Social Security

[tomgirl4life]

It's called Social Security Insurance for that reason.

Yes, I understand that. I think I explained my point poorly.

All I was trying to say is, Chris' parents put a lot of money into the system over the years. Effectively, by collecting Social Security, he's negating the contributions of his parents. People who cry about how Chris is wasting money that they personally worked so hard for are being pretty ridiculous.

He's legally entitled to the money he receives. Collecting it is not fraud or anything of the sort. My original point was simply meant to drive the whole thing home: he's collecting back money that his parents had earned over the years. In the end, there's not much to be indignant over, aside from potential political arguments that the system has failed and he should not, in fact, be entitled to anything. But that's a whole different ball of wax and isn't Chris' fault.

Uh, point of fact: when you pay into Social Security the government does not set it aside for when you retire. The money you pay into it now goes to the people who are receiving it now. That's why people get pissed about their money that they worked for going to people who not only waste it but flaunt it like it's something to be proud of. It's also why the system is running out of money. When it was first started families were having lots of children so there was a bigger workforce compared to those who were receiving it. Now, life expectancy has risen so more people are living longer, but they are having fewer children. So the problem is that more people are becoming eligible but there is a smaller number (proportionally) paying into it.

People who get pissed over Chris wasting their "hard-earned dollars" are justified because the money that Bob and Barb paid into it long ago was also used up long ago by other people. There are many other things to dislike about Chris, but this point is valid.

 

[Marvin]

It's called Social Security Insurance for that reason.

Yes, I understand that. I think I explained my point poorly.

All I was trying to say is, Chris' parents put a lot of money into the system over the years. Effectively, by collecting Social Security, he's negating the contributions of his parents. People who cry about how Chris is wasting money that they personally worked so hard for are being pretty ridiculous.

He's legally entitled to the money he receives. Collecting it is not fraud or anything of the sort. My original point was simply meant to drive the whole thing home: he's collecting back money that his parents had earned over the years. In the end, there's not much to be indignant over, aside from potential political arguments that the system has failed and he should not, in fact, be entitled to anything. But that's a whole different ball of wax and isn't Chris' fault.

Uh, point of fact: when you pay into Social Security the government does not set it aside for when you retire. The money you pay into it now goes to the people who are receiving it now. That's why people get pissed about their money that they worked for going to people who not only waste it but flaunt it like it's something to be proud of. It's also why the system is running out of money. When it was first started families were having lots of children so there was a bigger workforce compared to those who were receiving it. Now, life expectancy has risen so more people are living longer, but they are having fewer children. So the problem is that more people are becoming eligible but there is a smaller number (proportionally) paying into it.

People who get pissed over Chris wasting their "hard-earned dollars" are justified because the money that Bob and Barb paid into it long ago was also used up long ago by other people. There are many other things to dislike about Chris, but this point is valid.

No, but then you should be complaining that the system should be changed or there should be more regulation of how people use the money they're given.

There's no regulation of what people choose to spend the money they're given on.

As the system currently is, Chris is using it perfectly acceptably. Hell, normal people use a portion of the money they receive (disability or paychecks, whatever the source) on indulgences and I'm fine with that. The difference is that Chris uses a much higher percentage of the money he receives on indulgences. But that's exactly what you'd expect when you give a child (or a manchild, in this case) a bunch of money with no supervision. And he also has a lot less bills to pay. When his bills go up, he'll have less disposable income to spend on video games and toys.

 

[Red_Kirby]

Theoretically, could Chris even get a job at this point?

 

[Kosher Dill]

Theoretically, could Chris even get a job at this point?

Theoretically, sure, if he wanted one and was willing to work at it. That's a pretty big "theoretically" though.

 

[Marvin]

Theoretically, could Chris even get a job at this point?

