Never Mind the Giant Flat-Screen TV...

[goof2]

Originally Posted by Amber Lamps

So...ALL of the black people on welfare and in prison chose to be there without any reason whatsoever.... They had EXACTLY the same opportunities but CHOSE a life of crime and poverty.... Hmmm.... okay, that means that NONE of the rich, white people inherited their money, had parents to pay for college, had social contacts to help them, etc, etc, etc. Look I never said that black people CAN'T succeed in this country. Heck, I never actually said anything, I posed the question as to whether there might be a reason why our numbers are higher than whites. Aparently, most of you believe that we are just plain lazy, criminals by nature. I'm not surprised.

I mean, I read your stories about the lazy, good for nothing blacks that you have run accross in your life, and I'm sure that there have been plenty. IMHO WE ARE ALL INCREDIBLY LAZY these days and none of us want to do any more than we absolutely have to to get by. Hell, some of you finger pointers are actually AT WORK wasting company time on this forum. I've met lazy people of all stripes personally and failure is failure in my book. I wouldn't judge a white person's failure harsher than a black one, provided the situations were similar, of course. I've never even heard of that...

This assumes people feel differently about white people on welfare or in jail.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Tmall

Army, Navy, Air Force, National Guard... All four will take just about anybody. All you need is the motivation to do something. Barring crazy circumstances, there's no reason why ANY person can't pull themselves up out of poverty using those stepping stones.

Basically what I did. Saw a lot of other folks of all races and religions doing the same. There's no excuse in america

[CasterTroy]

Originally Posted by Amber Lamps

So...ALL of the black people on welfare and in prison chose to be there without any reason whatsoever.... .

Prison isn't a choice..but more of a consequence for an action a person CHOOSES to do. Whether that person made that CHOICE because they didn't care about consequences or they didn't believe they applied to them is beyond reason...........but when you have 4th generation welfare recipients that have been groomed by their parents/grandparents to manipulate the system by getting pregnant at a very young age, multiple times by multiple fathers and placing those children in the care of grandparents, aunts and cousins so they TOO can collect welfare, child support and food stamps, then you have not only reason, but you also have a motive to beat the system. A system in desperate need of an overhaul to weed these generational manipulators off the gob'ment teet.

Originally Posted by Amber Lamps

They had EXACTLY the same opportunities but CHOSE a life of crime and poverty.... Hmmm.... okay, that means that NONE of the rich, white people inherited their money, had parents to pay for college, had social contacts to help them, etc, etc, etc...

The same opportunities I had apparently. I grew up a poor ass little white kid in a trailer park on the WRONG side of town, from a single parent that worked in the social services and child support enforcement sector of the county gov here. She made so little that we qualified for food stamps and support but she CHOSE not to take that aid. All the while processing applications for people who were making 2-3 times what she was manipulating the system. Can you imagine working in that environment and seeing this shit for 37 years? Long enough to see the grandchild of some of your first clients coming in to receive aid with THEIR baby's on their hips, demanding their payments?!?!

I decided that I wouldn't live in the conditions I grew up in, and went to college. I wasn't willing to take loans, and I couldn't afford to go away for college. So I applied to a local engineering college here that I could commute too. I worked 3 jobs (UPS, Arby's & HQ) while going to design school where I'd be in studio till 3am working on designs, after having worked till midnight at UPS, only to have to be in class at 8am.

It was hard...but I finished school and started work at a design firm here in town.

I do well. I'm not in prison, nor on welfare.

Originally Posted by Amber Lamps

Aparently, most of you believe that we are just plain lazy, criminals by nature. I'm not surprised.

I don't believe that personally. I don't think any race is more lazy than another by NATURE.

I believe that lazy and criminal natures are LEARNED and not bred. I believe that the whom a person chooses to have as their surrounding society is what dictates the motivation of a person.

Look at (most) asians as a whole we consider them very motivated and intelligent (well...there's Ed ) I don't think this is the way they are NATURED as much as it's their culture to succeed and try harder.

Originally Posted by Amber Lamps

I mean, I read your stories about the lazy, good for nothing blacks that you have run across in your life, and I'm sure that there have been plenty

So how is this different than how blacks view (most) white?

