What 7 years of $500 textbooks results in

@famousone I'll give that a 50%... people have to buy into the idea that something has value.... Tulip-mania would never have happened if people recognized selling a tulip for more than a mansion is inherently a retarded idea.

Same with diamonds. The only reason why are they so expensive nowadays was the engagement ring ad campaign that started at the beginning of the 21st century and from then grew to massive heights. Diamonds aren't that incredible and it's crazy to pay thousands of dollars for them. So I'm with @funkmasterrex on this one. You can't say that all people of said generation had something to do with the ruined economy, but at the same time you can't say that most of them didn't. As we can clearly see, most did. Most were gullible enough to believe this engagement ring or tulip bullcrap, they were dumb enough to pay more and more for these useless things, and therefore they influenced the economy and, well, we all know what happened.
And to be honest here (& a bit of an asshole too), this "don't blame it on everyone" argument might resonate with young people, but most boomers will still keep shitting on us with dumb ass arguments like "you can't afford a house because you eat avocado toast."

Id just like to correct a small part, @ewqua , the engagement ring craze started at the beginning of the 20th century, not just a few years ago. Also the main reason they can up the diamonds prices is cause only one company owns and sells them so they cost more than necessary. Similar to eyeglasses and sunglasses, ir das either one company owns all of the shops or one company makes all of the lenses so thats why glasses can be hundreds of dollars and you can't really just get a basic pair for cheap.

Ah crap, I meant to write 20th but I messed up. I know the campaign is originally from the 1900s and really blew up in the 1930s, I just made this silly mess up because I was thinking of two things at the same time and I apologize. Yes, monopolies are a bad thing, which is why we need at least a bit of state control in the market.

I'm debt free with a college education and even I think it's crazy to tell them all to just "man up" or "pull up their bootstraps". I'm not an employer yet, but I'm planning on it... I want an educated base to pick my workers from and am 100% willing to pay the taxes to make that a reality; especially considering the opportunities I was afforded. I also believe an educated population can make overall wiser decisions in a democracy; which would ALSO help me even if I were not an employer. There is literally zero to deny education to anyone seeking it... it's literally the stupidest thing a nation can do and will wind up crippling it from the interior. I also agree that saying education from one source is inherently better than another if they teach the same thing is also stupid, but some professors do deserve higher pay or tenure from experience or sheer talent; especially for higher learning. The cost to even get to that point though? In the US it would take $200k-300k unless you

are in the top .01% at a state school... and then it'll take 200k without scholarships... for something that won't be able to pay off unless you create a personality for yourself through the internet or a tv show or become a badass surgeon, architect or engineer. Or go into genetic engineering.
Oh... or Law.

did you read a different meme from me?

idk... are you the 5% or the 95% O_o

this meme contains no percentages.

I'm saying what you had* said can be taken 2 ways. Accidentally typed are instead of had.

which 2 ways. explain with reference to meme.

Ok so this is based on your hard work (all good) but it seems like your hard work is somehow diminished by others... some people don't even have the opportunity to put in the hard work due to circumstance even though it exists within them. $500 textbooks may be an extreme example, but what if all your homework is online and you can't afford to buy MyMathLabPlus for just basic math classes... much less stay around a library because perhaps you have a little sister you have to walk home because your mom is at work.
I'm saying what may seem like something small can actually be a HUGE disadvantage from another lens. Was the above my perspective? No... but it was the perspective of the guy next to me in my Cal class. He was the smartest guy in the room, hands down... only time I ever actually wanted/used a tutor. Dude was brilliant but didn't have the resources.

work, earn money. mind child, go to school when able to, like me, like most people around the world do.

that's fine but it's not going to guarantee any sort of higher education unless you're in the top 5% in the world. Also you didn't address a single issue I outlined.

who said you deserve higher education? You think people without degrees are worthless?

You don't think a better educated nation is an overall good idea? Do you wan't to actively keep people stupid? It doesn't have to be higher education, trade schools are great as well; but there is no denying the fact that a population with a higher level of education produces a higher GDP, a higher ROI, has a lower unemployment rate and a higher standard of living.

if everyone's a professor, who fixes the plumbing?

you... considering you can't understand what I just typed... actually someone smarter than you.

but i just got a free degree under your new everything is free for everyone campaign, I'm not standing knee deep in shit now that i have a !!!!COLLEGE EDUCATION!!!! just like everyone else.

In the late 1800's and early 1900's the same argument was made about 9th-12th grade education. State college should be free, yes. If you don't want to hire someone who decided to major in literature NOBODY FUCKING MAKES YOU. You have a simple idea for a robotics company but you can't program? Hire computer programmers... oh... can't find any... who aren't commanding 250k a year? Ohhhh invest in the education system so they actually fucking exist.

private colleges can keep their "pedigree" and charge outrages tuition; hell they can do away with scholarships for the most part. Again... a higher educated populous helps EVERYONE.

Is it a bad thing a history professor has knowledge of Nuclear engineering or a Nuclear engineer has knowledge of the dark ages? Knowledge is never a waste; just stop.

how many scholarships do you financially back?

This just sounds like you're justifying not getting a degree and are bitter about it. If it makes you feel better, I signed up to kill people to get most of mine paid for.

@drench seems to be arguing just to argue now.

The only issue I have with state funded college level education is the fact that it is so ridiculously expensive. If it is between 50-70,000 dollars to send just one person to college, and that is paid for by the taxpayers for the rest of their lives, that is not a sustainable system. The money would run out in only a few years at best. I feel that before anything can happen, some serious financial reform needs to happen first, and then start working on funding colleges.

To be honest degrees for everyone isn't the answer - once everyone has a degree there has to be other ways to differentiate between the 'best' - that might mean that people who previously could have got college level jobs have to spend even longer in education, and more money, to get a masters they don't actually need.
I think education should be funded - but not only with college as the only option. Learning a trade, on the job training, apprenticeships - all valid options - its snobbery that stops peoplr wanting to learn trades when there is damn good money in it

@funkmasterrex i have a newfound respect for you now

@cassyinlove when was i not?

I was hoping you were better than that but I can at least respect that you don't actually believe all of the stuff you said.

@rosebud thank you... may I ask what it was?

Basically your whole speech.

forsure