#but that doesn’t mean millennials doing what older generations did to us and not retire

[aizenat]

Gen z, I need yall to make Billie Ellish and Olivia Rodrigo your new white pop girlies and get them bigger than these millennials who need to retire.

Yes I’m being ageist against my fellow millennials. Anyone with a career spanning over a decade who is 35 or older needs to retire at this point. Hang it up. Be mentors for the younger kids to keep them good but it’s time for these geriatrics fucking quit thank you.

[stephenjaymorrisblog]

Lugubrious Anarchist

Stephen Jay Morris

November 18, 2022

Scientific Morality©

My amygdala, otherwise known as the region of the right brain, is all fucked up. I don’t know whether I’m depressed or just frustrated. I know that Jesus was rejected by his own people. This doesn’t mean that I have a Messianic complex or a slight case of megalomania. I just feel bad.

I have been locked out of yet another anarchist message board. They must think I am a Cyber troll or an agent of the state. I have been locked out of other political message boards, too. From Twitter to FaceBook, I am buried in obscurity. My videos on YouTube have a low viewership. So, what now?

Should I blame myself? Conservatives would say yes, however, my logic says no. The type of Anarchists we have now are bourgeois, Millennial, white kids who started their careers playing video games on the Internet. As with any movement, the youth are the most enthusiastic and vibrant members. This incurs resentment by the preceding, older generation, which is a normal occurrence. Back in the day, we had a generation gap between the old Leftists and the new Left. I know I’ve said this before and I say it again here: The old Left declared, “Your long hair will alienate the working class!” Well, in a way, it did. The working class “Hard Hats” of New York City attacked Hippie, anti-war protesters circa 1970. A decade later, Hard Hats and major league baseball pitchers sported long hair! Truth be told, the old Left was opposed to identity politics. They used to say to us Yippies that homosexuality was not in the interest of the working class. Well, they changed their tune in the 70’s!

Today’s kids may dislike Baby Boomers, but the conservative Millennials have been brain-washed by Boomer Conservatives and routinely use their rhetoric to attack the so-called “Woke.” The stereotype of woke is not only cringe, but outright retarded and stupid! This is the real reason I am sad. The reality is that some Zoomers dislike me as a Boomer. It’s stupidity on their part, however. One day, they’ll realize who the real enemy is.

So, I am theoretically retired. I’ve promised myself to quit the Anarchist movement and do some charity work, or travel around the planet to see the natural beauty that it has to offer. Maybe explore the essence of inner peace and the soul of just being. Meditate by a waterfall and watch beavers gather up branches to build a dam across a river. Yeah, I might just stick my head in the sand or hug a Redwood tree.

All I wanted to do was to show the younger generation how corrupt American corporate culture is and the phoniness of Evangelical Christianity; how they advocate for personal liberty and then, on the other hand, want you to conform to capitalist classicism. I wanted to impress upon the youth that the Anti-Authoritarian left is different than the Authoritarian left, or just better than the Authoritarian right.

Maybe 200 years from now, there will be an Anarchist revolution. I think the only way America will have one is if Fascism does come to the USA, and the state’s suppression will push the youth into armed struggle. We are getting close. The ignorance of the working class is helping to bring forth this Fascist state, whether it be Christian theocracy or white nationalism. When the totalitarian state is established, the white working class will realize that the Fascist state will not improve their lives. In fact, it will make it worse. They will realize that Jesus is not coming back and the only way to survive is to sell Meth. They will realize that the Feminists, Blacks, illegal aliens, socialists, Islam, fake news, and rich Jews are not their enemies, but that it is the white men in corporate boardrooms and pastors behind the pulpit that are doing them in. Alas, they will find out when it’s too late!

As for me. My love of my life, Pamela, and I will live out our lives into our golden years with love, happiness, and freedom and, hopefully, peace. I will make damn sure that nobody hurts us!

I will slowly back away from American politics because it fuckin’ sucks! Good luck suckers!

[premiumappapk]

The PROS And CONS Of Marriage In 2020

Marriage bureau Fewer and fewer men are looking to get married. These days the Pew Research Institute recently found that the number of men ages 18 to 34 saying. A successful marriage is one of the most important things that dropped from 35 percent to 29 percent since 1997. The number of young adult women saying the same thing has risen from 28 percent to 37 percent in the same time. This statistic made me wonder why so many guys out there are saying. They don't want to get married there seems to be a growing subculture of guys. Who says they'd rather avoid it altogether? I grew up thinking that marriage is just what you do when you hit a certain age now.If any want to marry then visit Pak Marriage Bureau Happy married life I'm questioning why do we get married, where did the tradition come from and what are the pros and cons. This article will aim to answer these questions and see how marriage fits into the modern-day culture. But first, let's take a quick look at the history of marriage. The first humans who lived about 5 million years ago had very little use for marriage using the behavior of bonobos is the basis for how early humans would have behaved. It is presumed that early males and females had sex with many partners. They lived in open polyamorous communities where food was exchanged for sexual favors. Couples therapy Because females could collect food fruits nuts and insects while still caring and protecting their baby’s males were not needed as protectors or providers. This meant that neither partner gained from being in a committed pair as the climate heated up the forests receded and humans ventured out into the savanna. We began walking upright hunting with tools and our brains got bigger our large brain sizes. The reason human babies are born so helplessly early and require constant care from their mothers. During the period of 1.8 million to 23,000 years ago survival was hard and the offspring that had the best chance to reach adulthood. Divorce Those that had two parents that work together to raise and protect them. This survival strategy gave birth to first marriages. These were not quite like the marriage as we imagine today couples. In this period would stay together for about three or four years. Before one or the other would wander off to start another family. Perhaps this is why divorce rates peak between three to four years and modern-day marriages relationship dynamics completely changed. When humans began to grow their own food, agriculture meant that humans were permanently tied to the land. The most productive household arrangements were ones in which men and women divided their tasks men, who were physically stronger worked the land while women stayed closer to home and cared for children. Love marriage This is the era in which marriage became a lifelong union between two people that was recognized by their community. Agriculture tied people to their land meaning that at the end of the four-year period. Neither men nor women had any inclination to wander off and find a new family. So, they stayed together and worked as a unit to feed and care for their children. The creation of marriage is a legal contract between men and women came into being over time. As communities settled and monogamous relationships became a necessity for long product life. So, the real origin of marriage came from the biological desire of both men and women to see their children survive. Marriage It was the evolutionary dominant strategy in the last few thousand years marriage became less about a survival strategy and more about a way to control power. It became a tool to strengthen alliances maintain wealth solidify social class control female sexuality and fulfill religious duties. Arranged marriages were the norm around much of the world up until the mid-20th century. So now most of us watching this live in a society filled with abundance. We're at the top of the food chain and we don't have to defend ourselves from saber-toothed Tigers. Anymore many of us are not strictly religious or rural farmers our parents aren't arranging us. New marriage We don't need to form an alliance between kingdoms like in Game of Thrones. So, you may be wondering, why are we still getting married. We no longer need the institution of marriage to ensure the survival of our species live doesn't have to be a conveyor belt of common events. Where you graduate at this age start a family at that age and retire at this age. These are ideas that many Millennials are discovering and are a primary cause of the steady decline in new marriages. Each year about 5% it's beginning to be seen by many as an outdated restricting institution that simply not worth it. People keep getting married at older ages in the 1960s. Best age to get married Over half of Americans under 30 were married the average age of marriage for a woman was about 20. The average age for men was 23. Today only 20 percent of people under 30 are married and the average age for women is 26 and a half and for men is nearly 29. So, let's take a look at some of the pros and cons of modern-day marriage. First, the pros of marriage are the ultimate showcase of commitment an unbreakable love bond through sickness and health. But there are numerous legal financial social and health advantages to getting hitched. for more details about marriage click Pak marriage bureau Marriage benefits The legal benefits a married couple is seen as a single taxable unit in the eyes of the government. In most cases, this will save money on taxes when you claim your spouse is dependent. There are estate planning benefits including inheritance rights government benefits in receiving Social Security Medicare. Disability benefits for your spouse employment benefits such as obtaining health insurance through your spouse's employer. The right to take medical leave to care for a spouse who becomes ill decision-making benefits including the right to make medical decisions. If your spouse is incapacitated consumer benefits such as family rates for health homeowners auto. Other types of insurance financial benefits financial benefits a 2005 study at Ohio State University found that after getting married people saw a sharp increase in the level of wealth. After 10 years of marriage, the couples reported an average net worth of around forty-three thousand dollars single people. At the same age had a net worth of only eleven thousand dollars. However, people who got divorced were worse off than any other group. After a divorce, the average man was left with $8,500 in assets. While the average divorced woman had only $3,400 health benefits health benefits research has continued to show that married people live longer. The stability of a long marriage can act as a support structure throughout life. When one spouse is weak the other gives care happily wedded patients. Who undergoes major surgery are more than three times as likely to still be alive 15 years later? When compared to their unmarried counterparts. There are also many perceived social benefits married people appear to be more stable committed and reliable having a long-standing marriage shows. The world that at least someone can tolerate you in the history of America. There have only been two unmarried presidents. The last one was Grover Cleveland in 1886 and he got married shortly into his first term. So, a successful marriage can certainly lead to a happy healthy long life. Divorce They're fun and we all like cake but the average wedding costs about $30,000 over a third of married couples go into debt to pay off the big day. Half of those newlyweds are still paying the tab five years later chances are by the time. You're finished paying off your wedding. There will be time to start paying for your divorce roughly half of all marriages in the US and in divorce. This is another big reason Millennials don't see the value in marriage anymore. Why start something if it's probably going to fail much of the millennial generation grew up with single or divorced parents. Their entire youth was back and forth between bickering parents overhearing never-ending conversations of legal disputes and custody battles. Another huge factor contributing to men's disinterest in marriage is the fact that marriage isn't. Late marriage What it used to be a hundred years ago having a wife meant having someone who would raise your kids, clean your house, and cook your meals. This may not be an ideal dynamic for everyone. But men used to have much to gain from getting married. Now there are more women than men in the workforce and more women than men have college degrees much like. The bonobo's many women today no longer need a man to provide for them. There seems to be a direct correlation between the liberation of women. The decline in men seeking marriage in areas where women are highly educated and career-oriented. Stable marriage The marriage rates are the lowest although marriage rates continue to decline both men and women agree. That parenting is still a high priority 52% of Millennials say that being a good parent is one of the most important things in life. While only 29% assign high importance to get married. This shows that Millennials don't think that they necessarily need to be married in order to have a family. Many are choosing to avoid the headache and create a love bond and raise kids on their own terms. There are plenty of legal alternatives to getting married like a domestic partnership civil union or creating a will. The truth is you can have just about all the benefits of marriage without actually getting married. You can have a lifelong partner who supports your goals and you can have a soulmate; you can have a family a shared home financial wealth and good health without the state mandated license. So maybe those bonobos had it right. All along do your own research to assess your own goals and list your priorities. If your goal is to travel the world and check out the tinder scene in every city. Maybe marriage isn't right for you that does not pressure yourself.

for more detail click here  Source: Pak Marriage Bureau

[tessatechaitea]

Wonder Twins #7

I didn't realize the Wonder Twins were Gen X.

Oh yeah! Zan had just saved the world by stopping a plot that was going to save the world.

