Im really pissed off. Let me tell you why. The area I live in is considerably rich, being in the U.S. my school gets all the property taxes from locals. If you do the math it's about $54 per student X 1600 Students ($86,000 Daily...)
Now add all those stupid fundraisers and the rest of that stupid crap they have and you got quite the piggy bank. This has nothing really to do with my post. Im pissed off for 2 reasons.
The first is, I went down to Tennessee this summer and stayed in a poor community and helped repair houses. We are talking monthly incomes of $340, no plumbing, no water. Because everyone in this community was poor, the school was too. If you don't know, property taxes pay for schools, and these people didn't pay much in the way of that. The school was real bad, falling apart. It had 1 7-8 year old computer, no internet, and a really crappy library. The books were also all very old. Why does it have to be like this? The rich get a rich school, and the poor get a poor school? That needs to be fixed.
The Second is, Rich people around here really do suck. When I went down to Tennessee, everyone was very nice, everyone was happy. They made with what they had and did what they could. They helped each other and gave to church every week with what little they had. Now I go back to my school. When roaming the halls you hear words like "fagat", racial terms, and more swears than I care to hear. Hey, Im a kid. I swear, I say faget sometimes. Big deal, there just words right? I'm for sure not a racist. So whats the big deal anyway? I swear, I even say an occasional faget for laughs.
If you have ever been around a homosexual or a room full of people with a different complexion than you, you might feel uncomfortable. No, your not a racist, and your probably not a homophobe. The melting pot and the blend of homosexuals into our society is very slow it seems. Let me tell you more about the people in my school.
Everyone hates homosexuals and they all think they deserve to die? Why? Because they are "gay". They don't like "woman". They don't like "women". They are "messed up in the head". They don't do things according to "god". Or is it the fact that someone told them to think that way and they are too fucking stupid to think for themselves? Theres nothing wrong with homosexuals and the law has no business in there lives by not allowing them any rights(including marriage). They are who they are and you, and anyone else has no business in that. Just leave them alone if your too afraid to even talk to them.
Another thing about the people at my school. They all get nice little sports cars when they are 16. They like to do drugs(some of them, not all of them), they like to drink, and they like to have sex. Of course, all teenagers do, but this is where problems arise with these kids. See there so rich these are the only things they care about. They care very slightly about there friends and hardly about there family the way I see things. A girl I know at my schools grandmother died today and all she could say is "I didn't know her, I didn't care". How disconnected could this family be from her, she lived in the same damn town.
Right, back to the point. Because the people get all the money they want, cars, no rules, sex, drugs, and alcohol they become the worst kind of people there are. Lazy, bribing, corrupt, and "I don't give a shit" people. They all make fun of people less fortunate then them, even if they have disease, are handicapped in someway. Hey, they could care less, as long as it's not them damnit. And there is racism too, particularly toward Mexicans. Second is Blacks(there are skinheads). And then Whites. Oh wait, I forgot there is no racism there, because a majority of the people are white. The minorities would have a hard time pulling off racism there in any case. They don't give a shit. Thats why.
The rich snobs in my school make fun of anyone they can. Some of them steal things from stores. They are already loaded, why steal? Cause it's "fun". In my school it's all about appearance and materialistic values. Nothing is real, it's all fake.
If I told you that my school ranked one of the top 50 in Illinois you wouldn't believe me would you? Theres a reason for everything in my school. Why else would we be so high? Everyone cheats. Now, when I say everyone I don't mean 50%, I don't mean 80, or even 90%. I'm talking 95% of all students cheat. About 80% cheat frequently(daily). And 5% cheat all the time. I'd be a liar if I told you I'd never cheated. But I don't anymore. I haven't in the last 4 years.
Thats right. This is how people act when they are rich. They could care less for what they have. I would trade in all I have anyday to be a little happier. They could care less, every one of em. I know it's worse elsewhere. But at least I know it's better in inner city chicago and in the school I visited in Tennessee where the people are 10x more descent. It's not the sex, the drugs, the alcohol, or anything like that. It's peoples insecurities. The fact they don't care, and the fact that they could care less for the people less fortunate then them.
