold that thought.

Now, put yourself in the shoes of a minimum wage worker.
What are you going to buy with that paycheck?

Remember, housing costs will put a big dent in your finances.
Then there's your utilities, and you have to eat, right?

Oh, and if you have a family, it's probably dwindling even more quickly.
See where I'm going with this?

The Institute for Policy Studies writes:

"Wall Street bonus season may coincide with an uptick in luxury goods sales, but a raise in the minimum wage would give America's economy a much greater boost. To meet basic needs, low-wage workers tend to spend nearly every dollar they make. The wealthy can afford to squirrel away more of their earnings. All those dollars low-wage workers spend create an economic ripple effect."

​

What would happen if that $28.5 billion went to low-wage workers instead?

​

We already know that minimum wages are barely, if at all, providing the lowest earners with what they need to get by.
A modest boost in their wages from the federal minimum of $7.25 to $15 an hour would allow them to more fully meet their needs, and that spending would stimulate the economy.

The person with an extra $170,000 on hand isn't likely to spend it all because, well, there's only so much a human being needs.
Sure, that might fund a vacation home, a boat, maybe some expensive trinkets – but for the most part, it just becomes accumulated wealth.

And stockpiled cash does nothing for the economy.

"Every extra dollar going into the pockets of a high-income American only adds about $0.39 to the GDP. By contrast, every extra dollar going into the pockets of low-wage workers adds about $1.21 to the national economy. These pennies add up considerably on $28.5 billion in earnings."

​

Considerably, indeed.
A wage increase totaling $28.5 billion to minimum wage workers would boost the country's gross domestic product by three times as much as the same amount going to people who are already well-off, like Wall Street employees.

Raising the minimum wage to a living wage serves everyone's interests – even the short-sighted people who would argue otherwise.

And lastly, consider this: Those massive Wall Street bonuses?
Those are rewards for exactly the kind of risky decisions that tanked the economy in 2008.

Doesn't that seem a little backward for a country that says it values an honest day's work?

 

[Skarekrow]

 

[muir]

I don't think most people have a clue whats really going on in the world and I think that many of those that do have a clue don't understand just how bad things are

This allows a lot of people to lie to themselves that it's ok to carry on as before

I don't think most people will get off their butts and make any changes until the wolf is at their door

 

[Lerxst]

I don't think most people have a clue whats really going on in the world and I think that many of those that do have a clue don't understand just how bad things are

This allows a lot of people to lie to themselves that it's ok to carry on as before

I don't think most people will get off their butts and make any changes until the wolf is at their door

Or in my case, we're stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, there's open revolution and what not - we'd still stand to lose everything, people get hurt, etc. On the other hand, there's the status quo where we'd still lose everything, but at a much slower rate.

I'm not a fan of either.

Don't get me wrong, shit is still going to hit the fan and things are going to need to change, but myself (and I'm sure millions of others) aren't in a position to do anything - family, food, housing, etc are all #1, the rest is secondary.

I'll vote, I'll petition and I'll do everything else, but when it's all said and done, I'd rather move myself to a 3rd world country, live off the grid and watch the rest of the world implode.

 

[muir]

Or in my case, we're stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, there's open revolution and what not - we'd still stand to lose everything, people get hurt, etc. On the other hand, there's the status quo where we'd still lose everything, but at a much slower rate.

I'm not a fan of either.

Don't get me wrong, shit is still going to hit the fan and things are going to need to change, but myself (and I'm sure millions of others) aren't in a position to do anything - family, food, housing, etc are all #1, the rest is secondary.

I'll vote, I'll petition and I'll do everything else, but when it's all said and done, I'd rather move myself to a 3rd world country, live off the grid and watch the rest of the world implode.

I think we can all do something

For example....look at my posts..i talk about this shit all the time

Now imagine if EVERYONE was doing what i'm doing. Imagine if everyone was saying that the political system is a sham and that the main political parties are controlled by the rothschilds and their corporate network and that the money supply is controlled by the rothschilds and their network and that they are covertly spraying us with chemtrails and injecting us with toxic vaccines and militarising our police against us etc etc

Imagine if everyone was doing that...things would change over night

But they don't because they have a SLAVE MENTALITY where they think they have no power and because they act like they have no power...guess what they haven't

i took my money out of their banks. Imagine if everyone took their money out of their banks and put them in community credit unions.....the banking system would change overnight

But they don't do that because they have a slave mentality and think they will make no difference

Imagine if everyone stopped taking the vaccines

Imagine if everyone started buying organic food from their local growers and actively supporting permaculture, the food industry would change overnight

Imagine if everyone started thinking about who and what they support with their money, time, effort and attention

Imagine if everyone ignored the corporate mainstream media and started switching onto the alternative media....the situation would change overnight

Imagine if everyone was demanding that the control of the money supply was put into the hands of the treasury and not the private banking cartel behind the 'federal' reserve

And so on and so on

But people don't make these small changes because they have a slave mentality and because they have been conditioned by the system to think that they stand alone and have no power

