The American Ruling Class

[rickoff]

In the late 50's, a researcher (into Human Behavior) developed a simple experiment, which has been repeated 1000's of times. A room, with a child sized chair and table, several toys scattered around the room, and a camera to record what happens. They bring in a 3-4 y.o. child, have them sit down, and place a marshmallow on the table. They explain to them the 'rules' of the 'game'; the child can eat the marshmallow any time they want,...BUT;

Something gets lost in that explanation, Jim. Later you talk about the children who "failed" the marshmallow test, and then it becomes clear that the children were told that they could eat the marshmallow if they wanted to, but that they should try to resist eating it if they could do that. Those would be "the rules of the game."

I'm glad you brought this up, though. That game, and the correlation to those children later in life makes perfect sense. If a person learns to exercise their will to resist temptations to act upon impulse - be it impulse buying, impulse eating, impulse smoking, impulse drinking, impulse drug use, impulse lying, impulse cheating, impulse anger, or whatever other destructive impulse, - he or she will lead a safer, healthier, happier, and more productive life than the person who gives in to those impulses.

It's no wonder that over 60% of those who failed the marshmallow test found their impulsive habits eventually leading them to incarceration, compared with only 2% of the ones who were able to resist temptation. It would be interesting to know what crimes the 2 percenters were convicted of. Do you have any stats on that? My guess would be some kind of "white collar" crime.

[5150]

Something gets lost in that explanation, Jim. Later you talk about the children who "failed" the marshmallow test, and then it becomes clear that the children were told that they could eat the marshmallow if they wanted to, but that they should try to resist eating it if they could do that. Those would be "the rules of the game."

I'm glad you brought this up, though. That game, and the correlation to those children later in life makes perfect sense. If a person learns to exercise their will to resist temptations to act upon impulse - be it impulse buying, impulse eating, impulse smoking, impulse drinking, impulse drug use, impulse lying, impulse cheating, impulse anger, or whatever other destructive impulse, - he or she will lead a safer, healthier, happier, and more productive life than the person who gives in to those impulses.

It's no wonder that over 60% of those who failed the marshmallow test found their impulsive habits eventually leading them to incarceration, compared with only 2% of the ones who were able to resist temptation. It would be interesting to know what crimes the 2 percenters were convicted of. Do you have any stats on that? My guess would be some kind of "white collar" crime.

unless those numbers were made up?? you know the 2% compared to the 60%

Also the world is designed to promote impulse buys on all items and they screw people on the prices of these impulse items. ever see how much a candy bar costs at the grocery store in the check out lane compared to say located in a candy isle or a different type of store? its messed up, but hey I guess they need to charge that much as so many people take advantage of the 5 finger discount with prices like they try to charge

[jdodson]

Alot of good posts, I agree with much of what everyone has said.

@dutchdivco (a+b) Excellent post.

The way I have learned to see the world is much the same way as the a+b comparison. There will never be a single day when you can go out and change the whole world by yourself.

No man can fix humanity. Human beings are born with bad traits. You will never be able to fix that.

When somebody does something that angers me, I have no urge to lay them straight. I realize that may teach them a lesson, however that does nothing to teach humanity a lesson. The world will always have arrogent pricks. Sometimes in my life I've acted like an arrogent prick. Its human emotion and human nature.

It drives me nuts when I see cops abusing their power. Running through red lights for the fun of it. Speeding and not using turn signals themselves, while they give people tickets all day long for that. Speed traps, sitting on the backside of bridges hammering people with speeding while they are innocently comming down the bridge slope too fast. I literally have to tap my brakes to stop from speeding, when comming down the bridges in my city. I've seen dozens of people get tickets simply because they didnt tap on their brakes.

Its absolutly pathetic, but theres nothing you do that will fix it. Even if those cops are arrogent pricks, you can replace them but there will be 10 more young pricks waiting to take their spot. Power corrupts human beings. After 15 years of being a cop and having all that power, I would probably become an abusive prick without even realizing the change ever happened.

Thats why dictators can be so evil. Thats also why, trying to teach someone a lesson will only land you in jail while nothing is learned.

