When Did it Become Acceptable to Bring Politic of Hate into SL?

[Evah Baxton]

2 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

I believe in my nonprofit. I believe in our mission and our cause.

Awesome. I would too if I were there. Of course there are many different organizations which should be treated differently and I do see your point about the non-profits and thank you for the video link.

I just think there is a lot more fraud going on. A lot of people flocking to non-profits lately. Non-profit wages went up sharply. I don't know why. It's a pattern that I can see. There is either something really great happening or something really terrible.

Anyways, definitely not trying to devalue the good work that you and other good people are doing. Just stirring things up to get a more diverse opinion on it. 😊

[Selene Gregoire]

16 minutes ago, Evah Baxton said:

My skills are not in farming. My skills are closer to building automated farm equipment. Maybe we would have to go all the way back. I like to think that we could have both. Somehow.

Sounds like your thinking more along the lines of Star Trek. I still have a very small hope that someday we will achieve that but it won't happen in my lifetime.  

We could have both and we could have it right now but as I said (and you just inadvertently demonstrated) people don't want to give up what they have now. Why? Because they are selfish and greedy. (I'm not saying you are, just people in general.) Today's society has moved away from the good of the people society for that very reason. That and change scares the crap out of most people because it's an unknown. We're not dealing with an unknown here though. We know it worked and could work again. We are the living proof that it worked. Otherwise, humans wouldn't be here now. People had to band together and work for the good of the community to live. That should never have changed. But thanks to people like assTrumpet, we now live in a society that cares nothing for the community or the people that live in those communities because equity should not exist in their minds. They should all be kings and queens while the rest of us should bow down and grovel for every tiny scrap of food they dain to toss to us once in a while only because if they don't feed us from time to time, they have to get off their butts and do their own dirty work. 

I think I'd better stop now. I'm pretty sure you get the idea.

 

[Beth Macbain]

10 minutes ago, Evah Baxton said:

I just think there is a lot more fraud going on. A lot of people flocking to non-profits lately. Non-profit wages went up sharply. I don't know why. It's a pattern that I can see. There is either something really great happening or something really terrible.

Source? 

Not necessarily saying you're wrong, but being in the industry for as long as I have, I'm not seeing what you're seeing. I know many more nonprofits that have shut their doors than new ones that have opened. Nonprofit employees tend to be younger, just out of college, and ready to change the world. The nonprofit is their entry-level job. They put in a few years, get tired of being underpaid and overworked, and further and further in debt (especially if they start their own family), and then they leave for the corporate world. 

I'm not sure how you can say you aren't trying to devalue the work we do when you've suggested a couple times that nonprofit employees should be paid less that for-profit employees. Nonprofit work is hard work. In my field (human services) it is very often traumatic work, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Keeping good employees is almost impossible. Who wants to come into work every day knowing they're likely to be punched, bitten, spit on, kicked, and sent to the hospital? Or they're going to watch a child die? And you think they staff members dealing with these types of things should be paid less? 

Perhaps nonprofit wages have gone up (and again, source?) because there is finally starting to be some recognition that we deserve to be paid a livable wage. 

[Janet Voxel]

18 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

Source? 

Not necessarily saying you're wrong, but being in the industry for as long as I have, I'm not seeing what you're seeing. 

That’s because it’s not. I work on the government side of things and I talk to thousands of people a year, no exaggeration.

There are cases of fraud, sure but we’re talking 1-2% of cases that involve benefits/assistance. I’d say about a good quarter of people I speak to don’t even seek them out until it’s their absolute last resort. That’s simply because of the stigma attached to them.

Its a pretty common misconception. 

[Evah Baxton]

5 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

Sounds like your thinking more along the lines of Star Trek.

Yes.

5 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

Because they are selfish and greedy.

Yes.

