[plotthickens]

There are very few images in modern media of people talking things out rationally. Instead, you get

• HUGE FIGHT movies and
• BIG FIGHTING comic books and
• DRAMA SHOWDOWN TV shows and
• CONFLICT CLIMAX books.
• Alternatives: mix and match media and uppercase cliche to make your own bestseller.

Rarely is there mature compromise, calmness or rational give-and-take.

Monkey see, monkey do.

[HIDE="2011 top movies"]

1. HP and the deathly hallows
2. Transformers
3. Twilight
4. The Hangover
5. Pirates of the Caribbean
6. Fast 5
7. Mission Impossible
8. Cars 2
9. Sherlock Holmes
10. Thor
11. Rise of Planet of the Apes
12. Captain America
13. The Help
14. Bridesmaids
15. KungFu Panda
16. Puss In Boots
17. XMen First Class
18. Rio
19. The Smurfs
20. Alvin and the Chipmunks

[/HIDE] [HIDE="2011 most popular TV series"]

1. Game of Thrones
2. Dexter
3. How I met your Mother
4. Big Bang Theory
5. Supernatural
6. Walking Dead
7. Homeland
8. Vampire Diaries
9. Fringe
10. Castle
11. Friends
12. Boardwalk Empire
13. Revenge
14. Modern Family
15. Desperate Housewives
16. Terra Nova
17. Grimm
18. 2 1/2 men
19. Gossip Girl
20. Lie to Me

[/HIDE][HIDE="NYT best selling books"]

1. 1. 1. 1. FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, by E. L. James
         2. FIFTY SHADES DARKER, by E. L. James
         3. FIFTY SHADES FREED, by E. L. James
         4. FIFTY SHADES TRILOGY, by E. L. James
         5. 11TH HOUR, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
      2. Complete List »
         
         COMBINED PRINT & E-BOOK NONFICTION
         1. THE AMATEUR, by Edward Klein
         2. IT WORKED FOR ME, by Colin Powell with Tony Koltz
         3. KILLING LINCOLN, by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
         4. IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS, by Erik Larson
         5. UNBROKEN, by Laura Hillenbrand
         Complete List »
         
         
         
         HARDCOVER FICTION
         
         1. STOLEN PREY, by John Sandford
         2. 11TH HOUR, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
         3. DEADLOCKED, by Charlaine Harris
         4. CALICO JOE, by John Grisham
         5. THE INNOCENT, by David Baldacci
         Complete List »
         
         
         
         HARDCOVER NONFICTION
         
         1. THE AMATEUR, by Edward Klein
         2. IT WORKED FOR ME, by Colin Powell with Tony Koltz
         3. THE PASSAGE OF POWER, by Robert A. Caro
         4. KILLING LINCOLN, by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
         5. MY CROSS TO BEAR, by Gregg Allman with Alan Light
         Complete List »
         
         
         
         PAPERBACK TRADE FICTION
         
         1. FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, by E. L. James
         2. FIFTY SHADES DARKER, by E. L. James
         3. FIFTY SHADES FREED, by E. L. James
         4. THE LAST BOYFRIEND, by Nora Roberts
         5. STATE OF WONDER, by Ann Patchett
         Complete List »
         
         
         Paperback Mass-Market Fiction
         
         1. EXPLOSIVE EIGHTEEN, by Janet Evanovich
         2. A GAME OF THRONES, by George R. R. Martin
         3. BURIED PREY, by John Sandford
         4. THE LUCKY ONE, by Nicholas Sparks
         5. A CLASH OF KINGS, by George R. R. Martin
         Complete List »
         
         
         Paperback Nonfiction
         
         1. THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS, by Rebecca Skloot
         2. IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS, by Erik Larson
         3. HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent
         4. OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell
         5. BORN TO RUN, by Christopher McDougall
         Complete List »
         
         
         E-Book Fiction
         
         1. FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, by E. L. James
         2. FIFTY SHADES DARKER, by E. L. James
         3. FIFTY SHADES FREED, by E. L. James
         4. FIFTY SHADES TRILOGY, by E. L. James
         5. ON THE ISLAND, by Tracey Garvis-Graves
         Complete List »
         
         
         E-Book Nonfiction
         
         1. THE AMATEUR, by Edward Klein
         2. UNBROKEN, by Laura Hillenbrand
         3. LONE SURVIVOR, by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson
         4. LET’S PRETEND THIS NEVER HAPPENED, by Jenny Lawson
         5. KILLING LINCOLN, by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
         Complete List »
         
         
         Hardcover Advice & Misc.
         
         1. THE SKINNY RULES, by Bob Harper with Greg Critser
         2. THE CHARGE, by Brendon Burchard
         3. HOW WILL YOU MEASURE YOUR LIFE?, by Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth and Karen Dillon
         4. THE PIONEER WOMAN COOKS: FOOD FROM MY FRONTIER, by Ree Drummond
         5. WHEAT BELLY, by William Davis
         Complete List »
         
         
         Paperback Advice & Misc.
         
         1. THANK YOU NOTES 2, by Jimmy Fallon with the writers of "Late Night"
         2. ACT LIKE A LADY, THINK LIKE A MAN, by Steve Harvey with Denene Millner
         3. THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES, by Gary Chapman
         4. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING, by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel
         5. HOW TO BE RICHER, SMARTER, AND BETTER-LOOKING THAN YOUR PARENTS, by Zac Bissonnette
      [/HIDE]

Almost all of it is violence and interpersonal drama. Mature interacting, mutual respect, common sense or decency isn't worth showing now.

[Booko]

	Originally Posted by Swanee To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	I've posted this before: "what you resist persists, what you accept dissolves" Acceptance is the key - you don't have to like it. You always get more of what you focus on...

Funny that never worked out entirely well for me during race riots. Being an obvious non-combatant will not prevent you from being harmed.

[RedN]

Well in my case, I hate being treated like Im a child molester just because of what I am - this was the time when I was 'not passing'. Even my dad told me, that he doesnt want me to be near the neighbors kids coz itll make the neighbors uncomfortable and I should stay in my room!!! i mean come on.. so i guess that mentality sorta sticked too

Most of wht I see on the road that are dangerous are women who do their makeup ON THE GO. I mean damn, if youd suddenly stop your eye would be fucked woman!!!

Yeah Ill admit... i eat on the freeway in the morning.

Another thing thats dangerous on the freeway is people hitting on each other. On multiple occassions men have been flirting with me and asking for my number or giving me that smooch face thing, while on teh freeway at freeway speeds OK. i mean, HOW do i even give it to them?

---------- Post added 06-06-2012 at 09:20 AM ----------

Also, in this fast paced life, people tend to resolve things the fast way - talking takes too long, display of force seems to be the faster route, not necessarily the best... path of least resistance right?

[Zsych]

An aggressive attitude, inclining you towards action, can also incline you to solve problems - it probably also implies they are under stress and feel the need to be more aggressive to deal with life.

Alternatively, a personal evolution towards being more timid would give off signals to more people that it is okay to be aggressive with you. In a primitive sense, being able to dominate others gives you power. If you can't have power over the strong, then at least, over the weak.

[gracious]

	Originally Posted by pip To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Fascination with wealth.

^ Yes.
My twist on it is a little different, but I think it can be categorized that way.
I think it's all about what society has come to value, the goals we set for ourselves and the environment in which we strive to accomplish those goals.

So in a society where one defines one's value on the basis of material possessions (keeping up with the Joneses) and we strive to continually acquire more and greater symbols of wealth in order to get respect and respect ourselves AND we have unstable, intrusive careers with no loyalty to/from business then this dissatisfaction and aggression is the result.

I'm no Buddhist but there must be more to a meaningful life than that.

[zibber]

	Originally Posted by stealthfighter To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	I guess it's part of one's nature for survival. Times have been getting harder lately in terms of economy, peace and order, and many ethical concerns. The world is getting less friendly and a lot of people are reacting pretty much the naturalistic way.

Interesting angle.

I think it's individualism. Still Standing elucidated it beautifully.

(I think that answer's actually blind to it because it's formulated from within the individualist paradigm.)

[gecko]

	Originally Posted by zibber To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Interesting angle. I think it's individualism. Still Standing elucidated it beautifully. (I think that answer's actually blind to it because it's formulated from within the individualist paradigm.)

I disagree. Firebrand hit it on the head - if you don't behave like an entitled prick, people and more importantly, businesses and institutions will simply brush you aside or try to fuck you over. This is a case of paradigm overruled by reality, rather than derivatives masking intellectual dishonesty.

[Still Standing]

	Originally Posted by gecko To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	If you don't behave like an entitled prick, people and more importantly, businesses and institutions will simply brush you aside or try to fuck you over.

And what makes businesses and institutions behave this way?

[Distance]

The more crowded any civilisation, the more aggressive and rude the inhabitants since everyone's fighting for their piece of the action.

Cultures like Japan have moved to passive-aggressiveness to avoid fist fights. They may bow and smile at you to your face but are also more than happy to knife you in the back. As an NTJ, my preference resides with more direct cultures.

[Firebrand]

Originally Posted by gracious To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

^ Yes. My twist on it is a little different, but I think it can be categorized that way. I think it's all about what society has come to value, the goals we set for ourselves and the environment in which we strive to accomplish those goals. So in a society where one defines one's value on the basis of material possessions (keeping up with the Joneses) and we strive to continually acquire more and greater symbols of wealth in order to get respect and respect ourselves AND we have unstable, intrusive careers with no loyalty to/from business then this dissatisfaction and aggression is the result. I'm no Buddhist but there must be more to a meaningful life than that.

^ No. If wealth was solely the issue, then I'd agree, but wealth can be creative in nature across the board. What creates this behavior in respect to wealth, amongst other things, is a
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
(or
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
); IE - a scarcity mindset. Not the wealth itself. Wealth is simply a resource.

[Idiotes]

Blame Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, Margret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan for turning humans into 'idiotes'.

[gracious]

Originally Posted by Firebrand9 To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

^ No. If wealth was solely the issue, then I'd agree, but wealth can be creative in nature across the board. What creates this behavior in respect to wealth, amongst other things, is a To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. (or To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. ); IE - a scarcity mindset. Not the wealth itself. Wealth is simply a resource.

I don't entirely disagree that wealth can also be a positive so it is not the wealth per se that lies at fault.
Rather it is unrewarding, relentless pursuit of more and better things solely for external validation of one's value. The reason it is unrewarding is because the battle is never won. There is never a point of satisfaction that can be reached so that one can pursue loftier goals because if you relax then someone else will surpass your achievement and render you obsolete.

[The Dan Keizer]

Anger is the instinctual desire to control a situation through force.

I think if it is prevalent in society it is probably because in mainstream culture, at least here in America, anger and even the actions of anger are pretty much socially accepted.

[BuShinJu]

	Originally Posted by gracious To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	There is never a point of satisfaction that can be reached so that one can pursue loftier goals because if you relax then someone else will surpass your achievement and render you obsolete.

Yes, there is no end state. The getting of things requires an expenditure of energy and you can gain some sort of psychic or metal energy by driving fast past a pedestrian (do you know what I mean)

*steps on accelerator* 'vrooomm' "Yeah sucker, now I'm pumped to go shopping!"

Here is another quote

"This is a war universe. War all the time. That is its nature. There may be other universes based on all sorts of other principles, but ours seems to be based on war and games". - Burroughs, William S.

I came across this quote after reading "Games People Play" by Eric Berne.

Aggressiveness is the nature or part of the nature of everything. If everyone sat down and played nice then everything would devolve.

Find me a working Utopia.

[gracious]

	Originally Posted by BuShinJu To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	The getting of things requires an expenditure of energy and you can gain some sort of psychic or metal energy by driving fast past a pedestrian (do you know what I mean)

Alas, if I could provide the working Utopia then I would be there right now.
In the meantime, I offer a metaphor for the example quoted.

