For Crying Out Loud, What is Wrong With You People?

[newsmanfan]

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Regrettably I have to agree with Beaker. In some cases there IS no rehab, in some cases locking them up for life or killing them are the only recourses to keep others safe. In extreme cases I do support the death penalty -- but it ought to be an absolute, 100% certainty, caught-with-their-DNA-in-the-cookie-jar-by-twenty-sober-witnesses kind of certainty, before we condemn them to death. Too many innocents have been sent to gas chambers or lethal injections. (I also wonder why we use such violent means of execution still...why not an opiate cocktail instead, or something a' la Kevorkian? Heck, hanging was more humane!) It's a tricky line to walk...but honestly I'm disgusted with keeping alive people who have proven over and over they'll only kill, rape, or molest children again (and for me, those are the unholy trinity which warrant the worst possible punishment).

Other than that, I'd fall on the liberal side of the fence. But I'd be thrilled if we somehow could extinguish violent crimes to the extent that the death penalty was no longer even needed!

As to wars on other nations' oil...well. Doesn't that say it all? We have BSed the public about so many things...both parties are at fault. Do away COMPLETELY with all kickbacks to corporations, Super PACs (and Frog Bless Stephen Colbert!!), Congressional perks, etc...all politicians should get minimum wage, and a modest place to stay and their basic meals...like anyone else on Welfare!

I heard Obama say he wants to juggle the tax laws to encourage businesses to bring jobs back to the US and discourage companies from moving their manufacturing overseas. Well DUH...I've been saying that for over a decade...it'll never pass, though, not with the current crop of bought-and-paid-fors in the House.

Oh, how I wish we could have a real revolution here. Why is it people in Syria and even Russia kick our butts at being true conscientious objectors? What the heck happened to this country? Ye gawds I sound like Sam...
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[CensoredAlso]

Regrettably I have to agree with Beaker. In some cases there IS no rehab, in some cases locking them up for life or killing them are the only recourses to keep others safe.

That's basically what I said, except for the killing part.

 

[Drtooth]

Yeah I mean Im a total tree hugging liberal, but I dont think America is hardcore enough on inner city criminal gang activity. I dont care what color or nationality they are, I dont care if people think its racist...but these black, hispanic, south east asian and poor white gangs are terrorizing their own people. Not some fantasy Islamic boogeyman in a cave or some 'commie socialist agenda', but criminal thugs who should be locked up or put down. People talk about 'the man', 'they', 'the government'. In a lot of cases its willing male thugs in drug cartels and gangs that make the decision to terrorize whole cities.

I'll defend to the end my crazy conspiracy theory that gangsta rap is exploited by white music producers to force a stereotype upon people. Not to mention the sheer homophobia that comes out of their violent macho escapades... kids join up with gangs a large percentage of the time because that's the only way they can prove that they're "real Men."

Really... the only way we can get out of this kind of culture is for someone to give these kids a new perspective on life. We need to change the negative stereotypes that everyone always falls into.

I'd hate to have a Big Brother state... but if that's what it takes to shut down these violent gangsters and save the lives and futures of little kids, then that's what it takes. Of course, our wonderful Chief Wiggum police force will just use it to go after litterers and petty crimes, and turn a blind eye to all of that anyway.

Mandatory drug rehab sounds fair. It's roughly the same amount of money we're pooing away sending them to jail, so they can get back on the streets and become even more violent and a little more careful. But if only we can make rehab some sort of aversion therapy that forever scares them away from ever going back... there's gotta be something there.

But above all, the fact we tell kids that the best way to escape this lifestyle is to go to college and NOT have jobs for them after they graduate is going to send a strong "if you drop out and do drugs, at least you'll have the fun of doing drugs" message. I'd hate to think that terrible things happen to the kids that avoided that lifestyle and managed to survive growing up get no reward for their hard work.

 

[mr3urious]

Wasn't this thread about people arguing over the latest gadgets?

 

[Oscarfan]

Conversations and discussions tend to go like that.

 

[Drtooth]

Wasn't this thread about people arguing over the latest gadgets?

Gadgets are made in some pretty devious places under horrible conditions... it's not all that disconnected.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I'd hate to have a Big Brother state... but if that's what it takes to shut down these violent gangsters and save the lives and futures of little kids, then that's what it takes.

I don't want the government being Big Brother when it's pretty much the reason these poverty stricken areas are that way in the first place, heh.

Mandatory drug rehab sounds fair.

Fair but questionably effective in the long term. Relapses are very common.

But above all, the fact we tell kids that the best way to escape this lifestyle is to go to college and NOT have jobs for them after they graduate is going to send a strong "if you drop out and do drugs, at least you'll have the fun of doing drugs" message. I'd hate to think that terrible things happen to the kids that avoided that lifestyle and managed to survive growing up get no reward for their hard work.

That's been a familiar theme for years, that going straight won't pay because the deck is rigged.

 

[Drtooth]

That's been a familiar theme for years, that going straight won't pay because the deck is rigged.