On this one, I have to disagree with you. While there should be some balancing of funding (maybe distribute 25% or so, and leave 75% to the local area), it also doesn't make sense to take money that people have earned away from them simply to fund schools (or anything for that matter), in areas that do not contribute their fair share of tax money. I know I wouldn't like it if I worked my way up through society only so somebody could come along and say, "Hello Mr. Smith, we understand that we are already taxing the crap out of you, but now we'd like to take all of that money and give it to people who wouldn't get off their duffs and work for their own improvements."
What you are promoting is basically communism, and it looks like a good idea in theory, but there are serious flaws. If you recieved the exact same benefits whether you worked hard or did nothing, where would the incentive be to make something of yourself? Eventually, the entire country takes up an attitude of "who cares, I won't benefit from doing anything more than the average". This eventually leads to the economic decline of the nation as a whole.
Now, when it comes to homosexuals, I do agree with your statements. It is none of my business what two people do in bed as long as it is consentual. Christians have an amazing skill of only following the parts of the bible that they find convenient. Last time I checked, most anti-homosexual Christians sinned constantly, and almost always break other Biblical laws such as those forbidding certain foods. I won't even go into the fact that a Christian can committ adultry one minute and then preach about how homosexuality degrades the traditional concept of marraige.
Racism is just stupid, but I see it go both ways a lot. Don't think it's only minorities that are descriminated against. Racial tension that has lasted for generations can only be expected to continue, but we should all make an effort to subdue it. I know a lot of Blacks who still view white guys as their mortal enemies because our ancestors enslaved them until 140 years ago, and because they were opressed socially until around the 1960's. However, it is time for them to open their eyes. I didn't have any slaves, nor would I support it now, so why should I be held accountable for the actions of other members of my race in the past?
My school is easily the richest in my city (average family income is $68,000), but I don't see the problems being as rampant as you describe where I go. Granted, there is the standard amounts of drug use and excessive partying, but everybody tends to get a long pretty well. This could just be due to the fact that everybody is of a similar economic group and as such nobody is left out.
I think cheating is extremely common. Quite honestly, breaking the system is fun! I would have never passed Pre-Calc last year had I not borrowed some answers from friends on the final, used the back of my book for the assignments, and programmed notes onto my calculator for every quiz. In the end though, it will only hurt me (and others who cheated), so I don't really see how it is that big of a deal to those who don't cheat.
You also mentioned making fun of people who are crippled, have deseases etc... Now this is going to sound a little cold, but they're problems are just that, they're problems. The rest of society shouldn't have to swoop down and cater to people who can't keep up for whatever the reason is. For example, special education costs are through the roof where I live -- the average special ed child is funded 10x that of a normal student. Some of the kids I see at school are literally nothing more than living corpses, completely ubable to learn or take care of themselves. Why should we throw tons of money at these kids, while underfunding those who will make contributions to the world? The other thing that pisses me off is handicapped people who get all bent out of shape when the world doesn't cater to their every whim.
One one hand, complete social equality is preached, but at the same time we simply promote more segregation by elevating those with problems above those who make a difference. The same goes with race. Take hate crime laws. They are designed to promote racial equality, but send the exact opposite message. If the color of a person's skin really doesn't matter than what difference should it make what color the victim's skin was? If a white guy kills a white guy that he hates, he gets a normal sentence, but if he kills a random black guy that he has no feelings of hate towards, the prosecuting attorney can manipulate the system so that the defendent can face an elevated sentence due to it being a "hate crime".
Anyway, I'm done ranting for now. I look forward to reading and responding to other arguments.
Im saying school funding should be distributed evenly among all U.S. schools, and thats it. I could care less where my tax dollars go as long as they go to fund the nation as a whole. That is all. Im glad you took the time to respond.
