The New Adventures of Mr Stephen Fry » Topic: stupid stupid world

The New Adventures of Mr Stephen Fry » Topic: stupid stupid world http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world Just another bbPress community en-US Sat, 25 May 2013 11:41:40 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/search.php Nitro on "stupid stupid world" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world/page/2#post-287891 Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:49:14 +0000 Nitro 287891@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ I'm not sure what the Tito reference was about Tobias. Anything in particular? I was thinking more of Pam and I forget his old handle, but I recall it had 'Britain' in it. Both struck me as intelligent and insightful and, at times, passionate about what they thought, which I tend to admire more than not. And for GG, very sorry for your loss though I do understand any relief you may feel for your fathers sake. Grief is a rude bastard dear and intrudes on everyone differently even when they're experiencing losing the same person. The upside is you all still have each other and I'm sure you will help each other cope and be compassionate to each other. joan on "stupid stupid world" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world/page/2#post-287759 Thu, 27 Sep 2012 10:50:18 +0000 joan 287759@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Hello again GG. It must be awful trying to cope with grieving while trying to help your Mum. The only thing you can do for her, I believe, is look after the practical things in life. Make sure she drinks enough, eats enough, and gets some sleep. Meanwhile look after your own needs too - you need to keep your health. There is nothing you can say to make it better, so just stick to keeping things ticking over for now. Don't expect too much from yourself or anyone else. I saw my best friend deal with the decline of her alzheimer-suffering mother in law, and that's all she could do - just the practicalities. My own Mum had dementia at the end, but was at the other side of the world from me. My brother visited her regularly in the nursing home, and had to accept a hell of a lot. She forgot him in the end. It's a bugger isn't it? Hugs from me, and all my best wishes for you to get through this horrible time. Love from Joan marmotte on "stupid stupid world" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world/page/2#post-287743 Wed, 26 Sep 2012 22:21:43 +0000 marmotte 287743@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Dear gadgetgirl, I feel for you and send you much love and a big hug. Marmotte gadgetgirl on "stupid stupid world" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world/page/2#post-287731 Wed, 26 Sep 2012 08:38:12 +0000 gadgetgirl 287731@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Originally started this about my parents, so I am re-railing the thread! My Dad died last thursday morning (I was there with my mother, aunt and sister). We had our differences, but it was a relief for him in the end as the cancer had spread everywhere and he had so little quality of life after the paralysis. But fuckity fuck my Mum is falling to pieces and cannot comprehend at all. gadgetgirl on "stupid stupid world" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world/page/2#post-287375 Wed, 05 Sep 2012 03:13:04 +0000 gadgetgirl 287375@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Terrified by the lurch to the right over here today with government reshuffle. A women and equalities minister who votes against legislation on homophobia and tries to restrict abortion severely. Gawd. TobiasMonk on "stupid stupid world" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world/page/2#post-287273 Sun, 02 Sep 2012 02:41:06 +0000 TobiasMonk 287273@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ <blockquote><cite>Nitro <a href="""//www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world/page/2#post-287261"""">said</a>:</cite> It's so sad how open debate has become so feared around here. It's led to the departure of some very intelligent members. This is honesty, this isn't inflammatory language. And if words can offend you more than real life action, it's not the writer that should be under your magnifying lens, but yourself. </blockquote> Open debate is neither feared, nor discouraged here as you well know from having been involved in much of it <img src="http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_wink.gif" title=":wink:" class="bb_smilies" /> If you want to debate start a thread then have at it, but the whole point about this being a place to let off steam is that anyone who wishes to do so may do so without fear of backlash in the form of harsh or overly critical response. Full stop. Them's the rules. And you're right we have lost members, good people. Tito for instance. Now let's move on please and get this thread back on track. Nitro on "stupid stupid world" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world/page/2#post-287261 Sat, 01 Sep 2012 13:41:16 +0000 Nitro 287261@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ It's so sad how open debate has become so feared around here. It's led to the departure of some very intelligent members. This is honesty, this isn't inflammatory language. And if words can offend you more than real life action, it's not the writer that should be under your magnifying lens, but yourself. 'Letting off steam' means just that, but it's not specific to any topic. So what if it's politics. That people would, and they do because I've seen it here, persist on reading a thread they KNOW IN ADVANCE is going to upset them just so they can complain and stamp and kick up dust about it to exert some hand in censorship so they can feel momentarily empowered in their lives, is not, in my opinion, a behavior that warrants support but discouragement. Do these same people watch shows on TV that they DON'T like? No? OK, then don't read a thread or the words of some poster that you don't like. And I wish folks had the guts to point this out more often. And fwiw, I tend to think that in these times, it's more important than ever that citizens do not turn on each other but vote the jerks out who turn on them. The uber wealthy are in very different positions. And when you turn wealth into some sort of symptom of human virtue, you're on a dangerous path of 'screw you, more for me' reasoning and law making because you can then rationalize harsh laws that affect only the poor and build for yourself a dependent labor force. Think about the implications of privatizing prisons. What goes up during rough economic times? Wealth is certainly no virtue at all when you consider that at the top of the food chain are people who are, mostly, born into it. They know squat all about 'doing without' and you are out of your mind if you think they'll do much more than toss a charity party once in a while or found an NPO, which also works as a tax break to themselves. Taxes. That's a funny one too. Romney still hasn't produced but he has done what they all do...hid money offshore and out of the tax mans sites. So