Having been a minority most of my life and a MAJOR minority in college I can assure you that I heard my fair share of how "whitey" or "the man" is only out to "keep a brutha down"

Say what you will......your opinion is formed by what you see around you. (see my comment about Asians…was that racist? I don’t care. It’s an observation, get over it) I've seen a lot of shit in my time. But I try not to let that taint my preconceived opinions of people I meet. Sadly though....I'm not surprised when things happen and you see who the culprit was. But to me, that’s not being racist, that's being a realist. I mean c'mon, Crackahs can be shitheads too. "Bernie" Madoff may have be white, and faked being successful, but he's a manipulating fucktard to the Nth degree and no better than a crack dealing street thug in my eyes. I just call em like I see em.

[wildchild]

actually the poorest person I ever seen was in the Army a kid asked me to give him a ride home over one of the holidays. I was known as the one who would give rides to guys if they didn't have a car. usually I got paid for it, this kid was low rank and I had never been to W Virginia before so I told him no charge.
I have lived in, been in, or partied in some God awful neighborhoods throughout my life. seen shootings, had guns pulled on me, seen drug deals, hookers and you name it.
pulling up to that kids house brought a whole different reality into focus. these folks were poor. shacks built out of nothing just basically out in the woods. like everything you joke about with people but think it isn't real.
nicest people in the world but wow, I guess what made it seem worse was because they just accepted it. I've been down, even to the point of being essentially homeless for 6 months, but you never give up and accept it.
this is why I get PO'd when people talk about the poor inner city people and how we owe them so much. they have so many opportunities afforded to them just by the location and the fact of all the publicity.
these people had no food pantry, no free clinic, no tech school nearby to go to with a gov't grant. they had very little and yet asked for nothing. even made me sit down so they could give me a meal for bringing their son home.
I find it very hard to feel sorry for anyone who is watching a big screen TV, driving a new car, partying in the street every night, and talking about how they aint got nuthin'

[OneSickPsycho]

I've seen my fair share of this shit first hand... it knows no color... black, white, brown... well, never yellow, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

I've worked with people on commission based pay that had to limit their productivity - either by actually refusing to sell or limiting their hours, to ensure they got their government check. Seriously, 8 years in call centers, I've seen it 100 times or more.

I've seen people with car payments, gold jewelry, iPhones, designer clothes, etc, etc... work 20 hrs/wk @ $8/hr and STILL had money to smoke a couple of blunts every day and frequent the bar. $8/hr will get you pretty far, when the rest of us are footing all of your other bills.

The sickest part is, 90% of these idiots had kids. Where were the kids while they were working, shopping for the latest gear, and smoking blunts outside of the bar? It's frightening to imagine.

In my experience, there is a much larger percentage of people abusing the system, than there are people who actually need the help. Nothing should be free IMHO, otherwise this is what you are going to get.

[CasterTroy]

Originally Posted by wildchild

actu these folks were poor. shacks built out of nothing just basically out in the woods. like everything you joke about with people but think it isn't real.

I know what you mean.....houses without windows or doors....made of mud



Houses with no running water. Where THIS is your toilet

Originally Posted by wildchild

I find it very hard to feel sorry for anyone who is watching a big screen TV, driving a new car, partying in the street every night, and talking about how they aint got nuthin'

When THIS is the "big scene at the mall" then you know you're seeing poor




But JUST like you said:

Originally Posted by wildchild

these people had no food pantry, no free clinic, no tech school nearby to go to with a gov't grant. they had very little and yet asked for nothing.

[azoomm]

Originally Posted by Dave

Basically what I did. Saw a lot of other folks of all races and religions doing the same. There's no excuse in america

But, it's HARD. It's so much more easy to just skate through life as a victim.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by azoomm

But, it's HARD. It's so much more easy to just skate through life as a victim.

And thus why the option shouldn't exist. Imagine this country if everyone had the character from doing the difficult

[wildchild]

amber lamps really your skin is probably lighter then mine, (i am a mutt of some sort) I find it hard to believe you've felt the pain of the black man. like you said folks only know of your black heritage when you tell them.

have been on welfare? been homeless? lived in roach infested condemed buildings? had to go without food?

you look like you have a pretty good life for someone who is so oppressed for being black. hot white GF, nice bikes, lots of toys, money to spend. how did you get there? bust your ass or someone hand it to you?

[azoomm]

Originally Posted by Dave

And thus why the option shouldn't exist. Imagine this country if everyone had the character from doing the difficult

Many do. More than many do. Those are the ones that don't make the news..