What topic gets you worked up?

[Order]

Im pretty sure everyone has unintentionally turned a normal conversation hostile. Ive been guilty of it myself.

What topic do you feel strongly enough about that you have or would go over the top about?


For me, recently, its been the popularity of people bashing on their own country.
This is most common with americans and has been since the 70's what with hippies and sh*t. Now its been winding down a little because we've had a liberal president (who seems to not have to deal with critiqueing of his foriegn or domestic policies...). Im sure, with the election bearing down on our nation and the obvious likelyhood of our next commander in cheif being republican, that popular culture will have many americans shouting chants and repeating catch-phrases until we've beaten the dead horse with yet a second dead horse.

That bothers me.
And I point out whenever possible that the US is the most transparent nation on the planet with the most straightforward government (aside from a communist military dictatorship like North Korea, i guess).

Even worse is having to hear a fellow american claim that our service members are baby killing psychopaths.
Thats a personal insult to me. I served for five years and saved more lives and limbs than most doctors do in a career (dont quote that, I may be over estimating).

Eh, anyway,
All of the people Ive met who talk a lot of crap about the US economy or government or society either have never lived in the US or have never left the US.
Those individuals dont seem to comprehend what I mean by, "In my expiriences abroad..."
Or, "Well, when I lived in Japan..."
It doesnt even click, as if I were talking about a movie they hadnt heard of which was only a tangent to a conversation.

Want to stir up my anger?
Blame your problems or discontent on a group you know little about, have nothing to compaire to and have not attempted to make personal contact with.


I think it comes down to the most fundamental of American values;
You are free to succeed or fail based on your own abilities and choices.
Ask any immigrant to the US who holds a job and is climbing a mountain of paperwork for their citizenship.

[Alpha]

It depends on your definition of 'transparency' (and your methodology for assessing it), but New Zealand is the most transparent country in the world: Corruption Perceptions Index - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

America is in like the 20s.

Actually that is something that annoys me: the rest of the world not knowing anything about my country, despite us being expected to know about large ones. You mention that people criticis the US without having been there? Well yes -- you're in my newspaper everyday. I can name your leaders, both in government and in opposition. I have an okay grasp of your history and geography. But if I asked you about the Treaty of Waitangi, John Key, David Shearer, the Canterbury Region, the Ross Sea.... You'd have no clue.

Now I can excuse it. I know NZ is not important from your perspective. But we get it from people who should know better. I read a NYT article yesterday discussing how Australian and New Zealand political parties have a spectrum that would fit inside the Democratic Party; the social conservative party is polling at 1.4%, and libertarians at 0.2%. The paper quoted a man as being a "NZ parliamentarian", when he wasn't. He campaigned in my electorate, but lost the seat and failed to get into parliament by proportionate means.

It seems like a minor point and simple oversight, but don't get up in my grill for "not understanding American politics" -- I know more about yours than you know about mine.

[Cyanist]

I used to get pretty frazzled at the status of low employment here, etc. but lately I've been trying not to whine about political stuffs. I try to focus on positive things. For instance, me and my ultra-learned little brother are always trying to find inventive ideas for the U.S. to create more jobs and export more stuff. Now all we need are financial backers to make our ideas into reality.

What gets me worked up nowadays is dried cheese crusted onto my pizza tins.

[Mystyrion]

I'm always down for a good debate, but if it ever really got to the point where I lost my cool, I'd probably just walk away from the debate.

I hate losing my cool and going over the edge.

Having a bias against the LDS religion has got to be one of the top things that gets me riled up. I don't consider myself LDS by the churches standards, but I still practice most if not all of their beliefs. The reason why is rather large so if you'd like to go into it PM me or comment on my wall thingy.

Anyways, being in Utah you see a lot of hate on the LDS religion with most biases coming from one bad experience or none at all. It's hardly ever that someone actually knows anything about the religion and yet they are so judgmental towards the religion. They say everywhere in Utah only hires Mormons, Mormons think there so much better than everyone else, aren't you polygamist?, your religion is a joke. Ugh why do people even care, the rules are the same as any Christian religion, just a little more harsh or complex on some issues.

Even when you do find someone who has read the book of Mormon and studied it to find flaws in our religion, they aren't as bad as the ones who have no idea.

[Order]

Alpha, another thing Ive noticed is most people know more about US government than their own.
Youre right that I know nothing about new zealand. Ive never been there and Ive never cared. Thats why I dont voice my oppinion on it.
Edit:: Maybe the fact that other nations dont care about new zealand is a topic you feel strongly about.
Cyanoske,
Those things start as talk, but when you do come up with an idea you cant counterpoint by playing devils advocate, thats when its time to promote it.

I have no idea what LDS is...

[ultima_trev]

What gets me worked up the most is when people go all Stormfront in forums/thread that discuss interracial dating. White Nationalists and Asian Nationalists alike would call someone like me (and prospective Asian female partner) a race traitor and contributing to the genocide of said races. They'd also claim one such as myself is too socially incompetent to attract a white woman.

