Democracy isn't an economic system. It's a political system through which laws and regulations are established. Societies are structured around a combination of a political ideology and an economic ideology. Sometimes, there are politico-economic theories that establish guidelines for both (like Marxism or Communism). However, generally, each economic theory has several subbranches with varying beliefs about integrating it into a political system. So, theoretically, you could have a democratic socialist state, just like you could have a fascist capitalist state, etc.

Socialism is an economic system that focuses on shared state wealth, rather than individual wealth. It revolves around the notion of community and works to insure the well-being of all members of a state.

I believe in socialism because I think all people in a state deserve to have their basic needs met, and that it is obscene and unsettling when some people live in disgusting amounts of excess while others cannot afford to feed themselves. Nobody needs three homes when someone can't afford one. The common example I use is this:

I can't help but love Zooey Deschanal. I fucking love her. I do...whatever. I watch New Girl, I listened to She & Him. However, the fact that Zooey Deschanal makes $95,000 per MONTH is obscene and unsettling to me. Why does Zooey Deschanal deserve to make three times a teacher's annual salary in ONE month? Is the service she contributes to society more important than a public school teacher's, or a sanitation worker's for that matter, or a city bus driver? I don't think so. I like her work (you know, and she donates money and all that jazz...it's not a critique of her in any way), but it's not worth that amount of pay. That to me is just one example out of many showing how deeply flawed capitalism is from a moral standpoint.

I believe people should be paid equally based on the hours they work, that a number of public services should be socialized and universal (healthcare, education, transportation, police, firemen). Several of these already are socialized in the US because the idea of having a private police force who only helps you if you pay them to seems barbaric and unfair. Well, that's how I feel about things like healthcare and all education. I think it's barbaric and unfair to deny people basic health and safety, as well as opportunities to grow as people and contribute to society, based on what they are able to afford.

In theory, capitalism creates a society where people are rewarded for their hard work. However, in reality, capitalism allows for very little class mobility. The "middle class" is something to which people can aspire, but it really is just a safety net so that people get happy enough to not realize how unjust and obscene the upper class' economic situation is. The problem with capitalism is that people aren't rewarded solely off of their hard work. Things like nepotism and economic status affect someone's ability to succeed. The only people who transcend the economic class into which they were born are the RARE exception. Similarly, we don't really see someone born into wealth lose their money because they aren't working hard enough; that's an exception rather than the rule. If you're born into a wealthy family, you get to go to the best schools and have your future set up for you. You are bred for success. It's easier to go to the right college and get the right job. When you are born to a family who earns $30,000/year, you can't afford the right college, you have a different understanding of opportunity and a different understanding of money. Your value system is inherently different. You're probably not going to go to the right college or get the right job, and if you do, it's going to be a LOT more work for you.

I actually believe that making just a few adjustments to the current politico-economic system in the US could integrate socialism in an immensely easy way without doing a full-on socialist overhaul. At the very least, I believe that adding even a very generous maximum wage cap would create additional funding for a lot of great social programs that would make the US's current system more humane and just: implementing well-funded socialized public healthcare (including psychiatric care), implementing well-funded nationalized public colleges, restructuring the public school system, raising the minimum wage, creating safe homes for those who are medically unable to work, creating a public task force to help tackle the issues that cause homelessness (providing safe government-funded homes for those too medically unsound to work, providing hands-on job placement assistance for those who are able to work, providing comprehensive well-funded judgement-free public drug rehabilitation centers and counselors to help with addiction), maintaining the food stamps initiative, providing government grants for artists, and providing in-home childcare assistance and education to new mothers.

From a moral standpoint, it seems obviously superior. They say that bleeding hearts go Republican when they get older. However, the older I get, the more money I make, the more I understand firsthand how ridiculous capitalism is. I live comfortably now but not in excess. I can honestly say that the idea of someone making more money than I currently do seems ridiculous and unnecessary, unless they have children. It's appalling, and it's not going to be fixed by giving a dollar here and there to someone on the street. It needs to be fixed systemically.

