dmiessler.com | grep understanding - Latest Comments in That Was Then, This Is Now

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

j s — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:13:22 -0000

Those scenarios were some of the best points ever written. They show exactly the path that "zero tolerance" and political correctness have taken us...it sounds like most of the people leaving comments are weak tit fags with no passion for living. I'll take 1967.

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

Scott — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 15:43:49 -0000

I know it's been a while but I just was back here because I was looking at the backlinks to my website.

And I just wanted to say you're all horribly misinformed about ADD.
First, whoever accused me of being a Ritalin addict. . . I've never taken Ritalin in my life. Second of all, I've been on the pill for less than a year and I'm not addicted - some people become addicted and start taking more pills than prescribed, but I haven't. I really have become better able to focus on what I need to.

Second of all, having ADD doesn't mean you can't stay focused. Read up before you claim to know it all. It depends on the person, and it also can change from day to day. Sometimes you might not be able to focus on anything, sometimes you might be extremely focused on what you're not supposed to be doing. It's a common misconception, but in reality, nothing could be much further from the truth. ADD is a problem with the entire focus process - not just an inability to stay focused. Sometimes it means your brain can't stay focused on a single stimulus, sometimes it means your brain blocks out other stimuli.

Third of all, it might be like cocaine, but then again, there's stuff from the same plant (and that has the same effect) in chocolate, pain relievers, and other things. Are you going to die because you eat chocolate? No, at least not from the "drugs" in it. And even so, stimulants have the reverse effect on a person with ADD - stimulants make a normal person "wired", hyperactive, and unable to focus. With ADD, they make you more focused.

I've wasted enough time here, I know there's some people who can't be convinced no matter what about ADD. The only other thing I'm going to say, is learn about diseases before you ridicule them or try to make statements about them - or make judgments about the people who have them.

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

chadxfallen — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 03:45:57 -0000

LAwl. This was a wonderful post.

Scenario: dude reads awsome satirical post on the internet:

1962: he rolls over and shits himself because he has no idea what his eyes just fell witness to.

2007: he laughs, finishes his hotfries, and falls asleep in his underwear.

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

stefano — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 23:45:45 -0000

Looks like we make it harder and harder, would be interesting to see how it's gonna be in another 30 years.

http://www.webyaa.com/categ...

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

pat — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 23:29:59 -0000

Really terrible and inaccurate article. Even if the modern world is so bad it is these fuckers who grew up in the wonder years that ruined it.

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

julie — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:54:25 -0000

you don't know how right you are

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

Jim — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:22:27 -0000

1967: Viet Nam

2007: Iraq

We (United States of America) never learn!!

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

longlivelulz — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:25:04 -0000

you guys are incredible.
btw, high school counselors can't prescribe medicine for ADD. XD that's silly. anyway, ya'll are over-reacting. do you see what i did there? over-reacting? as in exactly what this article was trying to point out.

hmmm.

<3 lighten up man!

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

MeganB. , 17 — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 13:43:24 -0000

People honestly need to lighten up; it was a satirical article written for humor. And it IS TRUE that people are too paranoid and tense these days. Not every male black teen is in a gang, and not every teenage female is pregnant. Also, to put this out there, not every teenager is drinking alcohol, taking drugs, and having unprotected sex with multiple partners; that's only the majority of them. I, for one, am an intelligent teen who makes the right decisions, and I believe that people over-react way too much.

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

James D. Newman — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 00:19:22 -0000

A little bit oversimplified, don't 'cha all think?

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

Anya — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 18:03:07 -0000

Gah. Honestly. I have only ever had one fear for the future; that one day when I'm older I will catch myself complaining about modern society and realise I have contracted that centuries-old disease, grumpy old man syndrome.

Please never let me lose my perspective.

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

Krombookum — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 18:19:58 -0000

Marguerite slips and falls on the ice:
1967 - she goes to the doctor, gets all better
2007 - she sues everyone from God to the weatherman and makes billions because she was a clumsy a$$.

Grouber orders hot coffee and spills it:
1967 - he calls himself a dumb a$$ and learns not to be so clumsy
2007 - he sues the store where he got the coffee, sues the cup manufacturer, sues the coffee maker, and sues the city...next time, he gets cold coffee because it is now illegal to sell hot coffee...

Unfortunately, we have lost something in all of this...what would you call it? Life?
The DHS has also banned the sale of those awesome chemistry kits (remember back from 1967 where you could make just about anything in your basement for $29.95?)

Oh, and don't forget...in 1967, Paris Hilton would have been arrested for letting her couch hang out while exiting a car in public...today, it is good press. Britany Spears gets time in jail and spends none of it because she is a celebrity...and people in prison live in better conditions than the hard working, law abiding "working poor"...

This is what happens when you let a bunch of Democrats run your country...

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

Jeebop — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 05:00:45 -0000

A lot of it seems exaggerated.

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

Da — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 08:31:33 -0000

@Scott: Spoken like a true Ritalin addict. You do know the stuff works exactly the same as cocaine. And that you are basically poisoning yourself and scratching of 20 years of your life. However hf being high all day.

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

Marisol — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:20:00 -0000

Wow...lots of comments on this one. I was reminded of this: http://www.npr.org/template...

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

Jethro — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:03:47 -0000

2007 - Who gives a shit

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

TimmyIsEvil — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:50:08 -0000

I'm sorry, I know this is an old article and please forgive my spelling and grammar mistakes, but no one seems to be pointing out the obvious. Back in 1967 people actually read books and newspapers. They weren't fed their daily news by a distracting scroll at the bottom of an entirely different newscast. They actually had ATTENTION SPANS, because, they had time; and took the time to pay attention! They read an entire book, without 5 min. commercial breaks set in to kick in at every 7 mins!! No wonder kids have no attention spans.....when you babysit your child with a T.V.!!
I haven't heard too much about the big Amish Invasion of ADD!?!?! Your television is not a babysitter. It takes human interaction to get human results!

But that's just my opinion.

P.S.
I also find it ironic that so many people with "ADD-ADHD) can actually sit down and have a FOCUSED idea about something so boring.

Tell me how great Dora the Explorer is at letting you have peace and quiet.

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

Anonymous — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:57:04 -0000

People get bent out of shape over a satirical writing. Sad.

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

jeff — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:38:16 -0000

This reminds me of:
I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words... When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly disrespectful and impatient of restraint.

Hesiod, 700 BC

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

Scott — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:37:15 -0000

Wow, these are all pretty good representations.

About the ADD thing. . . it looks like there's a lot of misunderstanding here.

a) Giving kids a bunch of Ritalin won't help them unless they have ADD. They'll be going off-the-wall.

b) Everyone's saying that medical professionals are just giving out diagnoses of ADD. . . that may be true for some but definitely not all of them. Some doctors jump to conclusions, but there are others that do testing and take their time making a diagnosis.

There are people that genuinely have ADD. Not all are misdiagnoses or excuses. Some are, sure, but still a lot are genuine.

It's important to realize that simply being hyper, getting distracted, being bored in class, etc. are NORMAL. It's the frequency of these things that shows possibility of ADD. It's also important to realize that there is no "magic pill" for people who truly do have ADD. Ritalin, Concerta, and the like all help give you the power/energy to concentrate, but it still takes some work on your own part.

There are people who can get through it without the pill, too - it depends on the severity of the symptoms and also what you want to do in life. If you want to do something that doesn't require you to sit there and focus for a long time (ie be a snowboarding instructor) then you'd probably do just fine without the pill. If you want to do something that requires you to sit there, focus, study, take tests, etc. then if you actually have ADD, you're going to need the pill.

I think someone above me said that people get "cured" of ADD. It does happen. Most of the time, though, people with ADD have it until they're 45+, at least - and many have it until they die. Also, a lot of times people don't get "cured" of ADD but rather learn "workarounds" if you will to help them out. They develop habits and routines that help them out, and eventually these become second-nature and the person does them without thinking until it gets to the point where they have learned so many tricks to help out their ADD that they don't need the pills anymore. That's not to say that people with ADD have simply learned bad habits or can be simply "forced out of it" - each individual needs to come up with their own system that works for them, and a person with ADD can't just start taking more diligent notes or something and be cured.

I have ADD myself, and I know the pill helps me out a ton. It's hard to really put into words what it's like having ADD - before I took notes, I listened in class, etc. but things just wouldn't click like they do now. I'd go to write something down, and while I'm writing it I'd either miss out on what the professor's saying while I'm writing, or I'd listen to the professor and just simply forget what I was going to write. Or I'd read a paragraph of my book, and then forget what I just read. I didn't know how people could handle it! Even with things not school-related - I'd forget appointments, I'd read whole pages of books and then forget them, I'd learn guitar tabs only to forget them a day later. . . But now with the pill, it's so much easier to multitask, to focus, to remember. . .

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

michael — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 19:21:02 -0000

That dose of reality guy is bull. hes just saying that so that he can get his own, That Was Then, This Is Now story

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

fun — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:53:35 -0000

slippery slope?

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

A Dose of Reality — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 18:29:36 -0000

I work for a police department and I will never, ever be alone with a child other than my own. I think that anyone who volunteers to be a Big Brother, Big Sister, or Scout Leader is a fool. I have seen spoiled children ruin the lives of respectable, innocent adults by saying just three words: "He touched me." For this type of thing, in 2008, you are automatically presumed guilty, and even if the accuser admits to fabricating the story, you'll still be on record as a charged sex suspect. God help our society.

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

db — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 17:57:27 -0000

Hi, I'm from Europe, I just realized reading the comments that, in your culture,
a) you find it normal to go to school with a shotgun in your truck
b) you find it normal to put children on psychotic drugs
Boy, how pervert your culture is when it comes to this kind of things. I'm glad I always turned off all job offers I received from there.

Re: That Was Then, This Is Now

Sho — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 17:31:26 -0000

Can you really call it satire though? Sadly, things have actually come to this state. If not, very very close.