I wish nepotism was punishable by a very public ousting, and blacklisting from any job ever. I don't mean a friend putting in a good word for you, or someone actually helping you... I mean instances where someone favors a friend or family member over those who have the right qualifications or who desperately need that job. r worse... when someone hires their own spoiled idiot kids.

It's one thing that there are actually TOO many kids going to college with dreams that are way too big... but it's another to tell them to reach for the stars and say "Oh yeah... someone already BOUGHT those stars so their idiot kid can run them into the ground."

The thing is, we need a LOT more mid-level start up jobs that require a college education but don't require decades of experience that are impossible to get if you can't get hired in the first place. Never once have I seen a start up, fresh out of college job that anyone could enter. Everything requires 2-5 years experience for entry level stuff that SHOULD be a springboard, not a dead end.

 

[newsmanfan]

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Not to mention the scads of debt most young people run up in even taking those classes for that ultimately useless degree. I was lucky enough, between scholarships and a small fund my grandfather started for me at birth, that even though I was on the 5-year plan I paid for very little of it out-of-pocket and had zero debts. I'm all for forgiving ALL student debt right now, and radically revising the rules concerning interest rates...as well as going after, with criminal charges, those for-profit-college recruiters (yeah, U of Phx, I'm lookin' at YOU) who bamboozle prospective students with the old "eh, you'll get SUCH a great job with a degree from us that you'll have that 50 grand paid off in NO time!" BS. Some reporter was commenting the other night on the education market being the next bubble about to burst. Oh yeah. And once again, the ignorant and the conned will be the ones left holding the bag of enormous debt.
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[beaker]

I'll defend to the end my crazy conspiracy theory that gangsta rap is exploited by white music producers to force a stereotype upon people. Not to mention the sheer homophobia that comes out of their violent macho escapades... kids join up with gangs a large percentage of the time because that's the only way they can prove that they're "real Men."

Really... the only way we can get out of this kind of culture is for someone to give these kids a new perspective on life. We need to change the negative stereotypes that everyone always falls into.

I'd hate to have a Big Brother state... but if that's what it takes to shut down these violent gangsters and save the lives and futures of little kids, then that's what it takes. Of course, our wonderful Chief Wiggum police force will just use it to go after litterers and petty crimes, and turn a blind eye to all of that anyway.

Mandatory drug rehab sounds fair. It's roughly the same amount of money we're pooing away sending them to jail, so they can get back on the streets and become even more violent and a little more careful. But if only we can make rehab some sort of aversion therapy that forever scares them away from ever going back... there's gotta be something there.

But above all, the fact we tell kids that the best way to escape this lifestyle is to go to college and NOT have jobs for them after they graduate is going to send a strong "if you drop out and do drugs, at least you'll have the fun of doing drugs" message. I'd hate to think that terrible things happen to the kids that avoided that lifestyle and managed to survive growing up get no reward for their hard work.

The most racist people I know toward the typical inner city ghetto mentality and culture are black people I know. Of course, they're mostly of the nerd/hipster/arty kind and completely distance themselves from all that. My friend Tim says his cousins and even co-workers give him crap, telling him he "acts white"...whatever that is suppose to mean. Heck Im Korean and other than aesthetics there's nothing culturally asian about me.

Anyhoo, I grew up in the 80's...I miss East Coast fun hip hop. Before the whole gangsta thing. Of course NOW mainstream hip hop moved from the 91-98 gangsta and 98-2005 pimp and bling stuff to a kind of more innocent party sound. But yeah, sadly for MANY inner city black and hispanic males, they are pressured to feel that they have no choice. No hope. Even if they resist that lifestyle and cyclical nature of despair...they may have cousins into it.
Of course you have a LOT of Western, Eastern, Southwest, Southern and Midwest poorer white neighborhoods chalked full of poor white gang bangers, juggalos, meth heads, etc. Same thing with South East Asian and Russian/Ukrainian areas. It's sad when male youth feel they have no other out

Anyways, Im not trying to sell a "scary black negro" meme that's been shoved down our throats. What Im doing is deconstructing everything. There is such an absolute beauty to black youth culture in the 10's, 20's, 30's through the 70's. And that's where we see the end of MLK's life and the beginning of this unfortunate cycle. From the CIA introduction of cheaply produced cocaine into inner cities, to the influx of prison impetus street gangs, to forced segregated projects and ghettos years past reaping a nasty cyclical nature. I've studied the American black experience from slave ship to 2012, and I have a hunch a lot of people are waking up. Through education, faith, awareness, etc many black youth are saying no to this mobius strip of despair.

The US government has spent countless time and money along with the media lapdogs to tell us of this existential "Islamic threat". Well we now know there never was a "radical Muslim threat" to America. All a fear mongering hoax.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46306629/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/#.TzI_x_lnDOM

As always, the real threat has always simply been criminals, drug runners, and the like. The solution? I don't know...I guess people being more vigilant?