Why aren't truckers in the driver's seat?

Some of those studies should be viewed in context of who or what commissioned them. Remember when Tipper Gore tried to blame music for all kinds of evils? The content of the medium hasn't changed. One can point to all kinds of violent mentions in music going back to at least the '40s, probably earlier. Now, I DO believe that hours of repeated use of video games may have a tendency to desensitize kids but it's not the game that makes or is responsible for a child's act. Once a child is of an age where they can distinguish right from wrong, I cite your mention of personal responsibility.

I agree a "dumbing" down of America took place but at the risk of being labeled a conspiracy theorist, I submit some of it is intentional. After all, an uninformed populace is no threat to the heavy hand of the government which controls it. Just my two cents.

In the U.S. illegal drug use has been increasing since at least the '20s, earlier if you count abuse of cocaine tonics and elixirs as cocaine and cocaine-containing chemicals were outlawed in 1914. Abuse of amphetamines, prescribed for raising blood pressure became popular in the '20s and injection abuse began in the '50s drawing more attention to the issue. The black jazz culture used pot regularly and one could purchase pot in "Tea Pad" clubs frequented by the "hipsters" (precursors to the hippies). We just didn't hear about the drug use as much because of a lack of manner of which to communicate on such a large scale. Pot came out of the proverbial closet in the '60s. Abuse of opiates began in the late 1800s in the U.S. with Chinese immigrants arriving in San Francisco causing the city to outlaw use of opiates in the late 1800s. Opiate use, in one form or another, has increased ever since.

Your last indicated statement is the crux of the matter, in my personal opinion. Many people are loathe to embrace change of any kind and shy from many things (and people) different or strange to them, resulting in bias and even prejudice. As long as the government (again, my personal opinion) is intentionally successful in pitting us against each other and blaming each other we are too engaged to identify the real problem(s) affecting this country ... the laws and the government. I've never believed the government wants a unified nation. It has more to gain with a divided nation by intimating we need it more and more to protect us from the "others" who don't look, act, think, behave and believe like "us." My creed is and always has been "live and let live" ... as long as your acts affect no one but yourself no other person has a right to impose their system of societal beliefs or rules over you. We don't need to set examples for other adults and in regard to children, that's what their parents are for.

 

OK.......GET OFF THE TANGENTS HERE.......the title of this thread is not what has happened to humanity

 

While I don't agree with EVERY word G/MAN is saying, he makes a lot of very good, eye-opening points. While a few of y'all might think it strays off topic, I think it correlates rather well on many points.

Education is on the downward slope. Some of the poorer-performing kids...instead of helping them up, they bring down the top-performers to create the level playing field. Though he didn't mention sports, since sports are played in school, it sort of goes with education. In many schools, nobody wins. Or everybody wins, depending on how you look at it. The losers have no incentive to do better, and the winners aren't recognized for their efforts. This is to level the playing field. So the kids turn to something where they get to win for a change...video games. And the games are so well made, they glue themselves to the controller. It's an escape.

How are people sicker today? Well, in our parents' time, yes, people died from simpler things like TB and polio. Those diseases are rare now. But think about this for a minute now...how many people do you know that ARE NOT taking a pill for something? You don't take meds because you're feeling good, right? Every little thing is a "syndrome" or "disorder." Got a twitch in your little finger, it's a syndrome, take a pill. Upset tummy? IBS, take a pill. When I was a kid, the only people I knew that took any meds were either old or disabled. Now we have many, many 7-year-olds who are on multiple pills, some for life. How is that healthier?

Used to be that we would go out and play with our friends and get dirty. When the street lights came on, we would go in, get a bath, and all was good. Never got sick. Well, except for the occasional cold. Today, moms say, "No, you can't go outside, it's too dirty," while she's running around the house with a bottle of bleach or Lysol, spraying everything down, making the kids use hand sanitizer all the time. So they're stuck with their games and phones because that's all they have to communicate with their friends.

Cases of depression are higher, but instead of getting at the root to fix it, take a pill. You don't think all the electronic devices contribute to that? Humans are social creatures who naturally seek out other people for social contact. On the surface, the electronics make that easier, right? But that real, face-to-face interaction is gone. People feel suddenly alone when the battery dies. Or the internet goes out or isn't available.

Look at the crap on TV now...what used to be "R" rated in our day is now prime time. And the kids are watching this stuff; emulating it. In our day, a 13-year old girl was hanging out with her friends, joking about boys. Today, they're caking on make up and dressing like 20-year-old hookers looking to impress boys. In our day, teen pregnancy was still fairly rare. Today, there's shows and movies that glorify it, some about how they hid it. What are they learning from it? Not what we hope they would.

Kids are softer and at the same time, more demanding these days. We didn't have air-conditioning and didn't mind. Kids are demanding it. We had a Walkman and had to flip the tape at the end. Kids are demanding the best and newest IPod every time a new one comes out. We had an Atari 2600 with Pac-Man and Defender and were thrilled. Now kids are demanding X-boxes, Wii's, AND computers, with all sorts of games for all of them. We had one party-line, rotary-dial telephone in the house and didn't complain if the neighbor was on the line. The kids demand the newest Androids.

Now...are we REALLY healthier? Living like that isn't cheap! Even meeting everyone halfway is expensive...I am one of the more conservative parents and I'm called "mean" and "cold-hearted" by my kids (and even other adults) for not caving to every demand.

How does it correlate to trucking?

...So there we are, looking for that better paying job, better benefits, etc., to pay for it all. A lot of drivers see that company advertising a penny or two a mile more, or more miles, they want to check it out. So they go. They see that the miles really aren't much better and the insurance doesn't cover anything. After a year or two of no raise, they move on to another company claiming to have the proverbial "greener grass." We find another job, but they treat us like crap despite giving them geat service, so again we look...

 

Bigs things going on in here.

GMAN has said it all in my opinion. When you live beyond your mean you live beyond your own perceptions.

Living within your means brings about a positive change. You notice you have more time for fitness/health, family, etc. and everything else to better yourself as a person. All this happens and without you knowing you've become a role model. Be it a big/small part of someones life, you inspired change.

This continually happens in chains that become larger and larger.

In summary it's not about what you want it's what you need. When you have what you genuinely need your wants will pale in comparison to what you have gained in personal fulfillment.

 

truck drivers are a part of humanity, so if humanity is crazy, so shall be the drivers

 

Drug use was rare in the 1960's? Ok we're done here. There is no point in continuing this discussion because you are clearly willing to simply bend reality in order to make it support your argument. Drug use was rare in the 1960's the same way women who were able to vote were plentiful in the 1860's.

 

There are still a few decent companie out there,

you have a choice where you work.














Run Forest,

Run......

 

I didn't know anything about drugs back in the 1960's. The only thing that I knew was what I heard on TV. The primary drugs were LSD and marijuana and I didn't know anyone who used them back then. It was mainly in the larger cities and more confined to college campuses. Today, drugs are a problem in cities large and small. Back then, it was more of a rite of passage and mostly used for recreation. Most still drank alcohol rather than take drugs. Illegal drug use began to become more prevalent and there was more widespread use in the 1970's and 1980's. Things are much different today. People are abusing every drug imaginable and are killing themselves with their use. Meth is widely used and can be made with off the shelf ingredients you can find at most drug or grocery stores.
At one time marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs were legal.

 

Most company's have taken all the fun out of the job .
The outfit i drive for has treated me good for 10 years so far it could b worse truck could have prime or swift on the door!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

If a company is advertising for drivers all the time that should tell you something. All of those free trucker mags and advertisers at the truck stops are there because those companies cannot retain drivers and are mostly bottom feeders.