Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

It's probably more of a pet peeve of mine. I think words can be powerful. They invoke strong emotion and action. That particular word is often used to invoke strong emotion, and I often feel like it's used for a bit of slight of hand. Someone who would likely qualify for the descriptor uses is to sort of reflect. By dropping it, they imply they are not "elites" because they stand opposed to such people. And sometimes the people they turn it to are so broad and faceless, they don't really qualify for the title at all.

I feel like I've seen some TV talking heads, one's paid millions a year, who will rail about the "elites" and then depart by car service to their massive homes in NY or DC. I've seen a president who puts his name on massive buildings in the heart of NY decry such elites. It because a a way of saying "This person I don't like looks down at you, so be mad at them and maybe don't look at me or the influence I try to wield."

In the end, I find it an evocative but lazy descriptor. Like if you'd like to blast that particular politician for being rich and having the things rich folks have, that's cool. But I think then we can turn it and blast all rich politicians, and then all rich folks who try to use their success as a base to wield influence. And at a point, you maybe shouldn't listen to anyone successful because chances are, they there some way they don't know how it is for most folks.

Oddly enough, the writer had to roll it back, essentially calling himself an elite and saying he was really only referring to "TV talking heads, politicians and bureaucrats," which is basically a who's who of kind of meaningless broad groups that no one likes on balance.

I'd have liked to be a tester

when the situation is extreme enough that the seat belt is holding yer butt to the seat, the average driver is F'ed

growing up in the 60s there were two things you never saw in your car

seat belts

air conditioner

somehow we managed to survive without them

and the consoles werent made of soft cushy plastic
nope they were made of metal which if you were in an accident were very unforgiving

under the hood you actually had distributors not this computer chip stuff

again somehow we managed to get along without them

I mean, we also got by without penicillin and with the black plague. None the less, probably fine. (This is more about seatbelt. If you have a strong desire to drive around Texas without AC, have at)

This led me down an interest rabbit hole when I learned there was a short moment when they considered seatbelt interlock systems (not very good ones). When I was younger, I often wondered if one could remove the social stigma against breathalyzer interlocks. I suppose the cost would be prohibitive. But man, a car that made you aware you were drunk, that seems like a not bad idea. (I know, I know, it's easily beat, especially for a degenerate with a child)

I'd have liked to be a tester

when the situation is extreme enough that the seat belt is holding yer butt to the seat, the average driver is F'ed