In what way? Like, is he capable of getting a job? I think Chris could do a few things (make friends, be less obnoxious, get a job) if he was trained to. In order to train Chris, you need to have power over Chris. So, pretty much Barb. (maybe Rocky, but he mostly uses her as someone to whine to but doesn't listen to her that much) But yeah, Barb could train Chris to get a job. She just won't.

 

[Grand Number of Pounds]

If he goes to someone who specializes in placing people with disabilities, maybe. He'd probably have to go through some sort of rehab and actually want to work, but if he really needed and wanted to, he probably could find work.

Then again, so many competent people are out of work, so he would need serious help since he has no skills.

 

[Hyperion]

Theoretically, could Chris even get a job at this point?

Spoiler

[youtube]N3U5ed3dRAE[/youtube]

 

[Holdek]

It's called Social Security Insurance for that reason.

Yes, I understand that. I think I explained my point poorly.

All I was trying to say is, Chris' parents put a lot of money into the system over the years. Effectively, by collecting Social Security, he's negating the contributions of his parents. People who cry about how Chris is wasting money that they personally worked so hard for are being pretty ridiculous.

He's legally entitled to the money he receives. Collecting it is not fraud or anything of the sort. My original point was simply meant to drive the whole thing home: he's collecting back money that his parents had earned over the years. In the end, there's not much to be indignant over, aside from potential political arguments that the system has failed and he should not, in fact, be entitled to anything. But that's a whole different ball of wax and isn't Chris' fault.

Uh, point of fact: when you pay into Social Security the government does not set it aside for when you retire. The money you pay into it now goes to the people who are receiving it now.

While I agree with everything else you wrote, right now there is a surplus of money going in that is invested in a trust.

 

[Alec Benson Leary]

In order to train Chris, you need to have power over Chris. So, pretty much Barb. (maybe Rocky, but he mostly uses her as someone to whine to but doesn't listen to her that much)

I'd say it's purely Barb, Rocky has no power. Rocky is just like people on the internet in that Chris can run away and hide his head in the sand if he doesn't like what he hears. Barb is unique because she is the only person Chris can't run away from - he has to live with her, and can never truly escape her. His only hope for evading her wrath is to mollify her by acceding to whatever she demands. He'll base as much of his daily existence around fulfilling this function as circumstance requires.

 

[CatParty]

Theoretically, could Chris even get a job at this point?

He viewed pulling weeds as a great hardship under war like conditions.


No. He can never get a job.

 

[Holdek]

In order to train Chris, you need to have power over Chris. So, pretty much Barb. (maybe Rocky, but he mostly uses her as someone to whine to but doesn't listen to her that much)

I'd say it's purely Barb, Rocky has no power. Rocky is just like people on the internet in that Chris can run away and hide his head in the sand if he doesn't like what he hears. Barb is unique because she is the only person Chris can't run away from - he has to live with her, and can never truly escape her. His only hope for evading her wrath is to mollify her by acceding to whatever she demands. He'll base as much of his daily existence around fulfilling this function as circumstance requires.

So then, what do you think will happen when she's dead? As in, when Chris finally does escape the one person he can't escape now, how will his behavior change?

 

[PolterBob]

People really love to harp on the fact that Chris is a welfare leech. Whether or not he is truly mentally capable of holding a job is hugely debatable and beyond the scope of what I want to comment on right now.

I've heard time and time again that Chris is living off of the collective monies invested into the system by all of the hard working decent citizens who have taken interest in his antics. It just occurred to me, though, that this logic might be broken.

Bob worked for over 40 years and during that time paid into Social Security. Barb, it seems, worked for a similar period of time before retiring. What are the odds that both of them collectively used up their contributions in their years of retirement? My stab-in-the-dark guess would be that they didn't come anywhere near canceling out their net contribution, but I'd love to hear someone else chime in and give some rough math to prove or disprove this.

Either way, the point is that Barb and Bob helped fund the system that Chris is now legally entitled to; it's not unreasonable for Chris to be utilizing a service that his parents paid for.