it's not even a case of the wealthy paying their fare share of taxes but you damn well better believe they will demand, through law making, that YOU do. joan on "stupid stupid world" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world/page/2#post-287103 Mon, 27 Aug 2012 02:24:57 +0000 joan 287103@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ If there is little money to spend, Josh, the political colour of the the government is more relevant than ever. Who suffers? No need to spell it out. TobiasMonk on "stupid stupid world" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world/page/2#post-287087 Sun, 26 Aug 2012 17:54:59 +0000 TobiasMonk 287087@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Josh_Tate90- The Zero Room, like it says on the tin is where folks post to vent, rant, and let off steam etc.. Begin another thread for debate if you'd like, but please refrain from making assertions personal. Josh_Tate90 on "stupid stupid world" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world/page/2#post-287081 Sun, 26 Aug 2012 15:53:57 +0000 Josh_Tate90 287081@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ <blockquote><cite>joan <a href="//www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world#post-286649"">said</a>:</cite> It's all down to politics in the end. For the right wing, money is the bottom line, for the left wing, people are the bottom line. It is that simple. And the Labour party here, in power federally, got the money right too, getting us through the GFC by means of a stimulus package to people not banks. The Right of politics get it all wrong by concentrating on austerity and cutting spending, as this adversely affects business as well as the powerless. But they have the big propaganda budgets, and many people have no understanding of the issues, believing what the media wants them to believe, including the idiotic assumption that if it hurts it's doing good! In this way the Right gets elected. Oh well, at least I know my teacher son trains all his pupils (age 15-18) to deconstruct the news and find the tiny bit of truth.</blockquote> First and foremost, I apologise for degrading this thread with a political message, but that is nonsense. Socialists are obsessed with money: what you earn, from where it comes, what it is spent on etc. Keynes himself believed governments should have surplus finances during the boom to provide help during the bust. That is an eminently sensible proposal. Few Western governments did this. Your naked partisanship blinds you to the truth you believe yourself to value. The political colour of a government is irrelevant if there is no money to spend. joan on "stupid stupid world" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world#post-286693 Tue, 21 Aug 2012 02:57:01 +0000 joan 286693@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Our lot just slashed everything then gave themselves a rise. gadgetgirl on "stupid stupid world" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world#post-286683 Mon, 20 Aug 2012 20:47:52 +0000 gadgetgirl 286683@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ You know "if you don't vote labour when you are 20 you don't have a heart, if you don't vote conservative by 30 you don't have a brain". It seems I am a bear of less and less brain. Now which of money and people is best to hug on a cold night? Do you get politicians rambling about their "tough decisions" and "difficult but right choices" all the time too then? As if we are magically to feel sorry for them as they slash a school dinner budget <img src="http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_sad.gif" title=":(" class="bb_smilies" /> joan on "stupid stupid world" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world#post-286649 Mon, 20 Aug 2012 05:28:01 +0000 joan 286649@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ It's all down to politics in the end. For the right wing, money is the bottom line, for the left wing, people are the bottom line. It is that simple. And the Labour party here, in power federally, got the money right too, getting us through the GFC by means of a stimulus package to people not banks. The Right of politics get it all wrong by concentrating on austerity and cutting spending, as this adversely affects business as well as the powerless. But they have the big propaganda budgets, and many people have no understanding of the issues, believing what the media wants them to believe, including the idiotic assumption that if it hurts it's doing good! In this way the Right gets elected. Oh well, at least I know my teacher son trains all his pupils (age 15-18) to deconstruct the news and find the tiny bit of truth. gadgetgirl on "stupid stupid world" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world#post-286599 Sat, 18 Aug 2012 17:11:19 +0000 gadgetgirl 286599@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Oh crikey joan - you're right - it's grim. I just don't understand how this works. The government/councils here have started something along those lines, with some idea that families should be forced to move wherever there was an available house or flat (i.e. lets get people out so we can sell houses in places where we'll make a lot of money). No care of the impact that might have on jobs, on children, on extended families who rely on them, or on self-esteem. I cannot imagine how you become that hard hearted and obsessed with money. Sorry it's so hard on you personally too, big hugs and sympathy are all I can offer at such a distance. joan on "stupid stupid world" http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/stupid-stupid-world#post-286383 Tue, 14 Aug 2012 07:46:04 +0000 joan 286383@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Oh dear - that's the sort of situation we all dread when we are approaching old age. At least they have you and your sisters to worry about them and to be there when they have to move. Things are not good here, but not in the same sense that you are suffering. We live in a 'council house', well, the Queensland Australia equivalent, but we have suddenly got a far-right State government with a huge parliamentary majority and no upper house to reign them in. They are doing right-wing idealism based things, which include threatening our tenancy, getting rid of thousands and thousands of government jobs, and cutting funding to everything from children's music programs to health services. They said retired people in houses should go into smaller flats and make room for needy families, but when people do leave, they simply sell the house. Also, they have no small units available. Once this became common knowledge they changed tack and said they'll put the rents up. Rents are already assessed at an affordable rate, so one presumes they'll become unaffordable in March 2013 when they plan to do this. My husband has anxiety. sometimes depression and increasingly severe agoraphobia, as well as some physical problems, so you can imagine what this uncertainty is doing to him. I have to walk a verbal tightrope, so as not to say things that trigger an awful reaction from him. It is pretty grim.