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Offline franksolich

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primitive minorly vents
« on: August 05, 2014, 04:10:36 PM »
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018647624

Oh my.

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Populist_Prole (3,783 posts)    Sun Aug 3, 2014, 02:45 AM

Minor venting on behavior: why would someone say or think this?

Was over at a couple's house, a friend I see a few times a year. This time I noticed they had a HUGE new TV set, some big-ass flat screen thing that had to be 7 or 8 feet wide. Anyway, he tells me it was 4200 dollars, and before I could even think and react as in "holy shit, 4 grand for a TV!?" he excitedly chirps "and we got it for FREE!". I was something like "that's great, did you win it in a raffle or some other prize?". He replied kinda' sheepishly that he sold a bunch of old collectibles he had ( rare mechanical parts ) and got 4K for them. I say, well that's not exactly free: if it was you'd be counting that four grand while watching your mega-TV. I noticed his wife did a restrained chuckle but he got really defensive and downright pissed at me and asked me why I was such a smartass. It really made the atmosphere tense and uncomfortable.
 
I'm like WTF? I know he was always very "stuff" oriented and all, and so for chrissakes, why not just say "Hey we sold some old stuff and blew it on a TV"?
 
Just wanted to get it off my chest. The sudden ugliness of the exchange really rocked me.

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dballance (5,205 posts)    Sun Aug 3, 2014, 04:36 AM

1. Hmm, I bet that big-assed TV is not going to appreciate in value...

...like, say, the collectibles would.

My TV is an old flat-screen. Fortunately I don't really watch TV anymore so it's not important to me. My car is 12 years-old but it's a Volvo so it still has a lot life left in it.
 
I'm a tech geek from hell so about 8 years ago I spent a good amount of money building my own computer from scratch. I just upgraded the processor the to the last one and fastest one I could upgrade to with my current motherboard. This is the second time I've upgraded the processor rather than buying a whole new machine and it only cost me $104 plus shipping. It's a quad-processor with some good performance. I can probably use it now for another couple of years. Then I'll have to repeat the process. Oh yep, I did, in the last couple of years also spend about $200 upgrading the graphics card. I'm not a gamer but I do use Photoshop.
 
"Stuff" is so unimportant.

The fact your friend got defensive means he actually understands how silly "stuff" really is. Your story makes me think about all those people I see driving really expensive, fast cars who, I believe, must have penis issues.

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Populist_Prole (3,783 posts)    Sun Aug 3, 2014, 05:28 AM

2. Wow, I'm the same way

I like to upgrade PCs to both get better performance and get more life out of them. It's as much a matter of pride as practicality. So many others, as well as the person aforementioned, just go buy a new off the rack PC time and time again.
 
Funny thing about the incident I mentioned: I think you have it right. Though it was one of those "had to be there" moments. It probably really was a sense of some cognitive dissonance about "stuff". Though my actual words didn't chide him on his acquisition of said stuff, I now think my tone/vibe came across as a finger wagging refutation of being some mindless "consumer". They ( him and his wife ) have turned sharply conservative the last several years, and so I was busting his balls I guess.
 
Even so, though there might be a reason, the sudden nastiness ( you had to be there ) really rattled me. I'm not sure if it was a latent conservative thing or just a rationalization/cover up of buyer's remorse. These are not rich people.

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dballance (5,205 posts)   Sun Aug 3, 2014, 05:50 AM

3. I agree. It is a matter of pride for me too.

I've been a tech geek since before there was the IBM desktop and Microsoft. Back when IBM was king of the world.
 
They didn't call it a "PC" back then because no one thought anyone would every have a "personal" computer. It was a "desktop" or a "workstation" in their marketing to ensure businesses would find them valuable. I so have to laugh.
 
I must credit my father for my way of thinking. He taught us to never create waste. He grew up during the Great Depression when things were actually tough. Not like we think things are "though" today.
 
So what if you "busted his balls?" We're both here on DU so, of course, I'm going to support you for finger-wagging about being a mindless consumer.
 
I have to wonder about the background of your friend.

I will admit I have, in my past, been one of the most horrible conspicuous consumers and assholes. I've leveraged my credit to the point of totally breaking and fell into the trap. I'm pretty sure I've been who your friend is because I used to have a love of "stuff" and making sure people knew I had "stuff" and that I lived in one of the best downtown condos. I'd be the first one to buy for everyone at the bar or restaurant.
 
