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2006-12-27 Home Front: Culture Wars

San Francisco: Idjits Pretend They're Above Consumerism

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Posted by .com 2006-12-27 13:04|| || Front Page|| [6 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Give them a break. They are trying to start a socialist economy

You know, an economy where nothing gets done, nothing gets produced and the good feelings sorta fade away.

The bathroom sink is the exemplar. After a year of being unable to find a snake or hire a plumber, it's what society would look and smell like under such a social system.

Posted by badanov 2006-12-27 13:52|| http://www.freefirezone.org]">[http://www.freefirezone.org] 2006-12-27 13:52|| Front Page Top

#2 group who have vowed not to buy anything new except food,

Pussies

Posted by The British Compact 2006-12-27 14:04|| 2006-12-27 14:04|| Front Page Top

#3 Sheesh...you can rent a damn drain snake, like I did. Manual version, $15.00 for three hours. Tool and equipment rental place down the street from me. Owner is a real prince, he'll go step by step, tell you exactly how to use it.

I don't do new stuff when I can buy used, because I'm a freelance writer and I can't &&$#@!~! afford it! It's a good thing these idjiots are middle-class, they're too *$$@#ing stupid to be poor!

Posted by Sgt. Mom 2006-12-27 14:20|| www.sgtstryker.com]">[www.sgtstryker.com] 2006-12-27 14:20|| Front Page Top

#4 San Francisco: Idjits Pretend They're Above Consumerism

Wankers like this are a dime a dozen in the ~~bay~~ gay area; Their WORD means absolutely nothing, zip, zilch, nada, neyt, squat, zero they have no soul or character, their sole distinguishing feature is fake and have been reduced to a life of posing.

..and tonite they'll be bad mouthing America while siping Chablis at sum restaurant and congratulating themselves.

Posted by RD 2006-12-27 14:25|| 2006-12-27 14:25|| Front Page Top

#5 LOL, the hypocrisy abounds!

I, like others here, buy used when I can because of financial reasons. Also, I've read some VERY enlightening articles (as an engineer) which state that it takes MORE energy to recycle many objects than to make new ones. Capitalism DRIVES efficiency, and, thus, in and of itself, is "enviro-friendly". Just think if we ALL had to have our own well, our own wastewater treatment system, etc....how much concrete, steel, rebar and add'l land we'd need to support all of that.

Not that there is NOT excess in this country. But, until the economics of it all make sense, your average 'merican will buy new, thank you very much (with the exceptions of probably vehicles and homes).

Posted by BA 2006-12-27 14:54|| 2006-12-27 14:54|| Front Page Top

#6 Typical nutty SFers, making nutty proclamations and promptly breaking them when they become inconvenient.

Posted by Cyber Sarge 2006-12-27 16:37|| 2006-12-27 16:37|| Front Page Top

#7 I'm reminded of a couple who were reporters for a local newspaper a while back. They made a bet for who could eat for a month on the least amount of money, figuring they could get a double "His-Hers" column out of it.

Well, she scrimped and saved, used coupons, skipped meals and went to discount food stores. By the end of the month she had kept it down to about $115.

He mooched. He knew bars that had free food if you bought a beer, public gatherings with free food, coffee, and drinks. He attended several weddings, uninvited, and ate free food for reporters in the sports boxes at games. He also made food and beer bets on the outcome of games, with insider information.

He spent about $15, mostly on beer, and gained weight, because he overate, figuring he might have to do without, but never did.

Posted by Anonymoose 2006-12-27 16:57|| 2006-12-27 16:57|| Front Page Top

#8 But Perry has not veered once from the Compact rules. His bathroom sink has been plugged for months, and it'll stay that way until he finds a drain snake at Thrift Town.

Pure wanking, as Sgt. Mom duly noted. Rent one you maroon.

There is plenty of merit to curbing the amount of new purchases one makes. I watched one friend of mine take his overinflated .com bubble paychecks and consistently buy the latest and greatest consumer electronics, DVDs and so forth. Not knowing how to cook, he'd dine out a lot and, the corker, he even bought himself a mud track race car because, "He's alway dreamed about racing."

Well the .com bubble burst and the guy eventually ended up going through foreclosure. He walked away from years of house payments with a few grand in his pocket. I'm quite confident he cannot recall how I literally begged him to consult with a financial planned before buying an oversized house in a really, really remote location. I doubt that even today he connects his over consumption to the financial collapse he experienced.

Bottom line is that a lot of people buy all sorts of crap they really do not need. As a collecter, I can be accused of the same. Fortunately, in the last deacade or so I have carefully refined my collecting guidelines and routinely collect with quality, resale value, rarity and price increase in mind.

More importantly, the vast majority of things I buy are bought used. Not only do thrift shops and second-hand stores frequently offer incredible value, more often than not the older vintage goods they sell are far better built and more durable than any equivalent you can buy at twice to ten times the price new. Things are no longer made out of metal, wood, ceramic, glass or textiles, it's all frickin' plastic with no user serviceable parts.

So, while there is merit to what these people are spouting, their own approach is squarely in the wrong corner as to actual execution.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2006-12-27 17:19|| 2006-12-27 17:19|| Front Page Top

#9 Good thoughts Zman. I have several fifties era barely used Clues if anyone is interested. Not cheap tho. These are serious old fashioned clues, many rubidium parts.

Posted by Shipman 2006-12-27 17:52|| 2006-12-27 17:52|| Front Page Top

#10 Just think if we ALL had to have our own well, our own wastewater treatment system, etc....how much concrete, steel, rebar and add'l land we'd need to support all of that

Ummm, I had a well, drilled it myself, 54 feet to the water table, and drilled 75 feet to ensure the well would never run dry.

It took a hell of a lot LESS pipe than running a line from the road, 75 feet as opposed to a quarter-mile, plus don't forget the main that has to run from wherever the reservoir is situated, down all streets and highways.

Same with septic systems, but I didn't do it myself, I hired a trencher (Person with machinery) to put in the field lines, I never had any trouble with either system, I'd have the water checked every few years, always tested pure.

Total outlay, around 2 grand, plus a pittance for the electricity to run the well pump. (Had a hand pump for emergencies, never needed it)

The article's a crock, much more efficient to "Roll your own".

Posted by Redneck Jim 2006-12-27 20:05|| 2006-12-27 20:05|| Front Page Top

#11 "It's a good thing these idjiots are middle-class, they're too *$$@#ing stupid to be poor!"

Ain't it the truth, #3 Mom.

It absolutely amazes me at how dumb people are when it comes to shopping effectively. The middle class are the worst, but quite frankly I've seen plenty of semi-poor people too who are clueless. Which may explain how they get so far into credit-card debt.

I've got a decent income - now - but I shop just like I use to back in the day. (I may indulge in a few more "things" - mostly from Amazon - but I still keep a handle on it. It never hurts to stay in practice. And it leaves me more money to support the local Food Bank, etc.)

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2006-12-27 21:22|| http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/page/15bk1/Home_Page.html]">[http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/page/15bk1/Home_Page.html] 2006-12-27 21:22|| Front Page Top

#12 The true image of a Socialist economy is a starving, homeless, destitute, drug-addicted, uneducated, single welfare mom wid many kids, no certainty on who their Father(s) are, and on permanent Govt assistance, ergo sexy slinky rich-looking/wearing Babes of Hollyweird + BattleStar Galactica, Cyclon Robos + Seven-of-Nine. HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT, LOW TO NO GROWTH OR PRODUCTIVITY, HYPER/STAGFLATION, STAGGRESSION, + REGRESSION, SOVIET = CHICOM = now IRANIAN, ETC. WOMEN REFUSING TO HAVE BABIES = SEX FOR ANY RAESON; YOUNG MEN DYING YOUNG now YOUNGER. Obviously MORE + BIGGER + TOTALITARIAN GUBMINT IS THE ANSWER. The GOOD NEWS > RADICAL ISLAM > GOD -BASED SOCIALISTS-LEFTIES, etal. > GOD HIMSElf, not just Secularists-Govtists, DEMANDS WE ALL BE THE ABOVE.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2006-12-27 21:38|| 2006-12-27 21:38|| Front Page Top

#13 Wonder if they know how many people they've put out of work. Or if they care.

Posted by Rob Crawford">Rob Crawford 2006-12-27 22:09|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2006-12-27 22:09|| Front Page Top

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