Remember when your parents said...

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Canadian Moose
When you grow up you can be any kind of moose you want to be...the world is your oyster....yada yada yada...

Were they right? Is the world so far more complex than our parents time that they could have been wrong - that it takes extraordinary measures to get ahead nowadays?

I can't seem to find as many pinecones on the forest floor as they did...

Mane
shit

Turbo-Cajun
No.

hunchy
Sorry, must be some saying in Canada...doesn't relate to me...

hunchy
No offense, but it seems all the Canadians on here and everywhere else HAVE to have their Canadian flag or the word Canada somewhere on something...That's not a bad thing, don't get me wrong...its good to be proud of your country...It's just so easy to point out Canadian's because they have something to inform everyone else that their Canadian...and hey, my grandma was born in Canada...so I have nothing against it.

Gregory
edited to say, whatever.

KingAdRock
No, my parents never said that to me.

Darth Revan
When I was a wee laddie, my parents sat me down and said "son," they said, "you can be whatever type of gamer you want. Just never, ever play a Sega Dreamcast game. Oh, and don't talk to strangers." no expression

vaya_the_elf
Don't recall that conversation. But my real parents never had these little chats.

Canadian Moose
Again, your point is WHAT? As an AMERICAN, you must be well aware of your country's overwehelming patriotism. If people who are Canadian or British or Icelandik want to announce it, or pay homage to it, so be it. It's not any different than driving through whatever American town you go to and seeing flags the size of Denmark in people's front yards.

silver_tears
I'm Canadian and have no such thing roll eyes (sarcastic)

lil bitchiness
No, they're not right.

Even though we are all being told that we can do anything we like, it is a well known fact (and rather obvious one i would think) that only a small percentage of us will make it.

You dont actually have your own goals and dreams, you are living up to the societies goals and dreams. Same goes for me and many others.

The societies goals are - be rich, have tons of money, have big car, be beautiful.

In order to do all of this, you need to educate yourself, so going to university - being someone in society is not acutally your dream, but societies - you're only trying to live it.

So, no. Small percentage of us will make it - in the reality (depending if you agree with Durkheim or Marx) we all should and do have chances to succseed, but the society will stop us from getting them.

Turbo-Cajun
Its the Horatio Alger myth...

Society depends upon inequality... it wouldnt exist without it. While we are much more capable of upward class mobility today than we were a hundred years ago, the cards are still stacked against you.

lil bitchiness
Actually, I was talking about functionalism - although its somewhat backward some aspect of it apply today.

Syren
hug

Thank you for actually reading between the lines of Moose's initial post! He, obviously, has an amazing sense of humour, and yet most people manage to stick their noses in the air and wonder what he's on about. I hate that mad Jeez, if you can't really read what someone's written, then you shouldn't be registered with a forum. You can't exactly guage tone of voice etc, you have to actually look for it roll eyes (sarcastic)

Turbo-Cajun
Okay, I guess I was reading it fast and was thinking about things like the invisible upper class... class structure, class struggle, etc.

Yeah, the idea of wealth, fame, money, etc. being society's goals and dreams and not your own is interesting... Im not too familiar with functionalism, I'm a bit more familiar with Marx I guess. But, yeah Ill look into it now I think.

IndieKid
go back to canada ... wait you're there ...
anyway - i think they were - i'm putting more effort in than myparents ever did and therefore i will find more pinecones.
I know stupid people who just tried for once in their life and got ahead, so it's not that hard. There's quite a large demand for thick people jobs nowadays or *skilled* jobs if you wanna put it that way. personally i'd say that a scientist is more skilled than a builder but that's just my opinion.

MC Mike
Man I wish I was in Canada. sad

Turbo-Cajun
^^ Nice siggy

hunchy
Hey, I stated in the post that I had nothing against patrotism...But I'm not talking about real flags hanging on a pole or yard...you have them on Stormtroopers, food, shirts, waterbottles, etc, etc. I met many Canadians when I went to the Gorge this summer...and I asked them the same question...I have nothing against Canada or Canadians...The guys I met from Canada were awesome and we hung out a lot...I didn't mean to put you or Canadians down...just an observation...its not something we do...I mean, not even all of us have flags...but we don't hardly ever put our flag on any of our products...And again, my Grandma was born in Canada and I have many Canadian relatives...I could even get dual-citizenship if I wanted.

" Again, your point is WHAT? As an AMERICAN, you must be well aware of your country's overwehelming patriotism. If people who are Canadian or British or Icelandik want to announce it, or pay homage to it, so be it. It's not any different than driving through whatever American town you go to and seeing flags the size of Denmark in people's front yards."

MC Mike
Why do you put the quote at the bottom of your post? I had no idea what you were talking about.

And thanks Turbo-Cajun.

hunchy
Is it really THAT hard to find the quote...it has "" around them...

carnival_junkie
is this some kind of moose proverb?

Turbo-Cajun
"You can grow up to be anything you want to be if you work hard"

Basically that is the translation of the moosean proverb...

carnival_junkie
thanks for the translation...

but yeah, no my parents never really... said that...

Canadian Moose
Ok, fine. Perhaps I overreacted. Canadians have such wonderful sense of self esteem.
Anyhow, there is no rhyme or reason behind my decision to put Canadian Moose. I guess, it's because I AM Canadian, proud of it, and wanted to name myself that. I could have put American Moose, but that would have been wrong, am I right?

Canadian Moose
No, moose proverbs would be like:

Everyday I beat my own previous record for number of consecutive days I've stayed alive.

or

Someone who thinks logically provides a nice contrast to the real world.

and my favourite:

Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never run out of material.

Syren
yes

I agree with that, it's something I've been telling myself for years. Keeps the suicidal thoughts at bay no expression

Canadian Moose
Krikey woman...I hope you're joking. eek!

Syren
Hmm, hazard a guess fella shifty

Canadian Moose
Shifty eyes....I s'pose ya'll not serious...at least I hope not. *tips her a wink* Ya'll sure are a feisty filly...I like that. wink

Syren
laughing

Excellent!!! OMG, you have a tendency to slip into what I like to call The Dolly Parton Drawl. I do it, all too often embarrasment

I'm like; "Well, thank ye kindly Sir, ain't ye jest the nicest fella a gal could wish fer?"

laughing out loud rolling on floor laughing laughing out loud

Canadian Moose
Hmmm...Dolly Parton drawl....I ws thinking more like John Wayne, but hell, lets go with the big boobs. big grin

*takes off his hat and drops to one knee*
Ma'am...you'd make me just 'bout the happiest fella if you'd come over yonder with me and go fer a ride...*points at his horse, "Yonder" and smiles*

shellie
my parents never told me i could be anything i wanted to be....they didnt have high hopes for me and my sisterserm

had they have though...id say....it is harder nowadays to get ahead . to get to the same spot as even my parents were takes more effort then it did say about 20 years ago .

Canadian Moose
That's too bad Shellie. Parents make such an important impact on us one way or the other. I think encouraging kids and positively reinforcing is so important.

Turbo-Cajun
That saying isnt so much "a talk" your parents have with you, but it is th rosey picture of bullshit that they try paint for kids... they dont always use those words either. My mom and dad told my sister when she was growing up that she could grow up to be president... I was told things like that too... the thing is your taught, either by society or your parents, that if you work hard you can accomplish any thing. No one ever says "Dammit Rory, your parents are not rich, you'll never be rich either... "

It doesnt matter too much If someone has actually sat you down and told you that... youve probably heard that before, or at least that is the kind of mentality your society has tried to conform you to.

Try answer whether or not you agree with that kind of thinking... not if your mom or dad sat you down and talked to you about it as a kid.

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