As someone who's primarily dated Korean and Filipino women (all U.S. born in pretty much every case), it saddens me that so much prejudice still exists. Several women in my family have married Black men, and it didn't bother me in the slightest (although I'm sure many nationalists give that pairing flak as well).

People are gonna be attracted to who ever they are attracted to, there's no choice involved. Why oppose people for it?

There is no hope for mankind at this rate.

[Mystyrion]

I have no idea what LDS is...

Its full name is called "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" LDS for short. Commonly referred to as Mormons.
Not exactly a main stream religion outside of the United States (or even outside of Utah for that matter).

[OceanEyes28]

Pretty much any implication that a person or group is inferior to another person or group because they were born they way they are.

However, I have learned to laugh at or ignore most of that ridiculousness. The shit is everywhere, I can't be pissed all the time. It gives me indigestion.

Also, a person or group trying to impose their believes onto another person or group. The religious can be pretty bad about this, but sometimes athiests are just as bad (rage comic about being in the grocery store and telling a clerk who said "god bless you" to a sneeze that god doesn't exist and you use LOGIC and clerk gets all mad and calls you Satan (but probably didn't give a **** irl)). Also keep out of my bedroom/uterus. And teach science in science class.

[Cyanist]

Cyanoske,
Those things start as talk, but when you do come up with an idea you cant counterpoint by playing devils advocate, thats when its time to promote it.

Counterpoint...Devil's...promote... Whoa! are you encouraging me to get my ideas out? (I'm shocked and pleasantly surprised. people mostly ignore my babbling.) I... think I'll write my ideas down and find some way to get in contact with the white house. (would that be the proper course of action?)

[Phoenix Rising]

I really just can't stand stupid people, such as gun control supporters. There's no place for freedom/gun hating morons in this country.

[Pete]

Affirmative action, welfare, and anytime politicians try to take constitutional rights away from us.

As for affirmative action, I hate the concept that a less qualified person can get a job simply because of the color of their skin. Jobs in which there is a test to apply, like civil service, should be given to the people who score the highest on the entrance exam and score the highest in every aspect of testing. If there are 10 openings, and the top 20 candidates are all white, the highest scoring minority should not be given a job simply to fill a quota. The same goes in reverse. I want my tax dollars going to the most qualified people, not people who simply get a job to keep others from crying racism.

As for welfare, I understand that some people do need assistance, it happens and people hit hard times. However, there should be weekly drug tests and some kind of incentive to get off of welfare, because too many people get too accustomed to getting their checks and simply expecting them to keep coming. Nor should stores ever be allowed to cash out food stamps.

I'm gonna stop now...

[Phoenix Rising]

Affirmative action, welfare, and anytime politicians try to take constitutional rights away from us.

As for affirmative action, I hate the concept that a less qualified person can get a job simply because of the color of their skin. Jobs in which there is a test to apply, like civil service, should be given to the people who score the highest on the entrance exam and score the highest in every aspect of testing. If there are 10 openings, and the top 20 candidates are all white, the highest scoring minority should not be given a job simply to fill a quota. The same goes in reverse. I want my tax dollars going to the most qualified people, not people who simply get a job to keep others from crying racism.

As for welfare, I understand that some people do need assistance, it happens and people hit hard times. However, there should be weekly drug tests and some kind of incentive to get off of welfare, because too many people get too accustomed to getting their checks and simply expecting them to keep coming. Nor should stores ever be allowed to cash out food stamps.

I'm gonna stop now...

I'm going to have to agree with you on both accounts, especially on welfare. The only people who should receive welfare should be those who literally can't take care of themselves, such as people who are permanently disabled or mentally incapable of providing for themselves. If you're able-bodied, you shouldn't receive welfare, I don't care if you're rich, poor or somewhere in between.

As for unemployment welfare, they should last maybe a month or two, but no longer than that. Seriously I know a guy who has been on unemployment for THREE YEARS and he still makes no real effort to find a job. Why would he try to find a job, he's living quite comfortably by leeching off the people who work for a living.

[Order]

Cyanosuke,
Writing the whitehouse probably isnt the best first step.
If you attend school/college, bring it up with classmates, see if they can point out flaws in your ideas. You could join a political club and discuss your ideas there too.
If they remain waterproof at that point, call a radio show that happens to be on one of your topics that day and bring it up (humbly and in short, direct sentences).

Pete,
I gotta agree that Im angry about the ammount of my taxes which are literally being smoked up.
I cant even look at general chat on SWTOR.

Pheonix,
No place for freedom? Did I read that right?

Another thing that Im pretty forward about is gun safety.
Just like driving safety, gun safety can only be learned if you practice it.
Whats to stop a child from a gunless home from visiting a friend who hunts?
Think about THAT, hippie parents.

[Cyanist]

Cyanosuke,
Writing the whitehouse probably isnt the best first step.
If you attend school/college, bring it up with classmates, see if they can point out flaws in your ideas. You could join a political club and discuss your ideas there too.
If they remain waterproof at that point, call a radio show that happens to be on one of your topics that day and bring it up (humbly and in short, direct sentences).