I just realized I hadn't scanned the cover yet and as I did, I noticed the Wonder Twins fist/star emblem marks a striking resemblance to a goat.se riff. Zan and Jayna get taken off of monitor duty at the Hall of Justice now that they've stopped the League of Annoyance. You'd think that doing a good job would get you a promotion but those of use who have always done spectacularly good jobs know better. While everybody else works down to the lowest common denominator (because who wants to do more work than the next guy?! A fool, that's who!), good workers just put on blinders and do the job they were hired for until the time they're being paid for is up. Sure, that sounds like I'm describing a sucker who's been completely manipulated by the man! But I'm also describing a person who fulfills their end of whatever bargain they've agreed to! So when I say Zan and Jayna wind up giving tours at the Hall of Justice because they were too good at catching criminals, you'll understand why I went into the previous digression. Maybe? I don't know. Have you seen what state the U.S. is in?! Why are you picking apart my writing style?! Mark Russell takes a few pages to shit all over hockey fans and now I hate Mark Russell with a burning passion. Even though I'd hardly call myself a hockey fan. I mean, I loved NHL '93 (unless it was '92 (or maybe '94?)) and I loved going to San Jose Sharks games when I was still living in the Bay Area (plus my friend worked equipment for the Sharks and would get us free tickets). But it's not like I follow it much anymore. I just like the feeling of being angry at somebody for writing a satirical critique of sports fans rioting because they're so happy that their team won. Although why would I be angry when I've never done that nor think Russell's wrong in his pointed and humorous critique?! Oh, who cares why! Being angry is just more fun! Oh shit! I finally understand people's attraction to Fox News! I just watched a YouTube clip of somebody's Jeremy Roenick highlights from NHL '94 set to the song "More Than a Feeling" and it was pretty awesome. Also, that was definitely the one we played nonstop back in 1993 and 94 and maybe even into 95. Roenick unstoppable down with the puck while Sharks players lay splayed out on their back all across the ice. To stop the riot, Superman calls in Repulso! He's a guy whose super power is super stink and he's kept in a locked room with a bare table and a microwave and nobody wants to be his friend because he smells like a garbage dumb that vomited on top of the diarrhea it shit out while standing on its head so the stanky muck ran down his body absorbing all of his body odor and then somebody cut up a durian and tossed it in the mix.

Superman is a dick. Get this guy some friends with no sense of smell. Or at the very least, an Xbox Gold account.

After the hockey riots, some "the end of the world" riots take place because Zan and Jayna screw up something or other. Basically what that means is that Repulso gets to be let out of his airtight containment unit again! He's a pretty optimistic guy for being sealed away by Superman (which is just Superman's way! Is somebody a problem? No problem! Put them in the Phantom Zone!). He's so happy and not bitter about his living arrangements that I feel like Zan and Jayna had better figure out a way to give him a better life before this issue ends. Because if Mark Russell fails this character he created before this issue is over and I have to face reality after snot crying about a fictional person, I'm going to be pretty upset when I continue to buy Mark Russell comic books because what other choice do I have? Am I going to stop reading DC's best written comic books because Mark Russell betrayed poor Repulso? Of course not! What am I? A person with integrity?! Repulso winds up getting his ass beat by rioters as Repulso's handlers flee the chaotic "end of the world" downtown riot scene. Luckily the Wonder Twins are headed downtown to save his life and maybe become his friend or something? Please? After Zan and Jayna save Repulso, Jayna goes to Superman to tell him everything sucks. He gives her a big speech about how being a hero is lonely work because you don't always get to fuck the hot chick at your secret identity's workplace and also fuck an Amazon warrior while also getting to fuck anybody at all whose initials are "L.L." and also have a best friend who is the coolest guy in the world with a butler who makes the best pancakes. Sometimes you're a fat jerk who smells who even Superman won't fucking give the time of day because Superman has this speech about how being a hero is lonely and that's a good thing so you should embrace your loneliness because who wants to put up with your super stink, fatty?

Jayna is a way better hero than Superman. At least in this comic book that's all about her and not Superman so of course she's going to outshine him!

Oh yeah, the ant in the above picture is Jayna. It can't smell. Wonder Twins #7 Rating: A+. I should probably be less cynical when reading Mark Russell comic books because he's as earnest and serious as he can be while also providing lots of jokes. He takes writing seriously because what else is there? If your message isn't going to matter, why bother? (is his philosophy. I think. It's not my philosophy! I don't think? Maybe it is! I just write things that matter in a much different way than Mark Russell writes things that matter.) I should probably read Superman's speech and be inspired by the idea that you don't do good because you want adulation; you do good because it's the right thing to do, even if the entire world thinks you're an asshole for doing it. Even if all of the other superheroes think you're a stinky fuck and only keep you around to use as a tool to oppress and manipulate the masses without having to use logic and reason on them (because, let's face it, the people doing terrible things don't understand logic and reason. Or they're do but they're just selfish and greedy so nothing is going to reach them anyway (which maybe is part of Superman's message?)), you're still a hero at the end of the day. You can still be proud of your stinky self. And even if the life is lonely, you should remain positive and upbeat because Superman really doesn't want to be reminded that you exist every time you complain about the lack of reasonable living conditions. Being a hero is a state of mind, says the guy who also looks great and is invulnerable and has the best wife and a cool son and doesn't have to fear death! So inspiring!

[a-woman-apart]

Don’t Go Alone

I’ve been thinking about Ecclesiastes recently. Yes, the “Vanities of vanities, all is vanity” and “there is nothing new under the sun” Ecclesiastes. Pretty much the most nihilistic book in the entire Bible, even though it tries to redeem itself in the end by saying that obeying God and keeping His commandments is “the entire duty of man.”

There are a lot of interesting concepts presented in the book, though. I will go ahead and quote some passages here from the 4th chapter (emphasis added by me).

Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun: 

There is one alone, without companion: He has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labors, nor is his eye satisfied with riches. But he never asks, "For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?" This also is vanity and a grave misfortune. 

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.  Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:7-12)

While it is true that you remain the person primarily responsible for your own life, that self-love is important, and that when it comes down to the quality of your life, your choices matter the most, there is a reason why human beings have a general tendency towards forming groups. Human babies who were deprived of human touch can experience poor health outcomes and even death. Even if many of us need far less interaction than others (i.e. introverts), we still need to bond and connect with other human beings on some level.

We live in a highly individualistic society that is ruled by capitalism. Profit—and by extension, individual productivity—is prized above all else. This fosters a spirit of unhealthy competition that can often drive a wedge between us and our peers. Our worth is based on our physical, academic, or corporate achievement. We are expected to sacrifice our health, time, and current desires in order to one day earn the right to lead our own lives. This right—known for many years as “retirement”— has grown further and further out of reach for most Americans. This isn’t that one bicycle-riding-electricity-generating episode of Black Mirror, but sometimes it really feels like it.

What I am starting to realize, is that without a sense of togetherness and belonging—regardless of whether it is experienced in a small community or a big one— life quickly begins to lose its luster. It’s great to keep yourself as no. 1, but in the end, we all need to depend on others for support. It doesn’t matter if that support is financial, emotional, or physical.

Also, let’s talk about the Happiness dilemma. It feels like the more your try to pursue things that make you happy, the more elusive happiness becomes. Mark Manson discusses this at length in “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck”. He came to the conclusion that Happiness is not something that you “arrive” at through achievement or by acquiring a predetermined number of things or a specific assortment of relationships, but rather happiness is in the small moments. You feel happy when you are having ice cream with your kids, feel the wind on your face in autumn, or you’re allowed to leave work early. It isn’t a destination that can be reached through pure effort. It comes effortlessly. You just have to enjoy it while it is there and then be prepared to move on from it. It is temporary and fleeting, but it is tangible. You know it when you feel it.

Learning to recognize and embrace the joy in small moments helps make the long stretches of sadness and mediocrity more bearable. When I look back at my own life, I see how many of those moments were shared with other people. I remember my brothers and I making dumb jokes out of serious movie quotes, playing video games with my sisters, family movie nights, etc. My childhood was far from ideal, but, if I look back there are still joyful things to remember. There are highlights. Getting my first drivers’ license, passing the GED, and so on; these were things that would’ve been much harder without the support of my parents.

We live in an imperfect world with imperfect people. Until we can learn to accept the imperfections in others—and in ourselves—we may find ourselves feeling incredibly isolated from other people.

Even as I emphasize the importance of human relationships, I am aware that throughout history there have been those who have sought to isolate themselves for others for religious or spiritual reasons. Even many of these people, however, still interacted with other humans on some level. In fact, I would almost venture to say that the stereotypical view of hermits who stayed in caves and did not interact with anyone else for the remainder of their lives, is somewhat of a mythological concept. Even the most strictly disciplined monks and nuns of varying religions still form groups or look to the outside world for support. Their stories demonstrate to us that even when we are deprived of most of the material pleasures of life, we can still find meaning through sharing a spiritual practice with others.

As an atheist—who is also wrestling with whether or not to have a spiritual practice—I have found myself feeling incredibly othered by my peers. While around 22.8% of the U.S. is “religiously unaffiliated”, only 3% of that group call themselves atheists, with another 4% claiming agnosticism. The world as a whole is only 16% “nones” (religiously non-affiliated) with an unknown—but lower—number being full atheists (Stats from “Irreligion in the United States” and “Demographics of Atheism” on Wikipedia). I am already in a very small minority, but it is further complicated by the fact that my atheism still involves some belief in unseen forces (e.g. chi or some other inexplicable life-giving force in the universe).

My saving grace is being able to absorb some atheist content on YouTube, talking to atheist and agnostic friends and family members, and the increasing openness of [some] religious people to at least consider the concept of a world without God. Sadly, though, I haven’t been able to find a community as wide as the community I had when I was an actively practicing Evangelical Christian. I am, however, learning to compromise and practice gratitude for the equally strong—albeit smaller—community that I have now. I have people in my life who love, accept, and support me, and every single one of them matters to me.

A lot of people find their community online. There are people in fandom communities, online gaming communities, etc., who have found lifelong friends and even spouses by participating in online communities. Hell, I found some of my closest friends—two of whom I am still in touch with—on sites like Fanfiction.net, Fictionpess.com, and Gaia Online. Yes, it was years ago, and yes, those sites aren’t what they used to be, but without those friends I would not have made it through my teenage years.

Your communities can form around literally anything—games, knitting, quilting, coffee, whatever. You just need to go out there and find your tribe. You may even have an online tribe already, and while there is no substitute for face-to-face conversation, your tribe is valid.

Anything that gets you outside of yourself—as long as it isn’t hurting anyone—is good. While having people physically near you is ideal, sometimes just having them be a part of your day remotely is a big help. My best friend and I live thousands of miles apart, but something as simple as being able to text him a screenshot of something I think is funny or rolling my eyes when he sends another YouTube video to me in the middle of the day, really makes my day much easier. Same goes for going with my family’s group chat; we post some pretty cringey memes on there and it’s life.

Look into yourself and see how you feel when you’re participating with others. If you’re happy, that’s good. If there’s another emotion going on there, it may be something to look at. You may not be receiving the support you really need.

P.S. If you’re tired of living alone, but you don’t know anyone who you can move with, there are still options for you. Lots of millennials have been moving into rooms that are rented out by older homeowners, and while this sounds like a net loss, the relationships that form in these kinds of situations can be beneficial. The millennial has an affordable place to live and someone to share meals with, and the senior has someone to help with chores and keep them company.

Also, more and more cohousing communities are popping up throughout the country. They allow families to live together in a close-knit community. There are also other communal living situations in which one rather large home is rented out room by room. Each person has their own bedroom and shares bathrooms with a limited number of fellow housemates, but the living areas and kitchen are shared by everyone. These “non-college dorms” allow people to support each other socially and financially and live together affordably.

Of course, safety first! Do your due diligence and make sure that the place you are moving to is safe and that your rights are being respected.

Happy hunting!

[ladyofdespair-blog1]

It's so hilarious how people pretend America is like the best country ever and you can never criticize it. Sure, we don't get bombs dropped on is, I guess that's a plus. But boasting to be the best when you can't get something simple as healthcare figured out? Literally every first world country and even some developing nation's have this shit fixed. It's not that complicated. Obviously it's never gonna be a perfect system. But healthcare funded by all people for all people, is not rocket science. Why can everyone else get their collective shit together but we, the supposed best country can't? Illness will hit everyone at some point of your life. And if it doesn't hit you by chance, it will hit your family. A true LEADER would observe each successful and happy country, determine what policies they use and is working well, and ADOPT the closest ones with a high success rate into our government. It's literally handed to you on a platter. As in you don't even technically have to experiment on your own government when other people are producing the results and information for you. But this is what you all wanted so this is what you get. A lot of millennials are so desperate for people to do the right thing, and our future is so dark, that some of us have no will to live. We simply have no energy to keep up. We have the knowledge of the world at the tips of our fingers, but instead of feeling joy and excitement, it's just despair. It's despair because we are just educated and aware enough to know that we are powerless until older generations die off. And having the technology to be aware of what goes on in the world? We see innocent civilians and children die as a result of our actions. Their crime? Simply being born in the wrong part of the world, but somehow their life means less than dirt. I bring this point up because apparently people are either blind or do not care. Are the big tough baddies who support american invasion of the middle East aware of what actually happens? It's easy to press the button, when you have no connection to who you kill, it dehumanizes them, makes it easier. How many of you advocating for this are willing to sit and watch the reality of it? I feel like people would be less likely to pull the trigger if they had to watch parents pull the bodies of their children out of the rubble. Or watch a grown man hold his brother as he takes his last breath? Feel and experience the emotions and sadness and rage from it? Could you still support what we do if you put yourself into their shoes? I feel like people should be forced to see this, to understand the implications of their actions. Let's see how many nights of sleep people get knowing it's their fault. See the faces that have a name, and a family. Scenario: America botches an attack and kills 300 innocent. Imagine each of these are divided into families. And that these people are the remaining ones who have to live with their family members murdered. This literally keeps giving ISIS manpower because you have already pushed these people into desperation and left then with nothing, but anger and hate for you. The more people you kill, the more people will rise and fight you. I am no means a supporter of these people, only pointing out that we are throwing gas on the fire. And the time we come in power, it'll be too late for us to repair the damage. We can't bring these people back to life. We can't unsew the seeds of hatred and the ideology. We can't undo the damage to earth. We, cannot fix it after a certain turning point. The experience and complex joys of our life, it's over, our prime has come and gone, much like the needless suffering of the peoples lives that are destroyed. Or not wanting to bring children into a world where the future is so uncertain and chaotic. You say kids are entitled​, that our schools give us easy work, that we are lazy, rude, etc. We are special snowflakes who are fragile and need safe space. Do you know what it's like growing up with people telling you that hard work will ensure a future, so long as you out effort in? And watching your grandpa, who is a good man, a Christian, one of the most selfless individuals who has lived a life of suffering, work to the bone until he is barely living, and the fucking insurance companies won't even give him oxygen for his one lung working at 25%? And watching your grandma work from a kid until she dies because the government screwed her on retirement? But I guess they dont deserve it because apparently they didn't work hard enough. Isn't that the new upper class logic, that poor people just don't work hard enough. That you can survive as long as you pull yourselves up by the bootstraps. People talk a ton of shit about terrorists, Muslims, Mexicans taking jobs and hurting Americans. You know what hurts Americans? Not giving everyone equal healthcare. Not investing in social programs. Do you know how many people die from preventable diseases, or lack of insurance in this country? More than any terrorist attack combined. There are plenty of people who wouldn't be on disability or a strain on the system, had they not been barred from seeking early treatment. The biggest threat to an American isn't foreign, it's domestic. It's a government that lets it's people die. It's a government that tolerates jacking up a lifesaving $15 EpiPen in the name of CAPITALISM. It's a government that is systematically designed to keep poor people trapped below and fighting each other to avoid escaping. And each week it's them distracting with another thing. Did it ever occur to you that we have empathy? That we care more for human life than any prior generation. That we understand that we only have one visible life that we can't ever get back? That we don't take "Collateral damage is just an acceptable side product of war"? Those answers may have been good to the generations who didn't have access to the knowledge we have, but that's not the case anymore. There are other people who deserved to live more than me. And yet they were the ones taken. I have done nothing to contribute to the world.

[bigyack-com]

Young Adults, Burdened With Debt, Are Now Facing an Economic Crisis

The last time a serious economic downturn hit in 2008, Evan Schade was in high school and the crisis seemed like a news event that happened to other people. This time, as the coronavirus has brought the economy to its knees, it has become a personal affair.When nonessential businesses were closed last month in Kansas City, Mo., where he lives, Mr. Schade, 26, lost his job at a carpet store and almost all of the shifts in his second job at a coffee shop. His girlfriend, Kaitlyn Gardner, 23, was laid off from a different coffee shop.The money they have in their bank accounts, just over $1,000, is enough to cover only this week’s $800 rent check — forget about his $300 student loan payments or the health insurance he was hoping to finally sign up for. The couple have spent their time at home applying for unemployment and fruitlessly looking for new work.“I know so many people my age who are going through the exact same thing,” Ms. Gardner said.The youngest American adults are facing what is, for most of them, the first serious economic crisis of their working lives. By most measures, they are woefully unprepared.While the last few years were largely good ones for the American economy, that did little to help set millennials up with a solid financial foundation. Overloaded with credit card and student debt, and underrepresented in the housing and stock markets, they entered this uncertain period with significant obligations and few resources.Their position looks doubly precarious when measured against older generations today and relative to those generations when they were the same age, from 23 to 35 years old.Going into the financial crisis of 2008, Generation X was roughly the same age as millennials today, but had on average twice the total assets that millennials have now when all bank accounts, stocks and loans are added together, according to an analysis done for The New York Times by economists at the St. Louis Federal Reserve.Now members of Generation X, who are from 40 to 55 years old, are in a strong position relative to millennials, even after being battered by the 2008 crisis. They have about four times the assets and more than twice as much in savings as today’s youngest American adults.Those with college degrees, a minority of the youngest adults, are doing better on average than previous generations when they were the same age. But everyone else is doing significantly worse, according to a Pew Research Center analysis last year.“Even going into this situation, young adults were in a very precarious situation,” said Reid Cramer, who led the Millennials Initiative at New America, a left-of-center think tank. “A sudden shock is really going to have a pretty big impact on this generation.”The turmoil caused by the coronavirus has already brought out other generational divisions. College students partying on Florida beaches have earned the ire of older Americans who face graver health risks when youthful gatherings spread the virus.But while young adults may face fewer health problems, they are more vulnerable to the financial costs of the downturn. Millennials are much more likely to be involved in part-time work and the gig economy, according to government reports, and these have been hard hit. Such work generally provides few benefits to cushion the blow of bad times.The sudden disappearance of paychecks, combined with a wide array of monthly debt payments and the declines in any investments, is forcing some millennials to take desperate measures. Social media has been filled with discussions about how to best take money out of 401(k) retirement accounts to pay for rent.Dan Gamez, 22, who lives with his parents near Boston, has been selling his video game consoles on eBay to make his upcoming car payment after losing his job at an AT&T store.“I’ve just been staying at home and playing video games, so I’m kind of upset I have to do this, but I have no choice,” he said.Andrew Lawson, 29, was making $500 to $600 a week delivering food for DoorDash on Hawaii’s big island. After the state shut down nonessential businesses, most restaurants closed. In three days of work in one week, Mr. Lawson made less than $60, which wasn’t enough to cover the gas to get to Kona, the city with the work.“Nowadays I might get a $5 order from McDonald���s after three hours of waiting,” he said.Mr. Lawson has a 2-year-old and a pregnant wife, who does not work. They were down to eating plain noodles until he visited a food bank and got a bag of potatoes and some carrots. He has set up accounts on all the social networks to broadcast his need for work — any work.“Give me something I could feed my family with,” he said. “I don’t care what it is.”The inequality among millennials is even more evident when race is taken into account. Young black families at all educational levels have fallen further behind their white peers over the last two decades in measures like household wealth and homeownership, according to research from New America.“Over time, it is becoming more difficult for young families to accumulate wealth,” said William R. Emmons, the lead economist at the St. Louis Federal Reserve’s Center for Household Financial Stability. “We thought maybe they’d catch up later, but the current situation doesn’t give me much reason to believe that’s going to happen.”These disadvantages are already shaping the long-term prospects of young Americans. They are much less likely to be married, have children or own a house than Americans of a similar age in decades past.Ms. Gardner said that she and Mr. Schade eventually wanted to have a family and a house. But she said, “We’re both going to be in debt for a while, and having kids is just not feasible.”While there is a chance the downturn will be short, economists are assuming that the turmoil that has already happened will have long-term consequences for young households.The 2008 crisis made young Americans then more reluctant to invest in the stock market. Millennials today have, on average, only a third of the stock market holdings that Generation X did before the 2008 financial crisis, according to the data from the St. Louis Federal Reserve.That means that young households have not enjoyed the market gains that came over the last decade. Today, the average member of Generation X has 10 times more wealth from the stock market then millennials.Jack Ankenbruck, 25, who until last month made a living playing drums in a band in Nashville, began putting money into an investment account with the start-up Acorns last year and had gotten it up to $2,000 by February. The value of the account plunged by almost half in recent weeks, making him question his decision to put it there in the first place.“I’m thinking, ‘What if I’d just kept that $30 a week — I’d still have that money,’ and I could use it now,” said Mr. Ankenbruck, who has been trying to make some money playing concerts online.Jayci Cumberledge, 23, in Amherst, Ohio, has no retirement accounts and spent her last $80 in savings to make her monthly car payment shortly after the gastro pub where she worked closed in mid-March.Ms. Cumberledge’s parents have also lost their jobs in the last few weeks — her father at a Ford factory, her mother driving a van for disabled children. That has made her aware of how much better prepared they were for this, she said, with a house they own and no rent payments to fall behind on.To cover the utility bills for her mobile home, Ms. Cumberledge borrowed $200 from a friend. She has since made some money by selling pictures of her feet to people with fetishes who found her online after she put a joking post on Twitter. “You compare it to the older generations — they worked up and saved money,” Ms. Cumberledge said. “It feels like I’m never going to have a stable job that has benefits and health insurance.” Read the full article

[smokeybrandreviews]

Go Woke Go Broke

I am a fan of great stories. I adore brilliant, unique, art. I adore when both are integral to a creation be it film, comic, book, short story, light novel, fan fiction; Whatever. I find the ability to build worlds in almost any capacity, incredible. I’m also an older Millennial; Part of the tweener, X/Y, Oregon Trail generation. Born in the 80s, raised in the 90s, and came of age in the early 00s.We played until the street lights caught us, my first game system was an NES, and all my Saturday morning cartoons were sans Disney, toy commercials. I got an honorable mention once at a science fair and my parents were unimpressed so Participation Trophies were a joke to me and i learned how to deal with bullies by dealing with bullies. I had to worry about gangs shooting up my school, not that lone, weird kid in a trench coat. I’m all about representation but i understand that if you want people to look like you on film, you’d better find a way to make that film in white ass Hollywood. Basically, i have sense whereas most Millennials born after 89, do not. I need to make that distinction because we are about to get into some sh*t.

The merit and value of representation or visibility in mainstream media is dependent on the quality of said portrayal in the cultural zeitgeist. I’m a giant black dude who lives in America so representation for me basically begins and ends with a thug persona. As a black person in general, watching actors who look like me get passed over in roles that are uplifting and enriching to the culture like Hurricane or Ali for very specific, very demeaning, very marginalization, stereotypes, is disgusting. Black people, however excellent they are, never win for anything other than the magical Negro, uplifting slave, or non-threatening service person. Hidden Figures is an amazing tale of the trio of black women who saved NASA during the height of the space race. It was nominated for three Oscars and won none. Mahershala Ali did win an Oscar for best supporting actor portraying Juan, a drug dealer. Another movie he was in won several Oscars as well, Green Book. Ali plays Dr. Don Shirley characterized by the magical negro trope. I can go on and on. Denzel Washington got his second Oscar for Training day playing a corrupt ass cop when he turned in a much better, far more emotional performance, in Hurricane the year before. His first? Glory, where he played a former slave. A few years later? Snubbed for Philadelphia. Washington played, deftly i might add, a lawyer named Joe Milller who had to reconcile his own prejudices bout what it meant to have AIDS. Dude wasn’t even nominated. Tom Hanks won, though. See that pattern?

