“Reparations, Clegg said at last, would “give my kids a different life.””
————————————————————-
No, it would not. Well, okay, ‘different’ but not better.
I guess the main argument against the reparations discussion is that it gives people a false hope and Powerball mentality. Not quite as poisonous as the ‘diffuse inescapable white supremac…
“Reparations, Clegg said at last, would “give my kids a different life.””
————————————————————-
No, it would not. Well, okay, ‘different’ but not better.
I guess the main argument against the reparations discussion is that it gives people a false hope and Powerball mentality. Not quite as poisonous as the ‘diffuse inescapable white supremacy is holding you down’ discussion; but still not great.
Unless we are going to argue that Black Americans are a superior and more moral class of human beings, giving people cash basically never fixes their problems. The more cash you give usually the worse it goes.
The Great Society welfare programs were reparations. Trillions so far.
My father was a cop in SF in the 1960s. One night he came home from work, and over dinner he described the “projects” he went into that day. Garbage in the hallways, graffiti, urine smelling elevators, he shook his head and said the taxpayers paid for those buildings, look how these people destroy them. He said people don’t appreciate something unless they earn it. I was ten, I never forgot that conversation.
I remember watching a report on 60 Minutes back in the late 1970's that showed the horrible, filthy conditions that people were "enduring" while living in welfare motels. I also remember my mom stating that the people living there had plenty of available time to clean up those filthy conditions themselves.
Mom's comments were something along the lines of "If you have a rag and running water available, your floor should never be dirty. If you have hands and a garbage can available, your home // apartment building shouldn't be surrounded by litter".
I remember my Dad scratching his head over the long lineups at the Food Bank. Why aren't they helping? he wondered. My Dad was the sort who would help a waitress clear the table. What also comes to mind is the care people will take of homes they own versus homes they rent. And to add to the mix: where are all the absent fathers?
As I sit in my mortgage free home, and with a paid for 2 year-old vehicle, comfortably retired, I must truthfully admit that I wouldn't have been able to do it alone. Along the way there were people who gave me a "hand up", including thousands of dollars, and friends who assisted me and my family at crucial times.
I am no one special, not especially perceptive or brilliant, but even THIS guy KNOWS that any attempt at reparations MUST come with the accompanying hard work for it to succeed. I just cannot see that happening.
Check out first year night school class at a community college and a first year day class at a university and this theory is glaringly obvious. People appreciate what they have to work for and they work for things that are worth it.
When I taught English at the local community college, it was the "non-trad" students (people who had been working since high school) who were my best students, because they appreciated the opportunity they were getting. Kids fresh out of high school were often too involved in their social life and their feelings to make much of an effort; college was just "more school."
Considering that I had the same experience--didn't do well in college the first time, despite having been a straight-A student, but returned later to finish my B.A. and get my M.A.--I was not all surprised by any of this.
Yep. I got an A.A., B.S., and M.B.A. all as a non-traditional student and by far the best experience was the AA at my local community college. Night and weekend classes had students who were serious about school and the quality of professors and instruction was by far superior. The professors were actually invested in their students’ success and went above and beyond to ensure their classes were successful. Many of them actually worked at the bigger name state universities and liberal arts colleges in town by day and taught classes at the community college by night.
My daughter was not much of a student in HS. She couldn't get into a four-year college, so she went to a local community college where she learned how to study. After two years, she transferred to a good university and got her BA. If she had been black and had initially received an affirmative action admission to a four-year college, she probably would have not been able to do the work and would have flunked out.
PS--and I won’t forget the fact that black cops were promoted ahead of my father back in the 1970s, even when he scored higher on qualifying exams. Reverse discrimination was happening even back then.
“Reparations, Clegg said at last, would “give my kids a different life.””
————————————————————-
No, it would not. Well, okay, ‘different’ but not better.
I guess the main argument against the reparations discussion is that it gives people a false hope and Powerball mentality. Not quite as poisonous as the ‘diffuse inescapable white supremacy is holding you down’ discussion; but still not great.
