25276, RE: let's get macy gray Posted by alek, Sun Apr-08-01 11:26 AM
>The Horatio Alger myth, to use >language designed to pull your >chain, is no more than >one of the most potent >of the opiate of the >masses.
Agreed.
>Yes, in hayday >of early American industrialization, America >had a fair bit of >social mobility, but those days >are over.
Agreed.
>By whatever >index you look at, America >now has the least social >mobility of any industrialized nation.
Plus a STUPENDOUS wealth gap.
>People stay in the >same income bracket they're born, >they have the same level >of education as their parents, >they live as long as >their parents did, etc..
Yup.
>Before you come back with >a "well, that's just the >way of the world" argument, >remember that in every Western >European country and Japan, supposedly >bastions of evil leftist thought, >people now overcome those obstacles >at a much higher freqency >than they do in the >US. I might also >add, whatever social mobility we've >had in the last 40 >years has had a lot >to do with affirmative action, >but now that that's been >curtailed things will probably get >even more bleak for the >less fortunate.
Yes.
>Look, as personal mantra I think >this philosophy is ideal. >Every individual should think they >can rise above the bad >around them and lead a >fulfilling life. The question >is, as a society can >we help people do that?
Organized labor (repeat a million times).
>What's illusory is your reality. >I think you're a good >person, and you seem to >be active, but it's obvious >you've never ventured outside your >shell (either geographically or mentally).
:-)
>Go volunteer at an >AIDS shelter for two months >and see if you still >feel the same way.
Better do it soon. They'll be gone within four years.
Alek
________________________________ "Say some shit that suprise me... My face don't change."
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