From a rational standpoint, it actually makes for a more productive and worthwhile society. Working to equalize the pay gap creates more fluidity in occupation opportunities. When people are influenced to choose jobs they love over jobs that pay well or better or whatever, you have more people doing things in which they delight. When people love their jobs, they work harder, they are more creative. It triggers innovation and growth. Furthermore, capitalism doesn't reward art. By socializing government grant opportunities for the arts, we would be working to insure that the very testaments to our humanity remain valued.

My ideal world is an extreme socialist utopia, but that's not going to happen any time soon. In the meantime, I encourage people to think communally over individually, and to live modestly and donate money to charities whenever possible (I personally annually donate to Compassion Without Borders and Critical Resistance, and also make an attempt to donate to teen runaway shelters whenever possible). I also encourage people to vote for society's best interests and think in terms of progress. What would the ideal world be like? Consider it, then vote according to what steps you think need to be taken in order to achieve it.

Hell yeah! There are plenty of bloggers with less extreme body types. If you go through my favorite blogger list, you'll find a variety of body types on some of my favorite bloggers:

http://jeangreige.blogspot.com/p/favorites.html

I do have a hypothesis, though, about why so many fashion bloggers are scrawny skinny. I think that when you grow up extremely scrawny, you get a lot of flak from your peers about being built like a boy. You grow up thinking that breasts are synonymous with womanhood, and then you hit this awkward stage where you look around and notice that every girl in your class is wearing a training bra, but you've got nothin' going on. You're called flat chested. You're told you're too skinny. You start to feel like there is no way society can ever think you're attractive. How could they? You don't look like the women on television or in movies. When I went through this growing up, a lot of my friends with similar body types channeled their developing negative body image into sports. They made their bodies something beyond typical standards of "attractive". It didn't matter if they looked feminine. They were something more important than feminine: they were strong. I even tried this route, but I am unfortunately too clumsy to have ever really excelled at athletics. So, in your preteen years, there develops a small group of girls who are not necessarily interested in boys (because they do not have breasts, so boys do not seem to be initially interested in them) and not interested in sports. They are interested in academia and art, mostly, but those things do not make you feel okay with your developing body. You know what does, though? Fashion magazines. As a child, when I looked through the pages of fashion magazines, I saw scrawny, awkward girls staring back at me, in audacious outfits and bizarre makeup. I saw elements of myself there, and for the first time, understood that beauty was subjective. Someone thought awkward skinny girls were attractive, too, and it became both comforting and intriguing. So, I hypothesize that a lot of girls who love fashion came to love it because they saw a bit of themselves reflected in the pages of those magazines. They weren't able to feel feminine by society's traditional standards, but through fashion, they found a source of power and self-esteem. I think that is why so many skinny scrawny girls love fashion today.

That was my childhood, and that experience certainly doesn't fit in with my ideals, but it does explain why there might be an oversaturation of girls built like me who have fashion blogs.

I have found that I strongly dislike being "expected"... I am not trying to get noticed or get more attention, those aren't my motives at all, I just feel bored. Should I try something drastically different from my usual style or what?
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Oh my gosh, this is just what happened with the Tank Girl comics! Tank Girl came out in the 1980s and she was dressed totally apocalyptic punk. Punk was still relatively new in the 80s. It was unexpected and a little shocking and it fit her character well. However, when they discussed reviving Tank Girl in the 2000s, they decided that punk wasn't really shocking anymore. Tank Girl was an iconoclast, but punk wasn't really iconoclastic. So, you know what they did? They tried to dress her up like a school marm, claiming that was the new avant-garde, and in essence, that was the new punk. It was hilarious. The original creator, Alan Martin, said:

"What was alternative, upsetting, anarchic, and just plain odd-ball back then has since become common place. Mainstream media smothers us daily with punky chic, and modern day babies can be seen sporting spikey hairdos and Travis Bickle T-shirts. The uniform of the cultural revolutionary has been sold to The Man. So how to rebel? How give the finger to the fashion fascists? Normal is the only way ahead. Dress like a high school teacher from the mid-eighties, or pick clothes from your boring aunty’s wardrobe. The only way left to rebel is to dress like you’re not rebelling. "

Isn't that just kind of brilliant? I mean, I think it's brilliant in theory, but painfully dull in application. But, yeah, if you're bored, I'd say give it a shot! Try something old as something new and see how it feels!