Quite frankly, I was a privileged white, male asshole. Then my company down-sized and I wasn't a "necessary person they needed to keep. Shit happens. Though it does hit home a bit more when it happens to you.
 
I grew up very poor on a farm in TN so I did everything that was necessary to become "successful." In the end, now, Karma has served me up.

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Populist_Prole (3,783 posts)    Sun Aug 3, 2014, 06:18 AM

4. Such an interesting post

Good to hear I'm not some luddite. I've been called cheap by some for attempting to repair or upgrade things instead of buying new at the first sign of trouble, My depression era grandfather was a big factor in my views but it was never presented as a "in my day" hard-ass lecture: It was simply common sense.
 
As to this person; We were co-workers. He isn't overtly racist but is/was a "white flight suburbanite" who came of age during the Eisenhower era. I never had it that good. He freaked out during the first and only setback he faced job wise. Even 10 years younger I had endured several. Spoiled I guess.....................
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Offline Carl

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Re: primitive minorly vents
« Reply #1 on: August 06, 2014, 10:04:50 AM »
Only a DUmbass would feel the need to piss on his shoes over the TV.
Jealous filth.
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Offline USA4ME

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Re: primitive minorly vents
« Reply #2 on: August 06, 2014, 11:54:58 AM »
Quote from:
Populist_Prole

Minor venting on behavior: why would someone say or think this?

Was over at a couple's house, a friend I see a few times a year. This time I noticed they had a HUGE new TV set, some big-ass flat screen thing that had to be 7 or 8 feet wide. Anyway, he tells me it was 4200 dollars, and before I could even think and react as in "holy shit, 4 grand for a TV!?" he excitedly chirps "and we got it for FREE!". I was something like "that's great, did you win it in a raffle or some other prize?". He replied kinda' sheepishly that he sold a bunch of old collectibles he had ( rare mechanical parts ) and got 4K for them. I say, well that's not exactly free: if it was you'd be counting that four grand while watching your mega-TV.

Wrong thing to say. Really dumb.

I know what I'm getting ready to type will go over the heads of any libs who might be reading this, but at least they can't claim they never heard it.

The correct thing to say is "Well that's great! I'm happy for you!" And then drop it.

You see, Populist_Prole primitive, if you weren't so stupid, or you had parents who raised you right (maybe you did and you're just to dumb to have followed their advice), you would have known this.

But you're just not all that smart.

.
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Offline JohnnyReb

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Re: primitive minorly vents
« Reply #3 on: August 06, 2014, 02:48:34 PM »
Thieves, probably democrats, stole my collection of junk I was going to sell.....worth a hell of a lot more than several large flat screen TVs.

So, I'm still watching free TV on an old TV set.i
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Offline GOBUCKS

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Re: primitive minorly vents
« Reply #4 on: August 06, 2014, 04:20:23 PM »
Quote
Anyway, he tells me it was 4200 dollars, and before I could even think and react as in "holy shit, 4 grand for a TV!?"

What would the reaction have been if the friend said he spent the $4200 on a pound of primo Maui Wowie weed?
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Offline zeitgeist

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Re: primitive minorly vents
« Reply #5 on: August 06, 2014, 04:57:32 PM »
Quote from: JohnnyReb on August 06, 2014, 02:48:34 PM
Thieves, probably democrats, stole my collection of junk I was going to sell.....worth a hell of a lot more than several large flat screen TVs.

So, I'm still watching free TV on an old TV set.i

"Free rider"    The local steward will be paying your 'antenna' a visit son.   :tongue:

I will never forget when one of my roommates came for a visit back in the very early 70's and told me he was into this new industry called CATV.  Thought he was daft I did.   Why, says I, would anyone want to pay for TV.  (Now note this guy could sell snow to Eskimos on a bad day.)  Wait and see he says, wait and see. :banghead:
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Offline JohnnyReb

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Re: primitive minorly vents
« Reply #6 on: August 06, 2014, 05:38:22 PM »
Quote from: zeitgeist on August 06, 2014, 04:57:32 PM
"Free rider"    The local steward will be paying your 'antenna' a visit son.   :tongue:

I will never forget when one of my roommates came for a visit back in the very early 70's and told me he was into this new industry called CATV.  Thought he was daft I did.   Why, says I, would anyone want to pay for TV.  (Now note this guy could sell snow to Eskimos on a bad day.)  Wait and see he says, wait and see. :banghead:
Just hold on a bit, there will be something newer coming along any minute now.....that everyone "JUST HAS TO HAVE". Just what that will be I have no idea. Maybe pick up all of this weeks TV programs from WAL-MART on DVD or thumb drive.....No TV set, just look out a special window of your house, select what you want to see and it's reflected off the ozone layer as a 20 mile wide viewing  screen. Or maybe special electronic glasses like the old 3D glasses except these will put you "IN" the scene like it's taking place all around you.