I don’t like Steven Universe. I don’t think it’s a very good show but because it has a massive fanbase among the LBGTQ community, it’s bullet proof from criticism. Nah, i’m about to go in. I adore Rebecca Sugar and i commend her creativity. My favorite episodes of Adventure Time are often attribute to her in some way, wither s0rt direction story boarding, or song writing. Marceline wouldn’t be Marcy with Sugar and i’ll always love her for that. That said, Steven Universe is melodramatic trash that uses pandering as a crutch. I don’t have a problem with the gays or whatever getting their visibility, but there are ways to do it without coming across as plagiarized drivel. Euphoria immediately comes to mind. Universe wears it’s anime inspirations on it’s sleeve. Sugar is a massive fan of Sailor Moon and you see, just, SO much of that in this show. Entire scenes and plot points are directly lifted from Usagi’s epic adventure but, because of the nostalgia goggles, cats are blinded to the straight-up theft. I’m not. That lack of originality is hindrance to the message. I mean, not really, i guess, because people love this show but it’s hard for me to acknowledge anything genuine about it because i know it is all a fraud. Hell, Land of the Lustrous, a manga by the name of Hoseki no Kuni, bares more than a striking similarity to Universe and came out a full year before Steven first bared his belly gem! Guess what Lustrous is? A manga! Guess who loves anime and manga? Sugar! Guess who has built a career on Sailor Moon images and Fan art? Sugar! Hell, Lustrous does a better job of LBGTQ representation by accident. Seriously, check that sh*t out. It’s an excellent narrative that doesn’t pander to the SJW crowd. It just tells it’s story about gem girls and space monsters. Sh*t is dope.

Where i feel the most sting, however, is in the US comic industry. All of this PC wokeness is in direct contrast to creative storytelling, for the most part. Marvel is hilariously guilty of this sh*t. I was on board when they decided to turn carol Danvers into Captain Marvel, effectively retiring her leotard costume and pretending kike it never happened. Fine. I liked that design but i get how impractical is was. The homage to Mar-Vell in her current duds is cool, too. I was one of the few that waited before running to judgment as Bendis race-bent Spider-Man into Miles Morales and then gender bent Iron Man into Riri Williams. Riri is a sh*t character in her own right but the outrage was more about her gender and race which made the criticism seem neckbeard nerd rage. Even then, i stuck around. Hell, when that Mockingbird run dropped and was literally a feminist manifesto, i let it ride because it was cleverly written and, foe the most part, i am kind of a feminist. More Equalist but there are feminist undertones in there. More recently, however, we got this New Warriors book and this is where i have to draw the line. Snowflake and Safe pace? Token non-binary hero? Marvel used to be at the forefront of this sh*t. They had gay superheroes in the 70s. They got married in the 80s. They addressed AIDS in the 90s and muslim bigotry in the 00s. Marvel was always crazy social conscious. That was one of their story telling staples and they delivered those messages with a light but firm touch.

F*ck, dude, the X-Men are an allegory for black people and the Civil Rights movement! Magneto and Professor X are literally caricatures of Malcom X and Dr. King.  mainstream comic, broaching the subject of discrimination, camouflaged in the vibrant arto f superhuman clashes, sold to white kids across America, during the f*cking 60s? Are you serious? That sh*t changes minds. That sh*t starts a conversation. That sh*t is status quo changing! Snowflake and Safespace? F*cking really? This is your social discourse now? Disrespectful parody of a marginalizing slur and already absurd concept derived by weenies? This isn’t even satire, it’s outright disrespect. I think safespaces are detrimental to proper, healthy, discourse or that the notion of those who stand up to offense are snowflakes who “need to get a sense of humor”, but for real? The fact that cats just tacked on the one is non-binary just outright exposes the true intent. This sh*t is pandering, straight up. It’s non representation It’s not progress. It’s disrespectful Woke point grabbing. It’s superficial lip-service being played to those that feel like their label isn’t getting enough media scrutiny. I think all of these new genders or whatever are stupid but i’m an old person. Some kid might identify with being non-binary or whatever and THIS sh8t is what they have to look forward to seeing. You can’t be serious.

Now, the whole reason i’m writing this, the entire reason i was even thing king about this subject, is because of Late Night with Lily Singh. Singh is a comedy Youtuber who has crossed over into the mainstream. I, personally, don’t find her funny, but i understand how important her success is in the world. Singh is, if you haven’t deduced by her name, a Desi woman. She’s a Canadian of Punjabi descent and she’s making moves. Ma is one of the most popular channels on the platform and, indeed, i first came across her through another cat i follow. Even though i personally do not enjoy her content, the breadth of what she has accomplished does not elude me. Singh is a powerhouse and should be recognized as such. However, her actual, on-air, late night talk show is f*cking dog sh*t. Singh is not geared for that. Like, at all. Her jokes are bad, her monologues are delivered with a clumsy anxiousness that belies the energetic skit-maker from her Youtube channel, and she is the worst interviewer on television! Her guests are often visibly bewildered. Watching James Corden interview someone is off-putting, dude does his best impression of graham Norton, but Seeing Singh just assault her guests with mediocrity is textbook cringe. Why the f*ck was she put into this very public position, thrown to the wolves, doomed to fail?

Her show is bad, man, but when you say so, the PC Police come out to beat your sh*t in. Singh is Indian, female, and bisexually; The three biggest spaces on the Marginalized bingo board. Being brown, or queer, or prone to vaginas gets you them woke points whenever you create anything but to have all three at once? Boy, you bulletproof! Saying anything remotely resembling criticism gets you cancelled on the grounds of sexism, homophobia or just plain classic racism, all the while, her show i literal sh*t! Singh, herself, is often racist and sexist throughout her “comedy” skits! I’m not one to subscribe to white people being discriminated against. A a black dude with a firm grasp of history, i personally believe white people should just take it when a minority goes after them because they never have a problem taking from everyone else. Goose/gander, you know what i’m saying? That said, there’s an art, a nuance, to that racial observation. Singh does not deliver her content with that deft touch. She’s built a career on malicious caricatures of the whites and the penises, which would be fine if there was a message in her satire, but there’s not. It’s base and uninspired.

You can build a career on that type of content. Dave Chappelle’s entire career is that type of content and he’s one of the greatest comedians to ever comedy. The difference between his material and Singh’s is that Chappelle says something. Chappelle hits you in the gut and forces you to look within. His sh*t is actually profound. Lily Singh is not. She’s skews closer to that trainwreck, Nicole Arbour, than she does Eddie Murphy. She’s more Amy Schumer than Wanda Sykes and that sh*t is on full display with her terrible, terrible, talk show. I read somewhere that it might be getting cancelled soon and my first thought was, “It’s not cancelled now?” If i am aware that Singh’s content is pedestrian, surely the studio knew it was. I mean, the ratings of her show are abysmal. She even found her way into a race controversy as a female, lesbian, Desi on TV! Then it dawned on me; This wasn’t true representation This was NBC casing Woke points. They never believed in this show, rather, wanted to use Singh as a sounding board. She’s a trophy for a network trying to court that meek, 90s baby, everyone-is-special, “Muh anxiety”, crowd. It didn’t work and Singh’s show is getting shelved, as it should, but it’s f*cked up that this is what representation at the corporate level looks like. This sh*t is tokenism, plain and simple

Representation is great. I want all of us to be seen. People around the world judge our various cultures based on what our entertainment contributes to the cultural zeitgeist of the world. Mot blacks aren’t gang-bangers, rappers, or dug dealers. Most Muslims aren’t terrorists. hell, most Muslims aren’t even of middle eastern descent! Islam is the largest religion in the world. You’re more likely to meat an south Asian with a Koran than an Iranian with a suicide belt. Gays aren’t going to turn you, Women don’t have vagina dentata, and the handicapped are more resilient than you think. Don’t pander. Don’t token. This game of playing for Woke points in the media and arts needs to stop. All of this faux outrage by mostly rich, white, people on behalf of the people their privilege marginalizes, needs to stop. Patting yourself on the back because you’re book has a Sudanese, paraplegic, lesbian, lead is not being progressive, it’s masturbatory at best. Approach your project with a sense of levity, common sense, and, more than anything, respect. Is what you deem “representation” a good look for whatever class you’re trying to champion? Or is it just a means to stroke your ego and push your politics? Are you Brad Pitt or are you Kathleen Kennedy? Is what you want to show us going to do more bad than good?

At the end of the day, create what you ant to create, just be conscious of how you create. Evaluate your message. Make sure it’ something that needs to be said. Something that, when said, can’t be ignored. Make the message profound and the representation enriching. Make that sh*t count because doing so in an effort to appear the Wokest, just trivializes everything you are attempting to do.

[smokeybrand]

Go Woke Go Broke

I am a fan of great stories. I adore brilliant, unique, art. I adore when both are integral to a creation be it film, comic, book, short story, light novel, fan fiction; Whatever. I find the ability to build worlds in almost any capacity, incredible. I’m also an older Millennial; Part of the tweener, X/Y, Oregon Trail generation. Born in the 80s, raised in the 90s, and came of age in the early 00s.We played until the street lights caught us, my first game system was an NES, and all my Saturday morning cartoons were sans Disney, toy commercials. I got an honorable mention once at a science fair and my parents were unimpressed so Participation Trophies were a joke to me and i learned how to deal with bullies by dealing with bullies. I had to worry about gangs shooting up my school, not that lone, weird kid in a trench coat. I’m all about representation but i understand that if you want people to look like you on film, you’d better find a way to make that film in white ass Hollywood. Basically, i have sense whereas most Millennials born after 89, do not. I need to make that distinction because we are about to get into some sh*t.

The merit and value of representation or visibility in mainstream media is dependent on the quality of said portrayal in the cultural zeitgeist. I’m a giant black dude who lives in America so representation for me basically begins and ends with a thug persona. As a black person in general, watching actors who look like me get passed over in roles that are uplifting and enriching to the culture like Hurricane or Ali for very specific, very demeaning, very marginalization, stereotypes, is disgusting. Black people, however excellent they are, never win for anything other than the magical Negro, uplifting slave, or non-threatening service person. Hidden Figures is an amazing tale of the trio of black women who saved NASA during the height of the space race. It was nominated for three Oscars and won none. Mahershala Ali did win an Oscar for best supporting actor portraying Juan, a drug dealer. Another movie he was in won several Oscars as well, Green Book. Ali plays Dr. Don Shirley characterized by the magical negro trope. I can go on and on. Denzel Washington got his second Oscar for Training day playing a corrupt ass cop when he turned in a much better, far more emotional performance, in Hurricane the year before. His first? Glory, where he played a former slave. A few years later? Snubbed for Philadelphia. Washington played, deftly i might add, a lawyer named Joe Milller who had to reconcile his own prejudices bout what it meant to have AIDS. Dude wasn’t even nominated. Tom Hanks won, though. See that pattern?

I don’t like Steven Universe. I don’t think it’s a very good show but because it has a massive fanbase among the LBGTQ community, it’s bullet proof from criticism. Nah, i’m about to go in. I adore Rebecca Sugar and i commend her creativity. My favorite episodes of Adventure Time are often attribute to her in some way, wither s0rt direction story boarding, or song writing. Marceline wouldn’t be Marcy with Sugar and i’ll always love her for that. That said, Steven Universe is melodramatic trash that uses pandering as a crutch. I don’t have a problem with the gays or whatever getting their visibility, but there are ways to do it without coming across as plagiarized drivel. Euphoria immediately comes to mind. Universe wears it’s anime inspirations on it’s sleeve. Sugar is a massive fan of Sailor Moon and you see, just, SO much of that in this show. Entire scenes and plot points are directly lifted from Usagi’s epic adventure but, because of the nostalgia goggles, cats are blinded to the straight-up theft. I’m not. That lack of originality is hindrance to the message. I mean, not really, i guess, because people love this show but it’s hard for me to acknowledge anything genuine about it because i know it is all a fraud. Hell, Land of the Lustrous, a manga by the name of Hoseki no Kuni, bares more than a striking similarity to Universe and came out a full year before Steven first bared his belly gem! Guess what Lustrous is? A manga! Guess who loves anime and manga? Sugar! Guess who has built a career on Sailor Moon images and Fan art? Sugar! Hell, Lustrous does a better job of LBGTQ representation by accident. Seriously, check that sh*t out. It’s an excellent narrative that doesn’t pander to the SJW crowd. It just tells it’s story about gem girls and space monsters. Sh*t is dope.