If Chris didn't flush his tugboat into buying shitloads of games he never intends to ever play, it wouldn't be so annoying.

Exactly. It's in our DNA. The caveman who sat around all day doing nothing starved or got eaten by predators, while the caveman who worked got to pass on his genes. That's why we feel compelled to do something with our time, even if that something is just a hobby.

I would think the caveman that had to do nothing to do was Best Caveman. He'd get to lounge around all day while the stupider cavemen went out to get him food, and while they were out, HE would be the one passing his genes in all the cave babes.

Ogg think it good to be Ogg.

That's what irritates me about Chris receiving this money - he just thinks he's entitled to it and the thought never enters his head that maybe he should try giving back to his community in some way.

Chris always had the excuse that his tugboat was GodBear's blessing upon him.

But, Chris has renounced GodBear recently, hasn't he? Should that mean that Chris has to give up on the GodBear-blessed tugboat as well?

Gotta wonder what sort of mental gymnastics Chris will perform to find an explanation for that.

I agree with most people here. There's really nothing that bad about having a tugboat, especially if one is pretty much unemployable. It's just that Chris abuses it; he just has no concept of money.

Well, Chris is going to have to learn how to wisely spend money eventually or else, because once Barb is gone and it's all on Chris, he will either have to learn how to manage his money or he will receive punishments on a monthly basis every time he spends the amount on vidya games instead of food & utilities.

14BLC isn't going to become Chris' private "Soup Hotel", no matter what Chris thinks.

 

[Alec Benson Leary]

So then, what do you think will happen when she's dead? As in, when Chris finally does escape the one person he can't escape now, how will his behavior change?

He'll probably try to go out more, to bars and things around town. I don't think he'll do anything noteworthy, he'll still be too much of a pussy to talk to people.

 

[QI 541]

That's what irritates me about Chris receiving this money - he just thinks he's entitled to it and the thought never enters his head that maybe he should try giving back to his community in some way.

Chris always had the excuse that his tugboat was GodBear's blessing upon him.

But, Chris has renounced GodBear recently, hasn't he? Should that mean that Chris has to give up on the GodBear-blessed tugboat as well?

Gotta wonder what sort of mental gymnastics Chris will perform to find an explanation for that.

He deserves it because he's been a victim of trolls, kick the autistic, loneliness, Snyder, etc.

 

[Alec Benson Leary]

Chris always had the excuse that his tugboat was GodBear's blessing upon him.

But, Chris has renounced GodBear recently, hasn't he? Should that mean that Chris has to give up on the GodBear-blessed tugboat as well?

Gotta wonder what sort of mental gymnastics Chris will perform to find an explanation for that.

He deserves it because he's been a victim of trolls, kick the autistic, loneliness, Snyder, etc.

It's just like how he has denounced Rocky, but still expects her to serve him. God is supposed to feel guilty and shamed, but still serve Chris.

Since, you know, Chris has the moral high ground over everyone, including God, that means he has the authority to chastise God.

 

[murdoc]

Since, you know, Chris has the moral high ground over everyone, including God, that means he has the authority to chastise God.

and his ego will blot out the sun

don't think he's chastising in the usual sense, personally
he doesn't seem to want to be on the level of other humans as much as he wants to be pitied
i think he's 'guilting' godjesus in much the same way as he guilted megan, ED, the wallflower, etc

 

[Alec Benson Leary]

he doesn't seem to want to be on the level of other humans as much as he wants to be pitied

Well, he doesn't even really think about what "other humans" are. He knows that he has feelings and suffers and has hardships, he doesn't ever think about the concept that other people experience those things too.

 

[Holdek]

And those people are some of the most miserable you will find. Just look at Chris.

they do not live. they just exist.

Exactly. It's in our DNA. The caveman who sat around all day doing nothing starved or got eaten by predators, while the caveman who worked got to pass on his genes. That's why we feel compelled to do something with our time, even if that something is just a hobby.