Some high school dropout is working on the next generation of entertainment right now while liberal arts college DUmmies are trying to figure out how to dodge their college loan payments.
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"America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: its patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within."  Stalin

Offline BlueStateSaint

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Re: primitive minorly vents
« Reply #7 on: August 06, 2014, 06:30:41 PM »
Quote from: JohnnyReb on August 06, 2014, 05:38:22 PM
Just hold on a bit, there will be something newer coming along any minute now.....that everyone "JUST HAS TO HAVE". Just what that will be I have no idea. Maybe pick up all of this weeks TV programs from WAL-MART on DVD or thumb drive.....No TV set, just look out a special window of your house, select what you want to see and it's reflected off the ozone layer as a 20 mile wide viewing  screen. Or maybe special electronic glasses like the old 3D glasses except these will put you "IN" the scene like it's taking place all around you.

Some high school dropout is working on the next generation of entertainment right now while liberal arts college DUmmies are trying to figure out how to dodge their college loan payments.

Dead on. :cheersmate:
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Offline vesta111

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Re: primitive minorly vents
« Reply #8 on: August 06, 2014, 06:34:52 PM »
The late 80's and we rented a home and had cable put in.   In the basement  we had a game room and it was found in the rafters all kinds of  wires left from the last tenant.

The kids knew at a heart beat that we could put a TV down there and feed off the upstairs cable. 

At this time vans with some kind of roof top  thingies  were running about the neighborhood looking for people that were paying for cable  for just one TV.

 The laws changed and when one bought into cable it was for the whole house.  I can not tell you the number of people fined for stealing cable back then. 
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Offline hillneck

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Re: primitive minorly vents
« Reply #9 on: August 07, 2014, 07:33:43 AM »
Another example of DUmmies not minding their own business.  What business is it of his what the guy does with his money or what he sells of his own personal property.  At least he didn't use taxpayers money to get the TV.  Why couldn't he just sit back and enjoy the ballgame on the mega TV?
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Offline I_B_Perky

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Re: primitive minorly vents
« Reply #10 on: August 07, 2014, 10:11:01 PM »
Quote from: vesta111 on August 06, 2014, 06:34:52 PM
The late 80's and we rented a home and had cable put in.   In the basement  we had a game room and it was found in the rafters all kinds of  wires left from the last tenant.

The kids knew at a heart beat that we could put a TV down there and feed off the upstairs cable. 

At this time vans with some kind of roof top  thingies  were running about the neighborhood looking for people that were paying for cable  for just one TV.

 The laws changed and when one bought into cable it was for the whole house.  I can not tell you the number of people fined for stealing cable back then.

Yep Vesta. Dad, to his dying day, would not let the cable guys in his house cause he had wired up two TV's  back then and thought he was only paying for one like it was back in the 70's.  He about flipped when Mom had a cable modem installed and he came home and the cable guy was in the house. Never could convince him that the cable guy actually ran the coax for the modem off the "illegal" TV so it was OK. 

 :cheersmate:
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Offline thundley4

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Re: primitive minorly vents
« Reply #11 on: August 09, 2014, 11:53:50 AM »
Quote from: I_B_Perky on August 07, 2014, 10:11:01 PM
Yep Vesta. Dad, to his dying day, would not let the cable guys in his house cause he had wired up two TV's  back then and thought he was only paying for one like it was back in the 70's.  He about flipped when Mom had a cable modem installed and he came home and the cable guy was in the house. Never could convince him that the cable guy actually ran the coax for the modem off the "illegal" TV so it was OK. 

 :cheersmate:

The so-called mandatory switch to digital TV was a bone tossed to the cable companies. If I connect the cable up to any TV without a set top box, no channels come in.  You pretty much have to pay for every TV connected to cable now.
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