It was not about anybody Sammy, I was simply giving life examples for those in here that have tried to make it a class warefar argument and say that the American dream does not exist. Everyone in here draws from their own life's experiences, if you don't like my posts, or want to read them, then the "ignore" feature is conveniently located for you to use. Others might find the commentary useful and hopefully find the courage to seek their own American dream. It also adds context for people to understand where others are coming from in their discussions, we are all not the same age, or have the same hopes and dreams......I love hearing about others experiences, it strenghtens our own knowledge base. DD
Nearsighted? Isn't that a rhetorical question, everyone is nearsighted, we are all skewed by our own life experiences? I see what others are saying, but what rankles me is that they are giving up on the possibility that they might make it. I don't side with the rich on matters of taxes, I think they should pay more...I also don't for a minute think the London Riots were about inequity, I think they were 100% about opportunity and criminality. Read some of the kids being arrested, most just got caught up in the moment, they are not rioting for social change, they were just joining the party. So to me, I don't think these riots are related to anything the British govermnet has done...I think it is not class warfare, but rather just an opportunitistic smash and grab. DD
BTW - Thadeus - it is not about being blinded, but rather having ones eyes open to possibilities rather than letting the crowd shout you down. I have lived paycheck to paycheck, been broke, had severe hardships, but you can choose to let those things strengthen your resolve or give in and let them crush you. It may be that the odds are stacked against people, but so what? Life is not fair, not everyone is going to win or succeed, but if you do everything you can to educate yourself, it will significantly increase those odds of succeeding, and I guarantee you most of those idiots running around in London stealing tennis shoes are not going to do the work necessary to rise above and be successful. And the question then becomes, who do you blame? You and Rhad are blaming society, I am blaming those kids and their families......that is the crux of our disagreement here. DD
No, that's not what I'm saying at all. But anyway, I give up. You go ahead and keep congratulating yourself on the great hardships you've overcome to become a self-made man in a society that has been terribly unfair to you. P.S. - you don't really believe that "anyone can do it."
right after the previous post... DD again displays his logic-defying ability to assume all sides of an argument, and inevitably end up going toe-to-toe with himself and his own ego.
mom of two who slept through riots yet accepted a pair of looted shorts given a 5 month sentence This isn't justice, this is revenge. (Manchester police then gloated about it on twitter) Smh As for DaDakota: Same old, same old. Clueless, yet loud. It's like a freight train of ego-fueled blather.
Punished? Yes... but this is going overboard. They are trying to set an example, and if England is anything like the USA, it will only make the situation worse. I will never let another UK resident tell me they do not have race or class issues...
Those are completely consistent...you guys are just steaming for a fight and looking in the wrong place.... Thad - I do believe EVERYONE has the same opportunities, but not the same will to make it happen. DD
Look - forget it, you guys continue to believe that the riots were some type of social riot against the rich, when the truth speaks otherwise. And continue to believe you can't make it today and the world is against you...... You will just become what you believe will happen rather than what you could be..... DD
You still don't get it. Amazing. I'm done. I now understand how the only folks willing to consistently engage you are the plethora of 13 yr old wankers in the GARM. They match both your wit and conceit.
Look, I get it, I just don't AGREE with you...so I can sit here and say..hey...you still don't get it...over and over like you...but you know what.....it won't change a thing. DD
Congratulations on your astounding willpower that has enabled you to overcome the overwhelming odds and ascend to your great position. It's clear that you started from absolutely nothing and, through your own hard work and determination, and the great opportunities in America, you have become a self-made man. It's just a shame everyone else who starts from absolutely nothing just sits around complaining and doesn't have your willpower or determination to succeed. Good job. Congrats.
DaDakota, There are plenty of people who started where you started, with the exact same circumstances, and just as much will as you, and failed. It happens, and it happens for a variety of reasons. Everyone is fundamentally the same. If you were born into a different country and a different family under different circumstances with different background, you could be looting too today. Everyone agrees that the criminal damage caused by the looters and rioters should be appropriately punished. That doesn't necessarily mean that there is no underlying issue. It may very well be a case where a large portion of the rioters engaged in crime, and there is an underlying issue which grips both violent and non-violent protestors. I think you are essentially indicating that these people have all the tools they need to succeed financially, or as you call it, "succeed". They seem to be claiming that they do not have the same tools to succeed as other people in the society. We're never going to answer that question, but realistically, the people who live there are more likely to know the answer to that question than you. Have many criminals emerged during these riots? Yes. Does that mean it is random and that there are no underlying issues? I could never think of another human being that way, so I would have to say "no" even if we still don't know what those issues are.
If you truly believe that a kid born in an impoverished inner city in America has the same opportunity as a kid born in nearly any suburban environment then you really are deluded.
They may not have the same starting point, but they have an equal ending point. I just don't agree with the naysayers on here that don't believe people can acheive, I have seen it with my own eyes, and have friends that have come from nothing to succeed as well as those with a silver spoon from birth. I do get the point that not everyone has the same environment or resources, and will surely acknowledge that it makes it harder for them, but I firmly believe they can still be successful (whatever their own definition about that is) in America. I don't believe the weight of the world is a shackling experience.... DD
