Victimhood is Made-up

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   Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years ago

   If you feel you are a victim (in America) it is totally self-imposed.
   
   
   ... and you know it's true.
   
   
   The question is  w h y  do that to yourself?

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      gmwilliamsposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Kathryn, this is an EXCELLENT post.  Please write a psychological hub about this.
      
      To reply, victimhood is a convenient excuse to avoid responsibility for one's actions & to blame the past & wallow in it.   People adopt the victimhood mode because they are FEARFUL of facing & overcoming their emotional, mental, psychological, & even psychic demons.  People refuse to own up to their mistakes & failings & rather than to assess themselves, they continuously blame their circumstances for their dire lifestyle.

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      Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      On the other hand, We The People do become victims of others' greed-produced behaviors and practices. But we can fight. We have to fight.
      Only concern for prosperity will launch us toward a bright future.
      Instead of a dismal one.

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   Will Apseposted 5 years ago

   I can see why rich, white, privileged men say this (why change such a convenient power structure) but why do you?

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   Live to Learnposted 5 years ago

   I think it is easy to fall into a victim mentality. Try as hard as you can and if you fail you look for reasons. Sometimes, circumstances beyond your control are against your rise to whatever you think should have been the outcome.
   
   I think the problem comes when you raise a generation within an entire class of people that success is beyond their grasp because of circumstances beyond their control. At that point discussion becomes difficult because you have several major subsets vying for their viewpoints to take precedent. One believes outside factors are solely responsible, one believes individual action is solely responsible, and then one believes multiple factors contribute to the overall lack of success of the subset.
   
   Whatever the cause, it is an observable fact that no two people will react in the same manner to similar circumstances. We do, ultimately, choose to classify ourselves as victim. Which is a clear indication that we are making excuses for our behavior or expecting others to solve what we perceive as a problem. Neither, whether true or not, takes into account any level of personal responsibility. In a society which gravitates toward a 'hand up' instead of a 'hand out' mentality claims of victimhood don't have any solutions popular across the board.

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      Tim Truzy info4uposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Nonsense. Read:
      Feb 15, 2019 - WASHINGTON — Beliefs among some university professors that intelligence is fixed, rather than capable of growth, contribute to a racial achievement gap in STEM courses,....
      That's a recent finding in research published by Science Newes.
      There is a system that promotes the power elites and punishes the power deplete. Curiously enough, the right-wing wants to take money away from the biggest equalizer in our country: access to education. Why? Because stupid people are easy to manage. What's the fear in correcting these imbalances? Simple: sheep become lions.

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         Live to Learnposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         Uneducated does not equate to stupid. I've known plenty of people with little education who are not stupid.

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            Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            They have educated themselves.
            
            Education is necessary. It does not have to come from institutions.

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            Tim Truzy info4uposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            I know: a rattlesnake isn't a reptile; call a car an auto. Or better yet: Fox News: Trump Plans to cut Aid to Three Mexican Countries. Whatever.

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               Live to Learnposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               It's arrogant attitudes such as the one you are displaying that is contributing to the political problems we have.
               
               Someone doesn't agree? Call them ignorant. Call them stupid. But, for heaven's sake don't attempt to understand why they hold the opinion they do.

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                  Tim Truzy info4uposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  And it's your attitude, encountering a person who's not afraid of your negative approach that does society real justice. (lol) Name calling? Now, now, bottle time. I'm sorry if the facts frighten you and you have to go to name calling. I hadn't called anyone a name, but you are quick with the "arrogant." What does that say of you? Can't handle sarcasm? Or better yet, can't handle the truth.
                  Science News said it all; Fox News said even more.

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                  lobobrandonposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  Well if you know better than them on a topic and you tell them about it and point them to resources to get more info on the topic, but they flat out refuse because they feel they know better, then they are definitely ignorant.
                  
                  Ignorance is almost always stupidity.
                  
                  You can be ignorant on a topic and not be stupid, but if you act like an expert on one when you know nothing, you are stupid.
                  
                  If you jump into a fire not knowing that a flame burns, you're not going to say hey that person was ignorant of this specific fact, but he or she was a brilliant mind in every other way.

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                     Live to Learnposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                     It would clearly depend on the topic. Someone might be as informed as you believe yourself to be and have arrived at a completely different conclusion, given the same set of facts. Your conclusions are not, necessarily, the correct ones.
                     
                     Anyhoo, I would think jumping into a fire would imply you lack common sense. I've known plenty of geniuses who lack common sense.

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                     MizBejabbersposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                     Y'all are equating ignorance with narrow-mindedness or stupidity. Ignorance can also be equated with uneducated.  Uneducated can be cured with education, but as they say, you can't cure stupidity.

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                        Tim Truzy info4uposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                        The difference between intelligence and stupidity: guess which one is endless?

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                           MizBejabbersposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                           I don't know about this, Tim. I say this with all due respect. Intelligence equals IQ, which most people keep (intelligence) unless something, like an accident or stroke, damages their brain. Some intelligent people start out with stupid beliefs they get from their families, but change their beliefs later in life after they learn better. People with low IQs don't have the intelligence quotient to change their beliefs, thus the "you can't fix stupid."

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            2. 88

               lobobrandonposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               Wait. What? I thought that three countries thing was an April Fools Joke making rounds online. Hahaha. If it's from Fox, I may not think that anymore.

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                  Tim Truzy info4uposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  Yes, actually on another network, it is quite true. And we fact-checked it too. Funny, huh?

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                     lobobrandonposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                     Fact checked xD

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   2. 95

      wildernessposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Or...give a little effort to accomplishing something and when it doesn't happen, start looking for excuses.  Not reasons, for the reason was obvious (you didn't try hard enough or long enough) but for excuses.

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         Live to Learnposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         You know, people fail for for more reasons than that.

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            wildernessposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            Sure they do.  The #1 reason for failure of a new small business, for example, is under-capitalization (or so I've been told).  So if you fail, analyze what happened and try again, changing the method.
            
            Don't just quit and begin making excuses.  "Trying" involves more than simply continuing what does not work, after all.

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         2. 88

            MizBejabbersposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, sometimes it can be the butterfly effect, especially in rural communities. (I'm not talking Wall Street here.) Coming from a rural state I've seen it happen. A new business goes in, and the town's people are enthusiastic about it. However, the remnants of a hurricane blow through and ruin the major crops just at harvesting time, leaving farmers holding big debts. Some face bankruptcy. Meantime, established businesses are hurt, and the new business fails because the community now can't patronize him as much as needed to make the business successful. But these communities find a way to keep on going. Mr. New Businessman may or may not find a way to make a go of what started out to be a promising success. A lot depends on what kind of a support system he had to begin with.

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4. 76

   Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years ago

   Ignorance = stupidity.

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      Live to Learnposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Didn't you ever see the Loretta Lynn story? That is not a valid equation.

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         Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         No, I did not.
         How could that EVER not be a valid equation?
         
         
         ( I mean with typical populations)

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            Live to Learnposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            A person can be ignorant of facts concerning a particular topic. That does not make them stupid.

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               Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               what is stupidity, then pray tell?

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5. 88

   Will Apseposted 5 years ago

   Ultimately this whole victimhood thing is about racism. Many white Americans cannot forgive black Americans for being upset about slavery, segregation and continuing discrimination.
   
   And that is down to weak-mindedness. Those white Americans who love to blame others for being systematically attacked and disadvantaged are simply unable to tolerate feelings of other peoples suffering and pangs of guilt for their real or imagined involvement.
   
   But division only serves the interests of the rich. The more divided a population is, the less power it has to resist the depredations of unscrupulous leaders.
   
   Whether it is climate change, decent healthcare, or an education that does not leave the individual a slave to debt, it is much harder for ordinary people to get a better deal when they fall victim (irony intended) to their irrational fears and hatreds.

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      wildernessposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      LOL  It always boils down to that, doesn't it?  Whitey is always wrong and evil, even if those being blamed had nothing whatsoever to do with the things done to black people 200 years ago.

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      1. 88

         Will Apseposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         It is good that you realize that you are not responsible for what happened 200 years ago. You might be able to look at the history without getting defensive.
         
         But segregation in the South was alive and well when you were a teenager, I reckon. KKK Lynchings happened in your life time.
         
         These things will take a long time to be resolved. You can help or just hide your head in the sand.

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            Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            We have the LAW!

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               Will Apseposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               And that means?

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                  Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  That means we have judges and juries who uphold the laws to protect people. Our judicial system grants all people, equally, their rights.
                  Sometimes we have to fight for our rights. Oh well. Its called evolution.
                  We are not a perfect society. After all, America is only only about 250 years old. But we can certainly work toward it, thanks to The Constitution of the United States.

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                     lobobrandonposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                     Not everyone has true equality in the USA, yet. Nor anywhere else for that matter.

