Feelings of ominous despair.

[madhair60]

Oh I see. *Now* you want to be reasonable and have a conversation. I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. Have a wonderful life.

werr werr werrrrr lmao dumbass

[kitsofan34]

https://events.labour.org.uk/

https://www.mycampaignmap.com/

GO CANVASS. You will feel better. Trust me.

[holyzombiejesus]

SO true. I'll miss it when this is all over. Just pray that it's not 5 years until the next one. Fuck, it'd be ace if praying worked. But it doesn't. Canvassing does though.

[kittens]

yep. get on the doors lads. i'm out all weekend bothering people. we will win thanks to me

[Flouncer]

Oh I see. *Now* you want to be reasonable and have a conversation. I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. Have a wonderful life.

[Dex Sawash]

Heard that bleak fucking song from Peanuts Charlie Brown Christmas show with the moaning out of tune children singing. Feeling the ominous despair now.

[holyzombiejesus]

This: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/06/tories-victory-stats-tell-different-story-labour-youthquake

+

This:

https://twitter.com/ronanburtenshaw/status/1202561534641233921

= You going out and knocking on doors, or phonebanking, or offering to deliver leaflets, or something.

Even if the polls are correct and we really are 9 or so % behind, that gives us 6 days to get enough voters to stop the tories getting a majority. I think greencalx said they need a 6% lead to get that, so 6 days to whittle away 3% points. Nearly a week to encourage grens and libdems and the non-evil tories to side with us. We can still do this. Don't wake up on Friday morning regretting not doing anything.

[checkoutgirl]

You'd be a lot more grateful for the offer if you were being herded into a gas chamber. Makes you think, doesn't it?

Absolutely. Small children in Malawi are getting nicotine poisoning from working in tobacco fields because the 40 quid per month and bag of barely and wood shack their parents get in remuneration needs to be subsidised by child labour. Worldwide the majority live on a quid or two a day, some on a bowl of rice and little else. In Ireland the less fortunate won't even consider putting on the heating in winter because the €3.27 in their pocket has to go on more urgent requirements.

The Tories and American lobbyists lick their lips as they anticipate the dish of the NHS being brought to the table, carving knives in hands. British land and assets are sold off to petrol enriched Saudi sheikhs who create noise pollution in Kensington and Chelsea with their state of the art Lamborghinis and McClarens. Children living in poverty and homelessness triples under the last decade of the Conservatives while Boris can barely string a sentence together.

But chill out, dude. The next Bojack episode is on at the end of January and in the words of Ricky Gervais "I haven't been poor for ages".

Sony has a point in that the mid period of the 20 century was probably a high water mark for wages, public services and overall wellbeing for the majority of people in certain western countries and the rich have had their boot on the throat of the 99% probably for most of the time. I don't know. Maybe we were better off in caveman times. No boss to please. No bus to catch. No Twitter storm.

Having said all that, the NHS and union protected wages and the boomer increase in living standards proves as a species we can do it. And we should strive for that. If we don't all perish under a flood created by melting Arctic snow, which looks inevitable now if I'm honest.

[Replies From View]

Poetry.

[Kryton]

Exactly.  These bastards, who've had their boot on your face for all these years, they're relying on you being beaten, they need you to despair.  Rise up my darlings in all your might and beauty, even the fat, fucked up ones, throw off the chains of despair and change the world forever.  Fucking do it, because you can.

Good words Buelligan. Thank ye.

calm down. No one is attacking anyone on ESA. The OP was catastrophising.The things he is despairing about could apply to pretty much any time in living memory. Society is always under threat. Sometimes it's even threatened by full-scale war - an event which would send most of you into a coma before a single shot was fired.

But yeah, if you want to decontextualise your situation and engage in the narcissistic-play of pretending you live in the worst of all possible worlds, be my guest. By all means throw your toys about and shriek "cunt" at anyone who dares to offer a dash of global and historical perspective. Every man is entitled to their misery, and going by the infantile way some of you carry on, I dare say you deserve it.

Man, I'm not fucking catastrophising.  You're making unfair comparisons. I'm angry and despairing, maybe utterly fucking fed up at times. But I'm not thick. Let's take a look at what you mean eh?
Your catastrophise suggests I'm making a situation look worse than it is, but tell me, reassure it might be better then? Is it good now? Is it good to have more foodbanks than ever before, simply because people are being unfairly screwed by Universal credit. What about record homelessness? Good? Child poverty?

