GENIUS FORUMS

Not bad!

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/279126743.html

Great stuff! Like a modern day secular Proverbs.

I'd say about 50% of that was not total garbage.

Dan Rowden wrote:I'd say about 50% of that was not total garbage.

agreed.

30. Remember, 97% of all advice is worthless. Take what you can use, and trash the rest.

Is this the 3%?

What was garbage?

It just brought to mind something Duc la Rochefoucauld said. It went something like, "old men love to give young men advice not to do all the vices that they are too old to do any more."

The guy has probably done most if not all of this shit, and made his list based on bad experiences, not thoughtful reflection prior to action. It doesn't seem... wise. More like... hypocracy (like me telling kids not to do drugs when the biggest reason I no longer do them is because I'm avoiding a return trip to a mental institution).

Besides, this:

7. Don’t be a Republican. They are self-dealing crooks with no sense of honor or patriotism to their fellow citizens. If you must be a Republican, don’t be a “conservative.” They are whining, bitching, complaining, simple-minded self-righteous idiots who think they’re perpetual victims. Listen to talk radio for a while, you’ll see what I mean.

Is certainly unfair, especially from someone who also says the whole "you don't owe anyone anything" and "don't be afraid to say 'fuck you'" spiel. Very honourable, no? Very patriotic? Christ, the man even recommending that young children don't defend the economic interests of their own countrymen. That's anti-patriotism.

Anyway, I'm not up to speed on the American political process, but isn't black-listing one half of a bipartisan political system the same as advocating single-party rule?

[Edited to add that quotation. Then, edited again to say what was changed.]

Trevor Salyzyn wrote:It just brought to mind something Duc la Rochefoucauld said. It went something like, "old men love to give young men advice not to do all the vices that they are too old to do any more."

The guy has probably done most if not all of this shit, and made his list based on bad experiences, not thoughtful reflection prior to action. It doesn't seem... wise. More like... hypocracy (like me telling kids not to do drugs when the biggest reason I no longer do them is because I'm avoiding a return trip to a mental institution).

so isn't that trying to help the person due to knowing what the mistakes were?

Sorry I added more to my post after you posted.

so isn't that trying to help the person due to knowing what the mistakes were?

Fire: Hot

That's the sort of wisdom contained here, which is hardly wisdom at all.

Trevor,

The guy has probably done most if not all of this shit, and made his list based on bad experiences, not thoughtful reflection prior to action.

I agree that he's probably done everything and made the list based on bad experiences. Isn't that the only way to learn? One criticism I would make is that young men will never listen and always figure it out on their own, like this guy...so writing this is pretty much useless.

It doesn't seem... wise. More like... hypocracy (like me telling kids not to do drugs when the biggest reason I no longer do them is because I'm avoiding a return trip to a mental institution).

If it were hypocrisy then I think he would be telling young men to not do things that he enjoyed/enjoys doing. It's pretty obvious he is saying "avoid these things cuz they suck and ruin your life" and also "do this because it worked well for me".

Besides, this:
Quote:
7. Don’t be a Republican. They are self-dealing crooks with no sense of honor or patriotism to their fellow citizens. If you must be a Republican, don’t be a “conservative.” They are whining, bitching, complaining, simple-minded self-righteous idiots who think they’re perpetual victims. Listen to talk radio for a while, you’ll see what I mean.

Is certainly unfair, especially from someone who also says the whole "you don't owe anyone anything" and "don't be afraid to say 'fuck you'" spiel. Very honourable, no? Very patriotic? Christ, the man even recommending that young children don't defend the economic interests of their own countrymen. That's anti-patriotism.

Well the guy's from California, I think. That right there explains a lot. They're a bunch of communists in disguise.

I do highly disagree with this statement of his, being a Republican myself. However I totally see where he's coming from. The talk show hosts are pretty stupid. I can see why some people think Republicans are crooks, because it's all about getting all of your money.

I see it as freedom...it's what America is supposed to be about. It was founded because the British colonists were tired of paying taxes to Britain to make up for the debt from the 7 years war. It was all about laissez faire. Just living your life without having someone tell you to do this and that.

Being generous to the needy and poor is something people should do on an individual basis. When people are forced to, that's socialism! That's the opposite of freedom. The opposite of what America declared independence because of.

So yeah, on that one point I think the guy is stupid.

Anyway, I'm not up to speed on the American political process, but isn't black-listing one half of a bipartisan political system the same as advocating single-party rule?

Not necessarily. A lot of people say it without thinking, on both sides.

So yeah, on that one point I think the guy is stupid.

I'm sure if you took the same attitude to this guy that you take to Nick, you'd be able to find a lot more to criticize. It's not exactly life-changing material.

Not necessarily. A lot of people say it without thinking, on both sides.

It really depends on how you say it. The way this guy said it, he managed to straddle the fence of stupidity without toppling over, and was only really pointing out the state of modern Republicanism. However, his position is only one step away (so not even a slippery slope), from saying "vote for anyone but the only other party."

I know just enough about politics to know that having two competiting parties of roughly equal strength is significantly better for the average citizen than having only one.

Advice for young guys from a "just-finished-being-young-guy-like, yesterday" is more like it. Kind of endearing, him passing on his lessons about the hard knocks of life in his San Francisco peer group and the odd-ball cultural window of the Craiglist meat market.

Trevor,

I'm sure if you took the same attitude to this guy that you take to Nick, you'd be able to find a lot more to criticize. It's not exactly life-changing material.

I don't put on attitudes towards others like hats. I take the person in question and react to who they are. This guy is much wiser than Nick.

It really depends on how you say it. The way this guy said it, he managed to straddle the fence of stupidity without toppling over, and was only really pointing out the state of modern Republicanism. However, his position is only one step away (so not even a slippery slope), from saying "vote for anyone but the only other party."

I know just enough about politics to know that having two competiting parties of roughly equal strength is significantly better for the average citizen than having only one.

Well there are two major parties here. Then there are a bunch of independents, etc. If one party fell apart completely, another would come up in its place. The people of America would never allow a single party to rule without question.

I like the advice, but the picking apart and criticism of it was disappointing. You guys could have criticized this advice alot more penetratingly than you did.

I like to pick on people my own size.

I don't even know why I posted that.

Technical1 wrote:I like the advice, but the picking apart and criticism of it was disappointing. You guys could have criticized this advice alot more penetratingly than you did.

That was kind of tepid criticism, too.

Seems no one really cares anymore.

I care.

[sniff]

Matt Gregory wrote:Not bad!

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/279126743.html

All advice is just that - advice. An advice is not a rule you must follow. If it benefits you, use it.

I find these interesting:

3. Invest in yourself. Material things come to those that have self actualized.

5. As a former Marine, take it from me. Don’t join the military, unless you want to risk getting your balls blown off to secure other people’s economic or political interests.

6. If something has a direct benefit to an individual or a class of people, and a theoretical, abstract, or amorphous benefit to everybody else, realize that the proponent’s intentions are to benefit the former, not the latter, no matter what bullshit they try to feed you. (Perhaps the reason for #5)

8. Don’t take proffered advice without a critical analysis. 90% of all advice is intended to benefit the proponent, not the recipient. Actually, the number is probably closer to 97%, but I don’t want to come off as cynical. (Again, perhaps because of #5 & 6)

9. You’ll spend your entire life listening to people tell you how much you owe them. You don’t owe the vast majority of people shit. (Partially agree...)

12. Young men provide the genius and muscle by which our society thrives. Look at the Silicone Valley. By in large, it was not old men or women that created the revolution we live. Realize that society steals your contributions, secures it with our intellectual property laws, and then takes credit and the rewards where none is due. (Examples: Tesla, Newton & Einstein)

13. Know that few people have your best interests at heart. Your mother does. Your father probably does (if he stuck around). Your siblings are on your side. Everybody else worries about themselves.

28. Don’t be a poser. Avoid being one of those dudes who puts a surfboard on top of their car, but never surfs, or a dude with a powder coated fixed gear bike and a messenger bag, but was never a messenger. Live the life. Earn your bona fides.