Of course I love having nice things materialism is more of mind concept! I have nice things but I'm not attached or consumed by them.

Totally..........:..:::..:................

STYLE.

Usually, they happen to be short in stature and long in hair. I prefer to think that the short thing is coincidental, though. Or maybe short men have a tendency to have better style. Or maybe short men tend to approach me more because I'm a short girl. Or maybe short men tend to have better personalities because they can't rely on society's stupid "tall" fixation to get by.

Do's

Dress up
Establish physical contact early on (hugs, holding hands etc)
Avoid talking about your ex or ex's
Smell good
Do something fun together
Be spontaneous
Be a gentlemen but at the same time a man
Shave and wear a good but LIGHT smelling cologne but something classy
Make her laugh

Don'ts
Be an ass
Embarrass her
Stink
Dress like a slob
Eat like a pig
Have bad breath
Talk about your ex
Talk about yourself too much
If I have to go on anymore you should give up now.

Being talented or intelligent or insightful doesn't necessarily make you a good person. Hell, Hitler was all of those things. Intellect or talent is worthless if it is not applied with the well-being of others at heart. The world needs more kindness and generosity, and while the two camps are not necessarily mutually exclusive (thankfully) and both are certainly lacking in the world in general, if I had to choose, I'd rather be compassionate and care about others than be able to do calculus or compose philosophical theory.

What?! This is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Wow, thank you so much.

I don't necessarily think I'm that great, but I do think that it's important for people with empathetic and rational standards to raise children...you know, to balance out the scary. I have amazing friends who have had children and it melts my heart seeing them raise feminist or artistic or vegan or generally kind and compassionate little kids.

Anyway, thank you, again, very sincerely, for such a kind message. I feel truly privileged to have earned such high regard.

it basically confirms my thoughts on the fashion industry. You can polish a turd and tell them it is the" latest hottest thing" and they will pay millions for a taste of it. Great example of the "Emperor's New Clothes", Rumi and Bryanboy, what a joke. Please fashion gods let their 15 mins. expire already. I ventured into their combined multimillion dollar website, what a waste of investment money. Really??? BryanBoy was a joker fashion wannabe from Manila, and Rumi was a mall hopping mall rat.
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It sounds like you have a lot of displaced anger on this subject. I understand where you are coming from, and were it presented in a different manner, might even feel inclined to agree with some of it. However, there is a level of hostility in this message that is a bit unnerving. Unless it is actively promoting harm to anyone in any capacity, the successes of other people do not relate to us in any way, and should therefor not concern us in any way.

If I don't like a blog, I don't look at it, and it's as simple as that. I certainly don't put a lot of time and energy into actively hating something simply because it does not appeal to me. I applaud people taking an interest in something other than front row fashion, but it needs to be acknowledged that it is all subjective (from the aesthetics of it to the morality of it), and that what we do with our own lives is infinitely more important than how much we care about what other people do with theirs.

Rumi Neely is invited to fashion shows because companies relate to the slick brand-friendly image she has been presenting on her blog lately, and that's perfectly fine. Furthermore, lots of people like that, which is really none of my business either. I personally used to relate to her blog quite a bit back when she was doing unexpected things, like pairing platform gothic knee-high buckle-down boots with summery cotton dresses. I understand why her blog gained notoriety initially: she was once both very creative and very versatile. That, combined with her boyfriend's excellent photography skills, created a pleasing blog that actually helped pave the way for bloggers to be taken seriously as a voice in the fashion industry. The fact that I am no longer personally inspired by the content she posts on her blog doesn't incite vitriole in me, and nor should it incite vitriole in you. Until it in some way actively harms someone else, let people be and focus on you instead.