Also, people naturally like conflict and drama. The entire "TNT" tv network is based on 'drama' which is why they get big time ratings. The UFC gloved fist fighting sport has been growing for years. Many people naturally love seeing someone get their head knocked in. We are born that way. Football is hugh because people get crushed. Its violent.

Girls who like bad boys love the drama and conflict that they know will come when the bad boy gets in a fight.

This is why violence solves nothing. If you want peace and happiness in your life the best thing you can ever do it walk away from conflict. Beating someone up solves nothing - it is what it is. That same person who got beat up will still get in peoples faces and still be a prick at some point or another in his life.

There is no point in teaching a lesson in which nothing is learned.

You will always have the ability to bring peace and happiness into your own life. You just have to ask yourself, do you want peace? or do you really want the drama.

Bless you all.

[aljhoa]

Social learning theory is a perspective that states that people learn within a social context. It is facilitated through concepts such as modeling and observational learning.
Social learning theory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Social learning theory is a general theory of human behavior, but Bandura and people concerned with mass communication have used it specifically to explain media effects. Bandura warned that "children and adults acquire attitudes, emotional responses, and new styles of conduct through filmed and televised modeling."2 George Gerbner (see Chapter 29) was concerned that television violence would create a false climate of fear. Albert Bandura cautioned that TV might create a violent reality that was worth fearing.

Bandura's warning struck a responsive chord in parents and educators who feared that escalating violence on TV would transform children into bullies. Although he doesn't think this will happen without the tacit approval of those who supervise the children, Bandura regards anxiety over televised violence as legitimate. That stance caused network officials to blackball him from taking part in the 1972 Surgeon General's Report on Violence.
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY of Albert Bandura, Chapter 31


Al

[aljhoa]

Judge Napolitano Reacts to European Union's Nobel Peace Prize Win: "It's a Joke." - YouTube

Nobel Peace Prize 2012 - The European Union - YouTube


Al

[5150]

so was giving Obama one

now the Nobel prize has been tarnished and no longer holds it's once esteemed reputation. Not that I care as I'll never have be awarded one but just saying

[rickoff]

....the world is designed to promote impulse buys on all items and they screw people on the prices of these impulse items. Ever see how much a candy bar costs at the grocery store in the check out lane compared to say located in a candy isle or a different type of store?

Quite true. Another example is the placement of chilled soda, usually in 12 ounce bottles, in coolers near the checkouts. People who buy these on impulse, just because they see them and then think they feel thirsty, usually pay around $1.50 for that 12 ounce soda. And that's ridiculous when they could have purchased a two liter bottle (67.2 ounces) of the same soda for that price in the unchilled soda isle. And if you think about it, the entire grocery store is intentionally laid out to take advantage of weak minded impulse buyers. That's why the most common items that you really need - like milk, eggs, orange juice, etc., are always located at the farthest point in the store from the entrance door. They realize that those impulse buyers who went to the store to buy one or more of those items will always end up buying additional items (soda, chips, and other attractively packaged junk foods) which they must walk past in order to reach the dairy section. Similarly, the outer perimiter wall space is where you find all wholesome foods such as fresh vegetables, fruit, and meats, whereas all the inner isles are loaded with junk food, and with canned and packaged foods that are of little nutritional value but cost more than their fresh counterparts. Finally, the checkout area is geared to boost sales to women, and especially women with children in tow, or seated in their cart. The candy is abundant, and placed where a child can easily reach it. Then the child says, "Mommy, I want this!" More often than not the mom gives in because she knows the child will throw a tantrum if the child does not get their way. Besides, the mom has already decided on impulse to buy one of the women's magazines in the rack at the checkout, so feels selfish if she does not buy something the child wants. She tells herself that it was the "amazing new diet" advertised on the cover that caught her interest, but what really made the magazine appeal to her impulsive buying habits was the picture of a decadent dessert displayed on the cover.

Men, on the other hand, normally know exactly what they want when they go into a grocery store and will head directly for that item without noticing much of anything else along the way. Once they have that item in their cart, though, many men will succumb to impulse buying of items they see which they think might go well together with the original item (chips or nuts with their beer, for example).

