[quote]slimjim wrote:
WguitarG wrote:
Can’t anyone see that MuscleMachine17 is, in all probability, a 17 year old kid who idolizes a successful musician and therefore believes everything he says on mere conviction. I’d like to tackle a few points with you today. Firstly, as a musician, calling Kanye West a musical genius is an insult to the artform. I love rock music, and even some rap is appealing for a workout, but take an audio trip down the jazz or classical lane to see some truly gifted people.
Matter of opinion I guess.
Also, why in the world are you victimizing black people? This victim mentality is exactly what keeps primarily black areas impoverished, the feeling that the government(or the white man, as they seem to be interchangable to you) owes you something.
I don’t think this is “exactly” what keeps black areas impoverished. A lot of the problem is more closely linked to the education systems in predominately poor neighborhoods, as well as the environment and families poor people are raised in…it tends to hold true for all races, not just blacks who “blame the white man.”
The guy from Sweden hit the nail on the head, no where in the world but American do minorities, most notibly blacks, have such wonderful opportunities to better themselves, so calling the race card for everything that is wrong in black society is getting ridiculous. One of my black friends made a 150 on the LSAT coupled with a 3.0 GPA and got into the best law schools in the country. I am happy for her, but a white person with the same exact scores could not even get into a single accredited law school in Georgia, much less Yale University.
I agree that sometimes the race card gets thrown out when it shouldn’t…like the time Rush said made that comment about Donovan McNabb…I thought it was ridiculous that he was getting blasted for it because I saw what his point was. I don’t think that race was the issue in the problems sending aid into the region, but it was a factor in the media’s portrayal of blacks in this instance.
On GWB, he called the Mayor of NO several days in advance advising a mandatory evacuation. What if he would have overridden the primarily black government of NO and declared martial law himself and the hurricane never hit?
He would have been labeled a baffoon and a racist for not believing in the black mayor of NO. The administration had no idea where exactly the hurricane would hit, and as another person said, the disaster area in the size of Great Britain, and the fact that rescuers are being fired upon for attempting to help doesn’t help their situation.
We are judged for the actions we do take, not what might have happened.
The fact that Kanye West turns this disaster into a racial war, as is common among people who victimize themselves, is extremly myopic in perspective and racist to boot.
I don’t think anyone needs to victimize anyone in this situation as there are obviously victims here. I’d like you to clear up what was so racist about his statements. He said what he felt happened…his statements came in response to actions(or inaction’s) that he felt affected a community he related to.
There comes a time when people have to start taking personal responsibility for their actions and lifestyles instead of looking to the government for their every need(which sounds lot like socialism to me). The time is now, and a person’s true character emerges when put in a situation like this…
I think, unfortunately too, that statements like this are getting easier and easier for people to make so that they can shift responsibility away from themselves and rationalize their positions on political matters; especially since most’ve us have not lived under the same circumstances those we judge do…
As citizens in this country, and the world for that matter, we have a responsibility to each other to see that good is done throughout. Instead of saying “it’s their responsibility” why don’t you ask what you could do to change the situation so everyone could go to sleep in a bed, under a roof, and with a full stomach. It’s a bit naive and utopian I know, but it’s much better than your attitude of “fuck it, let them worry about themselves.”[/quote]
Hey slim,
In response to your responses:
On your post regarding education…I’m not black, but I was raised in a house that should have been condemned by the city…we did not even have a kitchen, a living room, nor a dining room, only my room, my dad’s room, and a laundry room,with a refrigerator stuck in the midst of dirty clothes. Our gross income came to about $9000 per year, so financial obligations were always on our mind. Not what most 9 year olds worry about.
Most of the whites that went to the local public school were fairly poor as well, but most of the crime was committed by blacks. The point of me telling you this is to convey that I have been raised in the environment of which you speak and so have many of my friends. This is why I believe there are other factors to consider, victimization being a prime candidate, because as a group of people, blacks tend to victimize themselves, even Kanye West was using the venue at the time to talk about how bad the blacks had it, not to talk about the PEOPLE that needed relief effort. He turned it into a racial thing, which, to me, to discount the other races effected by this tragedy, is racist in itself. The fact that he even viewed this scenario as being racial is sad, but that is victimiation at its pinnacle.
You also must consider the consequences before committing to a plan of action.
On your last statement. I have lived in the situations of those I was “judging,” and possibly worse. How am I shifting responsiblity away from myself by making the statements I made? Are you saying its my responsiblity to ensure the success of others. I can understand that good should be done throughout the community, and my solution is through empowerment. I am a member of Students for Free Enterprise, and we will often go around to impoverished neighborhoods and schools to teach poor children and the elderly how to use computers, how to access the internet, how to manage finances, economics etc. in hopes of motivating them to take responsibilty for themselves. Is that not the solution you were looking for?
My solution is to end victimization, as an empowered person is a self-motivated person who will contribute to his country and family in a positive manor instead of shifting the blame and responsibilty to someone else.