It's just some chick with a blog. She's not promoting hate or anger or hostility or negativity. Nobody should give a fuck.

and prostitute even though I'm a virgin just because I wore shorts and a thin tee to a BBQ. It pisses me off because there are a couple of people in that group that I really love and care about, but I can't handle how they act anymore. I'm sick of them drunkenly calling up girls on the phone and calling them sluts, calling people faggots, and talking about how they hate black people. I can't relate to it at all and I leave wanting to cry. I feel like I can't just walk away from a couple of these friends though. As I said, I really care about them and don't want to be a jerk and just walk away from friendships. How should I solve this problem and where can I meet new people I can relate to and don't make me feel like crap?
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Fuck, man. What the hell is wrong with people? I am seriously flabbergasted that these people exist. These are people who are socially destructive. If they are slut-shaming, making racist remarks, and gay-bashing, you SHOULD hate them. This is not the way normal people act, and this is not acceptable behavior in society. NOBODY should tolerate this type of filth from anyone.

I would honestly and openly call them out for being such fucking disgusting human beings. I would do it publicly and by name. That way, the friends you like aren't necessarily included. I only recommend making a big to-do about it because somebody has to tell them how horrible they are, lest they go out into the world spreading their bile even further.

Find the people at your school who have no friends and make friends with them. You will be infinitely happier, I promise. Also, make internet friends (safely, of course) to supplement your social life. Lastly, get really comfortable being alone and cultivating your own personal interests. It seems infinitely better to fly solo until you can move to a better town than to suffer through these terrible people and their delusional displays of their own idiocy.

Hum well... honestly it's kinda normal. I went to a seminar recently about the Stefan Sagmeister exhibit on happiness. Statistically that butterfly obsession period wears off after 9 months. Which to me thank god it does... If it never wore off i would never get anything done! I have a VERY addictive personality. That's why I dont drink, take drugs or take medicine. I get addicted to work, people and ideas. I believe in platonic loves as well. I think love is to selfish to only love one person forever. I don't know if I will ever get married. Im more of a free lover. I have been with my boyfriend almost 4 years and I have never cheated on him and would never. I totally love him. I also believe you can love other people as well. Just on a not sexual status. I love all my friends boys and girls so much. They inspire me and I love being able to soak up their energy. It's healthy to love.

If your over the relationship and would be better as friends that's totally different then craving the butterfly feeling.

Have always wanted to go... my boys family travels there a lot :)

Made a lot of mistakes, got taken advantage of, was in bad situations, saw horrible things, had mentally abusive relationships, got kicked out of my home, lived in a hotel, had every horrible job under the sun, slept in skate parks, lived in vans... I was a street kid. I don't regret any of it. Built the character I am today. Those years were not glamorous. I lived it.. for real. You name it I experienced and saw it. I like to pamper myself and do nice things for myself now because I had so many intense years with nothing. I think that's also why I don't like bars and parties. I lived SO much when I was young I have seen it all... im not missing out on anything ha!

Your defamation of the awesomeness that is Spock genuinely disgusts me. He is logical, objective, reasoning, while you're clearly the opposite. In fact you're more like a Klingon (OG style), ignorant, hateful, antagonistic, and with little honor. If you really were Spock like you would have asked that question with tact, intelligence, and genuine curiosity, and maybe a sexy eyebrow lift not base Klingon Trollin'.

I make a comfortable living working as a marketing coordinator for a designer jewelry company. I am able to pay my rent and my bills without ever panicking. It's not an exorbitant amount of money, but it is reasonable and I feel more than content with it. It is an adult, grown-up job, with adult, grown-up pay, which is good for my adult, grown-up financial obligations.

Tunnel Vision is doing very well, but we are opting to invest that profit back into Tunnel Vision in the hopes that it will continue to grow. If we wanted, we could make more money off of Tunnel Vision than we currently do. It just makes more sense to us to build the business before taking any cash.

Starting your own clothing line is extremely financially risky. It might be worthwhile to first get a very honest assessment of your designs/business savvy. Think of three people you know who would be the target customer for your designs. Show them your sketches, tell them the prices you have in mind, and ask them if they would wear or buy any of the items. If they say yes, then you can take that as confidence that you know your business/industry, and you can feel a little bit better about taking the risk. If they say no, I would reassess before moving forward.

There are a lot of great jobs available in the fashion industry; if you want it, you will find a way to make it work for you!

Inappropriately for what? A funeral? Yeah, kinda.

entrada para la umf

you got your million dollar contract and they are all waiting for your hot track!!!

i smoke some weed and smash plates on the floor.