But imagine if people threw off that slave mentality and realised that if they all start acting together as one they would be unstoppable

Imagine if everyone started saying 'NO TO WAR'

Imagine of everyone boycotted the goods and services of the big corporations and used local produce and services instead

Imagine if people stopped listening to the lying narratives of the corporate media and started writing their own narratives of peace and cooperation

But first...they must lose the slave mentality

They have plenty of power, but only if they use their imagination to have the vision to see beyond the slave mentality to their true potential

Part of the reason behind apathy is lack of imagination

 

[j654dgj7]

I don't know that we are apathetic. I think people are just dying to define this generation and what our "cause" should be. Everything is different from 20-30 years ago, and we don't know how to handle it. We have a system that hasn't taken the change into consideration the new developments, and has consequently made a little amount of people very rich, all of a sudden.

I don't know what we are. I just don't think apathetic is the right word. I think people care a whole lot, we just don't know how to express it or what cause we should have.

 

[Skarekrow]

I don't know that we are apathetic. I think people are just dying to define this generation and what our "cause" should be. Everything is different from 20-30 years ago, and we don't know how to handle it. We have a system that hasn't taken the change into consideration the new developments, and has consequently made a little amount of people very rich, all of a sudden.

I don't know what we are. I just don't think apathetic is the right word. I think people care a whole lot, we just don't know how to express it or what cause we should have.

Okay…maybe not “apathetic” but certainly a pervasive underlying feeling of helplessness then no?
This in turn leads people to turn a blind eye to the things they have no control over to things that they can control…jobs, accumulation of things, home life (to a certain extent and those may or may not be healthy), drug use, themselves….can we even control ourselves?
I think that most people feel overwhelmed with just their day to day lives they have built for themselves…seemingly trying to attain something…even if it is just a peace of mind.
Even these seemingly mundane activities sometimes affect and effect us in ways that would make anyone laugh when asked “What did you do on a global scale today?”.
But it is the seemingly mundane things that we as a society have decided to do…such as, recycled plastics and paper and glass…and we make that choice to chuck it in the trash or in the recycling bin. But that multiplied by a whole society that has decided that it is in our best interests as a species and as good patrons of our planet to take care of it…then you make a difference.
So we also shouldn’t just limit ourselves to such things and pat ourselves on the bad and say - Great job saving the planet today!
We should constantly try to make this world we live in a better place…not for any outdated thoughts of morality, but because the system is out of control and cancerous….it is destroying all parts of this world.
There needs to be a better way…and even the small bits help.

 

[Lerxst]

This picture says it all:

View attachment 23317

That's where the apathy comes from. Generations and generations of people all protesting the same things. Once in a while some steps forward are taken, then they immediately take 2 steps back.

Look at now in the US, people are still protesting racism... racism is still a thing!? Thank you Tea Party, for trying to throw us back into the 1850's. It's due to retarded, ass-backwards shit like that, that proves the human race simply cannot ever progress any reasonable amount.

 

[j654dgj7]

Okay…maybe not “apathetic” but certainly a pervasive underlying feeling of helplessness then no?
This in turn leads people to turn a blind eye to the things they have no control over to things that they can control…jobs, accumulation of things, home life (to a certain extent and those may or may not be healthy), drug use, themselves….can we even control ourselves?
I think that most people feel overwhelmed with just their day to day lives they have built for themselves…seemingly trying to attain something…even if it is just a peace of mind.
Even these seemingly mundane activities sometimes affect and effect us in ways that would make anyone laugh when asked “What did you do on a global scale today?”.
But it is the seemingly mundane things that we as a society have decided to do…such as, recycled plastics and paper and glass…and we make that choice to chuck it in the trash or in the recycling bin. But that multiplied by a whole society that has decided that it is in our best interests as a species and as good patrons of our planet to take care of it…then you make a difference.
So we also shouldn’t just limit ourselves to such things and pat ourselves on the bad and say - Great job saving the planet today!
We should constantly try to make this world we live in a better place…not for any outdated thoughts of morality, but because the system is out of control and cancerous….it is destroying all parts of this world.
There needs to be a better way…and even the small bits help.

I agree with what you're saying. I think some of it comes from a feeling of strangulation by the system. No clear alternative to how things are run. I don't think that's apathetic, I think it's a very observant political determination of not participating in the broken system. I don't necessarily agree with that approach, but I think that needs to be taken into consideration. Look at Nordic countries, 80-90% of young people vote. There's 8-9 political parties, and they feel like their vote matters and could affect how things are done. I think. I don't know, luckily I'm not a political scientist ;-)

 

[ThomasJ79]

[video=youtube;VGewQB3mDv4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGewQB3mDv4[/video]

 

[Lerxst]

luckily I'm not a political scientist ;-)

Problem #1 - politics shouldn't require a field of science dedicated to them.

 

[Eventhorizon]

More apathy...

[h=1]Last Male Northern White Rhino On Planet Has 24/7 Armed Guard Protection[/h]

http://www.unilad.co.uk/articles/la...ino-on-planet-has-247-armed-guard-protection/

Funny. No one in their right mind would get that close to a rhino.

 

[Eventhorizon]

These numbers are quite scary.

They compared Wall Street bonuses to the total earnings of every minimum wage worker.
Oh, it's sad.​

In 2014, Wall Street bonuses totaled $28.5 billion.

First, congratulations, Wall Street!
I'm sure you really earned each and every dollar.

Now let's break that down to a figure the rest of us can wrap our heads around.
According to the New York State comptroller, Wall Street employees (167,800 of them, to be exact) received an average bonus of $172,860.

My math put it at just shy of $170,000, but when you're rolling like that, what's a few thousand dollars?
Especially considering this figure doesn't include their salaries, which are almost certainly very generous.
But hey, they're doing God's work.

Meanwhile, in the vast land of minimum wages, a million workers earned about half as much as Wall Street made in bonuses alone.

​

The average Wall Street bonus is three times higher than the median U.S. household income.
While those 1 million minimum wage employees also include tipped workers who are probably earning more than the federal minimum, let's be real: A server's earnings are a far cry from a six-figure bonus on top of a six-figure salary.

$28.5 billion would be more than enough to pay living wages to millions of low-wage workers.

​

If the term "living wage" is new to you, here's the short of it:

A living wage is "an approximate income needed to meet a family's basic needs.” Today's minimum wage doesn't even come close. According to MIT's living wage calculator website:

"The minimum wage does not provide a living wage for most American families. A typical family of four (two working adults, two children) needs to work more than 3 full-time minimum-wage jobs (a 68-hour work week per working adult) to earn a living wage."

​

Putting more money in the pockets of low-wage workers does more for the overall economy than Wall Street bonuses.

Before we dig in, try to put yourself in the shoes of a Wall Street worker.
What are you going to buy with that $170,000 bonus?

Remember, this is just extra cash on top of your salary, and all of your basic needs are well taken care of.
And how much of it are you actually going to spend?

Got some stuff in mind?
OK, hold that thought.

Now, put yourself in the shoes of a minimum wage worker.
What are you going to buy with that paycheck?

Remember, housing costs will put a big dent in your finances.
Then there's your utilities, and you have to eat, right?

Oh, and if you have a family, it's probably dwindling even more quickly.
See where I'm going with this?

The Institute for Policy Studies writes:

"Wall Street bonus season may coincide with an uptick in luxury goods sales, but a raise in the minimum wage would give America's economy a much greater boost. To meet basic needs, low-wage workers tend to spend nearly every dollar they make. The wealthy can afford to squirrel away more of their earnings. All those dollars low-wage workers spend create an economic ripple effect."

​

What would happen if that $28.5 billion went to low-wage workers instead?

​

We already know that minimum wages are barely, if at all, providing the lowest earners with what they need to get by.
A modest boost in their wages from the federal minimum of $7.25 to $15 an hour would allow them to more fully meet their needs, and that spending would stimulate the economy.

The person with an extra $170,000 on hand isn't likely to spend it all because, well, there's only so much a human being needs.
Sure, that might fund a vacation home, a boat, maybe some expensive trinkets — but for the most part, it just becomes accumulated wealth.

And stockpiled cash does nothing for the economy.

"Every extra dollar going into the pockets of a high-income American only adds about $0.39 to the GDP. By contrast, every extra dollar going into the pockets of low-wage workers adds about $1.21 to the national economy. These pennies add up considerably on $28.5 billion in earnings."

​

Considerably, indeed.
A wage increase totaling $28.5 billion to minimum wage workers would boost the country's gross domestic product by three times as much as the same amount going to people who are already well-off, like Wall Street employees.

Raising the minimum wage to a living wage serves everyone's interests — even the short-sighted people who would argue otherwise.

And lastly, consider this: Those massive Wall Street bonuses?
Those are rewards for exactly the kind of risky decisions that tanked the economy in 2008.

Doesn't that seem a little backward for a country that says it values an honest day's work?

And? Who are you to say how much anyone should get paid for the job they do?

 

[Eventhorizon]

Snooze. Of course this is completely false yet again.
But I like the picture of Paul. Right now I am liking the PresidentiaL candidates. We actually have a few that I think can actually repair the country though its a daunting task indeed. Paul or Graham. Maybe both if the run together. I still wish Rice would run but I guess you cant have everything.

 

[Skarekrow]

And? Who are you to say how much anyone should get paid for the job they do?

I’m nobody to say that and neither are you Sir.
But for our society to function in a manner that doesn’t exploit people to make even more money that gets hoarded then some shit needs to change.
Why so anti-people over profits?

 

[Skarekrow]

Snooze. Of course this is completely false yet again.
But I like the picture of Paul. Right now I am liking the PresidentiaL candidates. We actually have a few that I think can actually repair the country though its a daunting task indeed. Paul or Graham. Maybe both if the run together. I still wish Rice would run but I guess you cant have everything.

It’s not false…do some fucking research man.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/gop-led-house-votes-to-repeal-the-estate-tax/article/2563148

 

[Skarekrow]