22 Comments
User's avatar
Doug Hornig's avatar

I got "carded" for alcohol in Wegmans, when I was in my mid-70s. Some friends laughed and said I should be flattered. No. It's not funny and here's why: no one is "mistaking" me for a teenager. What this policy does is reinforce the idea that we are all committing criminal acts until we prove otherwise and remind us that even simple acts of commerce are not permitted without government approval. You can see where this goes....

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Michael Buhmiller's avatar

It’s an admission that the average American citizen either has no “common sense” or cannot be trusted and allowed to use it.

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John Bootsma's avatar

We got carded for alcohol today in Target in Washington state for one bottle of wine. Maybe if you buy 4 bottles and a case of beer you don’t get asked, like we weren’t a couple of days ago. Maybe it’s just buying one bottle triggers it. You can get wasted in a pub or restaurant and no one ever asks for ID. 🧐

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Alex's avatar

Advertising is all about eyeballs; the more the better. The jeans commercial hit it out of the park on all counts, that it was "controversial" is just advertising. Reminds me of a movie several years ago, that had priests and nuns protesting outside the movie theater. As it turned out, they were part of the publicity campaign to get people to buy tickets. As they say in advertising, there's no such thing as bad publicity.

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Bob O'Brien's avatar

You almost have it right but you’ve got the wrong president. The great divide in America started with Obama and continued with the democrats up until today.

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Steve L's avatar

Thank you for describing what happens to a large city when infested with mental illness. Or democrats as the normal folk would say. They even travel many hundreds of miles just to prove how demented and delusional they and their party are. Wreaking havoc everywhere they dwell. Yes Joel, it is a mental disorder as we all know, and it continues to exist because dysfunction breeds dysfunction as it is an inherited disease. Also taught in most universities For those fortunate enough to have good genes 🧬🤔

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rKf's avatar

Mr. Bowman, sir, there are many Americans who feel like “like an outsider looking in.”

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RICH's avatar

Race is mostly saved for mainstream media, opposing politicians, and folks who have been trained to use it if they think it will enhance their position. Everyone else is trying to make a living. As far as Miss Sweeney is concerned, I bought a pair of American Eagle jeans today as a thank you. After all, I am a patriot! As far as purchasing your wine, if they didn't prove your age as required by law, a child would sue them for discrimination. Come back and vote, though. You won't be asked for any identification! A country grows up to be what the parents allow their children to disintegrate into. Wish them luck!! TDS vs TDS: a lazy way to describe what has happened to our children.

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Michael Buhmiller's avatar

Dr. Spock is when parents should have got up and said “no thank you we will raise our children”.

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Jimm Roberts's avatar

I contend that within each of us there is a trigger that, once actuated, removes the barriers separating us from our thoughtful, respectful and courteous forms of social deportment. Once the trigger is opened, a savage, crass and vicious alter-person emerges.

This alter-person is found in many, probably most of us. It's likely housed in some dark, sublimated section of our psyche.

This "trigger" is how I understand Trump's behavior. More to the point: his good boy/bad boy trigger got stuck in the bad-boy position; apparently when he was a youngster.

When he was a young teen, his parents sent him to military school hoping its strict regimen would set his trigger back to normal.

Alas, since then, his convictions, documented prevarications, draft dodging, misogyny, infidelities, sexual assault, multiple bankruptcies indicate his trigger is still stuck in the bad-boy mode. And it's creating a new, low standard of social deportment in the US; maybe abroad too.

If the President of the US of A, our would be king, can flagrantly lie, bully, proselyte stupid theories, "shoot from lip," delve into Brazilian politics, etc. and get away with it, then a new, low -- very low -- level of social deportment will be set.

Sadly, its one lower than the one he set in his first term. Already, people seem to be short tempered; quick to make a sharp comment; more racist; more intolerant; uncritical of mask wearing Gestapo rounding up hapless undocumented and occasional documented immigrants and genuine citizens; our Congress overly compliant. etc.

Now rampart in the Land of the Free; The Home of the Brave are both forms of the TDS you masterly defined. The lines are drawn and are being deeply etched into the manner by which we regard our current president, and each other.

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Dart Driver's avatar

Don't take it too personally Joel. The ball-busting might have been triggered by your gender but certainly not your nationality. Nobody dislikes Aussies! More likely the miserable bartender was a former (and recent) federal employee (USAID? IRS? DOJ?) declared redundant. He might not have always been a social prick but he learned to enjoy it during his time with Uncle Sam. Now he wants to get back in the groove of nit-picking others into submission. What a life!!

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andy's avatar

The soup nazi left NYC for Argentina but the booze nazis stayed home. No alcohol'ism for you!

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david's avatar

trump is asymptom of our divided culture

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Dennis T.'s avatar

CNN anchor described the shooter as possibly a white guy. There's a guy on YT claiming Donald is the anti christ then again the YT guy claims he's the last prophet of God and the world is going to end in a few years.

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Richard Smith's avatar

Joel, I think the division has been here for a long while. And its getting wider and wider. I like the blue jean ad being included. I get carded sometimes when I by cigarettes and I got white hair and am 70 yrs. young. Another case of the government can't do its job to begin with, and if they weren't idiots they would realize the amount of taxes on cigarettes and alcohol is a golden cashflow.

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Michael Markson's avatar

Love your articles. Have you seen "The Penguin Lessons" on Netflix?

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Bill's avatar

As my wife once said to me?

"Are you on drugs." It had to do with Decaling company trucks. They were.

Perfect.They looked off based on the lines of vehicle. This missive is horrible. That it is racist....? If you believe that and you are a fool. I need to save some money on subscriptions....

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Bill's avatar

Is correction." No man steps in a river twice."

The credit to the author is correct.

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An Ol' LSO's avatar

Actual quote (if there is such a thing since it was a long, long time ago in a different language) is: "No man steps in the same river twice; fot it is not the same river and he's not the same man." But, then again, I could certainly (and most likely) wrong.

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Bill's avatar

You are the first one in the first paragraph or saw who run up race.

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Dennis T.'s avatar

?

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Alex's avatar

I think he's having a moment. You say crazy shit too, but at least I understand what you're saying.

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