An Important Thing Learned from Facebook

It is clear that I have lived most of my life with an optimistic outlook, in at least one sense.  I always believed, without really trying, that people were basically good, and that they mostly agreed on the value of values, even if they were lacking.  I also believed that people mostly preferred to self monitor--respond to their own conscience rather than be told what to feel and think.

I thought people in this country automatically rejected the idea of over bearing authority, and that they were usually honest and trustworthy because that is just what you do.  I thought most people relished the idea of you being able to live as you choose, provided you don't harm others.

Facebook helped set me straight.  I learned that multitudes of people are greedy, dishonest, dimwitted, and tend to feel self righteous based on things they don't even understand.  It is the thrill of power, attention, and maybe a chance for some free stuff.

A shocking percentage of people are truly dimwitted, base, greedy and basically dishonest.  And they get out of it with phrases like "my truth" or "what is true for me".

People will jump on almost any band wagon cause or destructive mob action, presented with little to no real information.

On the other hand, a lot of people are nice as can be.  But they'll still feel justified in telling others how to live, what to pay, etc.  Just cannot keep from stepping on the rights of others.

The old tv cowboy lynch mob rednecks have nothing on the modern day mob protester.  Pride in ignorance is the name of the game.

Tyranny of the majority is a concept they just don't get.  And the people who make it their business to live like royalty on our money, with our blessing, count on that.  They count on people being so weak that they thrive by being part of the mob, in the majority.  Soldarity is the hollow cry of the cowardly bully in many cases.

The majority of people probably aren't basically good, or not so good if there is something free in it for themselves, or if peer pressure is pushing for some uncalled for screwing with the minding his own business individual.

New Car Review; some kind of Chrysler

I think it is called 200.  I don't get it.  That was what the rental place gave me.

To make it short and sweet;
the car accelerates poorly 0 to 30, then it has some zip.
good gas milage--in the 30 mpg range
this one has SXM satellite radio--I like #31, Coffee something or other

This is a great car if you like turning a knob to put it in or out of gear, you like the new keyless cars, and you'll love it if you are not concerned with being able to see much of what is around you.
So, visibility is like driving my Subaru with the sun blocking shades still in place.

But the A/C is grand.  Like many American cars of this century, many control labels are blocked by steering wheel and other controls, so you have to twist and turn like a contortionist or a snake in order to figure out what's what.  Except some labels are so small and lacking in contrast, and being done in the international picture language so we don't offend illiterates, the best way to find out what the button does is to just push it.

There is a screen in the middle of the dash, about the same square inch value as the windshield, just a different shape.  This is great for keeping you from getting bored watching where you are going.  When you push the illiterately labeled buttons the screen changes.

Sometimes it asks you to tell it verbally what station you want.  But the screen is a tease.  It is insincere and does not honor your request.  You have to poke the screen itself in order to get back to some configuration you find comfortable or less hostile.

The seat adjusts in many ways.  Some of those ways are actually useful.  But beware!!!!  The seats are designed in such a way that if you drop anything it will disappear and require stopping the car, kneeling beside it and putting your head as close to under the seat as possible, then you use a knife, slim jim, or similar device to push the object out so you can grip it with your finger nails or a pair of tweezers.   An amazing feat of engineering.  No idea how they do it.

I drove all afternoon from hither to yon, and still I find a gear shift which is exactly like the volume knob on my old Onkyo tuner of yesteryear (size shape, may be the same knob) to be less than intuitive or ergonomic. It seems hazardous to me.  If you drive this care with children, duct tape their hands to their sides and tie them up in the back seat.  Or just toss them in the spacious trunk.

It appears easy for a child to accidentally push down on the knob and shift you into trouble, never guessing what's what.

That about sums it up.  Chrysler has always been good for A/C.  Maybe they started as an air conditioning outfit.  Maybe they shouldn't have branched out, though they did serve a lot of people well in past decades by providing marginally acceptable and culturally ubiquitous mini vans.

So for the big Dodge vehicles, also Chrysler products, it is "Guts, Glory, Dodge", said in your best monster truck promo voice.
For Chrysler cars the slogan is, "Can't see where I am, and I don't care, Chrysler"
Said in your best Al Sharpton tele-prompter voice.

Clunker? With 200K + on miles, these things happen

So every time I'd accelerate from a stop I'd feel a bunch of annoying clunking coming from under the floor of my trusty ride.  Right between the driver and passenger seats.  Sort of.

Being Subaru it has a rear drive shaft. That means U joints, etc.  That is what I think is clunking. It got way worse over a short time.  By the time I arrived home I had to really baby the acceleration to avoid that clunking.

Ah, but I discovered a trick!  The all wheel drive must be run by electricity in some way.  There is an empty fuse slot in the fuse box under the hood.  It says FWD.  We think it means front wheel drive.

Put a fuse there and now the rear drive train is out of the picture and the car is just front wheel drive.  Until you do this you have no idea how much the all wheel drive kicks in and prevents slippage and such on these dirt roads.

So, I am ok for a short while but looks like big bucks more than likely.

I am glad there is at least a temporary measure.  It is hotter than I like; in the 90's.  And I wonder if I will ever quit being so lonely.  At least I have some friends and people expect me to play music.  But I do get tired of alone-ness.  Now that I think I won't die in the next year or two, I am less likely to avoid people.  My misguided sense of nobility or chivalry usually causes me to run away for fear of screwing up someone's life.  Forget that.

I am now officially done protecting others from entering my world.  There are worse places and I think the whole premise is dumb anyway.

Not pleased to have car issues, but not really surprised, considering all the miles and all the uphill dirt roads.  Things wear out.  The fuse trick was found on a forum.  It is not a well known move.

Hey Man, Stay away from the brown acid, and the red and blue koolaid

Seriously, I find the level of thought when it comes to the organization and administration of civilized society to be surprisingly low and of poor quality.   Not much you can do.  People are not about to abandon their careening band wagons.

I have observed something, though.  An emerging pattern.

It used to be that any mention of Pelosi or Reid in less than glowing terms would yield comments like, "Oh yea?  What about Bush and Cheney.  And Rumsfeld.  Eh?"

Mention anything near and dear to the progressive heart in any way short of worship and you get the above result.  I forgot to mention that "lol" would be used as either prefix or suffix.

That used to be the standard fare.  "Hey, Michele tends to insult and be a bit racist."  "Oh yea?  What about Bush?  And Cheney.  And Rumsfeld?  lol".

But gues who is the new Bush?  Darn, you guessed!!   Hillary!!!

Now you see things like "I don't Trump; he's power hungry"  "Oh yea?  What about Hillary Clinton? Huh?"  The lol is used less by this crowd, however use of lol is optional and not discouraged.

I still think they put Hillary out there so the other koolaid crowd would wear themselves out, effectively expending all their energy so that Pocahontas can come in and mop the floor with them.  Forgot her name for a second.  Elizabeth Warren.  Hillary is the new Bush so Warren can be the new O.

I may be wrong.  They may be mesmerizing and deceiving even me.  If you only knew the reality of this life.  I don't know what you'd do if you knew what I know.  Probably nothing.

Or maybe shout, Oh yea?  What about Hillary, 'n 'em?"