Javaman
Javaman's JournalWhile I agree with what you say...
we live in a nation with laws that, for the most part, people respect.
And contrary to much of what the right wing likes to spew on a daily basis, we do have a measurable level of the separation of church and state. (although it does seem as if it's eroding)
That said, let's see what is at play here.
Two nations Libya and Egypt have just experienced to massive upheavals in their respective nations.
And after most major national upheavals, lots of rumors swirl, lots of opportunists in the form of both political and religious try to fill the vacuum of fear with their own brand of fear and lastly, most of the people who had been displaced or thrown out of work are desperate.
So when you have a nation where the majority of the younger population is out of work, needing enough food, wanting clean water, and would like to be able to return to school but are unable to; what happens? Lots of unrest.
But then you also have various outside influences who see the opportunity to spread their bullshit to a desperate citizens. Citizens who want to vent misplaced anger, frustration and stress.
Given enough propaganda, enough agitating and enough influence, you invite the masses to fulfill a certain agenda.
In steps some right wing moron. Terry Jones and his half wit will partner film maker to purposely make an inflammatory film. We live in a universe apart from the people of Libya and Egypt and find it hard to believe that anyone would riot over any film, especially a poorly made pile of crap such as this one, desperate people who need to vent and have no other way to react, riot.
The US has always been the easy target for 3rd world nations whose. Granted, the US doesn't have the greatest record in history when dealing with 3rd world nations especially in the area of human rights, but it doesn't help us in the least, especially as of late, to have right wing morons pouring gas on a smoldering coals.
It is horrible that people have lost their lives in this situation, it is deplorable that the people of these two countries have been used as puppets by their religious extremists, but at the same time, it's disgusting that someone in this nation employs terrorist by proxy to do their dirty work as a means to an end.
And that end? To further divide the people of the world into their screwed up world view of those who are white and believe in jesus and those that don't.
As sad as it is that these people in the middle east are so desperate that they fall for the words of extremists within their own midst, it is equally sad that there are people in this nation whose sole purpose is to spread hate a lies under the guise of religion.
Hammers and wood chippers.
that's a hell of a choice.
we are the serfs of new America, made to feel as if we matter, but are continually forgotten.
We are blurbs, we are content for political pamphlets, we are the useful tools to be bandied about when political need arises, our hands are shook, promises are made to us by eyes that seem sympathetic, we are smiled at on queue, we are told truths that are only half true, we are the gullible masses who want something so bad that we are willing to take scraps and call it victory; we are the new surfs.
At the end of the day, what do we really want? A fair shake? A fully belly? A secure job? A roof over our heads? A good night sleep?
We all live on the edge of a cliff, praying daily we don't fall off. Once, there were nets to save us if we did. But those nets are either vanishing are in ill repair.
We try our best to look forward, but be have a hard time to keep from looking down into the abyss.
As we walk, the edge gets a little less secure. Bit and pieces falling into oblivion.
We look to the open land and we see armies approaching. Armies of the wealthy, the greedy and the willing tools to be sacrificed.
They run across green grasses of endless beauty. Their sky is always blue, their water is always clean and they never have to worry about the next bill, feeding themselves or health issues.
We are the serfs of New America.
Yeah, the WI vote was rigged...
by us being out spent 10-1.
It's the American voting process being sold to the highest bidder.
Who needs to tamper with electronic voting machines. That's such ugly dirty work suited best for the likes of rove and his ilk.
nope, this time the election was gamed by money.
You see, prior to citizens united, tampering with voting machines was the way to ensure your guy won.
Now, money took it's place.
Look at it this way, once upon a time, the mafia used to shake down local business owners for protection money, but then they learned it was easier just to control the industry.
And here we are.
Sure they won "fair and square", but they only did that once they changed the rules.
See how it works?
My definitions of: moron, idiot and jerk...
