[jr2]

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll
data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source,
right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with
the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is
unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the
citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What we are so
unhappy about?''



Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week?

Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer
and heating in the winter?

Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see
more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic
Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through
each state?

Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along
the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of
restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good
enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers
show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to
take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. You
may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a
group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch
equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your
belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen
TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a
bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack
or loss.

This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias
raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of
teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy
that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67
percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world
has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great
disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed
people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't
have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good
Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no
plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval
rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark
days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of
recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in
the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe
from terrorist attacks?

The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there
defending you and me?

Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this
news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look
around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?

Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually
caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you he was
failing to bow down and give you your every wish.

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have
volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom.

There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go.

They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general''

discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case
scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of
Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds
it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car
crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at
the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit
corporations. They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend
their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another.

Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a
book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done
it this way......Insane!

Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off
the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your
bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country.

There is exponentially more good than bad.

We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God
several times a day or at least be thankful and appreciative.

"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding,
severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and
with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is
a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

Absolutely no flaming please!  Comments are welcome.  If this upsets you that much, read something else for 10 minutes then come back and post.  Thx. 

[Fury]

How is that limited to Americans? Every single nationality has at least 50% of its citizens more or less unhappy, no matter what their situation is.

In western nations true discontent is caused by their country's leadership and laws. In this day and age we need modern leadership that can understand the big picture of current needs of its citizens. We need leadership that has the will and motivation to change outdated laws to fit modern society on citizens terms.

These problems are small compared to the problems in developing countries, but these problems are the cause of growing discontent in western nations nevertheless.

Since you asked no flaming, I won't go into what bothers me about Americans.

[Fineus]

I find myself thinking:

So you have all these great things, and that is great and makes you incredibly fortunate. But what's wrong with wanting to improve on that?

Don't get me wrong - compared to some places on the planet, the likes of the UK and the US are incredibly well off by comparison. But that doesn't seem to be an excuse for complacency, especially in the face of the actions of men like Bush and Blair.

And as food for thought, isn't New Orleans still pretty wrecked as a result of its hurricane damage? I'm not sure those people are thanking America for all it has given them by means of support. If America as a nation is in such a position to be so incredibly self satisfied as Jay Leno seems to say they should be - New Orleans should be a rebuilt shining new metropolis by now.

[Wobble73]

People will never be happy until they find their Utopia, which doesn't exist and is probably different for everyone!

[diceman111]

Well since most of them havent played FS2 SCP I understand if they are unhappy 

[karajorma]

*goes off to necromance Bill Hicks*

I'd have loved to have heard what he'd have said about this.

[Scuddie]

I dont know which is more offensive...  The fact that Jay Leno got it 100% correct, or that society is dumber than even that idiot not to realize it themselves...

[Flipside]

*goes off to necromance Bill Hicks*

I'd have loved to have heard what he'd have said about this.

I'm not sure what he'd say about it, but Dennis Leary would be bricking himself

As for the article, in some ways I agree, in other ways, you have to ask yourself what exactly it is that people want. When everyone is getting all the benefits, nobody is fortunate.

There is a drive in the US, and to a certain degree, much of the UK that makes us like a Nation of caffeine addicts. Bigger, Stronger, Faster, Better, must succeed, no time for losers, you are what you own etc.

You can have all the Mod Cons in the world, but that won't always mean you are happy. The people who live in the US are descended from those who left the UK and other countries in search of 'Freedom', well, Freedom to fail is every bit the same right as the Freedom to succeed, too many people forget that, and are so hyped up on being a success that failure no longer becomes learning experience, it becomes a brand the person has to wear for a long time.

So, what happens when you live in a country of people who are told that you must never admit you might be wrong, never back down once you have made your stance clear, and must always win?

Take 'X Factor' (please, take it as far away as possible), there is an very telling example of how 'being famous' has become an addiction. And when that kind of addiction gets too deep, you get Klebold and Harris type situations, where people will commit an atrocity simply for the fame it will give them.

So, to return to the original question, 'Why are people unhappy', it's because they live in a culture they can never live up to, they can have all the Modern Conveniences, but they learn 'Happy' from the Cosby show, and lets face it, no family is ever like 'Tv Family', so they think they have failed somehow.

[Turambar]

thing is, we take all that stuff for granted, and we have that no matter who is in power.

jay is, however, totally frakkin wrong.

we'd prefer to have what we have, as well as not have everyone in the middle east hate our nation, not having the troops killed off little by little every day, not have corporations purchase our elected officials etc etc...


i suppose it's the little things that really make the difference


edit: oh, and there is no god, so that last bit is just kinda dumb and pointless

[Scuddie]

edit: oh, and there is no god, so that last bit is just kinda dumb and pointless

[Turambar]

edit: oh, and there is no god, so that last bit is just kinda dumb and pointless

i take it you continue to cling to your delusions?

[Ace]

Is it negativism to expect those disaster response systems he espoused to actually work when something like Katrina happens?

Is it negativism to expect after over five years in Afghanistan to have defeated the Taliban and found Osama Bin Laden instead of the region becoming a haven for drug lords and those factions counter-attacking?

Is it negativism to expect actual, legitimate reasons to invade a country such as Iraq and actually expect a reconstruction plan?

Leno needs to pull his head out of his ass and wake up, life is about more than just his own luxury and survival.

[Turambar]

http://www.ifilm.com/video/2848397

shamelessly grabbed off digg, but relevant.

[Scuddie]

i take it you continue to cling to your delusions?

They're not delusions, they're unknown factors.  Your statement was more idiotic than it was arrogant.  Congratulations.

[Mongoose]

The only negativism I'm seeing right now is in wondering why people are responding seriously to a quoted chain mail that has nothing at all to do with Leno in the first place.

But maybe that's just me.

[Scuddie]

Ya know what?  Seconded.  Leno is an idiot, we should just leave the discussion at that.

[MP-Ryan]

Sure doesn't sound like Leno to me.

And there's good reason to be concerned about unhappiness in Western nations - it causes their leaders to start wars.  Failing economy?  Hell, start a war!  Low in the polls?  We have a military fix for that too!

I'm being facetious, but its shocking how frequently war in the 20th century coincided with failing leadership or economies.

[jr2]

All these comments are interesting (and some funny, and some ...)  , keep it up.

[Nuke]

i know why people are unhappy, theres not a world war going on. we need another, with now fewer than a couple dozen nuke strikes this time. seriously, wee need to kill a few of them so the others can realize what assholes they are. better yet, lets just nuke ourselves. the wise ones will retreat to the woods and live out their days feasting on small rodents. yay! anyway i liked what jay was saying, it sounded oddly familiar. but when he started thanking a non-heathen god, i sorta stopped reading. i look at the americans around me, especially the kids, i felt like i was gonna get a tumor from all the rads of em they were sending out on their cellphones. if theres a good side to it its that asll the radiation is gonna help kill people in the long run. then theres people who dont know how to spend money. my sister owns 2 video cameras 6 digital cameras, 2 ipods and 4 cell phones, none of which work. now lets talk bikes. you know those things i build for money. i started monitoring the returns, the ones i need to order parts for to fix, all with bent rims in the tail. as if a great many teens tried to jump the grand canyon. people spend thousands of dollars on things and trash them like they were nothing. the retail chain who i put those bikes together for, probibly threw 2 grand worth of merchandise down the garbage shoot. some guy with the freight crew who seems to be holding a grudge with me, because the higher ups think that my designated work area and the forklift parking area should be the same. it seems he intentionally over stacked my bikes on palletts 12 feet high so as to piss me off, then when i went into work today, they had toppled all over the floor. this dont cost me any money, on the other hand i make a fortune on the repairs, and i just got a raise too. funny thing is hes probbibly at a hash house, doing all kinds of drugs, telling his stoner buddied how he ****ed up the bike dude's work all while i rack up 200 bucks a day, and the store is wondering where all the shrinkage is coming from and promptly order more security cameras. but the **** people do with resources is incredibly dumb. im not even gonna start on cars. i happily use the bus. well not happily. it would be better if the parants tought their kids manors so thy wouldnt hog all the seats and litter the floor with potato chip bakes and redbull cans. nothing a piece of rebar and a phone book couldnt fix. well this has been a rant with no line breaks but im more concerned with peoples attitudes than grammer. actually go back to the nuke idea that would work better.

[Mefustae]

*Snip*

You like nukes, we get it already! Sheesh, seems like every other thread you pop-up with more nuclear wackiness.