Animal House Response

I had an offline discussion yesterday evening with dgatorfan2579, who commented on my recent posting Will the Real Animal House Please Stand Up? I was rethinking some of things I wrote in the post, but the offline discussion helped clarify points further.

Because I had to revise it, here is the commenter's post and my response to the comments:

dgatorfan2579 said...

I suppose we all discard our personal effects and could go sit by a Theroux-esque pond; would that would be the modern equivalent of "free thinking".

Albert Brooks tried to do it in "Lost in America" but failed, but I never really figured out if he was happy that he failed to achieve the freedom for which he searched.

If you ask me, there are still free thinkers out there, and most of them just think of new ways to manipuate the "debt thinkers" as you call them.

The problem is, as I see it, I don't really have a problem with it. Maybe that's the problem! Or maybe not.

That thinking just cost me $257.89. Oh bother.


dgatorfan2579,

Your comments are well put but were even better put offline for two reasons:

First, you didn't misspell Thoreau. Here is a dime to call your mother, tell her you have no chance of being a Spelling Bee champion. I'm paraphrasing from The Paper Chase of course.

Second, you would have said "brother" instead of "bother."

But I'm not here to bury you but to praise you. Before you think you're Julius Caeser or something, I did think about this entry...or, should I say, rethink this entry.

Here's the paragraph I had the biggest problem with:

"Slaves to debt are not free thinkers. They're idiots who make decisions based on selfish reasons and not on logic ideals for the good of the country. It's not that Obama has bad ideals because he doesn't. But he has to work with groups of people who can't think for themselves and we, frustrated Americans, get to vote for the next loser to make stupid decisions to water down laws that the public wants and feed the banking system for its own wealth and gain."

I think my connection from "free thinker" to "debt slaves" was mistaken and "when I'm wrong I say I'm wrong." (That was Jerry Orbach, the father in Dirty Dancing.)

Free thinkers can be debt slaves, but unless an individual lives within his or her means, they do compromise their status in society. Therefore, we must hold back our free speech lest we get fired or get no money for schooling.

In our offline discussion, you said a student in debt is more of a free thinker because they need to be more mature about their college education, even if that means saying the professor is right when they know he or she is wrong. That was an excellent point which I had to rethink and revise. You're absolutely correct.

Also, many people are not in debt and still want to keep their jobs without the risk of entrepreneurial intent.

Absolutely. I'm one of those people and this blog is perfect for me to relay free speech, as it is for millions of anonymous people. But don't think for a second I'm the same person (or anyone is the same person offline from online). Granted, it depends who I speak with.

Also, I am a slave to debt--only one debt right now--my mortgage. If it was not for that, the thought of becoming an entrepreneur (or, in laymen's terms, a freelancer) would be much more appealing. Does that keep me from free thinking. No sir, it does not. However, it does bar me from certain righteous actions that I might take in the real world.

However, we all need to live somewhere and even rent is a form of debt. A house is, indeed, an investment and once paid off, then we can conceivably have no debt at all (other than health, auto and property insurance, taxes, electricity bills, gas bills, etc.). We can also retain a high credit rating which can be much-needed in this society.

You see, in the real world, young baby boomers protested because they had nothing to lose. In this world, young people are texting, emailing and writing in blogs. And, they have alot to lose.

Which method is more effective?

This method of online email cost you $257.89, probably because you were playing online poker and missed a hand.

Granted, the cost for a trip to Washington, D.C. for a good old-fashioned one million person march and protest may cost more, but the reward might also provide greater internal satisfaction.

RM

P.S.

dgatorfan2579,

Thank you for the comment and the call. Any chance to learn something new or clarify a point is always welcome.

RM