But there were cavemen who went on adventures and fell off cliffs or got eaten by saber-toothed tigers and stuff, while cavemen who stayed in the cave didn't expose themselves as much to such dangers. So that's also in our DNA.

Most of us have some sort of proper balance of risk, but we'll always have super successful risk takers and completely risk averse failures (Chris) in society due to natural selection being a pretty coarse instrument of progress.

That's what irritates me about Chris receiving this money - he just thinks he's entitled to it and the thought never enters his head that maybe he should try giving back to his community in some way.

Chris always had the excuse that his tugboat was GodBear's blessing upon him.

But, Chris has renounced GodBear recently, hasn't he? Should that mean that Chris has to give up on the GodBear-blessed tugboat as well?

Gotta wonder what sort of mental gymnastics Chris will perform to find an explanation for that.

I bet it goes something like, "Hmm. Well at the time I was promised my tugboat GodBear and I were on good terms, and GodBear may have turned against me but at least he's not a dang Indian giver!"

Chris always had the excuse that his tugboat was GodBear's blessing upon him.

But, Chris has renounced GodBear recently, hasn't he? Should that mean that Chris has to give up on the GodBear-blessed tugboat as well?

Gotta wonder what sort of mental gymnastics Chris will perform to find an explanation for that.

He deserves it because he's been a victim of trolls, kick the autistic, loneliness, Snyder, etc.

It's just like how he has denounced Rocky, but still expects her to serve him. God is supposed to feel guilty and shamed, but still serve Chris.

Since, you know, Chris has the moral high ground over everyone, including God, that means he has the authority to chastise God.

I have to hand it to him. He's managed to completely invert the relationship between God(Jesus) and Man(child) that has been the status quo of humankind for millions of years.

 

[PolterBob]

he doesn't seem to want to be on the level of other humans as much as he wants to be pitied

Well, he doesn't even really think about what "other humans" are. He knows that he has feelings and suffers and has hardships, he doesn't ever think about the concept that other people experience those things too.

A simple look at his Sonichu comics will give you an idea as to how Chris sees the world. Everyone is either a servant or an enemy to Chris. No greys.

 

[Peepee]

Uh, point of fact: when you pay into Social Security the government does not set it aside for when you retire.

People who get pissed over Chris wasting their "hard-earned dollars" are justified because the money that Bob and Barb paid into it long ago was also used up long ago by other people.

Yes, this is all correct. But I'm afraid this still misses the point I was trying to make, so let me try to explain it one last time.

People get mad that CWC uses up resources. They blame him for being a miserable manchild piece of shit good for nothing waste of life, and they also blame Bob and Barb for raising him to be so terrible. So let's go with that for the sake of argument. Let's agree that Bob and Barb are rotten people, and that Chris was the inevitable product of their lives misspent.

Let's now imagine a hypothetical world where Bob and Barb and Chris never existed. Now we don't have Chris being a welfare leech! Think of all of that money that can go to far more deserving cases and causes.

But, wait a second. As we established earlier in this thread, Bob and Barb worked their entire lives and put money into the system that Chris now collects from. If they had never existed, the system would be that much poorer as a result. So, in the end, it kind of comes out as a wash! Now do you see what I was getting at?

Of course, I could be completely wrong from a sheer numerical standpoint. As I said up front in the very first post of this thread, I do not know how much individuals like Barb and Bob would have put into SS over the course of their careers, and I didn't bother to run the numbers for how much Chris has collected so far. I'm sure that if he hasn't already burned through the contribution of his parents, he will do so over time. Or maybe he had already negated their lifetime contributions within the first year he was collecting. I really don't know. The point was, though, that Barb and Bob and Chris probably haven't managed to cheat the system and steal "OUR hard earned money" quite as badly as a lot of people angrily proclaim. For every dollar they've taken out of it, you have to consider that they also put many into it. That's all I was trying to say.