|
|
|
@tomic
Administrator
USA
4607 Posts |
 Posted - 07/01/2001 : 13:43:33 [Permalink]
|
I have to agree that the overall quality of care is sure to decline somewhat. I don't see how someone without any healthcare is going to notice that because they would have some healthcare finally. I could stand waiting all day to see a doctor vs not getting to see one at all.
What I have heard is that having these free clinics would in the end cut costs because doctors could catch a lot of illnesses early on.
@tomic
Gravity, not just a good idea...it's the law! |
 |
|
|
Tokyodreamer
SFN Regular
USA
1447 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2001 : 13:59:52 [Permalink]
|
quote:
What I have heard is that having these free clinics would in the end cut costs because doctors could catch a lot of illnesses early on.
I'm getting way off topic here, but this brings up something that really gets my goat. Stupid insurance companies that will provide services after the fact, but won't provide any services aimed at prevention. It makes no sense, as you'd think this would save them millions in the long run.
------------
Gambatte kudasai! |
|
|
|
Piltdown
Skeptic Friend
USA
312 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2001 : 14:53:23 [Permalink]
|
quote:
quote:
I now understand that alot of people are outright biggoted and have horrible misconceptions about alot of things in the U.S.
Well at least they have some kind of conceptions about Americans; not something you can accuse Americans of to have of most of the rest of the world in return.
Much of the "Anti-American Bias" comes from the way Americans represent themselves.
When you get your idea about what is American, from Hollywood and other sources that either are aimed at the lowest common dominator, or tend to show the extremes of the society, it is easy to get an "Anti-American Ideology".
We may seem to have drifted quite a bit from the original topic, but a common theme remains. IMHO, the most significant problem with the USA is the inordinate power and influence of what I have come to call the Hollywood/Madison Avenue Cultural Axis. As Lars points out, foreign perceptions of the USA are deeply influenced by Hollywood and the commercial pop-culture. As I said earlier, it is this country's most pervasive and, to many, most corrosive, export.
Pop culture presentations and commercial "info-tainment" also distort many Americans' perceptions of their own country. Many people (I meet them every day) are convinced that crime is running rampant, when in fact the crime rate has declined steadily for many years. A high percentage of parents are convinced that school violence is the number 1 threat to their children. The latter perception is almost entirely a product of media sensationalism, and the culture of woe and panic fostered by the commercial pop-culture. There are more than 100,000 schools in this country, last year there was one homicide for every 5,000 schools. Traffic accidents kill 100 times as many school age children as school violence. Firearms accidents (none in school) kill 20 times as many. There was also the incredible "satanic panic" of the early 90s, which led to hundreds of innocent people being imprisoned, and which threatens to rear its brainless head again any time.
These kinds of perceptions can lead to very real oppression, from automatic consent to the death penalty, to a blank check for more police power, to raucous approval for draconian discipline in public schools. Here in West Texas, the ACLU has recently managed to defeat a measure that would have mandated random drug testing for all students of a nearby school district (Lockney ISD). It was a very hard fight with, among other threats, school board members whipping up a lynch mob atmosphere at one board meeting where ACLU representatives dared to show up and speak. The State Police had to keep order and escort media and ACLU representatives to their cars.
ACLU researchers found that noone of school age had ever been arrested for a serious drug offense in that district. Yet, so great is the panic that parents treat anyone who opposes these police state measures as a mortal threat to their children. Another nearby district (Sundown ISD) continues to mandate blanket drug testing, simply because nobody in the district has dared to challenge the policy. Sundown, btw, is an "oil town" and is dominated almost completely by a major oil company and its service contractors.
|
|
|
|
Lars_H
SFN Regular
Germany
630 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2001 : 15:56:38 [Permalink]
|
quote:
In all this, I'd say that's a good thing we execute child offenders. I wonder what the other countries(besides the seven who still kill them) do to child offenders. Put them in jail?
Either i failed to recognize the sarcasm in this message or we have here a horrible case
of misunderstanding.
Child offenders refers to Criminals who were still minors (under 18) at the time of their crime.
The six (not seven) other countries that have executed Child offenders after 1990 are:
Congo, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen.
The rest of the world has signed international human right treaties not use the death penalty one offenders who were minors at the time of their crime.
also see:
http://www.web.amnesty.org/rmp/dplibrary.nsf/ba4275cdead20d858025677e0059735b/46e4de9db9087e35802568810050f05f?OpenDocument
|
|
|
|
Lars_H
SFN Regular
Germany
630 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2001 : 16:42:22 [Permalink]
|
quote:
IMHO, the most significant problem with the USA is the inordinate power and influence of what I have come to call the Hollywood/Madison Avenue Cultural Axis.
I think what you describe is neither the root of the problem, nor a new or typical american symptom.
You seem to attribute relatively more of an intent then absolutely necessary to explain the current situation. (remember Hanlon's Razor)
People want easy solutions to their problems or failing that at least easy problems that draw the attention away from those you don't want to see. Those who can best satisfy that demand make the most profit.