Moreover, an original impulse buy usually turns into a habit where the person automatically buys the same junk food items every time they go shopping. The manager of the supermarket knows this, and that's why they continually rearrange the shelves to move items to different locations in the store. This causes the shoppers to walk around searching for the item they wanted, thus having to look very closely at the items on all the shelves in order to find what they wanted, and chances are excellent that they will see something else that they will crave enough to place in their cart. People who make a list of essential needs before they go to the market, and who stick to that list, are the smart ones, but very few shoppers will do this.

[rickoff]

New video - THE DETERMINATORS

Here's a new video that puts forth the best case yet as to why Obamacare absolutely must be overturned. Definitely worth viewing, and a great one to pass along to people who don't understand the implications and believe that things will be just fine. As you know, Romney has pledged to make the repeal of Obamacare his highest priority if elected. That's good, but it's a promise he cannot keep unless Republicans win a majority in the Senate, and keep their House majority as well.

[rickoff]

Have you folks noticed an increasingly large number of received e-mails lately, especially to your junk mail folder? I always check to see if something has gone into that folder that should have gone to my Inbox, as that frequently happens, but lately it has become quite a chore. I was starting to receive around 50 or so items each day, so started making a blocked senders list to prevent the recurrence of items from these senders. That did help a bit, but I'm still seeing about 20 of these items every day, and if I don't add these to the blocked senders list then I'm soon back up to 50 and growing. What I have noticed is that these messages are never sent with a sender ID, and they usually have a dotcom address made up of what appears to be two or three random words joined together. Examples are beliefrabbit.com, buttercreator.com, cherriescats.com, countryreason.com, and championcircleharlequin.com. None of these names are even remotely descriptive of the item in the subject line, which could be printer ink, insurance, or whatever. I considered that perhaps some entity is attempting to intentionally overload my e-mail with meaningless messages, but when I check the message sources I find that the IP address of each of these is different (5.74.114.122, 188.213.111.72, 5.74.166.206, 86.105.208.33 respectively for each of the first four dotcom names mentioned above), so apparently not from the same entity. I'm wondering if others are experiencing the same thing, and if anyone has come up with effective ways to combat this.

[aljhoa]

Cambridge, Mass. — Celebrated historian Bertram Oxley has uncovered a memorandum from former Japanese Emperor Hirohito to Admiral Yamamoto dated December 6, 1941, showing that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was motivated by an offensive film made by Charlie Chaplin ridiculing Japanese cuisine.

The discovery has created a sensation in scholarly circles. “This is a remarkable find,” declared Reginald Smythe, chairman of the Progressive Historians Assocation and former Obama State Department official. “Had President Roosevelt condemned this movie — instead of uttering that infernal ‘Day of Infamy’ provocation — the war could have been avoided and millions of lives would have been saved.”
Stunning Historical Discovery - By Peter Kirsanow - The Corner - National Review Online

Al

[5150]

Have you folks noticed an increasingly large number of received e-mails lately

Yes I have

and seems I inherited some money some very kind Nigerian is trying to help me get it. That and offers for online pharmacies.


BTW I agree with your post on the 12 ox sodas at the check out lane.


Did anyone watch the debate last night? I'm not into politics but the house master had it on so I watched. (how is that for an excuse..lol)

I think Romney kicked Obama's and could have done more but what he did was good in pointing out that in the last 4 years Obama already had the opportunity to everything he promised but didn't.

Obama also hurt himself as he sounded like he was a first time candidate running for office telling what he will do if given 4 more years and everything he was saying are things he should have already been able to accomplish.

Romney also pointed out that the first year in office Obama and the Dems controlled everything so it should have been easy to get everything done in the first year but again Obama failed.

Obama also looked small, thin and weak compared to Romney which will also take an effect on voters.

In the end though I suspect Obama will win the election as there just too many dumb uneducated voters out there who will think Obama hasn't finished what he has started and another 4 years is needed for him to bring those promised results and free gifts.

what are your thoughts on it all ?

