Gibbers....
Gibbers....
Looks like you have been calling me out in a few threads the last week or so..... Sorry its taken me so long to respond to your jabs I am one of those busy business people you so dispise. Just dont have the time like you seem to.
Don?t be so overly dramatic. You and I were having a discussion in one thread and yes, I brought up your name in this one because it addressed something that you spoke of directly. That hardly constitutes calling you out in a few threads.
Believe it or not, I don?t despise ?those busy business people? ? just the unethical ones. And you?re right, I?ve been spending far too much time on here instead of focusing on finishing up already?.I?ll give you that. Perhaps the ?excess time? is meant as a dig, maybe even related to being unemployed. Sometimes, it?s difficult to ascertain the tenor of one?s discourse on here. So yeah, fortunately, I?m not unemployed and "sucking from the government's teat and all the hardworking taxpayers." Far from it.
I?ll also attempt to respond to all of your points.
As far as hungry kids of course I don?t blame them for the situation they are in and its a terrible thing. That is the kind of govt assistance I hope they get and will gladly pay taxes for.
That?s great! You shouldn?t be blaming the kids.
But I will say this about the parents...My wife and I waited almost 3 yrs after being married till we decided we could afford to support a child. Why are people who cant even take care of themselves having kids??
I believe that you?re taking quite a leap here. First of all, why are you assuming that they couldn?t take care of themselves prior to having kids? Perhaps they encountered hardships later on in life. Secondly, if you restrict child bearing/rearing to only those that can afford it, regardless of how you define affordability, the entire population of the US would decrease astronomically. (This is related to another point.)
My point is, Chrry when in your mind is an individual supposed to be responsible for their own actions and decisions???? Does that point ever come? Or is it always going to be the other guys fault?
Everyone is responsible for their own actions and decisions. However, you are under the impression that inequality doesn?t exist. Either that or you just simply choose to ignore it. This must be factored in as it is part of the equation. Your belief that someone who works hard and does all the right things eventually accomplishes their goal ? the American dream ? is unattainable for most. If it were, don?t you think that the majority of the poor would have already achieved some sort of social uplift? Do you really believe that they choose to remain poor? What kind of logic is that? According to you, if one wants it badly enough, then they can achieve it. This is no longer the case. For a few lucky ones, sure. For the majority, not even close. It?s an impossibility because it is systemic. The system that we are all currently in is working as it should. (It?s all interrelated.)
Let me give you a couple of examples.
Who enters the military? Do the rich kids join? Maybe some upper-middle class (which, by the way, is shrinking exponentially). But, the majority of those that enlist belong to the lower-middle class and the lower-class. You can?t deny this. Why do they join? Perhaps some do to serve their country, but mostly, they enlist for an opportunity at an education, a salary, to see the world, to find themselves?these types of things. It is a viable option given to them to succeed at something. Otherwise, what other opportunities are truly available to the majority of them? Put it this way, given your prescribed scenario, if EVERYONE worked hard and succeeded, then who would be left to enlist??? (Related.)
Secondly, have you noticed the increase in the privatization of jails and prisons? How do you think they ensure profitability? Now run as a business, isn?t it in their best interest to maintain full capacity? And I dunno, is it a coincidence that the demographics of prisoners correlate to lower income individuals?
And finally, (I could list a tonne more but I?m trying to keep this concise ? YIKES!) do you truly believe that lower-income kids have different aspirations than their wealthier counterparts? Don?t you think that many of them similarly want to be doctors, lawyers, businessmen, etc.? Now think of the financial obstacles that they encounter on their way to success. Not quite the same as the wealthy kids, right? So unless they luck out and are super exceptional and land either an academic or an athletic scholarship, realistically, what are their chances of making it? And sometimes, when one?s hungry all the time, dreams tend to fade.
Just look at that post regarding those Californians planting gardens in the front of their houses. Imagine living in a place where there was no real access to healthy foods? Can?t you empathize with the difficulties these individuals face just to eat right? Can you appreciate how difficult it is to aspire to greater heights when even the most basic necessities remain unrealized?
These kids are going to grow up hard but eventually they will be adults and they will have choices to make like everyone else. Then they will have kids, their kids will have kids and on and on. When does the cycle end?? Someone down the line at some point has to say fuck this im getting my ass to school or get a job. CIE had good story about his family growing up with hardship. You should read it. No excuses in that family.
My grandfather did the same thing. He is a Choctaw Indian that came from a long line of drunks and losers. He was on the same path till his son was born and took a job in the oil fields. Supported his wife and two kids and pulled them all out of the gutter.
I?ve read Cie?s story and I?ve read your grandfather?s story. They?re both great illustrations of the real American dream. I have somewhat similar stories. My mom, her older brother and his wife moved to the US with very little but their medical degrees. They studied their asses off and passed the required exams and were certified. They worked hard, became successful, blah blah blah. Granted, they came from privileged backgrounds, but still, they moved to the US with practically nothing and hit the proverbial lottery. So yes, it IS absolutely possible to live the American dream. My point is that these stories (especially in today?s day and age) are more the exception than the rule. Everyone cannot be equally successful or success itself becomes a moot point. Not everyone can be wealthy or wealth itself becomes inconsequential. And therein lies the problem. Who decides who gets what?
So it?s NOT about being jealous and wanting what others have or asking for handouts. It's not even about working as hard as you can anymore. It?s about the (growing) existing inequality and the lack of opportunity for far too many. And to discount these realities is nothing short of foolhardy.
Man, that was long.
Peace!