The media focuses away from the more uncomfortable problems not because of some sort of conspiracy but because there is more money in telling people what they like to here. A large percentage of the people in the media probably is not even consciously aware of what they are doing.
|
|
|
|
Piltdown
Skeptic Friend
USA
312 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2001 : 17:08:33 [Permalink]
|
quote:
quote:
IMHO, the most significant problem with the USA is the inordinate power and influence of what I have come to call the Hollywood/Madison Avenue Cultural Axis.
I think what you describe is neither the root of the problem, nor a new or typical american symptom.
You seem to attribute relatively more of an intent then absolutely necessary to explain the current situation. (remember Hanlon's Razor)
People want easy solutions to their problems or failing that at least easy problems that draw the attention away from those you don't want to see. Those who can best satisfy that demand make the most profit.
The media focuses away from the more uncomfortable problems not because of some sort of conspiracy but because there is more money in telling people what they like to here.
Hanlon's Razor says "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." This is one of the cornerstones of my long-running private war with conspiracy theorists.
I did not state that this problem was new or uniquely American, indeed I pointed out that this influence is pervasive all over the globe. Non-American pop-culturists and advertisers are at least as guilty. I did not attribute these effects to any kind of conspiracy or to any intent other than to maintain ratings and sell products.
quote:
A large percentage of the people in the media probably is not even consciously aware of what they are doing.
Absolutely right. The overlords of Madison Avenue would be acting against their own interest if they deliberately plotted to destroy the capitalist system or shut down scientific inquiry. They are not evil so much as short-sighted; necessarily so since their corporate bosses hold them accountable for profits but not for consequences.
Rather than a conspiracy, what we have here is very powerful set of common interests whose short term goals disregard long-term consequences. This is probably aggravated by the commercial media's necessary concern with short-attention spans and memorable sound bites.
"Don't hate us, we're just entertainers" Craig Titler, assistant producer of Conspiracy Theory:Did We Land on the Moon?
|
|
|
|
Gorgo
SFN Die Hard
USA
5310 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2001 : 18:53:24 [Permalink]
|
It's more than telling people what they want to hear. It's also that they tell people what they want them to hear.
quote:
Absolutely right. The overlords of Madison Avenue would be acting against their own interest if they deliberately plotted to destroy the capitalist system or shut down scientific inquiry. They are not evil so much as short-sighted; necessarily so since their corporate bosses hold them accountable for profits but not for consequences.
Rather than a conspiracy, what we have here is very powerful set of common interests whose short term goals disregard long-term consequences. This is probably aggravated by the commercial media's necessary concern with short-attention spans and memorable sound bites.
"Don't hate us, we're just entertainers" Craig Titler, assistant producer of Conspiracy Theory:Did We Land on the Moon?
Stop the murder of the Iraqi people.
http://www.endthewar.org |
|
|
|
James
SFN Regular
USA
754 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2001 : 23:01:21 [Permalink]
|
quote:
quote:
In all this, I'd say that's a good thing we execute child offenders. I wonder what the other countries(besides the seven who still kill them) do to child offenders. Put them in jail?
Either i failed to recognize the sarcasm in this message or we have here a horrible case
of misunderstanding.
Child offenders refers to Criminals who were still minors (under 18) at the time of their crime.
Oops! My bad! Wrong meaning in my head. In that case, IMO, if it's a really horrible crime, yes. Otherwise, no. Look at it this way: if a kid murders another person and is sent to jail with a release date of the age of 18, the kid will have a chance to kill again. But that's JMHO.
"When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good you will not." -Master Yoda |
|
|
|
Hawks
SFN Regular
Canada
1383 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2001 : 22:11:19 [Permalink]
|
quote:
Average hours spent watching TV per day:
Japan 9:12
United States 7:00
Canada 3:24
United Kingdom 3:10
Germany 2:13
Sweden 2:00
Finland 2:00
Denmark 1:54
Netherlands 1:42
Switzerland 1:34
How on earth does one find the time to watch TV for 7 hours/day (on average), let alone 9.12? Does this indicate lots of car-installed portable TVs or high unemployment? Or do you guys have more than 24 hours/day?
Up, up and away!!! |
|
|
|
Boron10
Religion Moderator
USA
1266 Posts |
Posted - 07/15/2001 : 22:40:53 [Permalink]
|
I have no idea. Considering that I spend an average of 15 minutes a day watching TV, there must be some die-hards out there making up for me, eh?
-Timmy! |
|
|
|
bestonnet_00
Skeptic Friend
Australia
358 Posts |
Posted - 07/16/2001 : 03:14:07 [Permalink]
|
They might spend most of their time indoors watching TV.
Although there are many who as soon as they get home from work or school just go straight to the TV and watch it for as long as they can.
Radioactive GM Crops.
Slightly above background.
Safe to eat.
But no activist would dare rip it out.
As they think it gives them cancer. |
|
|
 |
|
Topic Locked
