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Parents plead for return of missing US student


Flashermac

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AH...so this average middle class kid had a family friend who just happened to pick up the bill for undergrad and grad school? the kid finishes under grad with $25K and he's "average?" Most of the "average kids" I know/knew graduated in debt, but Ok. What ever social strata this kid was in, he obviously had issues. I would argue the kid probably needed a lot of psychiatric counseling.

 

Now if I got it right, he decided he was going to return home, but poor preparation meant he couldn't cross a river? So it seems when his "spiritual quest" or what ever was over, he was going back to daddy? well back to reality anyway. Point is, this kid had a safety net to catch him.

 

My point is, with a lot of these people, they go off do what ever they want, go find their inner peace and harmony, and when they get hungry, they go home. They set out on this quest knowing they have this safety net. Hence, it is really easy to be a free spirit when some one else is paying the bill.

 

He might not have been so quick to give the $25K to OXFAM if he had actually earned it himself. He might have had a whole different frame of mind if he hadn't been handed everything so easily. Especially if he didn't have a family to return to.

 

Don't get me wrong here, I feel sorry for the kid, I think he had a lot of issues that needed treatment. But it seems how we view these people has a lot to do with social economic levels, race etc.. than we care to admit.

 

Now this guy who went missing in Thailand cost a lot of people a lot of grief, and probably a lot of resources as well. But somehow, we are going to understand because of "all the pressure he is under..." :wanker: Give me a break. If this kid were poor and black, the story would never have made the news.

 

In fact, when was the last time we heard about some poor black guy turning his back on society to go off and find himself? When they go off, we tag it "Black rage" and if they are still alive, we lock them up. Whole different ball game...

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>In fact, when was the last time we heard about some poor black guy turning his back on society to go off and find himself? When they go off, we tag it "Black rage" and if they are still alive, we lock them up. Whole different ball game...

 

Michael Jackson :dunno:

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You have about five differnt major issues in your last reply. I am not sure what you are trying to say about each topic.

 

That poor equals black and white equals the have side of the equation?

 

That the real "under pressure" is only for poor and destitude people. It sounds like education or high level professional work wouldn't rank in your book as "being under pressure"...

 

The whole black rage angle..where are you going with that?

 

I have no problem with people trying to find out who they are, what makes them tick, challenge themselves other for financial gain.. The vast majority of people sleepwalk trhough life or just follow what has been carved out for them. It doesn't matter what socio-econ level one is in.

 

I admire this kid's effort and willingness to take that risk. Few actually do but wish or talk abou it w/o action..Sure, what is wrong with having a safwety net to come back to? Most do..

 

How do you feel about people who "see the world" after graduation by a year of travelling? That sure must be a "no no" in your book. How dare them take this opportunity only to come back to a safety net...Is there really any different between this kid, a kid who travels or someone who does a "peace corps" equivalent?

 

This whole safety issue? Most everyone in our society have some type of safety net whether that means gov handouts, family, friends or a trust fund. Sure not all safety nets are the same in quality or depth. Sure 10% or whatever is the figure fall through the safety nets, cracks of our society, etc. That is the design of our capitalistic society right or wrong, like it or not.

 

We are born into a place within our society. Obviously not everyone is equal nor have equal opportunity. What I don't get is this extreme criticism about someone who rejects the hand he is dealt and tries something different.

 

Following your logic, you must be real critical of people who have discretionary income and they use their vaction time to come to places like LOS and indulge in activites that the poor can't do back home? They should feel guilty as hell because they are temporaily rejecting their lifestyle in their homeland, right?

 

My whole point is you are trying yto make it sound like he should feel guilty because he had the opportunity to try something like this while a whole segment of our society (poor/working folks, etc) are too busy either working in some shit job or have some addiction/up to no good so they could care less about finding out who they are...

 

Your tone carries a lot bitterness and resentment towards wealthy or even anyone above the hand to mouth existence...

 

I wish we had more institutional structures that allows people to try things. discover things, step out of their designed, economic life..

 

We currently live in a society where time is money and money is time and both rich and poor are chasing the same objective of material/monetary consumption; the only difference is the haves have it and have nots want it...

 

That is why I think this kid's journey/life was turned into book/movie - something that runs contrary to what we should be doing in our conventional lives...

 

How much real difference was what he did and some farang running off to/hiding in Thailand only to die in the Pattaya plunge or some other creative way?

 

CB

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ok, in a nut shell, the kid in "Into the wild" most likely was psychologically/physically fucked in the head. To me, the book/movie was not so much about a kid going to find himself and meeting a tragic end, but more about a fucked up person falling through the cracks. If he wasn't fucked up, and he intentionally put his family and friends through all of this, then he doesn't deserve anything but scorn for it. He could have at least said "off on a binge, fuck you, see you later..."

 

 

It seems to me most people who go off on a bender like this do so because they have the means to do it, not because it is some deep calling where in they truely abandon everything to follow their heart/spirit calling whatever...Don't put words in my mouth on the other issues.

 

In any event. let's cop out with the old cliche about agreeing to disagree and moving on...

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OH - doesn't sound like you read the book.

 

I saw just a few minutes of the movie recently - it was late one night on True Visions, will make a point to see it.

 

 

 

I didn't read it, just saw the movie a few times. And not sure why it matters, the basic facts/premise are the same no? If you hunt around the net, you will see I am not alone in my opinion.

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