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               Tim Truzy info4uposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               Yes, but research has demonstrated everyone does not have equal access to the law. Remember: O.J. Simpson? What about Donald Trump? Hillary? The execution of law is not equally done.

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                  Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  But we can keep trying. there is wish. there is hope. there is will.
                  
                  if you have WILL-POWER, you just keep trying.

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                     Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                     In America.

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                     Tim Truzy info4uposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                     The first steps involve accwepting what research has proven, and work from there.

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                        Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                        and there are real victims.
                        take the latest. He was killed ...
                        by gang members.
                        His case will have to be taken up by others
                        who are still alive.
                        
                        The killer needs consequences
                        such as
                        the
                        
                        Death Penalty.
                        
                        https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la- … story.html

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               2. 88

                  MizBejabbersposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  Trump was born with a silver spoon in his mouth (Or as Ann Richardson said about George W. Bush, a silver foot in his mouth). I don't know O.J.'s background, but Bill Clinton is a real male Cinderella story. His father was Bill Blythe, and there is a lot of speculation and gossip around him. His mother struggled to overcome their circumstances and raise Bill. Bill's stepfather adopted him, hence the name "Clinton." Gossip has it that Mr. Clinton was an abusive stepfather, but in later life, they seemed to be good friends. Bill was a great student who went on to be a Rhodes scholar, and the rest is history. He could have wallowed in pity and become a drunk in Arkansas like his biological father was purported to be.

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                     Tim Truzy info4uposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                     Good point. But Hillary had money growing up. R.R. didn't like, Bill Clinton, but they both went beyond where they came from.

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                     Tim Truzy info4uposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                     And these people had the influence and finances to get legal representation that fitted their wallets. The distribution of how law is executed isn't equal.

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                        MizBejabbersposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                        AMEN! I think that proves we are not equal once mama pins that first diaper on. It is not fair.

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            wildernessposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            Why would I be defensive when the color of my skin determines that I am guilty of crimes against black people?
            
            The town I grew up in, in the 50's and 60's, had just one black family in it - Trice was the name (sp?) and I was friends with the little boy.  Yet, somehow, it is assumed that I am wrong because I "cannot forgive black Americans for being upset about slavery, segregation and continuing discrimination."  Presumably stemming from my little friend in grade school.
            
            Even if one assumes that there is significant "continuing discrimination" (against blacks, not from blacks) there is no possible reason to assume that my low level of melanin means I don't forgive them for being angry about it.

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            1. 88

               Will Apseposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               I suggest you start looking on the bright side.
               
               Yes, the US was built on the foundation of a slave economy, But it was one of the first countries to outlaw the slave trade. So give yourself a pat on the back for that.
               
               Discriminatory laws against black people only ended  in the mid sixties. But at least they ended and that was down to a mix of white activists and black activists. Another pat on the back.
               
               Now, perhaps recognize that the injuries done to black communities in the US are not going to dissolve immediately.

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                  Live to Learnposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  I'm just going to throw this out there. From your comments, it appears you are posting from a location outside of the US.
                  
                  We are not perfect. As someone pointed out, no country is. However, having people who do not live here attempting to defend or attack certain things within our society smacks of 'ignoring the log in your eye'. Especially if the person posting is European. Had Europe had its way our country probably would have gone the way of Ireland. Which, in my opinion, is a large black eye for England.

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                  1. 88

                     Will Apseposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                     I have no illusions about the UK. I understand its history. 
                     I realize how unpleasant and self serving its empire was. I also understand that the UK was no better or worse than any any other nation, European or otherwise, at that time.
                     
                     In other words, I don't construct my view of the world based on race or nationality.
                     
                     That doesn't mean I am unbiased, that would be impossible but it does mean I have no need to cling to a sentimental world view and no need to be defensive when looking at my countries history.
                     
                     It is what it is.
                     
                     I still reckon it is best to look on the bright side. Humans are no where near as bad as they often appear.
                     
                     So relax, you are not the embodiment of evil, lol. Neither am I. And neither are black Americans, not the ones I have come across, for sure.

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                     MizBejabbersposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                     AND there was a great discrimination against the Irish (who are white people, or were the last time I checked) in the North just the same as there was against the Chinese. I'm not aware of a great migration of Irish to the south. Southerners had a large migration of Scots back in the 18th Century before the Irish came in the 19th Century. It is mainly their descendants who are given Hell from the non-Southern hypocrites today.
                     But for everyone's information, many African-Americans choose to live in their own communities outside of white influence. They have the freedom to do so.

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            MizBejabbersposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            Are you implying that Southerners should just give up all vestiges of their heritage and become as hypocritical as yankees? The Emancipation proclamation freed only the slaves South of the Mason Dixon line. Missouri, Kentucky, Delaware and Maryland were allowed to keep theirs. Lands were taken away from southerners who did not own slaves (and may have had family members who fought for the union) just because they lived in Confederate states. I wish everybody would just put this thing aside and live and let live. We southerners shouldn't have to keep defending ourselves from things that happened before we were born.

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               Will Apseposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               What exactly is the nature of Yankee "hypocrisy"? Just out of interest...

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                  MizBejabbersposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  I think I explained it well enough already. If you are an American you know and if you don't then it is time for you to actually read some history books about the punishment the south took from the carpetbaggers and scalawags. My ancestors were punished so why do we have to keep answering for them?

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                     Will Apseposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                     Seems to me that the sense of grievance you feel for injuries suffered at the hands of the Union Army and the opportunists who followed is not dissimilar to the sense of grievance many black Americans clearly feel after the ordeals of slavery and the Jim Crow Laws.
                     
                     There is a way through this. The catholic Irish in Southern Ireland feel pretty good about themselves since they became prosperous. The old resentments against the English, the sense of having being oppressed and exploited is fading fast.
                     
                     Those feelings will never completely disappear but history weighs the Irish down much less than before.
                     
                     Ultimately, people need a realistic perspective on what it is to be human. Processing pain, violation, insults and injuries takes time. Denial -- Katherine's prescription is absolutely the worst approach to dealing with this stuff.
                     
                     Dan's tribalism doesn't help either, lol.

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                        Live to Learnposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                        What exacerbates the problems with discussions of inequality here are the strides made thus far, the effects on the targeted population and the clear problems that have arisen.
                        
                        No one denies historical inequities. Ok, some do, but most agree that history is fairly well documented.
                        
                        I'm of the mindset that playing the victim has become a way of life for some. No group of policies or measurable improvements will change that mentality. We had BLM which I supported, until it devolved into a gimme gimme orgy of demands.
                        
                        The far left is now floating SJW ideas including segregation, racial purity ideas which suggest interracial marriage should stop and has been, for some time now, attacking people solely by skin color. No amount of fairness, equality, or justice is part of the agenda the far left is attempting to enact.
                        
                        Now, you can certainly call it cries for equality but it seems to me the agenda of the left boils down to many ideals espoused by white nationalists. Just change the faces, but the outcome would be similar. That's not progress. Racism and hatred is not an ideology I can support, no matter where it originates.

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                           gmwilliamsposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                           Let me interject that each group has its own paradigm whether it is ethnicity, race, religion, community, or socioeconomic class.  These paradigms are oftentimes unspoken & subconscious.  Each person in their particular ethnicity, race, religion, community, &/or socioeconomic class are inculcated, even indoctrinated in their respective paradigm.    The paradigm can be either positive or negative.   There are some groups that have negative paradigms which are inculcated subconsciously e.g. don't dream too big, be content within the particular purview, or other individual paradigms.   Many people are in their particular place because they were inculcated to be there.   There are a few brave people who refuse to succumb to their particular paradigm.  Again, victimhood is a CHOICE.  No one is a victim unless h/she......WANTS TO BE!

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                              Live to Learnposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                              And that's the thing. When people choose to inculcate their children with beliefs which have been proven to be wrong, by any who choose to follow a fairly well documented path to success, which works, blind to race or ethnicity, who bears the fault for the outcome?

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                           Tim Truzy info4uposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                           Interesting. I always thought the far-right carried that racial purification crap, which is counter to our American ideal of "all men are created equal" (by the law, providing they can afford proper representation). KKK, White Nationalists, Richard Spencer - not a part of the left. Nazism, not a part of the left. These are right wing extremist beliefs. Show me some left-wing propaganda where there is an argument for racial purification, ending interracial marriages, anti-gay propaganda? (Maybe some of these groups are extreme to the limit. I forgot about good old Farrakahn. How could they support such policies when they voted to put a biracial president (Barack Obama) in the White House?