You say handicapped should get less, I am uncertain about this. However, they should be treated with the same respect as everyone, as you and everyone already know. I don't like to see a school struggle with a single computer where mine is putting on a several million dollar edition and has over 150 computers. If not a complete balance, then a slight balance. Take from the richest and give to the poorest. It goes like that.
As for cheating. It degrades from the values of our society. If people valued the values, the system would work better. If people actually cared more. I don't care what religion you are, but becoming involved usually helps people with the way they look at things, especially cheating.
I definitely see what your saying. I just think this country needs change. People need to stop thinking about money so much.
speakin of hate crimes, and the courts. Another thing that really makes me mad is the stupid judges in this legal system. Celebrities can get away with stealing(Winona Ryder) without a jail sentence. Yet if I stole I'd be in jail. Why does fame earn you less time or no jail time? They can get away with murder.
We are all the masters of ourselves. Nothing anyone can do will be able to change who we are, only influence. The qualities of life that are dealt to us, such as delights and pleasures and nice things we are gifted with are fleeting. We are judged daily, by ourselves and by others, of the strength of our charachter and of our will. The misconceptions and ideals other may hold on life are their own, not ours, and thus we are responsible for ourselves, unless given a ward to protect.
What I'm saying, DEC, is that the quality of our lives is not measured in material wealth, but by strength of character and of will. Those who are considered 'pampered' and 'set for life' may be such, but those who are truly happy revel not in what they own, but who they are with and the good that they may be doing. Those who are the center of their own universe will find that it may collapse easily, and I woe the day that comes for anyone, wealthy or not.
The world is indeed messed up....but beyond repair? I cannot make such a judgement. Perhaps there is still hope for us all.
Mayhaps.
Pete Nattress Cheesy Bits img src/uploads/sccheesegif
Registered 23/09/2002
Points 4811
28th August, 2003 at 06:19:30 -
DEC; what you are saying does ring true. i hate racism, sexism, homophobism, in fact, any form of discrimination. and i agree, the majority of rich people are arrogant little stuck up shits. my family agree with me. all wealth does is corrupt. it's OK if someone has built up their wealth from nothing. but when they inherit it, or their parents have it (in the case of the kids at your school) then that's when the arrogance takes over. they forget what it is like to have little, or nothing. now, i'm not poor per se, but i definetly don't consider myself better than some kids on a council estate.
i watched a programme on TV a fortnight back. 2 families, 1 rich, 1 poor. for the first week, the poor family were "servants" to the rich family. they did their job well and with dignity. the rich woman told the poor family that they smelled. she told them off for swearing. she wanted her floor polished every day. they took this all on their chins and fought on.
then they swapped over. the poor family were not vindictive to the rich, but still the rich family complained they were doing too much work. they rich woman complained about the state of the "filthy" house (which was actually quite clean by anyone's standards). the rich man complained about the state of the garden. they left after 3 days, when they were meant to stay for 5. it really was an eye opener to me, and i believe the majority of rich people are like that.
at the end of the show, the poor woman turned to the camera and said "i'd rather have the love of my husband and my family than all the wealth they have." and i totally agree. money is nothing at the end of the day.
so, DEC, i totally hear what you're saying. and kirby, don't you think everyone deserves the same chance no matter what their disabilities? they ARE real people. just because they may not look like it on the outside doesn't mean they don't have feelings.
i'm a communist at heart but i know communism doesn't work, because somewhere along the line, someone gets corrupted. by, guess what, money.
I have to agree with both Pete & Kirby. (I saw that programme, too.) Money doesn't make you an 'arrogant little stuck up shit' as Pete nicely put it. It's not knowing what it's like without modern conveniences, and not being grateful for what you have. The rich people that DEC described were purely materialistic, and didn't really care about what was important in life. If they became bankrupt tomorrow, what would they do? How would they get along with next to nothing? You'd probably see them grovelling. If they were still snooty, they wouldn't be for long. Would the poor people help them like others of their kind (so to speak), or reject them like the rich? Probably the former, for they understand what it's like.
