Article from UT Prof Jensen. Makes me proud to be a Texan.

What kind of car does professor Jensen drive?

 

Maybe he rides a bike. Maybe he drives an SUV. Who cares?

We are all hypocritical. As was once said in a movie, "Who's life, if you put it under a microscope, doesn't have problems?" What is important is that we are doing our best in our own ways. I'm a hypocrite. I'm sure you are to. We all are to some degree.

The points he made, though at times rather pointlessly, were valid to a degree. You just have to choose that degree for yourself.

I'm not sure why everyone seems so threatened by the idea that we should all take an interest in making a better world for ourselves and our children. What is so shocking about that?

Da: I understand what you are saying but that is a TERRIBLE way to model yourself, particularly if you are influencing others with your position. Just because idealists who change the world are rare does not mean we shouldn't all aspire to greatness.

I think we also quickly forget that you don't have to be famous to be an idealist that helps make a change. Sometimes, all it takes is dedication to something you believe in.

I remember seeing a story about a young girl (about 10 if I recall correctly) saying she wanted to do something for the homeless people in her city. One Sunday, she encouraged some friends to help her make sandwiches for the homeless people in a local park and her mother drove her there. Most of the people there ignored her or left because they were scared. She was un-deterred.

She came back every Sunday and began to gain the trust of the homeless men and women of the park. By the time she was 14, she had grocery stores as sponsors and was able to feed dozens of people every single week. The last time I saw the story, they did a "how is it going now" type of segment and she was still at it at the age of 17. Every Sunday for 7 years and no sign of stopping.

This is just an act of kindness by a little girl. What could be more idealistic than that? Yet, so many of us seem to be easily dismissive of it because we think it is hypocritical. That's pretty sad.

 

Glynch,

I am not advocating anything, merely pointing out the way it works.

People are selfish and greedy by nature, they think of themselves first.

Everyone WANTS to have a better world, but most do not want to do anything about it, if it means they will be put out in some way.

This is the way it is, and always will be, man is not a perfect animal, we are at the top of the food chain for sure, but we are FAR from idealogically perfect.

In truth, pure communism is a PERFECT society, the reason it does not work is that for it to be truly perfect, everyone must contribute equally to the good of the whole, and that is NEVER..EVER the case.

There are some that accomplish things, and some that merely watch, while others whine about the way things are done without actually doing anything themselves.

It all boils down to people caring about EVERYONE, but only REALLY caring about those closest to them.

I mean you feed your family before you would feed someone in a foreign land that you have no personal connection too. However, that does not stop people from helping out if they can, and how they see fit.

The problem is that people are corruptable both with power and with laziness. Some people want to get as much for themselves as they can, while others want to simply sup from the nipple of charity and not contribute one iota, and until we all think in one like mindset for the good of the species, it will always be this way.

I for one, do not mind this being the way it is, as our country is great because we allow people to acheive PERSONAL goals rather then global ones.

I think it is just natural.

DaDakota - not arguing in a political sense, just in a human nature sense.

PS Jeff, I think the car he drives is extremly relevant, if he is going to criticize others then he needs to be willing to be under that microscope too. Dr. Laura anyone?

 

DaDakota: Really? You believe that all people are selfish, greedy, easily corruptable and lazy and that only, what, their conscience or some sense of inner discipline keeps them from being total and complete self-centered jerks???

That seems like such a sucky way to view the world and I'm not sure why it seems that way to you because I see evidence to the contrary every single day of my life. I believe that it is in how you view it. If you want to see the world as selfish and petty, it is. If you want to see it as benevolant and kind, it is.

I would think that believing this would really make the world a ****ty place in which to live your life - a world of mostly bad mixed with a little kindness and good but only on rare occassions.

As for the guy's car, even if he drives a smoke-belching, 1-mile-per-gallon behemoth, that doesn't invalidate his IDEAS. That's just saying the message is wrong because the messenger is no saint, but ideas can stand alone with or without the aid of the messenger.

 

Jeff,

Let me clarify.

I don't believe all people are like that at all, but in order for what this Jensen boob believes, everyone would have to be of a like mindset.

There are TONS of good people who care, but there are just as many who are lazy, or who are selfish.

I would love a better world, and would contribute to such, but I am also a realist and want to get as much as I can for my own family.



DaDakota

 

I thought that sounded too harsh even for you!

 

Glynch,

From a personal standpoint that is not enough. I want pure financial freedom for my family. I want what I call "f... you" money.

That is where if someone asks you to do something you have enough money to just go f... you.



I think that man is a creature of goals and acheivments, and what that goal is for each person is different. My personal goal is 5 million cash in the bank.

