Anyway, I have a few comments to those who chimed in, most of which was informative and thought-provoking. To those who took the opportunity to join a mob and add nothing but a "me, too" or "and your mother wears combat boots", well, simple pleasures as they say. But anyway, one more, and then I'm out of the thread.
Miles Jackson,
My generalisation may be empirically incorrect, but I question the usefulness of an empirical analysis of such a narrow range of variables. For most of our existence on this planet we have been without over-population, pollution, and industrialisation. That stuff is as important if not more important than the fact that we spent more years as hunter gatherers. If I have to be a hunter gatherer in the lefty uptopia I'm not game. Sorry. I'm asthmatic. :-)
Kel,
Ice Blue didn't get flamed on dc-stuff. Well, until she just got flamed by you. :-) And the Evil Libertarian Conspiracy stuff was lame humour. Relax. Also, it would have been 'didn't know particularly well the difference between lefties and liberals' - but I'm learning. On social darwinism and a.a. - what I meant by subscribing to the theory without believing that it is good is that a lot of the "enlightened white do-gooders" who champion such programs as a.a. do so because they believe that there is some genetic cause that makes these races disadvantaged. But they know it is not nice that the world is that way so they want to "fix" it with programs like a.a.. And lastly, regarding my description of the ROBOT, you may want to climb down out of that ivory tower. People do in fact say things like that. Not all people fer chrissakes, I never said that. Just many. Most. Interview some people on the street about the current Middle East crisis and I bet you'll get the reaction I described. I'll bet you one of those LBO commodities, the blow-job or the fuck-me pumps.
Wojtek,
I live in Lancaster County, PA. I don't necessarily know that there are Germanic influences to the politics here as opposed to the English influences. The Amish are more involved in the "city life" than the tourism trade or films like "Witness" imply. Being a local, I'd love to hear additional thoughts about what you mentioned. Also, thanks for the comments regarding work and leisure time. That was very obvious and I should have mentioned it. I question whether it is a natural by-product of capitalism or a specific implementation, though.
CB,
I am anxiously awaiting for the revolution to prove me wrong! You're a riot, man! Godspeed!
Susi,
I like the Paine quote below for addressing "why be moral".
Over and out, returning to lurk mode. Now back to your regularly scheduled election poll analysis.
Matt
-- Matt Cramer <cramer at voicenet.com> http://www.voicenet.com/~cramer/ He who makes his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.
-Thomas Paine