6 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

Today's society has moved away from the good of the people

Yes

8 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

They [believe they] should all be kings and queens while the rest of us should bow down and grovel

From the other side, the kings and queens are seen as the ones trying to take control over the current system. The idea is that they will use nature as the unseen God to dictate human lives and subvert "God given" rights. Even re-developing the system to allow this kind of corruption would be bad. When climate change is called a "hoax" it is usually referring to this. The idea is that you'd at least have a chance to argue with or throw a shoe at a billionaire. You can never argue with "settled science".

I know that climate change is real and is caused mostly by humans. We need safe nuclear now, something else later ...

... or go back to berries and nuts. I don't see that happening by choice either.

[Evah Baxton]

39 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

Source? 

https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2016/article/nonprofits-in-america.htm

This was the newest thing I could find.

No source on the fraud part. I said "I think" on that one and then amended my thought with "could be good, could be bad".

Edited January 8, 2020 by Evah Baxton

[Selene Gregoire]

@Evah Baxton

Maybe this article will help you understand where I'm coming from. Extinction/destruction, all in the name of the almighty dollar.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/07/honeybees-deaths-almonds-hives-aoe

We need bees. 

 

[Beth Macbain]

9 minutes ago, Evah Baxton said:

https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2016/article/nonprofits-in-america.htm

This was the newest thing I could find.

No source on the fraud part. I said "I think" on that one.

I've just skimmed through, skipping over most of the data sources and methodology, other than to note that they included healthcare in these numbers. And yes, most hospitals are nonprofit. They also run under a reimbursement model, meaning that most of their budget numbers are filled in by insurance billings. A very small percentage of their budget is devoted to funds that actually have to be raised.

Also, if nurses and doctors demand raises, there really isn't much choice other than to give them raises. While I don't work in a hospital, my organization employs a whole lot of nurses and some doctors. They get raises when I don't. Their presence is literally a matter of life and death, and they deserve every single penny they get. 

This date is also from 2012 so it's at least 8 years old. It covers the recession and here's something that surprises a lot of people - nonprofits did great during the recession, or at least human services organizations did. People weren't getting raises in the for-profit world during the recession - they were getting laid off or fired. These people all needed our services, and many other services, in order to survive. Those very same people who desperately needed us are also the most generous when they get back on their feet. When you have almost nothing, it's a lot easier to empathize with the people who actually have nothing. "There but for the grace of God" and all that. We survived the recession on a lot of $5-$10 donations that made up for our major donors that lost their asses not giving us a thing. People took care of their own and used us as the method to do that. 

It was really a humbling experience when we were worried that we weren't going to be able to keep our doors open to find that our community stepped up to make sure our doors stayed open. 

Anyway, I hope I've made you think a little differently about nonprofit employees and our pay. We deserve what we get. We actually deserve more than we get, but we love what we do and at the end of the day, we know we're doing good. 

We still have bills to pay, though.

[Selene Gregoire]

5 minutes ago, Evah Baxton said:

From the other side, the kings and queens are seen as the ones trying to take control over the current system. The idea is that they will use nature as the unseen God to dictate human lives and subvert "God given" rights. Even re-developing the system to allow this kind of corruption would be bad. When climate change is called a "hoax" it is usually referring to this. The idea is that you'd at least have a chance to argue with or throw a shoe at a billionaire. You can never argue with "settled science".

I know that climate change is real and is caused mostly by humans. We need safe nuclear now, something else later ...

... or go back to berries and nuts. I don't see that happening by choice either.

Nuclear power is one of the worst things that have ever happened to this planet and its occupants, both ambulatory and stationary.

"God" and so called "god given" rights is just their way of forcing others under their control. That is what it really boils down to. Control. Why do you think so many claim to know what "god" wants when all they have to go by is the words of human beings written more than 1500 years ago. According to the bible, "god" is perfectly capable of writing or did not Moses bring back the commandments on stone tablets that he claimed were carved by "god"? We only have Moses' word for it. There were no witnesses so Moses could have done the work himself. He was on the mountain long enough to do it and it would have taken that long.

No, I do not believe in the "god" touted by organized religions. Is there something "out there" creating worlds and galaxies and creatures to live on the worlds? Certainly but it isn't a god of any kind unless you want to think of a black hole as "god". There is no omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, incorporeal being "out there". If people want to worship black holes that's fine by me. But don't try to force your beliefs and desire to control others on everyone else. That's how wars start. People don't see it but when you start digging, all wars were started because of people wanting to force their beliefs on others to control them. 

Just how many gods will it take for humans to finally accept the truth and be responsible for what they do rather than try to fob it off on some nonexistent "omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, incorporeal being".

http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/gods.htm

[Evah Baxton]

11 minutes ago, Beth Macbain said:

This date is also from 2012 so it's at least 8 years old.

Newer:

https://ccss.jhu.edu/2019-nonprofit-employment-report/

• Nonprofits also generated the third largest payroll income of any U.S. industry in 2016, behind only manufacturing and professional services.
• But nonprofit successes have attracted for-profit firms into nonprofit fields, leading to worrying declines in nonprofit market shares in fields as diverse as social assistance, nursing homes, and hospital care, as shown in Figure 2.

[Evah Baxton]

You are all amazing. 🥰

[KanryDrago]

8 hours ago, Evah Baxton said:

What is God's love though? God's creation as we know it so far is wildly intolerant, sexist, immoral and violent. 

What did you expect so is she and thats why we love her

[Janet Voxel]

1 hour ago, Evah Baxton said:

Newer:

https://ccss.jhu.edu/2019-nonprofit-employment-report/

• Nonprofits also generated the third largest payroll income of any U.S. industry in 2016, behind only manufacturing and professional services.
• But nonprofit successes have attracted for-profit firms into nonprofit fields, leading to worrying declines in nonprofit market shares in fields as diverse as social assistance, nursing homes, and hospital care, as shown in Figure 2.

Look out!!! That socialism is spreading!!!!

[Garnet Psaltery]

6 hours ago, Aethelwine said:

I am reminded of the old tune:

All things dull and ugly,
All creatures short and squat,
All things rude and nasty,
The Lord God made the lot.

Each little snake that poisons,
Each little wasp that stings,
He made their brutish venom.
He made their horrid wings.

All things sick and cancerous,
All evil great and small,
All things foul and dangerous,
The Lord God made them all.

Each nasty little hornet,
Each beastly little squid,
Who made the spikey urchin?
Who made the sharks? He did!

All things scabbed and ulcerous,
All pox both great and small,
Putrid, foul and gangrenous,
The Lord God made them all.

Amen.

 

"Be fair, it was his first universe".  Dudley Moore.

[Selene Gregoire]

Zager and Evan's 2525 always struck a deep chord with me.

 

In the year 2525, if man is still alive
If woman can survive, they may find

In the year 3535
Ain't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lie
Everything you think, do and say
Is in the pill you took today

In the year 4545
You ain't gonna need your teeth, won't need your eyes
You won't find a thing to chew
Nobody's gonna look at you

In the year 5555
Your arms hangin' limp at your sides
Your legs got nothin' to do
Some machine's doin' that for you

In the year 6565
You ain't gonna need no husband, won't need no wife
You'll pick your son, pick your daughter too
From the bottom of a long glass tube

 

In the year 7510
If God's a coming, He oughta make it by then
Maybe He'll look around Himself and say
Guess it's time for the judgment day

In the year 8510
God is gonna shake His mighty head
He'll either say I'm pleased where man has been
Or tear it down, and start again

 

In the year 9595
I'm kinda wonderin' if man is gonna be alive
He's taken everything this old earth can give
And he ain't put back nothing

 

Now it's been ten thousand years
Man has cried a billion tears
For what, he never knew, now man's reign is through

But through eternal night, the twinkling of starlight
So very far away, maybe it's only yesterday

 

In the year 2525, if man is still alive
If woman can survive, they may find

 

 

 

 

Is this really how we all want to see humans become? I don't believe that is true but by their actions (or inaction) today that is where we are heading and it is a very ugly place to end up. To put it mildly.

[Bree Giffen]

This was in God Emperor of Dune. Saving humanity from self destruction. 

[Selene Gregoire]

2 minutes ago, Bree Giffen said:

This was in God Emperor of Dune. Saving humanity from self destruction. 

I have all the books. 

[Bree Giffen]

Can't wait for the new Dune movie! I read them all as a teen. 

[MoiraKathleen]

2 hours ago, Selene Gregoire said:

Zager and Evan's 2525 always struck a deep chord with me.

 

In the year 2525, if man is still alive
If woman can survive, they may find

In the year 3535
Ain't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lie
Everything you think, do and say
Is in the pill you took today

In the year 4545
You ain't gonna need your teeth, won't need your eyes
You won't find a thing to chew
Nobody's gonna look at you

In the year 5555
Your arms hangin' limp at your sides
Your legs got nothin' to do
Some machine's doin' that for you

In the year 6565
You ain't gonna need no husband, won't need no wife
You'll pick your son, pick your daughter too
From the bottom of a long glass tube

 

In the year 7510
If God's a coming, He oughta make it by then
Maybe He'll look around Himself and say
Guess it's time for the judgment day

In the year 8510
God is gonna shake His mighty head
He'll either say I'm pleased where man has been
Or tear it down, and start again

 

In the year 9595
I'm kinda wonderin' if man is gonna be alive
He's taken everything this old earth can give
And he ain't put back nothing

 

Now it's been ten thousand years
Man has cried a billion tears
For what, he never knew, now man's reign is through

But through eternal night, the twinkling of starlight
So very far away, maybe it's only yesterday

 

In the year 2525, if man is still alive
If woman can survive, they may find

That song has actually been in my mind a lot, recently.

[Selene Gregoire]

15 minutes ago, moirakathleen said:

That song has actually been in my mind a lot, recently.

It's never very far away from mine. 

Read the lyrics again and substitute the word thrive for find  and brain for reign. Pretty chilling.

[Evah Baxton]

7 hours ago, Beth Macbain said:

I'm not sure how you can say you aren't trying to devalue the work we do when you've suggested a couple times that nonprofit employees should be paid less that for-profit employeees.

Your work or the people you know. I know nothing about you or the people you work with. 

[Cam Mode]

Funny people are called "they" when not agreed with , as if they all are the monolith thinkers.  Each person is that , one.

It is when you clump them and ignore their individualism you end up in very dark places. The mob frenzy is scary.

 

 

 

 

[Ceka Cianci]

Y,all just forcin me ta throw the hammer down now..

I suuure hate havin ta dew it. But the corn ain't gonna shuck itself.. So here goes!

[Bobbie Faulds]

I didn’t read through all the replies here so if this has already been broached, my apologies. If you see anyone wearing or displaying a swastika, report it. That is one thing that is not allowed in SL. Same thing applies to WWII German uniforms. For “speech”, mute is a lovely thing.

[Beth Macbain]

3 hours ago, Cam Mode said:

Funny people are called "they" when not agreed with , as if they all are the monolith thinkers. 

How else would you refer to a group of people? In this thread, for the most part, the "they" are Trump supporters. They are a they. That's how you refer to a group. 

THEY: Pronoun used to refer to two or more people or things previously mentioned or easily identified.

Is there anyone who is confused as to who people are referring to when "they" is used? In general, not just this thread. 

I don't like Nazis. They are evil. 

Is there any confusion there?

I like kittens. They are floofy. 

Is that confusing? 

3 hours ago, Cam Mode said:

It is when you clump them and ignore their individualism you end up in very dark places.

Who is the "them" and "their" you're using? Did you confuse yourself using those?

And when I say "you're" and "yourself" are you befuddled about who I'm referring to? Should I say "Who is the 'them' and 'their' Cam Mode is using?" Did Cam Mode confuse Cam Mode's self using those? Because I'm not talking to anyone else, I'm talking directly to you, Cam Mode. And if I did happen to be talking about you, Cam Mode, to someone else, is it confusing to them when if I say "he" in a sentence that immediately follows a sentence where I used your, Cam Mode's, name?