That is enough money to retire on and live in complete comfort on the interest alone.

I will get there, and hopefully in the next 5 years....then ......GOLF baby..nothing but GOLF...every single day...GOLF..GOLF..GOLF....

Oh man.......GOLF !!!

DaDakota

 

That is the saddest thing I have ever seen. DaDa, if you don't get yourself straightened out, your future will be in danger. Think about your children, man. How do you think they will cope when they realize that daddy wastes his time, ignores them because of, and pours all sorts of money into such a horrible leisure activity?

mom: "Daddy golfs because you cry."

kids: "We cry because daddy golfs."

 

The point is that the message is much more valid if the messenger lives by his ideals. For instance, I believe that you are a vegetarian. I also seem to remember reading that you don't wear leather. These types of behaviors make your message much stronger if you are talking about kindness to animals. I eat meat, I wear leather and my wife has a fur. All other things equal, whose message would be better regarding kindness to animals? I can say it, but you LIVE it. Your message would carry much more weight.

If I tell my kids that they should go to church every Sunday and then I don't go, why should they listen to me? Going to church is a good thing to do, full of high ideals. My message gets lost if I don't practice what I preach.

I understand your point that regardless of the messenger we should listen to the message, however, the message gets lost if the messenger is a hypocrite.

 

bobrek: I agree with you. I know that sort of thing frustrates the HELL out of me too. Good point.

 

It's consumption that creates and maintains an employed workforce. Its consumption that generates tax dollars which pays for the best d@mn military n the world, along with the salary of that profess. Its consumption that brings the worlds brightest minds to our country, so that they will be rewarded ridicilous for their brilliance. That's why we are the best, and that's why these other countries are so far behind. You see, either they conform to a western standard model (thus we win), or they continue to suppress their great minds, deny entrepreneurs an ability to generate wealth, thus they continue to flee in herds to our country to share their ideas (and again we win again.)

So this profess criticizes the means which created this wealth, and yet wants to distribute income of others so he can feel nice and gushy inside? The second guys like the profess removes the incentive to create and work hard in this country, that's the second we lose our edge.

It's not about world dominance, its about removing the presence of a threat to our lives, points of interest, and places of employment. And yeah, if this sets precedence to future countries harboring terrorists to the U.S., let our actions in Afgan speak for itself. "Clean out your garbage, or let your countryside be filled with ruble and undetonated bombs."

How this guy can distort our economic model, entrepreneurship, and basic country infrastructure into something that is meant to suppress the world is even more ridiculous. Its not like capitalism is one of Bill Gates hidden OS codes, it's out in the open for anyone to follow. This is the youngest country on the face of the earth, and there should be no excuse to blame the US for ALL of their problems. Its almost comical that this country has advanced this quickly as others sat idolly by.

In case anyone wants to defend the Muslims countries which at one time in history WAS ahead of the Christian countries, read a little more into how Christianity began to ditch certain beliefs such as not being able to accept interest payments, and accepting risk payments based on the work of others. With that very turn of beliefs, European countries begain reaping the rewards of risk taking because of incentives, while Muslim countries sat in stagnation. There's a lot more to that story, but I am tired of typing, anyways, it's a great read. In case anyone wants to read the book, let me know and ill dig it out and post the title.

But in summary, even though blaming the US appears to be the "IN" thing to say and think in the liberal circle, in reality, these countries do far greater harm to themselves than given credit for.

 

bobrek--jensen actually does ride a bike around campus--he doesn't own a car, to my knowledge, and if he does, I haven't seen him use it around campus.

 

What kind of bike?




NCSTATEFAN, well said !!!

DaDakota

 

LOL! That was funny.

 

You didn't actually say that seriously, right?

 

this is coming form a UT Professor

Well what is he doing toget some affirmative Action back
into that school . . . give some of the poor unfortunates here
some help

It is always easy to see the evil we do abroad but not at home
Hell you MENTION apologizing for slavery and everyone in this
country gets dizzy and antagonistic

He mentions the kid with his legs blown off
HE WAS PLAYING WITH A BOMB THAT HE KNEW WAS A BOMB
Not that I have sympathy but it is no different than the
kids here playing with guns and shoot themselves

We *are* capable of utopia
just as we are cabaple of destroying ourselves
I think reality is somewhere in between

I say help me and mine 1st .. . because if cannot support you
if i don't have a leg to stand on.

He can talk about kids in Yugo, Iraq, Kuwait etc
but i know more kids HERE
I know they have NEEDS

I say stop the cluster bombs. . .not to save folx they
even though it is a nice by product
but to use the money to educate and feed kids here

Rocket River