[quote]zecarlo wrote:
[quote]angry chicken wrote:
Zecarlo
What you should do now is apologize. We were having a discussion, and you took ONE irrelivent aspect of my post and used it to take a pot shot at me - it had nothing to do with my point. I’m not sure why, I don’t recall ever attacking you personally, but the “hey, it’s the internet, he put it out there” argument doesn’t fly. Your “contrubution”, if you want to call it that, was petty, inappropriate to the discussion, and frankly, immature.
Be a man, and quit being a passive aggressive bitch with the, “if AC feels blah blah blah, then he needs to grow up” bullshit. And replying to UL about the saying it to my face comment when I’M the one who said you’d never say it to my face only serves to vindicate my statement because you didn’t even reply to MY post and you haven’t refered to me DIRECTLY since. If you want to refer to me, REFER TO ME DIRECTLY. Other than that, keep my name out of your fucking mouth.
However, if you apologize, I will accept your apology and we can move forward - I don’t hold grudges. It would also go a long way to increasing the quality of this forum. If you don’t apologize, and continue with your passive aggressive posturing, then it will only speak volumes about who you really are. I’m inviting you to be mature and take the high road - even if it’s only the internet…[/quote]
Apologize? You displayed a very condescending attitude about those on public assistance as if you are somehow superior.
[/quote]How is it condecending to want people to work? At least let them pass a drug test to receive benefits - I have to pass one to earn it for them.[quote]
If anything someone like you should sympathize. You didn’t trun your life around by your own force of will and inner strength. It took a govt subsidized moment of enlightenment to inspire your change. Maybe you saw the light when you dropped the soap in the shower, I don’t know.
[/quote]If that were true, there would be no recidivism. The govt would enlighten EVERYBODY. But we know that’s not QUITE the case now, is it? And joking about prison rape isn’t funny.[quote]
What I do know is that you seem to want some pat on the back or validation. For what? For doing the right thing which you should have been doing your whole life? It took tax payer money to give you the kick in the ass you needed. It took tax payer money to give you a second chance.
[/quote]My post was not asking for a pat on the back. It was making the point that if I, an ex felon with out a HS diploma, can find a job, why can’t someone else? The whole point of my post, which you seem to have missed, is that LESS government interference is better for folks in the long run. Govt subsidies only serve to turn people into sheep. Citizens that are sheep only serve to weaken our country. THAT was my point. Me being a felon or using tax payer dollars while I was incarcerated and therefore “I’m the same as them” is some ridiculous conclusion that you came to. But make no mistake: I don’t want a pat on the back for being a felon. It’s not something I wear on my sleeve as a badge of honor or anything. It was an intense experience that changed me in many ways, and I survived a lot of fucked up things while incercerated, but I’m not “PROUD” to have broken the law, and I’ve gone out of my way to make ammends for my transgression. It was 20 years ago and I’ve evolved considerably since then.[quote]
Instead of putting other people down you should be thankful you live in a country that lifted you up when you were unable to do it yourself. You got your chunk of govt cheese and now you want them to close the deli.
[/quote]What country do you live in? Because here in the US, they do everything they can to stack the deck against felons. NO ONE lifted me up but myself.[quote]
I have never been arrested, let alone committed a felony. I was raised to view criminals as losers and scum. When I was a kid in Sicily I asked my father what the mafia was. He said it was a bunch of people who didn’t want to work. I didn’t make the same choices you did growing up and so I never needed to turn my life around as drastically as you.
Does that mean I should get congratulated? I don’t know why you did what you did. I know you mentioned it here before but I don’t recall the details. All I know is that I was raised to respect people and the laws. I was raised to not steal or hurt people. I was raised to believe that my actions reflected upon my family.
[/quote]I’m happy that you had a father to provide you with good advice and were raised not to hurt people and to view criminals as losers and scum. I was raised by losers and scum. I was raised to steal food while my brother made a distraction. I grew up in Baltimore City in the 70’s. My mother was a whore and my father and I didn’t have much contact until I was in my 20’s. My mother married a series of dysfunctional men who physically abused my brother and I. And I’m not talking about spankings, my first stepfather broke my ribs and punctured my lung (when I was 6), and my second stepfather whipped me with extension cords while reading me scripture. I tried to kill myself when I was eight. My third stepfather kicked me out of the house when I was sixteen and I did what I had to do to survive on the street. I don’t speak to either of my parents anymore. So count yourself lucky that your father guided you in a positive direction. I was not so lucky. That doesn’t make me a loser or scum, by the way - and many of the “choises” that you attribute to me, were made for me. But whatever, I hope your smug feeling of superiority keeps you warm at night. I made the best of bad situation and I have no regrets about my life.[quote]
Maybe your circumstances were different growing up. [/quote](just a little)[quote] Maybe you were just a scumbag. The thing is, I don’t judge you as a person because I don’t know your whole story. Felon doesn’t tell me who you are inside, only what you did. I don’t believe you don’t deserve to live. I’m glad you live in a country that provided you with a second chance.
I just don’t see how someone like you can be so judgmental and even hostile toward people who are just like you were. They may even be better as they are not necessarily felons. I don’t look down on you or those who you look down on even though I was never as low as you or they.
[/quote]They are NOT just like me. I was incarcerated just after I turned 18 after surviving on the street. I have worked my ass off since then. I have never failed a drug test, always paid my taxes and have voted as soon as I got that right restored. People on welfare don’t do shit with themselves. They do the bare minimum to scrape by, some of them pump out more kids to get a bigger check, and the majority of them abuse the system. Do you see a difference? [quote]
Is this better? Or should I be afraid of your internet wrath coming to get me? About that apology: I am sorry that your time spent wallowing on the lowest rungs of society and your (govt forced) transformation into a productive citizen didn’t give you a sense of humility but rather one of superiority. [/quote]
You don’t have to fear anything from me. LOL I don’t have the time, energy or inclination to pursue a vendetta from an internet argument. But when you accuse me of spending time wallowing on the lowest rungs of society, it comes off as pretty ignorant. I was BORN there, where else would you have had me wallow? And I assure you my “transformation” had NOTHING to do with the govt… In fact, the govt enables people to STAY stuck. My earlier argument would force people to dig deep within themselves and find the courage to change. That would be a good thing.
I won’t be spending any more time arguing with you, so feel free to not reply to this post, or if you do, don’t expect me to write anything substantial. As far as I’m concerned, we are done here.
