This week we talk about fashion and going beltless, global warming, devils advocates, xmas presents and seasons.  Take a gander! with your ears!

Stories from “The Onion” taken seriously http://literallyunbelievable.org/

Chris’ memorable xmas present

Chasing Ice trailer

Kunk’s Jeans

yak bak

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CROSSFIRE-GAME-PARTS-ONLY-1994-PLS-READ-FREE-SHIPPING-/121029795341?pt=Games_US&hash=item1c2df01e0d

Listen to Five Guys in a Jetta: Episode 7 The Robot Hour

Squid Robot

Robots play catch

Killer Drones

Robot Combat League

Kuratas Mech Robot

The Big Dog

Bike Riding Robot!

Robot running on Treadmill!

Central Banks Form up like Voltron!

Jurassic Park is coming back in 3D!  whoop de doo, I don’t like 3d, whatever. It’s a sweet movie otherwise.  But check out this trailer.

It’s best to jump to about 1:14

VS. these old school trailers.

Big difference in feel there eh?  Same old movie, brand new bullshit.

-D

This week we complained quite a lot.  I found it to be pretty entertaining really, a lot more so than “The Nerdy One”.  Our show is not pre-planned as a group so everyone’s opinions can vary and sometimes conflict but this week we seemed to be on a similar page.  The conversation can be hard to direct though and  I wanted to delve into my gripes on the last show with a little bit more back story and detail.

When we were speaking of “Entitlement” It was more so about the hot button topic from 2011 and earlier with generation Y and Occupy Wall street being labeled as lazy and asking for hand outs.  This has been an issue of annoyance for sometime so that’s why I brought it up in the podcast even though it is not the most timely.  I want to discuss things that we care about or are interested in and not just what’s new in the news.

I found the issue of entitlement very irritating.  The argument I felt I was getting is that young people (generation y/20- somethings) needed to just work harder in order to get ahead in life and that they should just be quiet and do it.  Life is hard, don’t expect any help, etc. etc.  This is rather foolish thinking on my part.  Life may be hard but it seems to be human nature to want to assist others.  If not financially then with education, friendship, or support.  And to call us all lazy is very insulting.

Our generation was told to work hard in education and you will be rewarded with a job.  Many people did just that, focusing on school and grades to get ahead and hopefully succeed.  The problem was there were no jobs available when we left school and entered the work force.  Perhaps we need to adapt, think creatively and work on our own in order to succeed in life instead of following the educational transition set up for us.  That can’t happen by snapping your fingers though and it won’t happen over night.  Many of us left school and when we entered the work force we were rewarded with part-time jobs, no benefits, and low wages.  There are plenty of reasons to complain.

We are wasting our educations.  putting in your time at a bad job is something of a rite of passage.  Making a living off it is not.  Many employers cut workers down to part-time instead of full-time.  This way they do not have to pay benefits.  The result is even if you scored a job and want to work you couldn’t get enough hours.  You needed to pick up an extra job.  Having two-part time jobs means that you are on an erratic schedule.  Working weekends, holidays, nights, mornings, etc.  Like I said, it’s a rite of passage for a while but after a point it becomes stressful and has an impact on your social life and maintaining a healthy routine.

One of my jobs after college was working at a car rental place for 7.25 an hour.  Minimum wage.  I calculated that if I worked there 24/7 every day of the year I’d be making around 60,000 dollars before taxes.  Wow my entire year of life is only worth 60k?  The job was a pathetic waste of time but I made some money.  That money for many of us is split up between high cost of rent, food, gas, insurance and student loans.  Many of us just want to live healthy productive lives.  These days that means finding a safe place to live, eating right, and having some peace of mind.  It’s completely unfeasible when you make low wages like that.  And I don’t want to hear from some dumb yokel living in Wyoming talking about how his rent is 150 dollars a month.  Most of us don’t have the option of wilderness rent.

So as you worked very hard in the educational system hoping to get a decent job after graduating you find yourself working part-time jobs and earning low wages.  One of the extra downsides to this is “how can I plan for my future?”  You will not be making money for savings.  “what can I do to connect with my community or family?”  I found the lack of income and the erratic hours I had disrupted my ability to be with my family and to plan regular outings.  We live in a very consumerist society.  If you do not have money to go the movies you find that you begin to be outed from social goings.  This country does not take fondly to sitting at the park.

Now many people are faced with adversities but I think I need to remind you all that for young adults it can be extra difficult.  We are at a time when we should be learning independence but we might still be forced to live with Mom and Dad.  For others who have been on this world longer they have seen hard times come and go and have had more experience.  They are more likely to have spouses and other family to rely on for support.  They may be well engrained into their communities and have places for outreach.  I find that many young adults are completely lost.  We are not married, we do not have kids, and our friendships can be volatile.  We have no safety net, no savings, and no experience.  I remember feeling lost at a point when I was slowly draining my bank account further and further and when I went to talk to some friends… well they were just shit faced drunk on cheap beer.  The moral support was not exactly there.

So all this is going on when just a few years prior, before the recession there were plenty of jobs and plenty of hours to go around.  My summer job 2006/07 paid 15 and 18 an hour at the same factory.  That was a great wage.  I could save money.  When I worked at the car rental, the coffee shop, the parking lot, and all the other part time jobs, I lost money.  And it wasn’t about budgeting but my expensive rent and food.  And I certainly did not live in any luxurious setting.

Now to bring in my “get real” factor.  I know about most of friend’s families and parents.  They all make plenty of money to live on and be healthy.  And I also know that they weren’t scraping by in their early twenties because they were working for minimum wage.  They were scraping by because they all had kids already.  They have short memories.  Their times of minimum wage and struggle were when they were teenagers and in college.  After that many of them entered the work force to jobs that didn’t pay great but had room for promotion.  At the car rental place I certainly wasn’t getting promoted.  There was nothing.  And putting a minimum wage car rental job on your resume does not help very much.

So when you know, you live in a country with the biggest GDP in the world and all the adults around you have enough money, and you were making twice as much 5 years ago and you can’t save, and your schedule sucks and you were pretty much lied to.  You get pissed.

And how the hell are any of us supposed to raise kids?

The economy is getting better and as we get older we get smarter and more experienced and we will probably be all right.  But I sure as shit don’t want to work for minimum wage while the money flows through dipshits like wall street.  We should be getting a fair chunk of the pie.  We don’t want it for free, but we sure as shit are not going to work 70 hours a week making 8 bucks an hour just to “own” something.  We want our fair share so that we can live in a safe place, eat right, have peace of mind with insurance and saving for retirement.  We want the ability to afford raising children in the future so we can experience what it is to be human.  If you work 70 hours a week making 8 bucks an hour you seem to miss out on that.  We want work that is meaningful and work that pays the bills.  Not some scraps.
Anyways this is just my food for thought.  I’m sure some of you find this rather obvious and are already aware but I think its good to put it in writing.  I can’t speak for the rest of the five guys so keep that in mind.  And if you disagree with me, Piss off.

-D

Edit** 11-23-12

If you watch this video you’ll probably understand my disdain for black friday a little more.

October 30th 2012

The Nerdy One
In this specially nerdy edition we talk about Disney purchasing LucasArts, Videogames, Xbox, Legos, Magic, Fable, Starcraft, and Movies.