Where i feel the most sting, however, is in the US comic industry. All of this PC wokeness is in direct contrast to creative storytelling, for the most part. Marvel is hilariously guilty of this sh*t. I was on board when they decided to turn carol Danvers into Captain Marvel, effectively retiring her leotard costume and pretending kike it never happened. Fine. I liked that design but i get how impractical is was. The homage to Mar-Vell in her current duds is cool, too. I was one of the few that waited before running to judgment as Bendis race-bent Spider-Man into Miles Morales and then gender bent Iron Man into Riri Williams. Riri is a sh*t character in her own right but the outrage was more about her gender and race which made the criticism seem neckbeard nerd rage. Even then, i stuck around. Hell, when that Mockingbird run dropped and was literally a feminist manifesto, i let it ride because it was cleverly written and, foe the most part, i am kind of a feminist. More Equalist but there are feminist undertones in there. More recently, however, we got this New Warriors book and this is where i have to draw the line. Snowflake and Safe pace? Token non-binary hero? Marvel used to be at the forefront of this sh*t. They had gay superheroes in the 70s. They got married in the 80s. They addressed AIDS in the 90s and muslim bigotry in the 00s. Marvel was always crazy social conscious. That was one of their story telling staples and they delivered those messages with a light but firm touch.

F*ck, dude, the X-Men are an allegory for black people and the Civil Rights movement! Magneto and Professor X are literally caricatures of Malcom X and Dr. King.  mainstream comic, broaching the subject of discrimination, camouflaged in the vibrant arto f superhuman clashes, sold to white kids across America, during the f*cking 60s? Are you serious? That sh*t changes minds. That sh*t starts a conversation. That sh*t is status quo changing! Snowflake and Safespace? F*cking really? This is your social discourse now? Disrespectful parody of a marginalizing slur and already absurd concept derived by weenies? This isn’t even satire, it’s outright disrespect. I think safespaces are detrimental to proper, healthy, discourse or that the notion of those who stand up to offense are snowflakes who “need to get a sense of humor”, but for real? The fact that cats just tacked on the one is non-binary just outright exposes the true intent. This sh*t is pandering, straight up. It’s non representation It’s not progress. It’s disrespectful Woke point grabbing. It’s superficial lip-service being played to those that feel like their label isn’t getting enough media scrutiny. I think all of these new genders or whatever are stupid but i’m an old person. Some kid might identify with being non-binary or whatever and THIS sh8t is what they have to look forward to seeing. You can’t be serious.

Now, the whole reason i’m writing this, the entire reason i was even thing king about this subject, is because of Late Night with Lily Singh. Singh is a comedy Youtuber who has crossed over into the mainstream. I, personally, don’t find her funny, but i understand how important her success is in the world. Singh is, if you haven’t deduced by her name, a Desi woman. She’s a Canadian of Punjabi descent and she’s making moves. Ma is one of the most popular channels on the platform and, indeed, i first came across her through another cat i follow. Even though i personally do not enjoy her content, the breadth of what she has accomplished does not elude me. Singh is a powerhouse and should be recognized as such. However, her actual, on-air, late night talk show is f*cking dog sh*t. Singh is not geared for that. Like, at all. Her jokes are bad, her monologues are delivered with a clumsy anxiousness that belies the energetic skit-maker from her Youtube channel, and she is the worst interviewer on television! Her guests are often visibly bewildered. Watching James Corden interview someone is off-putting, dude does his best impression of graham Norton, but Seeing Singh just assault her guests with mediocrity is textbook cringe. Why the f*ck was she put into this very public position, thrown to the wolves, doomed to fail?

Her show is bad, man, but when you say so, the PC Police come out to beat your sh*t in. Singh is Indian, female, and bisexually; The three biggest spaces on the Marginalized bingo board. Being brown, or queer, or prone to vaginas gets you them woke points whenever you create anything but to have all three at once? Boy, you bulletproof! Saying anything remotely resembling criticism gets you cancelled on the grounds of sexism, homophobia or just plain classic racism, all the while, her show i literal sh*t! Singh, herself, is often racist and sexist throughout her “comedy” skits! I’m not one to subscribe to white people being discriminated against. A a black dude with a firm grasp of history, i personally believe white people should just take it when a minority goes after them because they never have a problem taking from everyone else. Goose/gander, you know what i’m saying? That said, there’s an art, a nuance, to that racial observation. Singh does not deliver her content with that deft touch. She’s built a career on malicious caricatures of the whites and the penises, which would be fine if there was a message in her satire, but there’s not. It’s base and uninspired.

You can build a career on that type of content. Dave Chappelle’s entire career is that type of content and he’s one of the greatest comedians to ever comedy. The difference between his material and Singh’s is that Chappelle says something. Chappelle hits you in the gut and forces you to look within. His sh*t is actually profound. Lily Singh is not. She’s skews closer to that trainwreck, Nicole Arbour, than she does Eddie Murphy. She’s more Amy Schumer than Wanda Sykes and that sh*t is on full display with her terrible, terrible, talk show. I read somewhere that it might be getting cancelled soon and my first thought was, “It’s not cancelled now?” If i am aware that Singh’s content is pedestrian, surely the studio knew it was. I mean, the ratings of her show are abysmal. She even found her way into a race controversy as a female, lesbian, Desi on TV! Then it dawned on me; This wasn’t true representation This was NBC casing Woke points. They never believed in this show, rather, wanted to use Singh as a sounding board. She’s a trophy for a network trying to court that meek, 90s baby, everyone-is-special, “Muh anxiety”, crowd. It didn’t work and Singh’s show is getting shelved, as it should, but it’s f*cked up that this is what representation at the corporate level looks like. This sh*t is tokenism, plain and simple

Representation is great. I want all of us to be seen. People around the world judge our various cultures based on what our entertainment contributes to the cultural zeitgeist of the world. Mot blacks aren’t gang-bangers, rappers, or dug dealers. Most Muslims aren’t terrorists. hell, most Muslims aren’t even of middle eastern descent! Islam is the largest religion in the world. You’re more likely to meat an south Asian with a Koran than an Iranian with a suicide belt. Gays aren’t going to turn you, Women don’t have vagina dentata, and the handicapped are more resilient than you think. Don’t pander. Don’t token. This game of playing for Woke points in the media and arts needs to stop. All of this faux outrage by mostly rich, white, people on behalf of the people their privilege marginalizes, needs to stop. Patting yourself on the back because you’re book has a Sudanese, paraplegic, lesbian, lead is not being progressive, it’s masturbatory at best. Approach your project with a sense of levity, common sense, and, more than anything, respect. Is what you deem “representation” a good look for whatever class you’re trying to champion? Or is it just a means to stroke your ego and push your politics? Are you Brad Pitt or are you Kathleen Kennedy? Is what you want to show us going to do more bad than good?

At the end of the day, create what you ant to create, just be conscious of how you create. Evaluate your message. Make sure it’ something that needs to be said. Something that, when said, can’t be ignored. Make the message profound and the representation enriching. Make that sh*t count because doing so in an effort to appear the Wokest, just trivializes everything you are attempting to do.

[siliconwebx]

How and Why You Should Market to Generation Z

Generation Z is defined by those born between 1995 or ’98 and 2010, but to simplify, let’s just say that Gen Z was born between the mid-90s and 2010. That means Gen Z is made up of guys and girls between the ages of 9 and 24.

According to this study from WP Engine, 55% of Gen Z is dying to get online at least every five hours; many can’t make it longer than an hour without squirming. (To compare, Baby Boomers – born between 1946 and 1964 – can go at least a week before missing the Internet too much.)

When it comes to Generation Z vs. millennials, the main difference is that millennials watched the advent of digital media, while Gen Z grew up with it – they don’t know anything else. All of the innovations that millennials saw unfold in real time were givens once Gen Z was born. And because they’re so used to it, they’re less impressed by it (yet still heavy users and, in some cases, reliant on it).

It’s interesting to note that Gen Z prefers face-to-face communication in some instances, especially when it comes to business and entrepreneurship. According to WP Engine, “Gen Z gravitates toward a unique mix of trends, which both embrace the future and respect certain aspects of the past. Communicating with this generation successfully requires taking the time to understand those nuances then acting accordingly.”

Everything from website design to marketing campaigns must suit Gen Z’s demands and expectations. Here’s what you need to know about Generation Z marketing:

It’s a globalized generation.

Millennials were technically the first global generation, but Gen Z is the first generation to have always had the world at their fingertips. Because of that, they’re more comfortable with and adept at interacting with international peers and following global news.

The recession created deeper concern for the future.

Generation Z grew up during the recession, which made them realistic about their future. They’re hard workers, similar to how some of our grandparents were influenced by the depression. They care about money, savings and retirement, and they don’t want debt.

They still spend, and will spend, a lot.

Don’t let that fool you. They are spending ($143 billion globally), and they’re influencing household spending decisions.

Social media is a go-to for researching buying decisions…

Generation Z is turning to social media to discover brands, research products and finalize their purchase decisions, with Instagram and YouTube being popular platforms-of-choice for these purposes.

…and so are friends and family.

According to the Center for Generational Kinetics, 48% of Generation Z says they tend to get input from friends and family before buying something. The study explains, “This could be a generational statement about who Gen Z most trusts or it could be related to their current life stage. It will be interesting to see if this changes as Gen Z gets older and accumulates more consumer experience.”

Either way, brands need to know that the customer experience and word-of-mouth are important. If more customers review and recommend your products and services, you have a better chance of influencing Gen Z to buy.

Those Gen Z shoppers will also provide the feedback you’re looking for. According to Accenture, “40 percent said they provide feedback often or very often compared to about 35 percent of Millennials.”

Actually, they want to partner with you.

Gen Z is unofficially dubbed “the influencer generation.” They’ve had a camera pointed at them since birth; some have had social media accounts since they were still in the womb. They each need to feel special, a unique snowflake worthy of attention. They want to work with their favorite brands as social media #ad partners or brand ambassadors.

Decide if affiliate partnerships or influencer campaigns are right for your brand. If they’re not, there may still be a way to get Gen Z involved by asking them for contributions. You can have them name a new product, create graphics for a marketing campaign or suggest a limited-time flavor.

A happy medium may be sharing customer posts on social media. It’s less time-consuming than creating a branded contest and you won’t have to place your trust in influencers. You can simply re-post the content you like the most and give a shout-out to the original content creator. American Eagle does this on Instagram with their #AExME campaign:

They care about value, quality and realness…

Gen Z cares much more about quality than quantity, and they don’t want to waste their time figuring out what you can do for them. They want to know the end game from the get-go. Brands should lead by answering the question, “How will we improve your life?”

They also want reality. (A reality in which they’re treated as a social media celebrity, but still.) In content and marketing, use Photoshop-free images as much as possible, and try to feature real customers, not models.

P.S. You also have to stand for something: Gen Z cares if you’re socially conscious or not. Dedicate an entire website page to how you give back or how your customers can give back via your brand, and make sure to use that messaging in your marketing, too.

…but they really care about entertainment.

WP Engine says that 66% of Gen Z uses the Internet mainly for entertainment. To reiterate, more than half of Generation Z’s primary goal when going online is entertainment.

You don’t need to create a branded video game; you just have to give them something unexpected and interesting.

Skittles has a social media presence as colorful as the candy itself:

Old Spice has a lighthearted website, evoking the same bizarre humor its commercials are known for:

What’s especially great is if you can inject entertainment into even the most basic website components, like Oreo did with their cookies warning:

When entertaining, brands should stay true to their personality. If you have a serious presence, you don’t need to jolly it up for the sake of Generation Z – that will come off as inauthentic.

For example, Intel has a Meet the Makers series to show how people are using tech to create cutting-edge experiences. The videos entertain without turning Intel into a company it’s not.

Entertainment doesn’t have to be complicated.

Unless you’re designing a website from scratch, don’t start panicking that you have to do a full-scale redesign to incorporate entertaining aspects, or shoot an entire web series, or rebrand to be more fun and joyful. Here’s an easy hack: discover what’s most engaging about your social media accounts and then replicate that elsewhere.

Gymshark does this on their blog. The comments section at the bottom of a post has emojis so readers can offer super quick feedback in a way they’re familiar with:

If your Facebook is especially engaging when you post a live video, consider doing that on Instagram as well, and maybe create behind-the-scenes or day-in-the-life posts for your blog. If surveys are a big hit on Twitter, add one to your next newsletter. Don’t reinvent the wheel – take what’s already working and maximize its potential.