Unless we are going to argue that Black Americans are a superior and more moral class of human beings, giving people cash basically never fixes their problems. The more cash you give usually the worse it goes.
It’s just another empty promise that undermines people’s actual power over their lives.
> ‘diffuse inescapable white supremacy is holding you down’ discussion
That won't go away with reparations. In fact, it would only be fueled by them.
Oh yes 100%. Cash reparations absolutely will not work and will make things worse and then Dems will say
“Well this just shows how much hidden bias and racism is lurking in society because even with lots of money the white supremacy still wins!!”
"the curse of the lotto" is a thing. Who knew?
“Reparations, Clegg said at last, would “give my kids a different life.””
This from a guy who won't marry his children's mother?
If she’s his fiancée, it isn’t that he *won’t* marry her, it’s that he *has yet to* marry her.
5 kids later....
Possibly. Or possibly his older kids are with someone else, and the current fiancée doesn’t want to be pregnant in a wedding dress. Who knows?
The Great Society welfare programs were reparations. Trillions so far.
My father was a cop in SF in the 1960s. One night he came home from work, and over dinner he described the “projects” he went into that day. Garbage in the hallways, graffiti, urine smelling elevators, he shook his head and said the taxpayers paid for those buildings, look how these people destroy them. He said people don’t appreciate something unless they earn it. I was ten, I never forgot that conversation.
I remember watching a report on 60 Minutes back in the late 1970's that showed the horrible, filthy conditions that people were "enduring" while living in welfare motels. I also remember my mom stating that the people living there had plenty of available time to clean up those filthy conditions themselves.
Mom's comments were something along the lines of "If you have a rag and running water available, your floor should never be dirty. If you have hands and a garbage can available, your home // apartment building shouldn't be surrounded by litter".
Your mom’s comments were, of course, 100% correct. But only to people that already get the idea. Those that don’t wouldn’t understand or agree.
I remember my Dad scratching his head over the long lineups at the Food Bank. Why aren't they helping? he wondered. My Dad was the sort who would help a waitress clear the table. What also comes to mind is the care people will take of homes they own versus homes they rent. And to add to the mix: where are all the absent fathers?
As I sit in my mortgage free home, and with a paid for 2 year-old vehicle, comfortably retired, I must truthfully admit that I wouldn't have been able to do it alone. Along the way there were people who gave me a "hand up", including thousands of dollars, and friends who assisted me and my family at crucial times.
I am no one special, not especially perceptive or brilliant, but even THIS guy KNOWS that any attempt at reparations MUST come with the accompanying hard work for it to succeed. I just cannot see that happening.
“He said people don’t appreciate something unless they earn it.”
This statement-so true. I have seen people of all colors and walks of life demonstrate this over and over.
Check out first year night school class at a community college and a first year day class at a university and this theory is glaringly obvious. People appreciate what they have to work for and they work for things that are worth it.
When I taught English at the local community college, it was the "non-trad" students (people who had been working since high school) who were my best students, because they appreciated the opportunity they were getting. Kids fresh out of high school were often too involved in their social life and their feelings to make much of an effort; college was just "more school."
Considering that I had the same experience--didn't do well in college the first time, despite having been a straight-A student, but returned later to finish my B.A. and get my M.A.--I was not all surprised by any of this.
Yep. I got an A.A., B.S., and M.B.A. all as a non-traditional student and by far the best experience was the AA at my local community college. Night and weekend classes had students who were serious about school and the quality of professors and instruction was by far superior. The professors were actually invested in their students’ success and went above and beyond to ensure their classes were successful. Many of them actually worked at the bigger name state universities and liberal arts colleges in town by day and taught classes at the community college by night.
My daughter was not much of a student in HS. She couldn't get into a four-year college, so she went to a local community college where she learned how to study. After two years, she transferred to a good university and got her BA. If she had been black and had initially received an affirmative action admission to a four-year college, she probably would have not been able to do the work and would have flunked out.
Absolutely. A great example.
PS--and I won’t forget the fact that black cops were promoted ahead of my father back in the 1970s, even when he scored higher on qualifying exams. Reverse discrimination was happening even back then.