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                        MizBejabbersposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                        I get your point and I think that is wonderful. But do the English keep coming back and rubbing the Irish noses in it to keep the sore festering? One of our presidential candidates is actually bringing up paying reparations to Black people for the harm done to them 150 or more years ago. Why should my taxes pay money to black people who may not even have slave ancestry? How are they going to determine that? The money can be used for benefitting all citizens, no matter what color they are. I don't see any suggestions for reparations to the Irish or Chinese in this country for the way they were treated by our English origin citizens in the Northern U.S. This is the hypocrisy I'm talking about. Southerners keep getting their noses rubbed in the Civil War, and that is one reason that white supremacist groups keep popping up. If everyone would just live and let live, and ignore the Aryan Nation and other white jerks, they might fade away. I am very glad that Ireland and England are making peace with each other.

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         Tim Truzy info4uposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         We know that's not true. All of White Americans are not to blame. Some actually worked to help end segregation - some actually have a true interest in equality - some actually read the Science News article I mentioned here and interpret its implications with clarity. Perhaps, some Whites are adopting a "victimhood" mentality which amounts to weak mindedness because they don't want to do the hard work required to get to equality.

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6. 76

   Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years ago

   "The shooting came a day before Hussle was scheduled to meet with LAPD Chief Michel Moore and Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff “to talk about ways he could help stop gang violence and help us help kids.”
   
   Its pathetic, just pathetic ... which is a severe understatement
   
   How to achieve justice ?????

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   Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years ago

   Yes, just ignore white jerks. You can't fix stupid.

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   Will Apseposted 5 years ago

   This is interesting:
   
   http://www.bbc.com/future/story/2019032 … pigenetics
   
   Essentially an exploration of the way that trauma can impact future generations, going back to the US Civil War.
   
   "There are a growing number of studies that support the idea that the effects of trauma can reverberate down the generations through epigenetics."

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      MizBejabbersposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I just finished a book about how human thinking not only causes their own diseases like cancer, but that they can set the stage for their descendants to be susceptible to the same diseases. Theoretically these same diseases would happen to descendants who don't face the same problems or have the same line of thinking. The author believes that the same diseases that run in families, like breast cancer or prostate cancer, can be set up by one person to affect generations after her or him. She says these diseases are not genetic, however, I don't see how they can affect later generations unless the genes are affected.

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         Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         We have free will, but we need to cultivate it.
         
         “Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from indomitable will.” Gandhi

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         Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         I believe that Victimhood is made-up. I believe that whatever you find from within OR without that makes you a victim, you can change it. It takes attention and intention. Thats all.
         
         To do noting about your situation is the worst thing you can do.
         
         But is is SO easy to sit around, doing nothing ...
         
         and then BLAME others for your miserable predicament.
         No, DO SOMETHING!
         
         
           “Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.” Mahatma Gandhi

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         lobobrandonposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         Epigenetics is not the same as genetics per se. It's the way a queen ant unknowingly decides whether the eggs she lays which are all identical are going to be solider ants or worker ants, etc. It's the stress levels, etc within the queen ant that decide what the offspring would be.

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   gmwilliamsposted 5 years ago

   The overwhelming majority of people are victims or sheep, believe it or not.  People chose to conform to their particular societal paradigm whether it benefits or stultifies them.  People have been inculcated from childhood to conform & to follow rules whether it is familial, societal, or other rules.  People feel that if they follow societal rules, they will somehow be...….REWARDED or if not rewarded, they will......FEEL IMPORTANT or INCLUDED.   Obedience is praised.   Being a follower is praised.
   
   People are in the societal predicament they are in because they follow blindly instead of thinking & acting independently.   They are entranced & beguiled by societal propaganda of what to do, how to think/act/speak/dress, etc.   They want to be in although many can't be in.  People are fearful of rebelling against the system.   They would rather conform to a paradigm which has warts in it than to create a paradigm that has merit.   They would to believe in the old paradigm although it is no longer sensible.   People have to start creating their own paradigms.....

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      Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I think that's the job of the youth and it seems they are doing that, (creating their own paradigms ...) I think the problem is, they don't incorporate the lessons of history or even the common sense advice of their parents. That spells trouble. 
      (Did I say parents? I meant to say grandparents, you know those ones that knew all about rebelling against the system: )

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    Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years ago

    There seems to be complacency, however. Instead of thinking independently, they (teens-young adults) exhibit group-think.
    They need indy-think.

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    Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years ago

    It is natural for the youth to charge forward with enthusiasm to
    
                            "Change the World!"
    
    They need to know a good direction for change, though. They need to be grounded in positivity in order to build up what can be improved. Not negativity, which sets fire to what is working just fine, except in their imaginations.