Brands should know what customers want before customers even know what they want.

That WP Engine study showed that 68% of Gen Z believes that websites will know what visitors want before they tell them. In order to get that type of customized experience, 44% of Gen Z is happy to hand over their data.

Gen Z wants customized offers that meet their buying preferences, habits or location. Brands need to recognize the customer’s identity immediately and tailor the on-screen experience to them.

You know how you’ll be talking about something with your friend, an upcoming vacation to Hawaii, for example, and then you’ll go onto Facebook and there will be ads with discounts for hotels in Hawaii, or you’ll log in to Amazon and see luggage as a suggested purchase? And how everyone over the age of 20 will go, “See, they’re listening, take all of your personal information offline and live in a bubble”? Well, Gen Z loves that. They love going online and seeing an experience that’s meant just for them.

For brands, it’s really about paying attention to what customers are doing and then catering your products, services or offers to them. The customer-brand connection should be partially completed so the rest of the process is simplified. Even something like a “find a store” search bar on a website removes a barrier to entry.

You can have a mobile app, but it’s not necessary.

WP Engine reports that 61% of Gen Z would rather use a website than an app when making an online purchase. If you have a mobile app, you don’t have to get rid of it – just make sure your website is also user-friendly. If you don’t have a mobile app, don’t prioritize it – they can be pricey and difficult to make, and it’s not a must-have right now.

Wrapping Up

Even if you have a slightly older demographic, Generation Z is coming. Knowing what you need to do and what you don’t have to worry about right now can help you create a highly targeted marketing strategy. For brands that have mastered the art of marketing to millennials, some of these tips will sound familiar, while others will require new thought processes and a strategy refresher.

Once you get your new strategy or campaigns up-and-running, you’ll want to measure effectiveness. Familiarize yourself with KPIs to keep your marketing on track.

It should also be noted: I purposely left customer loyalty programs off this list because I just wrote all about it – you can see the article here.

If you have any questions, please drop us a line in the comments section below!

The post How and Why You Should Market to Generation Z appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

😉SiliconWebX | 🌐ElegantThemes

[myfinancialguideme-blog]

6 Finance Trends Impacting Millennials & How You Can Use Them To Save $ Betches

New Post has been published on https://financeguideto.com/must-see/6-finance-trends-impacting-millennials-how-you-can-use-them-to-save-betches/

6 Finance Trends Impacting Millennials & How You Can Use Them To Save $ Betches

Adulting is hard af. You don’t have someone to make your lunch for you every day or clean up the house. You need to take out the trash yourself, and don’t get me started on paying the bills. In 2019, the state of our personal finances has drastically changed from when our parents were young. Sometimes for the worst, but sometimes for the better. Alexa von Tobel, the founder of Inspired Capital and New York Times bestselling author, sums up the six biggest financial trends in her new book, Financially Forward: How To Use Today’s Digital Tools To Earn More, Save Better, and Spend Smarter, out now. She lays out where we’re losing money (oy vey) and how we can save more (thank the lord). Her book is a much-needed reality check, and can teach you how to not be broke by the time you reach 50. (And it isn’t just about cutting back on the drinking. I hope.) Here are the top six finance trends and advice outlined in von Tobel’s book, and how you can use those trends to your advantage.

Trend #1: We’re Living Longer

It’s no shocker that we are living longer than 50 years ago. Science (and my killer wrinkle-reducing night cream) tends to do that. While only 12% of the population was over 65 in 2000, it is estimated that 20% of Americans will be 65 or older by 2050. She says, “the majority of us underestimate the average life expectancy. This may sound like no big deal, but underestimating how long you might live can also mean underestimating how much money you’ll need to live comfortably after you retire.” So while you may think investing in those designer shoes is fine now, think about when you’re 75 and homeless. At least you’ll have cute shoes, right?

Living longer also means that we’re retiring later. The average life expectancy for an American woman is 81.1. So while some people retire at 65, a study by Northwestern Mutual found that 38% of people wait until they are in their 70s. Additionally, von Tobel says that “the idea of a completely work-free retirement is a bit of a myth for today’s retirees.” Just think of those cute old people working as greeters at Walmart.

Advice: Build your financial plan with the assumption that you will live well past 65. Alexa recommends assuming you’ll live to 95. But if your family members have lived to be over 100, assume you will too and plan accordingly. Also, consider the idea of working part-time once you retire.

Trend #2: Family Structures Are V Different

Our families are no longer the 1950s sitcom version of the average American family: husband and wife. picket fence, 2.5 kids (WTF is 2.5 kids?). But how are our families changing? For starters, we are getting married later. In the 90s, women and men would get married, on average, at 24 and 26, respectively. Although my great aunt never fails to remind me that she had already had four kids at my age, Americans are now waiting until their late 20s to get married. Similarly, “DINK” Status is very much a thing (dual-income, no kids) since people are shacking up before getting hitched. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “combining your finances with a second earner leads to more money in the bank.” Well, no duh. The thing is, not only do you have more money in the bank, but you tend to save money as well (just under $7,000 a year). Anyone down to move in with me and we can split the savings?

But on the costlier side of our changing family structures, there is the cost of raising children. In 2015, the cost of raising a child from birth to 17 (not including college), was about $233,000. That doesn’t even factor in if you need costly treatments to help you get pregnant. For IVF, costs have sky-rocketed from 10 years ago, increasing by $3,600 for one round of treatment, according to Jake Anderson-Bialis, co-founder of FertilityIQ. That means a single round of treatment usually costs more than $10,000. However, most people do two or three treatments, which drastically increases the price. Finally, there is the concept of the “Sandwich Generation,” aka you might end up living with or financing your kids and your parents at the same time. Joy.

Advice: Speak openly with your family about costs. Before your parents are too far down the rabbit hole (sorry), discuss what savings they have for long-term care. Make sure to keep all these different family-related costs in mind when you’re figuring out savings. The best rule of thumb is always to plan ahead.

Trend #3: Our Earning Potential Is Flexible

Have you ever gotten an urgent message from your boss late at night to do something before the next morning? Or gotten a call to come into work early? Hate to break it to you, but this is the new normal. The majority of jobs are no longer a basic 9-5. And for many people, holding one job just doesn’t cut it anymore. 40% of independent workers have a side hustle to make some extra cash for savings or for a big purchase, like a house. Others (16%) do it out of necessity. Then there are the “free agents” like freelancers or Uber drivers. 30% are in this field because they like the flexibility, while others want a full-time job but are using this as their primary income at the moment.

Advice: Use side hustles to your advantage. Figure out what you want and use the flexibility of part-time work to reach your goals easier and quicker.

Trend #4: Our Career Paths Are Fluid, And Sabbaticals Are In

What’s great about our generation is that we are indecisive have the flexibility to change career paths if we are unhappy or want different opportunities. On average, those who graduated college from 2006 to 2010 have held twice as many jobs as people who graduated between 1986 and 1990 did in the same amount of time. But people aren’t just changing companies, they are also changing entire career paths. According to von Tobel, there is “no such thing as it being ‘too late’ to pursue an entirely new path.”

Like those adorable matching sets every girl on Instagram wears during the summer, sabbaticals are in. Think of it as an “adult gap year”. It’s all about increasing your learning, and whatever other BS your university guidance counselor told you about your year abroad. But while taking an extended vacation may seem like the best thing ever a load of crap, employers are getting on board. Hear me out. Over a three-year period, those who took more than 10 vacation days were 31% more likely to get a bonus or raise compared to those who took fewer than 10 days off.

Advice: If you’re deciding on whether to take a job, check out the company’s policy with regards to taking time off work. You should also plan ahead with your finances if you’re able to. If you can, allow yourself the funds to take that time off work.

Trend #5: Everything Is On-Demand

Our lives today are all about instant gratification. I’m not going to lie that I don’t get annoyed when my Uber takes longer than 5 minutes to arrive or my Amazon Prime package doesn’t come the next day. Patience is non-existence. While 22% of people shopped online in 2000, 80% shop online today. Crazy. Since nothing is off-limits, there is tons of competition, which keeps the prices (fairly) low. The best part of having everything accessible to us? Saving money. As someone who loves a good deal, being able to compare prices of the same product at different stores is the best feeling. Like, sex is cool, but saving $50 is better.

Advice: von Tobel says that while this is great, impulse shopping is dangerous. So beware.

Trend #6: Forget Ownership. Sharing is Caring

If I told my mom that I was staying in a stranger’s house when I traveled Europe last year, or regularly get into randos’ cars, she would have a heart attack. But today, Airbnb and Uber are the new normal. These services allow us to save money by sharing stuff and make money by letting others borrow it. And who needs a car in a busy city when you basically have your own chauffeur? These services allow us to cut down on what we have (Marie Kondo is so in and von Tobel approved) and save $$$. You also can stream movies and show online, instead of buying DVDs (or VHSs … yikes) and even borrow clothes instead of buying a dress you’ll wear once.

Advice: Keep on sharing!

For more of Alexa’s financial advice, pick up a copy of Financially Forward: How To Use Today’s Digital Tools To Earn More, Save Better, and Spend Smarter, out now.

Images; Giphy (5)

Read more: https://www.betches.com

[financingideas-blog]

6 Finance Trends Impacting Millennials & How You Can Use Them To Save $ Betches

New Post has been published on https://financeqia.com/must-see/6-finance-trends-impacting-millennials-how-you-can-use-them-to-save-betches/

6 Finance Trends Impacting Millennials & How You Can Use Them To Save $ Betches

Adulting is hard af. You don’t have someone to make your lunch for you every day or clean up the house. You need to take out the trash yourself, and don’t get me started on paying the bills. In 2019, the state of our personal finances has drastically changed from when our parents were young. Sometimes for the worst, but sometimes for the better. Alexa von Tobel, the founder of Inspired Capital and New York Times bestselling author, sums up the six biggest financial trends in her new book, Financially Forward: How To Use Today’s Digital Tools To Earn More, Save Better, and Spend Smarter, out now. She lays out where we’re losing money (oy vey) and how we can save more (thank the lord). Her book is a much-needed reality check, and can teach you how to not be broke by the time you reach 50. (And it isn’t just about cutting back on the drinking. I hope.) Here are the top six finance trends and advice outlined in von Tobel’s book, and how you can use those trends to your advantage.

Trend #1: We’re Living Longer

It’s no shocker that we are living longer than 50 years ago. Science (and my killer wrinkle-reducing night cream) tends to do that. While only 12% of the population was over 65 in 2000, it is estimated that 20% of Americans will be 65 or older by 2050. She says, “the majority of us underestimate the average life expectancy. This may sound like no big deal, but underestimating how long you might live can also mean underestimating how much money you’ll need to live comfortably after you retire.” So while you may think investing in those designer shoes is fine now, think about when you’re 75 and homeless. At least you’ll have cute shoes, right?

Living longer also means that we’re retiring later. The average life expectancy for an American woman is 81.1. So while some people retire at 65, a study by Northwestern Mutual found that 38% of people wait until they are in their 70s. Additionally, von Tobel says that “the idea of a completely work-free retirement is a bit of a myth for today’s retirees.” Just think of those cute old people working as greeters at Walmart.

Advice: Build your financial plan with the assumption that you will live well past 65. Alexa recommends assuming you’ll live to 95. But if your family members have lived to be over 100, assume you will too and plan accordingly. Also, consider the idea of working part-time once you retire.

Trend #2: Family Structures Are V Different

Our families are no longer the 1950s sitcom version of the average American family: husband and wife. picket fence, 2.5 kids (WTF is 2.5 kids?). But how are our families changing? For starters, we are getting married later. In the 90s, women and men would get married, on average, at 24 and 26, respectively. Although my great aunt never fails to remind me that she had already had four kids at my age, Americans are now waiting until their late 20s to get married. Similarly, “DINK” Status is very much a thing (dual-income, no kids) since people are shacking up before getting hitched. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “combining your finances with a second earner leads to more money in the bank.” Well, no duh. The thing is, not only do you have more money in the bank, but you tend to save money as well (just under $7,000 a year). Anyone down to move in with me and we can split the savings?