Also, you can fuck off making it out that I'm saying it's worse here in the UK than say Libya or Syria or somewhere, I'm talking of my own experiences in my own town (and surrounding areas, plus seeing what's happening to the rest of the UK) and observing real-time degeneration and poverty. Noticeable effects, loads of homeless people, lots of violent crime.
Do you think this is a good way to live? Allowing our people to freeze to death on the street, just because they aren't losing their hands picking up mines in Libya?

Your attitude stinks of 'People have it bad elsewhere, so we have no right to complain of the dogshit being flung at us'. As though we have no memory of better times under better governments? And thus we are undeserving of say giving our pensioners a pension because there's worse things happening elsewhere.
But I bet you're one of those people who says 'oh we're better than them?'.

Tell me what benefits the Tories will bring to the people who are ALREADY suffering under malicious social cuts, removal of services and other impacts of austerity. How are the people who are relying on food banks in areas with no jobs going to be celebrating a Tory win?

https://events.labour.org.uk/

https://www.mycampaignmap.com/

GO CANVASS. You will feel better. Trust me.

Thanks, I've been looking at them. I'm quoting so more people can see these links.

[Kryton]

Bumped into a Labour Councillor in a lift today. Had a very brief chat after holding the doors open for her, which then basically led to a further chat about the state of the country, decline of the town and voter apathy. Amusingly bumped into her again a few minutes later and we exchanged names and she gave me her email address.

I then asked if there's anything I can do to help, any leaflets. She seemed happy enough to give me a business card, a pile of leaflets and shook my hand. I think it brightened both of our evenings.

So now I've got a massive pile of leaflets about the cuts to school funding (www.schoolcuts.org.uK) and how children (and teachers - and ultimately schools) across the country are being affected, such as the cutbacks to funding, staff cutbacks, kids with special needs not getting the services required etc.

I had a glance at the website and it seems like 80% of the schools in my area are suffering.

---

Should I be posting these leaflets in the working class areas? or the posh areas? or both?

[holyzombiejesus]

Did they not tell you where to give them out? Maybe hand them to parents at the school gates?

[idunnosomename]

unreleased Death album revealed

[Zetetic]

Should I be posting these leaflets in the working class areas? or the posh areas? or both?

Do you mind us asking which constituency you're in?

[Zetetic]

I ask because if you just want something to tell you where to go, you could use something like this classification of areas:

https://maps.cdrc.ac.uk/#/geodemographics/oac11/oac11_s8/BTTTFPT/12.803333333333335/-2.1359/53.5087/

And start targetting anywhere where, I guess, there are young families.

Yes, I know the titles are S4C and you should use common-sense as well, but it reduces the thinking effort on your part.

[TheBrownBottle]

Oh I see. *Now* you want to be reasonable and have a conversation. I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. Have a wonderful life.

Your original point wasn't a reasonable one though.  It's easy to contextualise when you're not the poor sod trudging down to a food bank, or being disabled yet assessed as 'fit for work', or in desperate peril of losing the roof over your head in the middle of winter because a bunch of avaricious rich cunts decided to punish poor people by making them wait weeks for their first 'universal credit' payment.

If you want to contextualise historically, let's do so.  You live in one of the world's richest countries, at a time of absolute abundance.  Never has so much material wealth been available, nor medicines, nor food.  Yet four million children right now in the UK live in poverty. Historically, serfs weren't surrounded by abundance.  They just didn't get to eat beef with their pottage.

I don't live in poverty - I'm fairly well off these days.  Plenty are not so fortunate - I've been there myself.  And I'm fucked if I'm going to 'contextualise' some poor, terrified soul who can't put food on their table because a bunch of nasty cunts have used a self-inflicted financial crash to punish the poor.  I beseech you to try and grow a soul while you still can. 

[EditGlitch Removal Person]

Happy to help.

[Buelligan]

Can I ask whether you wear a cape?

[H-O-W-L]

Exactly.  These bastards, who've had their boot on your face for all these years, they're relying on you being beaten, they need you to despair.  Rise up my darlings in all your might and beauty, even the fat, fucked up ones, throw off the chains of despair and change the world forever.  Fucking do it, because you can.

As I drunkenly said to my best mate once, having just been sick on his winter coat: "I go on not because it brings me joy, but because the fire within burns greater than any hell ever could." Or at least, that's what I was convinced I said, I don't know if I did -- he was fucked out of his head too.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Less ominous despair last few days.

The time is now. Spread the word. Get every straggle haired tosspots you can find in the booth voting Labour.

[Sony Walkman Prophecies]

Your original point wasn't a reasonable one though.  It's easy to contextualise when you're not the poor sod trudging down to a food bank, or being disabled yet assessed as 'fit for work', or in desperate peril of losing the roof over your head in the middle of winter because a bunch of avaricious rich cunts decided to punish poor people by making them wait weeks for their first 'universal credit' payment.

But my post wasn't directed at those people, was it? i Wouldn't dream of telling someone on EEA to "contextualise" their situation and I challenge anyone to find an instance where I have. My post was aimed at someone who wad clearly become desolate by proxy. The OP had all the hallmarks of someone whose reality has been tinged to the point of illegibility by too much investment with doomy media narratives.

It's not just him. There are people on here who actually seem more depressed about austerity than the people actually suffering it. I was on UC all of last year, came close to using a food bank, but I don't remember ever feeling as sorry for myself as these people seem to think I should have been. It does somewhat smack of the liberal who's more offended by the racist joke then the person it actually targets. There's standing up for people who don't have a voice; and there's downing out the voices of others with your own deranged view of how bad things "really are" for little you.

Of course, the point is now moot as the OP seems to have gone off to campaign to a Labour Party. Not what I would do, personally, but I respect his decision in taking action on the issues that concern him. I just hope in time he comes to realise things aren't as bad as he thinks they are. The vast vast vast majority of people go to bed well fed and warm. It's a fact of human psychology that the more you focus on the outliers the more they can appear the norm. I hope he bears this in mind as he's obviously no good to the Labour Party, or anyone else, living in a state of continual despair.

[Urinal Cake]

Emotions, eh?

[Bronzy]

Bumped into a Labour Councillor in a lift today. Had a very brief chat after holding the doors open for her, which then basically led to a further chat about the state of the country, decline of the town and voter apathy. Amusingly bumped into her again a few minutes later and we exchanged names and she gave me her email address.

I then asked if there's anything I can do to help, any leaflets. She seemed happy enough to give me a business card, a pile of leaflets and shook my hand. I think it brightened both of our evenings.

So now I've got a massive pile of leaflets about the cuts to school funding (www.schoolcuts.org.uK) and how children (and teachers - and ultimately schools) across the country are being affected, such as the cutbacks to funding, staff cutbacks, kids with special needs not getting the services required etc.

I had a glance at the website and it seems like 80% of the schools in my area are suffering.

---

Should I be posting these leaflets in the working class areas? or the posh areas? or both?

You nationalised her railways didn't you you dirty old bollocks

[Replies From View]

It's not just him. There are people on here who actually seem more depressed about austerity than the people actually suffering it. I was on UC all of last year, came close to using a food bank, but I don't remember ever feeling as sorry for myself as these people seem to think I should have been. It does somewhat smack of the liberal who's more offended by the racist joke then the person it actually targets. There's standing up for people who don't have a voice; and there's downing out the voices of others with your own deranged view of how bad things "really are" for little you.

Who are you claiming is doing the drowning out the voices of others, dystopian buttocks thing?

Isn't it just that you've decided, due to your relatively painless experience on UC, that it's an alright system that other people are unfairly deriding?  So if anything you're the one bleating that their own personal experience matters more than far broader evidence.

In general the argument about "people being offended on other's behalf" can get to fuck too, by the way.  It's not like being annoyed by swearing on daytime television - it's responding to real issues, for which there is insurmountable evidence regardless of our own personal experiences, with a basic level of empathy.

It's arguably the difference between a Tory voter and a Labour voter.

[TheBrownBottle]

It's not just him. There are people on here who actually seem more depressed about austerity than the people actually suffering it. I was on UC all of last year, came close to using a food bank, but I don't remember ever feeling as sorry for myself as these people seem to think I should have been. It does somewhat smack of the liberal who's more offended by the racist joke then the person it actually targets. There's standing up for people who don't have a voice; and there's downing out the voices of others with your own deranged view of how bad things "really are" for little you.

I'm genuinely sorry to hear that you found yourself in that position - I don't doubt you don't want my sympathy, but you have it nonetheless  - though it is important to remember that although for you the experience may not have had a long-lasting psychological impact, it isn't the case for everyone else.  Your experiences are not theirs.

Not sure where to go with the 'racist joke' comment.  I've never been offended on someone else's behalf; I don't think empathy is comparable with 'offence'.  I've seen the impact of racist 'jokes' on my other half - and she might not vocalise it to someone telling the joke (she has heard the 'look, if it doesn't bother her *points at Mrs TBB*, it shouldn't bother you' line after someone told
A racist joke).  Taking umbrage at racist jokes where you're not the butt of the joke isn't 'virtue signalling' or any other Peterson-style wank.  It's telling a bully to get fucked.

[Urinal Cake]

The problem is OP's thoughs are plausible. Studies have shown a no deal or hard Brexit will fuck over the economy. The Tories will reduce or sell-off social services as much as they can according to leaks.

If you want to talk about another emotional issue such as Corbyn and Labour's anti-Semitism are those fears plausible?

[Buelligan]

But my post wasn't directed at those people, was it? i Wouldn't dream of telling someone on EEA to "contextualise" their situation and I challenge anyone to find an instance where I have. My post was aimed at someone who wad clearly become desolate by proxy. The OP had all the hallmarks of someone whose reality has been tinged to the point of illegibility by too much investment with doomy media narratives.

It's not just him. There are people on here who actually seem more depressed about austerity than the people actually suffering it. I was on UC all of last year, came close to using a food bank, but I don't remember ever feeling as sorry for myself as these people seem to think I should have been. It does somewhat smack of the liberal who's more offended by the racist joke then the person it actually targets. There's standing up for people who don't have a voice; and there's downing out the voices of others with your own deranged view of how bad things "really are" for little you.

Of course, the point is now moot as the OP seems to have gone off to campaign to a Labour Party. Not what I would do, personally, but I respect his decision in taking action on the issues that concern him. I just hope in time he comes to realise things aren't as bad as he thinks they are. The vast vast vast majority of people go to bed well fed and warm. It's a fact of human psychology that the more you focus on the outliers the more they can appear the norm. I hope he bears this in mind as he's obviously no good to the Labour Party, or anyone else, living in a state of continual despair.

If you live in one of the richest countries in the world, advancing the idea that it's acceptable, ignorable, for a person to live with or even die from, poverty in that country, is a pretty hateful thing to do.  But it's not just one person is it?  There are millions.

IMO, anyone who feels it reasonable to criticise people for being concerned about that is seriously incomplete as a human being.

The way to avoid living in a "state of continual despair" and remain human, is to recognise what it is that makes you despair and then work to change it.

[Kryton]

Did they not tell you where to give them out? Maybe hand them to parents at the school gates?

Yep she told me 'school areas' would be the most helpful. But I'm asking do I do I try and convince my fellow working class parents, or do I try and sway the posh Mums voting Tory in nicer areas?
I don't think I have it in me for arguing/debating but if it comes to explaining then I'm hardy game.

[alan nagsworth]

But my post wasn't directed at those people, was it? i Wouldn't dream of telling someone on EEA to "contextualise" their situation and I challenge anyone to find an instance where I have. My post was aimed at someone who wad clearly become desolate by proxy. The OP had all the hallmarks of someone whose reality has been tinged to the point of illegibility by too much investment with doomy media narratives.

It's not just him. There are people on here who actually seem more depressed about austerity than the people actually suffering it. I was on UC all of last year, came close to using a food bank, but I don't remember ever feeling as sorry for myself as these people seem to think I should have been. It does somewhat smack of the liberal who's more offended by the racist joke then the person it actually targets. There's standing up for people who don't have a voice; and there's downing out the voices of others with your own deranged view of how bad things "really are" for little you.

Of course, the point is now moot as the OP seems to have gone off to campaign to a Labour Party. Not what I would do, personally, but I respect his decision in taking action on the issues that concern him. I just hope in time he comes to realise things aren't as bad as he thinks they are. The vast vast vast majority of people go to bed well fed and warm. It's a fact of human psychology that the more you focus on the outliers the more they can appear the norm. I hope he bears this in mind as he's obviously no good to the Labour Party, or anyone else, living in a state of continual despair.

you a crazy son of a bitch you know that

[Zetetic]

Yep she told me 'school areas' would be the most helpful. But I'm asking do I do I try and convince my fellow working class parents, or do I try and sway the posh Mums voting Tory in nicer areas?

I'd guess what you want is white, low-level "professionals" with young families.