Moron: someone who does something wrong but doesn't know better.
idiot: someone who does something wrong but does know better
jerk: someone who does something wrong, knows better but enjoys it.
fucking jerk: someone who does something wrong, knows better, enjoys it then does it again.
mitten's qualifies for the last one.
If you have ever been the victim of a bully...
No matter what mitten's says, what ever false or non-apology he gives, I will never believe him.
From the time I entered grade school to the time I left high school, I was bullied virtually every single day.
When I hear bullies apologize, I think of the old adage, "it's easier to get forgiveness than permission".
I then think of those who say, "the sign of being an adult is forgiving those who have wronged you".
I still have the scars, both mental and physical all these many many years later.
I chose to use my experience at the hands of bullies to be more empathetic and more understanding for those who experienced and experience the same treatment.
Do I forgive those who bullied me? No, instead I feel sorry for them. Do I feel sorry for mittens? No, I pity him and his pathetic life.
Bullies on the other hand learn to live with regret. But regret is a funny thing. What do they regret, they fact that they did what ever horrible thing they did to another person or regret they were found out?
It's only now that mitten's bullying comes out. So to me, it sounds as if he regrets being found out.
Am I such an adult that I can forgive someone for something they did to someone 40+ years ago? That's not me to answer but for the person who was bullied.
However, was mitten's the consummate upper class-man that singled out only underclassmen? or did he pick and choose his targets for scorn?
Frankly, I don't think it mattered to him. Bullies work from power. Power to control, power to manipulate, power to destroy and power to embarrass. All of which is rooted in ego.
You see, if mitten's was from some screwed up family that abused him, then it would be "shit rolls down hill" concept of passing the bullying he got from his parents onto some unsuspecting person just to vent his own anger.
But no. mitten's came from a well to do family. His "abuse" came in the form from parents who pumped up his ego and inflated the importance of his "station in life" and those who are "different" were beneath him.
I have long been saying that mitten's is a sociopath.
His non-apology apology confirms that. He just doesn't get it. He knows the words but he doesn't understand the actions.
I knew guys like him. He's the worst kind of bully. He's the kind who justifies his actions as being for the best for all, all the while having a smile on his face.
He will punch you in the face repeatedly, telling you the whole time, it's for your own good. And making you try to sympathize with him having to beat you up.
When in the end, the only person to "benefit" is mittens with his stroked ego by those who fawn around him and too afraid of him to tell him to fuck off. And those who were bullied, too bloodied to respond.
Blaming the teachers is merely pointing out the symptoms and not understanding the disease...
This is from a 13 year olds perspective at the classroom level and not a view on the systemic problems of the education system.
The problem of todays education system isn't teachers, it's the system which has now over arching corporate control, lack of funding, ever evolving education curriculum and treating national education as a political volley ball to be batted around at will to serve lobbyists, politicians and corporate interests.
The slow dismantling of various teachers unions, the firing of long time teachers and hiring "cheaper" new teachers with virtually no experience and with no mentoring programs is a deliberate effort to erode the system and allow it to be easily controlled by outside forces.
In conjunction: there are good teachers out there of all races. The problem teachers face isn't so much that they are bad teachers (although there are many), it's that the curriculum as been skewed so much toward teaching toward state and national mandated testing, that the art of real teaching is taking a backseat.
Once upon a time, teachers were able to go off curriculum to discuss topics at length. Now, they have to try and eek out the odd 5 to 15 minutes here and there to try and reach the students.
We have lost art, music and gym, we have lost civics, language programs and many after school activities in much of our grossly underfunded school system. Yet people still complain as to why kids don't get a proper education.
The working parents, couples and single, are at wits end to engage their child between struggling to maintain an income and a cohesive family. As a result, more pressure is put upon the teacher to try and "parent" kids. Yet parents get bent out of shape when their kid gets a poor report from school.
Teachers with no support from the parents and parents who perceive their child as doing no wrong or are unable or unwilling to be reasonable, is a failing cooperative endeavor.