But on the costlier side of our changing family structures, there is the cost of raising children. In 2015, the cost of raising a child from birth to 17 (not including college), was about $233,000. That doesn’t even factor in if you need costly treatments to help you get pregnant. For IVF, costs have sky-rocketed from 10 years ago, increasing by $3,600 for one round of treatment, according to Jake Anderson-Bialis, co-founder of FertilityIQ. That means a single round of treatment usually costs more than $10,000. However, most people do two or three treatments, which drastically increases the price. Finally, there is the concept of the “Sandwich Generation,” aka you might end up living with or financing your kids and your parents at the same time. Joy.

Advice: Speak openly with your family about costs. Before your parents are too far down the rabbit hole (sorry), discuss what savings they have for long-term care. Make sure to keep all these different family-related costs in mind when you’re figuring out savings. The best rule of thumb is always to plan ahead.

Trend #3: Our Earning Potential Is Flexible

Have you ever gotten an urgent message from your boss late at night to do something before the next morning? Or gotten a call to come into work early? Hate to break it to you, but this is the new normal. The majority of jobs are no longer a basic 9-5. And for many people, holding one job just doesn’t cut it anymore. 40% of independent workers have a side hustle to make some extra cash for savings or for a big purchase, like a house. Others (16%) do it out of necessity. Then there are the “free agents” like freelancers or Uber drivers. 30% are in this field because they like the flexibility, while others want a full-time job but are using this as their primary income at the moment.

Advice: Use side hustles to your advantage. Figure out what you want and use the flexibility of part-time work to reach your goals easier and quicker.

Trend #4: Our Career Paths Are Fluid, And Sabbaticals Are In

What’s great about our generation is that we are indecisive have the flexibility to change career paths if we are unhappy or want different opportunities. On average, those who graduated college from 2006 to 2010 have held twice as many jobs as people who graduated between 1986 and 1990 did in the same amount of time. But people aren’t just changing companies, they are also changing entire career paths. According to von Tobel, there is “no such thing as it being ‘too late’ to pursue an entirely new path.”

Like those adorable matching sets every girl on Instagram wears during the summer, sabbaticals are in. Think of it as an “adult gap year”. It’s all about increasing your learning, and whatever other BS your university guidance counselor told you about your year abroad. But while taking an extended vacation may seem like the best thing ever a load of crap, employers are getting on board. Hear me out. Over a three-year period, those who took more than 10 vacation days were 31% more likely to get a bonus or raise compared to those who took fewer than 10 days off.

Advice: If you’re deciding on whether to take a job, check out the company’s policy with regards to taking time off work. You should also plan ahead with your finances if you’re able to. If you can, allow yourself the funds to take that time off work.

Trend #5: Everything Is On-Demand

Our lives today are all about instant gratification. I’m not going to lie that I don’t get annoyed when my Uber takes longer than 5 minutes to arrive or my Amazon Prime package doesn’t come the next day. Patience is non-existence. While 22% of people shopped online in 2000, 80% shop online today. Crazy. Since nothing is off-limits, there is tons of competition, which keeps the prices (fairly) low. The best part of having everything accessible to us? Saving money. As someone who loves a good deal, being able to compare prices of the same product at different stores is the best feeling. Like, sex is cool, but saving $50 is better.

Advice: von Tobel says that while this is great, impulse shopping is dangerous. So beware.

Trend #6: Forget Ownership. Sharing is Caring

If I told my mom that I was staying in a stranger’s house when I traveled Europe last year, or regularly get into randos’ cars, she would have a heart attack. But today, Airbnb and Uber are the new normal. These services allow us to save money by sharing stuff and make money by letting others borrow it. And who needs a car in a busy city when you basically have your own chauffeur? These services allow us to cut down on what we have (Marie Kondo is so in and von Tobel approved) and save $$$. You also can stream movies and show online, instead of buying DVDs (or VHSs … yikes) and even borrow clothes instead of buying a dress you’ll wear once.

Advice: Keep on sharing!

For more of Alexa’s financial advice, pick up a copy of Financially Forward: How To Use Today’s Digital Tools To Earn More, Save Better, and Spend Smarter, out now.

Images; Giphy (5)

Read more: https://www.betches.com

[takebackthedream]

Would a Berniecrat Have Won Ossoff’s Georgia Race? by Richard Eskow

Reams of commentary have been written about the results of the recent special election in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District. Jon Ossoff lost the seat left vacant, which was Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price, to his Republican rival by a margin that was larger than expected.

Photo credit: Jon Ossoff / Facebook

It was the most expensive House race in history, with the two candidates spending a combined $50 million. Republican Karen Handel beat Ossoff by a 3.8 percent margin, winning 51.9 percent of the vote to Ossoff’s 48.1 percent.

Ossoff substantially outperformed the Democrats who had run against Price, who typically won by 20-point margins. But despite spending enormous sums on  his campaign, he failed to match Hillary Clinton’s 1-point loss to Donald Trump in the same district in 2016.

A total of 259,488 votes were cast. Handel won with a margin of less than 10,000 votes – 9,702.  That means a shift of only 9,703 votes would have changed the outcome. Remember that figure.

A Republican District?

Virtually all the commentary that has been written about this race was based on the assumption that this district is white, wealthier than average, and “a safe Republican seat.” Ossoff’s campaign appeared to share this assumption. Ossoff ran as a “Republican Lite,” demonizing government service and downplaying bread-and-butter Democratic issues.

Ossoff even talked about “bringing the government up to private-sector standards.” He presumably was not thinking of the “standards” that caused the BP oil spill or the Wall Street financial crisis of 2008.

But was his underlying assumption true? Do you have to run like a Republican to win in a district like the Georgia 6th?

Mining the Data

The Census Bureau publishes searchable data online for every congressional district, but very few commentators seem to have taken advantage of this free resource. The same seems to be true of the Democratic consultants who helped themselves to some of the $20 million in campaign funds Ossoff spent.

Here’s what they would have learned if they had:

82,355 households in the 6th earn less than the national average in yearly income.  

It’s true that this is a wealthier-then-average district – but that’s an average.  These households earn less than the national average of $51,000 a year.

The voters who live in these households were never told that the Democratic candidate would fight to increase their wages, give them better benefits, or do more to make the necessities of living more affordable.  And Ossoff studiously avoided class or economic inequality, refusing to support tax increases even for the wealthiest Americans.

77,658 residents had no health insurance coverage at all.

That’s after the Affordable Care Act had been in effect for year.  During the campaign, these voters were never told that healthcare is a basic human right, or that Medicare For All could provide them with the medical care they need.  Instead, Ossoff said that he did not support single-payer healthcare.

81,376 voters are 65 years of age or older.

The Trumpcare bill Karen Handel supports slashes revenue for Medicare, laying the groundwork for deep cuts further down the road. The Medicaid cuts pushed by Trump and his fellow Republicans would eliminate a major source of funding for the nursing home care used by many seniors. And Trump’s budget would cut billions in funding from Social Security.

Ossoff could have run on strengthening Medicare’s funding and expanding Social Security to meet our nation’s retirement crisis. Instead, he chose to soft-pedal these issues, even though seniors are more likely than other eligible voters to show up at the polls on Election Day.

95,974 residents are African-American.   

Despite the district’s large black population, Ossoff did very little outreach to black voters. He spent heavily on television advertising and very little on get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts in predominantly African-American communities. He did not discuss racism, either individual or structural. 

African-American working people struggle with the same burdens as workers of other races, and black college graduates have been especially ill-served by our system of student indebtedness. His silence on these issues undoubtedly also affected turnout in this group.

96,154 residents are Hispanic/Latino.  

Again, it appears Ossoff conducted very little outreach to this group. Hispanics struggle with wage inequality, access to medical care, and environmental concerns, while struggling with issues of bigotry and hatred that have been inflamed by the current president and his party.

88,230 people in this district are between the ages of 45 and 64.

Many of these Georgians will be severely harmed financially if “Trumpcare,” the Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, becomes law. Many “Medicare for All” proposals, on the other hand, suggest a phased-in approach that begins by making Medicare available to people 55 and older; some include younger ages as well.

Ossoff opposed Medicare for All. He also opposed Trumpcare, but did not make it a centerpiece of his campaign. His healthcare comments were often rhetorically indistinguishable from that of many Republicans, a point he emphasized himself early in the campaign.

“Responsible leaders of both parties agree that no American should face financial ruin, suffer or die because they have a pre-existing condition,” Ossoff told an Atlanta newspaper early in the campaign.

Issues of wage stagnation have hit this age group heavily, but Ossoff did not run on raising wages or government investment in job growth.

131,586 people in the district are between the ages of 20 and 34.

Voters of all ages are struggling with the burden of student debt, but this age group has been hit especially hard. Total student debt in this country now exceeds $1.4 trillion, yet Ossoff did not make the issue a centerpiece of his campaign.

The debt issue has been made even worse for millennial college grads by the fact that they graduated into a weak job market. Ossoff could have campaigned on a platform of tuition-free higher education, combined with relief for student debt holders and a program for creating jobs and raising wages. And yet, despite the fact this this district includes many college graduates, he chose not to.

144,313 residents are foreign-born.   

Ossoff did not emphasize immigrants’ rights or equality and social justice for ethnic and religious minorities.  He did not speak out forcefully against Trump’s attempted Muslim ban or his demonization of Hispanics.

46,214 voting-age residents are disabled.  Trump, together with his Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill, is trying to slash Social Security disability.  Trumpcare would have a devastating impact on disabled Americans.

63,123 residents work in educational services, health care, and social assistance.

29,736 are government workers. Another 9,238 work in public administration. 

That’s 102,097 people whose jobs are on the cutting block when Republicans are in power.  A strong progressive agenda, by contrast, would emphasize smart, targeted spending increases in these areas.

There are 130,472 housing units with mortgages in the district. 

Since many of those mortgages are held by couples, means there are even more voters who write checks to a bank every month. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) protects their interests; a modern-day Glass Steagall Act, and a breakup of the biggest banks, would protect them even more.

More Than Numbers

What, if anything, does Ossoff’s loss mean for the Democratic Party going forward?  While the answer is speculative by necessity, the answer is: It could mean quite a lot. Even in their worst years, the Democratic congressional candidate in this district has received 38 percent of the vote. That’s the Democrats’ foundation.  What will get them from there to the finish line?

Remember, less than ten thousand votes would’ve made the difference for Ossoff. A campaign based on economic populism and a strong commitment to civil rights – that is, a “Berniecrat” campaign – could arguably have turned out many thousands of voters who stayed home this time around, while swaying others to the Democratic column.

The Ossoff campaign would have been wise to spend less on television buys and invest a lot more in doorbell-ringing and other forms of voter-to-voter outreach. That could have proved especially critical in communities of color and among workers who are struggling economically.

Would this strategy have succeeded in the Ossoff race?  We can’t know, of course. But we do know this: what the Democrats have been doing has failed.

That’s why insiders and party activists must ignore the voices of those who created this mess in the first place. That includes Rahm Emmanuel and Bruce Reed, who argued recently that Trump hatred alone will lift the party to victory in 2018.

“Democrats don’t need to spend the next year navel-gazing over how to motivate their base,” they sneer. “Navel-gazing” is apparently a snarky term for any analysis that doesn’t promote your personal interests.

The party has lost more than 900 state legislature seats since 2009, according to some measures. It has lost both houses of Congress, along with two thirds of statehouses and two thirds of governorships.  It has remained largely silent and impotent as Republicans rig the game in their favor through gerrymandering and voter suppression.

Something needs to change.  The party must turn sharply left on both economic and social issues if it is to have a chance of regaining Congress in the future.  If it does that, it will also be taking a stand on principle for the first time in a generation.  The value of political courage is something that numbers alone can’t measure.

[ongames]

5 Ways I've Prepared Myself For Non-Retirement

I am 67 and continue to work full time. Believe it or not, this is by choice ― and I don’t believe that I’m alone in the decision to pursue non-retirement. 

Lots of people approach retirement expecting that there will be some specific event to trigger their departure from the workplace. They frequently look to the calendar for guidance, something I was once guilty of doing myself. When I was 50, I told myself I would work until 55. When I was 55, I moved the needle to 60. No surprise that 65 came and went too.