Our hero has been slaving hard all day and is low on energy. S/he grabs a handful of candy bars to take the edge off. All that lovely sugar goes to work and provides a short, intense burst of energy. Score!
Shortly after, comes the crash. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Hmm...I wonder if the result would have been different if our hero had a turkey sandwich. Nah. That sounds like a lot of work.

Seems to me the war is all about immediate short-term gratification.

[BuShinJu]

So,

Sugar hit = Little bit nasty
Turkey sandwich = True love

	Originally Posted by gracious To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Seems to me the war is all about immediate short-term gratification.

I'll add something to that:

The war is all about immediate short-term gratification so I don't have to think about being dead.

Imagine if someone told you that you have less than 100 pissy years to live, each and every one of those years is a struggle with no guarantee of sucess, you might not get 100 years and probably won't, no-one else knows why we are here and what we are doing and sometimes for some of us being a little bit nasty feels good, or feels better than how we were feeling a minute ago which most of the time is feeling like an empty void.

If someone put me in that situation I would be angry and aggressive.

Hang on a sec............................................... .

[thecase]

High testosterone!... mixed with a bad upbringing.

[BBC]

	Originally Posted by pip To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Fascination with wealth. People sat atop thier little piles of accumulated treasure, screeching at anyone who looks like they might possibly take some of it away like an enraged magpie protecting it's preciouses. Oddly, it's usually the magpies with the smallest piles who are the worst overtly and by far the most acquisitive.

This is very true!

I've noticed it's got worse in the UK in the last 10-15 years. So much ignorance around and so little manners. I think reality TV has influenced people's acceptance of what is ok, commonplace behaviour would have been deemed embarrassing not that long ago.

For a small taste of how people conducted themselves on TV 25 years ago watch the reruns of Bullseye on Challenge TV (uk). It's very sweet when compared to the show off stuff people do now.

[ModernLit]

ignorance. i was assaulted by a really grumpy insane woman this morning who was stealing books at a conference and as a volunteer, went up to ask her about it politely and after people were leaving the hall, she had been standing around waiting for me to scream and get in my face and hit me. that was fun. WTF?!!!!! i got the number for security and was ready to file a police report if she decided to attack me again. people are fucking insane.

[gracious]

@BuShinJu - I guess I was saying that after a lifetime of candy bars our hero has rotted his teeth out, got fat and probably has a multitude of health problems.

Whereas those who have nourished themselves with something of substance may escape that outcome.

Nonetheless, if you're enjoying yourself then by all means knock yourself out! I can only control my own behaviours and I still may never reach my desired outcome.
That's life! I mean... Hey let's riot!

[The Dan Keizer]

	Originally Posted by thecase To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	High testosterone!... mixed with a bad upbringing.

Unless a person does steroids I don't think testosterone levels in men vary greatly, generally speaking. And I don't think upbringing or parenting is the tell-all for whether or not a person will adopt angry habits.

[Firebrand]

	Originally Posted by gracious To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	I don't entirely disagree that wealth can also be a positive so it is not the wealth per se that lies at fault. Rather it is unrewarding,

Is it or is that just your own subjective viewpoint?

	Originally Posted by gracious To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	relentless pursuit of more and better things solely for external validation of one's value.

Do you really think that's the only purpose?

	Originally Posted by gracious To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	The reason it is unrewarding is because the battle is never won. There is never a point of satisfaction that can be reached so that one can pursue loftier goals because if you relax then someone else will surpass your achievement and render you obsolete.

Are you sure that's the point?

Food for thought.

[gracious]

I've seen the light. I will endeavour to become a bigger prick with lots of ostentatious stuff.

[Firebrand]

Way to miss the point and prove the thread's accuracy. Apparently one-size-fits-all perspectives and ignorance are bigger factors than I had originally suspected.

[Frosted]

@ OP.

Here in the Pennsylvania it's pretty bad. I can be standing on a corner waiting to cross the street, get a chance to cross, then someone comes out of the street behind me and turns in front of me, looks at me and turns their head. Like I'm some doof that wants to chill at the corner; yeah I don't wanna cross the street... A few times I've had half full beers thrown at me during the night time hours. Just 2 months ago, while walking, someone drove by and threw a VHS at me so hard it hit a pole and shattered.