Oogh, you've cut me to the quick. I currently don't attend classes, a political club would be a good idea if it's on-line, because I'm really self-conscious about my voice, so the whole discussing-my-ideas-out-loud-thing really intimidates me. Is there some generally known place where ordinary people's ideas get listened to and seriously considered?

[Phoenix Rising]

Pheonix,
No place for freedom? Did I read that right?

I think you misunderstand where I stand on this, I said there "is no place for people who hate freedom."

That's not to say we should start arresting Neo-Nazis and Brady Campaign morons left and right, we should respect their freedom of speech, but that doesn't mean what they are saying belongs in a civilized society. I don't agree with what they say, but I'll fight for their right to say it.

[Order]

Cyanosuke,
I don't know about any political communities online.
Never looked for one, but thats a great idea. You might be able to find some, but be wary of sites which are actually sustained flame wars.

Pheonix,
I get ya.
You dont have to agree, but you also dont have to respect it.
I feel the same way about those who bash military. I helped defend their right to talk shit and I would do it again.

[Unknown Entity]

It's usually a combination of free will, sexual orientation and religion. It's been frustrating me a lot of late at work as we have these debates everyday. There's one colleague of mine who makes it impossible for anyone to share their opinion because "they're wrong", and then declares what he's said as "it's just my opinion! Your opinion was wrong and all, but mine was right and you can't argue with me!" Today, he said that being gay is a defect AND a choice within the same sentence. It's not the same thing at all, and he didn't realise what a **** he was making himself out to be.

[Order]

Allow him to make himself an ass.
Enjoy how far he digs into his own ass-ness.
Look at the person next to you and do the whack off gesture.
Then ask questions that further expose his douche-baggery.

[Clint]

Well, I'm usually a pretty calm person, but some topics do tend to get me worked up.

Like racism, for example. It annoys me when people say that it doesn't matter what color a person is, because everybody should be treated as equals. That's ridiculous. White is right. It rhymes, and I'm white, so it must be true.

Another thing is sexism. It annoys me that women think they deserve as much rights as a man. That's ridiculous. Men are superior in every way to a woman, and as the superior gender, men should have more rights. It's not my fault that men are smarter then women.

Nazism is quite a sensitive subject for me. They have the nerve to place Jews and various minorities in concentration camps, yet when I go outside, I see minorities. Those bastards didn't have the decency to finish the job. Bunch of pricks.

Anyway, that's about the extent of the things that get me worked up. I'm pretty calm about anything else. Except for murder of a white male. That pisses me off.

[Order]

Didnt you give a little korean kid your grand tourino?

[Phoenix Rising]

Anyway, that's about the extent of the things that get me worked up. I'm pretty calm about anything else. Except for murder of a white male. That pisses me off.

It's the liberals and the liberal media. One black gang-banger gets shot by a white man and it's all they talk about on the news for weeks, calling it a "hate crime." Yet when a black person kill a white person, it doesn't even make the news. I've seriously heard liberals refer to it as "positive racism" before, as if there is ever any "good" kind of racism.

[saio]

whenever anybody in the immediate vicinity so much as mentions ffxii or the ffx remake

[Cyanist]

Didnt you give a little korean kid your grand tourino?

He was a Hmong kid, and his people helped America in the U.S./Korean war, but yeah, if Clint was thoroughly racist he wouldn't have done that.

It seems as if there should be a place on-line for people to post their helpful ideas. If I find it, I'll post its address here. (Maybe a news station site?)

[Azuteor]

Airline food. What's up with airline food?

I get worked up talking about horrible things people to do to others for the most asinine reasons. For example, just recently, I found out that the FILAM (Filipino American) Memphis took the credit for the work my Uncle and his wife has done with Memphis in May for 7 months. They even took his Chairman of the Committee position simply because they think they deserved it. Shame on MIM for letting this happen when they know that my Uncle did most of the work and he only wanted to celebrate our Filipino heritage. FILAM Memphis only wanted the publicity and fame! WTF!

[Phoenix Rising]

People who think they are "entitled" to other people's money, property, government assistance, etc.

So pretty much the entire "Occupy Wall Street" crowd.

[motscroises]

I have a serious problem with artificial grape flavoring. Freakin nasty. I just don't understand why people put that in their mouth.

[Rocky]

I have a serious problem with artificial grape flavoring. Freakin nasty. I just don't understand why people put that in their mouth.

I dont understand why you put certain things in your mouth either, but as for me, I dont mind the artificial grape taste!

[Order]

What the F is up with people talking about their schemes and dishonesty like its something to be proud of?
And most people's response is something like, "oh, thats awesome."
WTF?
Being a shitty douche is not awesome.

I might just be the only honest, hardworking person on the planet.

[loaf]

99% of me getting worked up in a thread is a joke.


Internet


Serious Business

[psychosyd]

Its full name is called "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" LDS for short. Commonly referred to as Mormons.
Not exactly a main stream religion outside of the United States (or even outside of Utah for that matter).

Oh Oh Oh! I know a thing or two about them crazy mormons! Just ask LocoColt!

I usually get worked up when people just are stupid.

And Feminism, it seems to just bug me... probably more the personalities that run behind it clash against mine.

and those stupid mormons.