So when will I stop work? When it stops being fun. When I find something I want to do more. When my dependent children are launched and move out. When I win the lottery. Or maybe never. I have simply learned to embrace my non-retirement.

According to the U.S. Census, the average retirement age in the United States is about age 63 ― an age at which you wouldn’t be eligible yet for Medicare benefits and if you planned on starting to collect Social Security, you would earn less in benefits. 

But that’s beginning to change: More Americans ages 65 and older are working than at any time since the turn of the century, Pew Research Center found in an analysis of employment data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. In May 2016, 18.8 percent of Americans ages 65 and older were working, compared to just 12.8 percent in May of 2000, Pew found.

For some, the savings lost in the recession makes the idea of retiring today tougher. For others, it’s the knowledge that we are living longer and healthier and don’t really want a 20- or 30-year retirement. And still others look at the turmoil in the world and question their own willingness to travel as they once expected they might. An AARP study found that one-third of baby boomers are shunning international travel out of safety concerns.

But just because you aren’t going to retire doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare. Here are five of the smartest things I did in preparation for my non-retirement:

1. I keep getting regular health checkups.

It’s not aging that worries me, it’s unhealthy aging. I can honestly say that at the first sign of serious illness, I’m taking my second medical opinion and hitting the road. I rely on my regular health checkups to tell me when that will be.

While I’m not in total agreement with Ezekiel Emanuel who famously published in the Atlantic that he plans on dying at age 75, I get where he’s coming from. By 75, you’ve pretty much been as productive a member of society as you’re going to be. Your kids and grandkids love you or hate you. You’ve made your mark on the world, and at a point somewhere ― I’d push it to 82 myself ― you are more likely to become a burden and be miserable than you are to distinguish yourself in any other way. So why keep on keepin’ on?

2. I stopped thinking I have to retire.

I’m tired of people asking, “Do you really want to spend your last day on Earth at work?” Well yes, I suppose some of us do. The thing about that question is the answer can change literally at any minute. No, I would not want to be a 45-year-old who keeled over at my desk clutching my heart. But nor would I want to be the 85-year-old whose weekly calendar contains little besides medical appointments. 

3. I take frequent work breaks.

I work for a great company that gives me a generous amount of time off. I take multiple vacations where I disconnect and travel to exotic places. I also take some days where I stay home and just lose myself in a book or binge-watch. I use my paid volunteer days to give back to my community. When I’m sick, I’m encouraged to stay home and I do precisely that. 

I cherish my job and cherish my time away from it even more. But I likely wouldn’t cherish that time off if I was “off” all the time.

Here’s a reality: Retired people get bored. A lot. I have to laugh when I read an article that suggest they find a second career to keep busy. Why not just stay with their first career?

4. I accept that retirement isn’t a “use it or lose it” thing.

While “use it or lose it” is applicable to many parts of aging, it’s just not the case for retirement. Just because I don’t want to leave my job today, the option to leave it tomorrow will still be there. It doesn’t go away.  

That, in and of itself, is very empowering. I know I can walk out the door whenever and if-ever I want. Now what did Janis Joplin say about freedom being just another word for nothing left to lose? Non-retirement is about using our freedom to choose.

5. I learned to silence the ageists.

There is a popular myth that suggests baby boomers should leave the workforce in order to “make room” for unemployed millennials. It’s untrue ― and ageist.

The workplace does not hold an infinite number of jobs. Economies expand and shrink. The goal is to create enough jobs so that everyone who wants one can have one.

To exclude a segment of the population that is still capable of working and being productive because of age is a prejudiced act: Try recasting that sentence with we need to “make room” for unemployed men or unemployed white people and you can see how prejudiced and logically false it sounds. 

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

5 Ways I've Prepared Myself For Non-Retirement published first on http://ift.tt/2lnpciY

[yes-dal456]

5 Ways I've Prepared Myself For Non-Retirement

I am 67 and continue to work full time. Believe it or not, this is by choice ― and I don’t believe that I’m alone in the decision to pursue non-retirement. 

Lots of people approach retirement expecting that there will be some specific event to trigger their departure from the workplace. They frequently look to the calendar for guidance, something I was once guilty of doing myself. When I was 50, I told myself I would work until 55. When I was 55, I moved the needle to 60. No surprise that 65 came and went too.

So when will I stop work? When it stops being fun. When I find something I want to do more. When my dependent children are launched and move out. When I win the lottery. Or maybe never. I have simply learned to embrace my non-retirement.

According to the U.S. Census, the average retirement age in the United States is about age 63 ― an age at which you wouldn’t be eligible yet for Medicare benefits and if you planned on starting to collect Social Security, you would earn less in benefits. 

But that’s beginning to change: More Americans ages 65 and older are working than at any time since the turn of the century, Pew Research Center found in an analysis of employment data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. In May 2016, 18.8 percent of Americans ages 65 and older were working, compared to just 12.8 percent in May of 2000, Pew found.

For some, the savings lost in the recession makes the idea of retiring today tougher. For others, it’s the knowledge that we are living longer and healthier and don’t really want a 20- or 30-year retirement. And still others look at the turmoil in the world and question their own willingness to travel as they once expected they might. An AARP study found that one-third of baby boomers are shunning international travel out of safety concerns.

But just because you aren’t going to retire doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare. Here are five of the smartest things I did in preparation for my non-retirement:

1. I keep getting regular health checkups.

It’s not aging that worries me, it’s unhealthy aging. I can honestly say that at the first sign of serious illness, I’m taking my second medical opinion and hitting the road. I rely on my regular health checkups to tell me when that will be.

While I’m not in total agreement with Ezekiel Emanuel who famously published in the Atlantic that he plans on dying at age 75, I get where he’s coming from. By 75, you’ve pretty much been as productive a member of society as you’re going to be. Your kids and grandkids love you or hate you. You’ve made your mark on the world, and at a point somewhere ― I’d push it to 82 myself ― you are more likely to become a burden and be miserable than you are to distinguish yourself in any other way. So why keep on keepin’ on?

2. I stopped thinking I have to retire.

I’m tired of people asking, “Do you really want to spend your last day on Earth at work?” Well yes, I suppose some of us do. The thing about that question is the answer can change literally at any minute. No, I would not want to be a 45-year-old who keeled over at my desk clutching my heart. But nor would I want to be the 85-year-old whose weekly calendar contains little besides medical appointments. 

3. I take frequent work breaks.

I work for a great company that gives me a generous amount of time off. I take multiple vacations where I disconnect and travel to exotic places. I also take some days where I stay home and just lose myself in a book or binge-watch. I use my paid volunteer days to give back to my community. When I’m sick, I’m encouraged to stay home and I do precisely that. 

I cherish my job and cherish my time away from it even more. But I likely wouldn’t cherish that time off if I was “off” all the time.

Here’s a reality: Retired people get bored. A lot. I have to laugh when I read an article that suggest they find a second career to keep busy. Why not just stay with their first career?

4. I accept that retirement isn’t a “use it or lose it” thing.

While “use it or lose it” is applicable to many parts of aging, it’s just not the case for retirement. Just because I don’t want to leave my job today, the option to leave it tomorrow will still be there. It doesn’t go away.  

That, in and of itself, is very empowering. I know I can walk out the door whenever and if-ever I want. Now what did Janis Joplin say about freedom being just another word for nothing left to lose? Non-retirement is about using our freedom to choose.

5. I learned to silence the ageists.

There is a popular myth that suggests baby boomers should leave the workforce in order to “make room” for unemployed millennials. It’s untrue ― and ageist.

The workplace does not hold an infinite number of jobs. Economies expand and shrink. The goal is to create enough jobs so that everyone who wants one can have one.

To exclude a segment of the population that is still capable of working and being productive because of age is a prejudiced act: Try recasting that sentence with we need to “make room” for unemployed men or unemployed white people and you can see how prejudiced and logically false it sounds. 

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

from http://ift.tt/2rB4Sl6 from Blogger http://ift.tt/2qdjKpP

[imreviewblog]

5 Ways I've Prepared Myself For Non-Retirement

I am 67 and continue to work full time. Believe it or not, this is by choice ― and I don’t believe that I’m alone in the decision to pursue non-retirement. 

Lots of people approach retirement expecting that there will be some specific event to trigger their departure from the workplace. They frequently look to the calendar for guidance, something I was once guilty of doing myself. When I was 50, I told myself I would work until 55. When I was 55, I moved the needle to 60. No surprise that 65 came and went too.

So when will I stop work? When it stops being fun. When I find something I want to do more. When my dependent children are launched and move out. When I win the lottery. Or maybe never. I have simply learned to embrace my non-retirement.

According to the U.S. Census, the average retirement age in the United States is about age 63 ― an age at which you wouldn’t be eligible yet for Medicare benefits and if you planned on starting to collect Social Security, you would earn less in benefits. 

But that’s beginning to change: More Americans ages 65 and older are working than at any time since the turn of the century, Pew Research Center found in an analysis of employment data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. In May 2016, 18.8 percent of Americans ages 65 and older were working, compared to just 12.8 percent in May of 2000, Pew found.

For some, the savings lost in the recession makes the idea of retiring today tougher. For others, it’s the knowledge that we are living longer and healthier and don’t really want a 20- or 30-year retirement. And still others look at the turmoil in the world and question their own willingness to travel as they once expected they might. An AARP study found that one-third of baby boomers are shunning international travel out of safety concerns.

But just because you aren’t going to retire doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare. Here are five of the smartest things I did in preparation for my non-retirement:

1. I keep getting regular health checkups.

It’s not aging that worries me, it’s unhealthy aging. I can honestly say that at the first sign of serious illness, I’m taking my second medical opinion and hitting the road. I rely on my regular health checkups to tell me when that will be.

While I’m not in total agreement with Ezekiel Emanuel who famously published in the Atlantic that he plans on dying at age 75, I get where he’s coming from. By 75, you’ve pretty much been as productive a member of society as you’re going to be. Your kids and grandkids love you or hate you. You’ve made your mark on the world, and at a point somewhere ― I’d push it to 82 myself ― you are more likely to become a burden and be miserable than you are to distinguish yourself in any other way. So why keep on keepin’ on?

2. I stopped thinking I have to retire.

I’m tired of people asking, “Do you really want to spend your last day on Earth at work?” Well yes, I suppose some of us do. The thing about that question is the answer can change literally at any minute. No, I would not want to be a 45-year-old who keeled over at my desk clutching my heart. But nor would I want to be the 85-year-old whose weekly calendar contains little besides medical appointments. 

3. I take frequent work breaks.

I work for a great company that gives me a generous amount of time off. I take multiple vacations where I disconnect and travel to exotic places. I also take some days where I stay home and just lose myself in a book or binge-watch. I use my paid volunteer days to give back to my community. When I’m sick, I’m encouraged to stay home and I do precisely that. 

I cherish my job and cherish my time away from it even more. But I likely wouldn’t cherish that time off if I was “off” all the time.

Here’s a reality: Retired people get bored. A lot. I have to laugh when I read an article that suggest they find a second career to keep busy. Why not just stay with their first career?

4. I accept that retirement isn’t a “use it or lose it” thing.

While “use it or lose it” is applicable to many parts of aging, it’s just not the case for retirement. Just because I don’t want to leave my job today, the option to leave it tomorrow will still be there. It doesn’t go away.  

That, in and of itself, is very empowering. I know I can walk out the door whenever and if-ever I want. Now what did Janis Joplin say about freedom being just another word for nothing left to lose? Non-retirement is about using our freedom to choose.

5. I learned to silence the ageists.

There is a popular myth that suggests baby boomers should leave the workforce in order to “make room” for unemployed millennials. It’s untrue ― and ageist.

The workplace does not hold an infinite number of jobs. Economies expand and shrink. The goal is to create enough jobs so that everyone who wants one can have one.

To exclude a segment of the population that is still capable of working and being productive because of age is a prejudiced act: Try recasting that sentence with we need to “make room” for unemployed men or unemployed white people and you can see how prejudiced and logically false it sounds. 

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

from Healthy Living - The Huffington Post http://bit.ly/2rRofDH