[minoly]

Once more into the fray
Into the last good fight I'll ever know
Live and die on this day
Live and die on this day

The Grey - Once More Into the Fray - YouTube

'Once more into the fray. Into the last good fight I'll ever know.'


Watch them dance and prance about
Hear them ROAR, feel their pain
Puppet Master to the flock

[jdodson]

I completely agree 5150. The fact that obama, is as high as he is in the polls now, already show people have no clue whats happening with the economy, or that they simply dont care. Point is, this country cannot survive on a trillion plus deficit every year. I doubt romney will really do much to change that...but he seems to be the only one who cares.

Has anyone heard obama say anything about reducing the deficit? I sure haven't.
Even if he did, how could anyone believe him when he supports social medicine, borrowing from china for green energies, student load debt relief, ever growing foodstamps and welfare..ect..ect..it goes on and on.

The happiest voter is the one who gets the most (money) out of the government. Thats how obama won the first time, he promised everyone they would get everything and somehow convinced them he would cut the deficit in half...Turns out, giving everyone what they want doubles the deficit....who knew?

[5150]

I completely agree 5150. The fact that obama, is as high as he is in the polls now, already show people have no clue whats happening with the economy, or that they simply dont care. Point is, this country cannot survive on a trillion plus deficit every year. I doubt romney will really do much to change that...but he seems to be the only one who cares.

Has anyone heard obama say anything about reducing the deficit? I sure haven't.
Even if he did, how could anyone believe him when he supports social medicine, borrowing from china for green energies, student load debt relief, ever growing foodstamps and welfare..ect..ect..it goes on and on.

The happiest voter is the one who gets the most (money) out of the government. Thats how obama won the first time, he promised everyone they would get everything and somehow convinced them he would cut the deficit in half...Turns out, giving everyone what they want doubles the deficit....who knew?

I personally think the economy is in for a dive very soon and even the dollar will crash. There is just no way for that kind of spending and I have a simple education and can understand that.

Neither one will be able to do a whole lot but at least we all know after 4 years Obama isn’t qualified to do anything but make “social” changes. If Romney gets in there and lies what’s the worst that can happen? I mean we have already had 4 years of lie from Obama?

I wish Romney would remind Obama about closing gitmo but Romney doesn’t want to go there because then he will be forced to address that hot topic.
Those so called happy voters really haven’t got anything other than broken promises but they are still happy as its their man in the White House.

[rickoff]

Romney also pointed out that the first year in office Obama and the Dems controlled everything so it should have been easy to get everything done in the first year but again Obama failed.

Actually he had two years (January 2009 to January 2011) while the Democrips (as Jesse Ventura would say) controlled everything, so could easily have accomplished whatever he wanted.

In the end though I suspect Obama will win the election as there are just too many dumb uneducated voters out there who will think Obama hasn't finished what he has started and another 4 years is needed for him to bring those promised results and free gifts.

What are your thoughts on it all ?

You only need to do a little back reading to know my thoughts on all of what's been going down, but don't underestimate the voters. A lot of people have already awakened and are waking still more every day. Fully 2/3 of the nation feels that we are headed in the wrong direction, and not many White House occupants have been reelected with facts like that working against them. And remember - a lot of people were booted out of Congress in 2010 and replaced with TEA Party candidates. I think we'll see more of that this November. To my way of thinking, Barry can win - but only by election rigging. The only other way he can remain in office is to indefinitely postpone the elections due to a "national emergency," and I wouldn't be surprised to see him come up with one, such as a war with Iran. A false flag attack on a US ship could get things rolling. The truth is that Iran is fully expecting a skirmish with the US, especially if Romney is elected, and that's why they have sped up their nuclear weapons program. Reliable word has it that the Obama administration is currently in secret negotiations with Iran, trying to have Iran agree to publicly announce a temporarily halt of their nuclear program and entering into negotiations with US and Israel. The strategy behind this is that it would temporarily cool things down in the middle east while giving the Obama administration a big boost in foreign affairs. Iran wants Barry to win, so they would would likely agree. And once the election were over and Barry reelected, Iran could drop out of peace talks and go right back to working on their nukes, feeling confident that Barry wouldn't stop them.