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12. 76

    Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years ago

    The youth of today have settled for being victims of all kinds.
    They are fighting victimhood which doesn't even exist.
    They need to realize America has given them everything for changing the world for the better.
    
    A vision of POSITIVE change is needed.
    This vision could include a way to clean the planet of harmful things such as plastic. Changing the world for the better would be finding a way to end pharmaceutical abuse, curtailing the production of genetically modified vegetables / grains
    and the banning use of dangerous pesticides/Monsanto.
    You know, changes that would be truly constructive!
    
    
    PS G4 and no more!

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       Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

       "PS G4 and no more!"
       “As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves.” – Mahatma Gandhi

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    Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years ago

    This is true victimhood:
    
    "Last week, a small male pilot whale was found struggling, unable to swim or breathe, in a Thai canal near the Malaysia border. Rescuers fought to save the animal by deploying buoys to keep it afloat as veterinarians tended to it and propped up red umbrellas to protect its exposed skin from the sun’s rays."
    
    "The whale vomited up five plastic bags during the rescue attempt. It died on Friday, five days after the attempt began.
    
    A necropsy revealed that more than 17 pounds of plastic had clogged up the whale’s stomach, making it impossible for it to ingest nutritional food. This waste was in the form of 80 shopping bags and other plastic debris.
    
    Plastic pollution is a consistent problem in the world’s oceans. In Thai waters, more than 300 marine animals are known to die after eating plastic. The list includes pilot whales, but also sea turtles and dolphins. In April, an emaciated sperm whale was found dead on a Spanish beach with more than 60 pounds of trash in its digestive system ... (Related: 'Sperm Whale Found Full of Car Parts and Plastic')"
    https://news.nationalgeographic.com/201 … d-animals/

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14. 76

    Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years ago

    "Increases in prescription drug misuse over the last 15 years are reflected in increased emergency room visits, overdose deaths associated with prescription drugs, and treatment admissions for prescription drug use disorders, the most severe form of which is an addiction. Overdose deaths involving prescription opioids were five times higher in 2016 than in 1999."
    https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/ … s/overview

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15. 76

    Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years ago

    "The court documents included Monsanto’s internal emails and email traffic between the company and federal regulators. The records suggested that Monsanto had ghostwritten research that was later attributed to academics and indicated that a senior official at the Environmental Protection Agency had worked to quash a review of Roundup’s main ingredient, glyphosate, that was to have been conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
    
    The documents also revealed that there was some disagreement within the E.P.A. over its own safety assessment."
    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/14/busi … ule=inline

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16. 76

    Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years ago

    “Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”- Mahatma Gandhi

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17. 84

    gmwilliamsposted 5 years ago

    Victimhood is a sign of laziness & weakness.  Victimhood equals passivity.  The concept of passivity is to let life happen to you instead of making things happen.  Victimhood is prevalent in the lower socioeconomic echelons.  These are the people who complain about their abysmal conditions yet they fail to reaiize that THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE for those conditions.  They want others to rescue them.  Victimhood is a sign of immaturity.

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    1. 76

       Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

       YES, gm. 
       
       Responsibility for one's life is key.
       
       All You Need is Love  ...
       
       And Logic!
       
       PLUS
       
       Freedom
       
       Within appropriate boundaries!
       
       PLUS
       
       Balance
       
       and Mindfulness!
       
       
       ... and a good nights sleep 

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18. 84

    gmwilliamsposted 5 years ago

    It really galls me that many people LOVE to be VICTIMS.  It is like psychologically & symbolically returning to infancy, even to the womb.   There are people who LOVE to DEPEND upon others although they are QUITE CAPABLE of doing for selves.  Our American government is partially responsible for this by instituting inane social programs such as welfare & other assistance programs.   This is beyond ridiculous. People OUGHT to do for themselves & their families.  Others & the government aren't parents!  How many times must I say this.

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    1. 76

       Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

       "Our American government is partially responsible for this by instituting inane social programs such as welfare & other assistance programs."
       
       The ones it was supposed to help, were the most harmed.

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       1. 76

          Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

          "Good intentions often lead to hell."

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          1. 76

             Kathryn L Hillposted 5 years agoin reply to this

             It occurred to me that maybe some who have become homeless were caught in the lure of an easy life thinking, "I will get just enough to live in my car with that monthly welfare check I get from the government. That life will be better than getting clean and finding a job.
               It seemed like a good idea at the time ...
             
             Why,  again?

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