# Money... that's what I want. # There's nothing wrong with that, but when it becomes number one priority there definitely is something wrong.
Yeah, Im not gonna lie. My Moms a Lawyer, my fathers a Doctor. We made half a million this year. There are 8 people in my family so LOTS of that gets spent. But we give tons of money(like 15%), pay lots of taxes(as all rich people should). And we do trips down to Tennesse like what I described to help people. My parents were both poor when they were little. The thing is, even though I am getting college partly payed for, and I do have many possessoins I don't need; I am eternally grateful and I am striving to do better than my parents.
I don't know why the richest people in this country got tax cuts. I think that is ridiculous. So what, they can't buy that 3 Million dollar yaught this year...
"Say you're hanging from a huge cliff at the top of mt. everest and a guy comes along and says he'll save you, and proceeds to throw religious pamphlets at you while simultaniously giving a sermon." - Dustin G
Yes, I think there really ought to be a balacing of funds for schools and other community services. Were *I* president (heaven forbid, I'd have half of you shot), i would probably go about it this way:
Have a fund set up into which the taxes from all states/districts go. These are then distributed evenly, taking into consideration a census every 5 years on which schools need attention more. Once that is determined, each area's council is given a set allowance for the schools in the area (taking into account the number of schools there, of course), plus any additional help that the census shows is needed.
This way, the rich and poor both contribute to each others' services, thereby working out a pretty equal system. The same method for other services, such as fire and health.
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My college is pretty much the same. In fact every public college in England will be much like that. It's called '21st century youth', and it sucks.
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I personally disagree with homosexual relationships because of my religious beliefs, but I don't impose that view on them, and I'd certainly never insult someone who was that way inclined. They may not be living what I consider to be a proper lifestyle, but they're still human and deserve that much respect.
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To be honest, I dissagree with much of what the modern world advocates. I don't get drunk ever, because I cherish my self control; I would never consider taking drugs, because I cherish my self control AND respect my health; I'm not interested in getting a flashy car simply because I expect respect for who I am and not what I drive - anyone who disrespects you for a car will get no respect from me, nor anyone else worth more than the air they inhale; I don't get too interested in girls yet simply because (unlike most teens) I'm well aware that I'm not old enough to make a go of a relationship; etc.
I have a wacky, old fashioned view of life, and it's saved me a load of problems!
All of that stuff in the schools sounds kinda familiar Dan...mind if I call ya Dan?...
Sure, I live over the other side of the world from you, Australia, and I went to a pretty shitty public boys high school, but all the racism, cursing and drugs is oh so familiar, maybe change a few things due to cultural differences.
Anyhow, i'm not here to give you my school life story, too boring, and my posts are long enough as it is these days.
What I find interesting is these 'cheating' business.
I can honestly say I have never cheated on a test in my schooling career, and i've only ever heard of a few rare individuals doing so in that time.
Maybe it's this cultural difference thing, or maybe the fact that your at a classy school, but I find it most intriguing that so many people are cheating at your school. Cheating is something we would laugh at because it was just such a rarety in our school.
As for the stuff you say about the corruption of our youth, true, yeah, agreed.
But I see it an something that is almost envidiable(sp?). People are stupid, it's as simple as that. The ones that think it'll all blow over, not learning from their mistakes will be the ones without a hope in the end. And in most cases, these people won't, don't and will always refuse to learn. These people are going to continue to be born and raised like that unless something very dramatic and effective brings and end to it. And i'm skeptical we'll see the end of the corruption of youth. You should just hope that your children will never turn out like that, and that's up to you as a parent to raise them in such a way that they'll see the light.
Interesting discussion anyway. Cheers.
MUGGUS
Come and annoy me more at
www.muggus69.tk STOUT ANGER!!!
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Edited by the Author.
), i would probably go about it this way:
