Changes in Attitudes.

Every time I visit Toronto, it seems a larger percentage of the population is of Asian descent.
:bows:
(get it? I said ":bows:" instead of ":nods:"!! I crack myself up sometimes!!)

Living downtown you can look in every direction and often be the Only White Guy in sight....it's a hoot!

Canada is wonderfully diverse...and we don't demand assimilation.


What's your point?

Ishmael

Please read the other posts in the thread to get up to speed. thx
 
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In my part of the world it's more than two generations.

Leading citizens were largely at fault for being inhospitable to industry because it would compete for farm labor (back when farms needed labor) and for dividing scarce education resources to create shitty white flight academies in response to Brown v. Board of Education.

It's easy to look at it in terms of race. Undoubtedly race is a root part of the problem. But on a broader scope it's rooted in a lack of opportunity or the inability to muster the skills to take advantage of opportunity.

Some of it is self-imposed. Some of it not. Regardless, almost all of us affected one way or another by the consequences.
 
I haven't seen Ish use the old "you're not on topic...no soup for you!" routine in years!

Fond memories, good times.

As Ishmael confronts his own mortality...his cancer(s) continue unchecked...he seems determined to go out with a bang.

The past two months have been a veritable trip down memory lane, Ishmael has been pullin' out all stops, using every single deflection, distraction and obfuscation he used to routinely foist upon us.

I'm still waiting for the reoccurrence of "Igor's Goat" and "You fell into my cunning trap". Just for old times sake, I hope he trots out his legendary "Oil is technically a renewable resource" one final time.
 
Oh stop it...it's just fun to see him wriggling around; let's leave it at that.

As Ishmael confronts his own mortality...his cancer(s) continue unchecked...he seems determined to go out with a bang.

The past two months have been a veritable trip down memory lane, Ishmael has been pullin' out all stops, using every single deflection, distraction and obfuscation he used to routinely foist upon us.

I'm still waiting for the reoccurrence of "Igor's Goat" and "You fell into my cunning trap". Just for old times sake, I hope he trots out his legendary "Oil is technically a renewable resource" one final time.
 


The economic illiterates incited by demagogic Pied Pipers are incapable of figuring out that the high unemployment and sluggish economy are a direct result of the policies they pursue.



Why did the steel mills go ?

Why did the textile makers go ?

Why did the auto plants go ?

Why did the manufacturers go ?




You were REPEATEDLY told over many decades that government meddling, regulation, interference and bureaucracy would have consequences. Welcome to the consequences. You made your bed; now sleep in it.



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Really? Well, on reflection perhaps it is. And that too can be laid at the steps of the educational system. It seems as if ANY disagreement, honest disagreement, is immediately promoted to the level of 'hate.' Of course that's nothing more than a rhetorical trick, used primarily but not exclusively, by the left to inflame emotions. Sadly more and more seem to allow themselves to become entrapped by that rhetoric, particularly the less educated. While some of the more educated resort to the tactic when they have nothing meaningful to say.

Ishmael

You put your thumb right on the problem. The education system is screwed, blued and tattooed. School is supposed to be a place of learning, which fostered thought. Not anymore, they're indoctrination centers.
 


The economic illiterates incited by demagogic Pied Pipers are incapable of figuring out that the high unemployment and sluggish economy are a direct result of the policies they pursue.



Why did the steel mills go ?

Why did the textile makers go ?

Why did the auto plants go ?

Why did the manufacturers go ?






You were REPEATEDLY told over many decades that government meddling, regulation, interference and bureaucracy would have consequences. Welcome to the consequences. You made your bed; now sleep in it.



​

For a seemingly smart guy, that's a knee jerk, simplistic response.

You're welcome to live with it, though. Just keep peace with the "Utes."
 
yeah, but the thing is, even if it were a great educational system, kids who don't have a steady place to live, who worry constantly about where their next meal is, who worry about their parents, their siblings, getting in trouble with the law, etc, etc - they're not going to do well.

it's hard to focus on reading and writing when your family can barely afford rent. you can start by fixing education but in the meantime they still need to be able to survive - and you need a stable income for that to happen.



Exactly.

A lot of it falls back on the single-parent dilemma, regardless of race. How in the world can a kid survive with so little support and supervision when their single parent is trying to juggle jobs, bills and is exhausted.

Maybe the key is community help.

The traditional African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child” has been widely quoted and has never been more necessary than it is in today's society.
 
I was reading this blurb this AM and thought it worthy of discussion.

Young Blacks, Old Blacks

The part that focused my attention is this;



There are a lot of thoughts packed into those two paragraphs. Stating with the 'police harassment' notion. Is it really police harassment, or could it be more of a function of attitude towards authority? The attitude notion is repeated often enough throughout the article. Not all interactions with the police are harassment, unless you believe it to be so. And the choice of using traffic tickets as the example is a stretch, after all the receiving of a traffic citation is based on the recipients behavior. It's not harassment, it's merely the officers doing their jobs.

That being said it is undeniable that the impact of traffic fines, or most fines these days, hits the lowest quitile of earners the hardest. To one man a $100 fine is pocket change, to another it's a choice between the rent or eating. And in some locals fines for minor infractions have become excessive.

Then there is the jobs issue. In that respect the black community, in reality all communities, have been poorly served by the educational system. Listening (reading) the statements of many of the youth of Ferguson it's obvious that they speak barely intelligible English. If that is a reflection of their overall education it's painfully obvious that they are not going to qualify for any job that might be considered to have a future. Education in general and command of the English language in particular are the prime indicators of economic success throughout the individuals lifetime. It's easy to see why these young people are frustrated and angry. Where they make their mistake is by blaming this on discrimination on the part of the employer and that just isn't the case. The discrimination is taking place in the educational system, a system put in place and perpetuated by the very governmental bodies they demand 'fix' the employment situation. The very real problem is that these youths are essentially unemployable for any meaningful work out side of the possibility of the construction trades and those jobs are going to the illegals.

My fear is that at least two generations of young blacks are lost. They really have no future and it isn't entirely their fault. And without a sever overhaul of the educational systems even more generations will be lost and the divide will grow even deeper. And the anger and frustration will grow because after all, they have their High School Diploma in hand proving that they were educated and they truly don't understand just how ignorant they really are.

Ishmael




One kid said the smartest thing that's been said on NPR about Ferguson in the last two weeks:
People been actin' like fools.
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​
 
Exactly.

A lot of it falls back on the single-parent dilemma, regardless of race. How in the world can a kid survive with so little support and supervision when their single parent is trying to juggle jobs, bills and is exhausted.

Maybe the key is community help.

The traditional African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child” has been widely quoted and has never been more necessary than it is in today's society.

Well, they're damned if they do, damned if they don't. When they band together and vote as a bloc, you criticize them for their "herd mentality" and lack of rugged bootstrappy individualism.

And when they don't, you criticize them for being single parents and failure to support each other.

Which position is more important to you today?
 
China

China

China

China

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/19bpujmbar5ivgif/ku-medium.gif

For a seemingly smart guy, that's a knee jerk, simplistic response.

You're welcome to live with it, though. Just keep peace with the "Utes."

Don't ever take a soundbite meme from AJ again. Phonetically, it should be spelled "yoots."

I read "Utes" and it makes me think of this:

http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/04/17/80/00/0004178000004_500X500.jpg
 
The reference was deliberate because it conveys so much knowing the speaker. Yoots works better.

I've never seen those chips. We get Zapz, though.

Really? Maybe it's a regional thing. Utz is all over the map on the East Coast. They're known as the picnic/birthday/family reunion/party brand of snack foods because they're always 99 cents or economy size and makes for easy filling up of snack tables on a budget.
 
Really? Well, on reflection perhaps it is. And that too can be laid at the steps of the educational system. It seems as if ANY disagreement, honest disagreement, is immediately promoted to the level of 'hate.'

:rolleyes: No, it's not that at all.
 
For a seemingly smart guy, that's a knee jerk, simplistic response.

You're welcome to live with it, though. Just keep peace with the "Utes."


A demagogue is one who knowingly tells untruths to those he believes to be morons.
-H.L. Mencken
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​
 
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