The constant de-funding of schools, the rewarding of better schools and removal of funds from the "under performers", is destroying our kids education. Why punish an under performing school? Many times they are under performing because they don't have the funds to allow teachers to properly do their jobs.
While this student makes the comparison to slavery by equating white centric teachers as "masters" to the "slaves" of students of color, this students perspective is skewed to only her microcosm.
While I do understand the students perspective, I can only state that it's from a limited view, however, what I do hope happens is that it opens a debate on a wide range of topics concerning the problems with our public education system. One of which is funding.
Ann Romney and the 40 years to late reality...
Mrs. Romney's now odd remark about "struggling" is just so bizarre given her very very privileged life style.
But you know what? My mom was a stay at home mom.
My mom raised for kids while my dad worked.
But here is the difference.
My dad worked for the Dept of Sanitation for NYC. He was a mechanic.
He worked 40 hours a week + overtime.
He was in a Union. He was paid a living wage. He had complete and full benefits. He had a pension.
He was able to support a family of 6. He was able to put all us kids through college. He was able to save and eventually buy a small cabin in Canada for our summer vacations. He was able to leave my mom a nice sum of money so she wouldn't have to go without when he passed away. My mom received his pension and his SS on top of the money they saved together.
Did my mom struggle while raising us? Yes. Did she have to find new and creative ways at times to make ends meet at times? Damn straight.
But interestingly, once upon a time in this nation, the life that Mrs. Romney enjoys and has enjoyed for a life time, wasn't always just for the rich. I'm not talking about the 5 Cadillacs, or the dozens of homes. I'm referring to the ability of a parent, either male or female, to stay at home and raise their kids while the spouse worked. (granted in the 50's 60's and 70's when the kids in my family grew up, it was dominated by stay at home moms)
We were of modest means, but when you contrast what families, what women in general and what single mom's and dad's have to do today to make ends meet or just survive for that matter is actual hardcore struggling. Stay at home moms or dads is a virtual thing of the past.
It's a really sad thing to say, that in this day in age, people today look upon those past times, (I described above) as something so impossible, so incredible, that the comments by Mrs. Romney only puts a gigantic spotlight on 1) just how far we have fallen as a nation 2) how far we have fallen when it comes to workers rights 3) how far we have fallen in regards to women's rights and 4) how completely out of touch the GOP is in in regards to the income gap and the struggles of the poor.
This is the conversation we should be having but alas the right wing controlled media dictates how the words flow and just what the mouth breathing audience of American TV views should be angry about.
You're right, I'm not you...
but I can empathize.
No, I haven't had your experiences, but I can understand and relate from my own experiences.
When we seek to teach and end up dividing, we learn nothing and help no one.
While I haven't walked in you shoes, I have walked miles in my own and use that experience to try and seek out common ground to understand not just your plight, but all people who have suffered.
I have tasted the bitterness of poverty and have eaten from the golden apple of success. I have had to beg for food and I have had high dollar meals served at no cost to me. I have felt crushing defeat and the sweet beauty of victory. I have been judged and I have judged. I have had the hateful looks of scorn because of who I am and the embracing arms of acceptance.
I will never ever know what it's like to be a minority in this nation, I will not know how it feels to be looked upon, in some circles, as second class. I will not know what it's like to be passed over solely because of the color of my skin. I will never know these things.
However, it does not stop me from trying my best to empathize with the plight of a fellow human treated unfairly or killed because of the color of their skin.
Hate, ignorance and racism are exhausting. Acceptance, empathy and understanding is fulfilling.
We learn from positives and belittle ourselves as humans with negatives.
corporations rule.
never forget that.
we no longer live in a land where people matter.
we are consumers not citizens.
we are the great unwashed not the have mores.
our privacy is their knowledge.
we the people exist only on a tabulation sheet, next to a number; only to be tallied for how much overhead we account for.
sip the victory gin, because that is your last drink.
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Member since: Fri Jun 11, 2004, 11:37 AM
Number of posts: 62,515
