"The wealthy, not only by private fraud but also by common laws, do every day pluck and snatch away from the people some part of their daily living. Therefore, when I consider and weigh in my mind these commonwealths which nowadays do flourish, I perceive nothing but a certain conspiracy of rich men in procuring their own commodities under the name and authority of the commonwealth.

They invent and devise all means and crafts, first how to keep safely without fear of losing that which they have unjustly gathered together, and next how to hire and abuse the work and labor of the people for as little money and effort as possible."

Thomas More, Utopia

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Ok, I'll buy it

47 comments:

JRB said...

That's pretty good, man! Definitely something that's been on my mind a lot lately.

Though what I find in my work environment is that there aren't great opportunities to sit down with someone and have an elaborate conversation about "what they did." Everything is always in motion, and racist shit just gets thrown out there in bits and pieces. So I need a way to quickly indicate that I'm not a part of any of that -- which I suppose might become the basis for some "hold everything" conversation down the line.

Coldtype said...

Exactly. My son is now getting to that age where he's running into some issues here and there among kids in his age group (10) where some of what's presented in that clip will be of use in his tool kit so to speak.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Coldie, hopefully a few of our comrades will learn from this. i have passed it along to SLC. Wonder if he'll put it on his?

Coldtype said...

By "SLC" did you mean to say the clown posse over at SCC? If so then not a chance in Hell.

Anonymous said...

No, Coldie. shavedlongcock.blogspot.com

he is a CPD guy. I have been trying to get him to link to your page. he already has a link to Rue.

Coldtype said...

Rue would be about his speed.

Anonymous said...

I bet that guy in the video lives in Lincoln Park.Just wait til the savage does something to him and he will change his tune.

Coldtype said...

Change his tune about what?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
No, Coldie. shavedlongcock.blogspot.com

he is a CPD guy. I have been trying to get him to link to your page. he already has a link to Rue.

12:30 PM

You have to buy shaver a Folos beef first.

Anonymous said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8vZsmXUFAg&feature=related

Rue St. Michel said...

Rue would be about his speed.

____________________

Ha! Can't stop thinking about me, can ya Coldy!

LOL!

Rue St. Michel said...

BTW, the video bit is nothing but more nauseating lecturing from high-minded individuals who think they have a lock on what a person can say and think.

It's nothing but political correctness run amok. I'm for civility in conversation, but I'm also for accuracy and strength of argument weighed with facts. My own opinion is that this kind of thinking only exacerbates the problems in society because it censors the criticizer, and pardons the offender.

For example, if I say that I don't like the fact that 70% of black men leave their families, and that I think it does irreparable harm to society - I'd get vilified for that because I'm not black and "I have no right" to say that...See what I mean?

We need to have sincere discussions about race, and not just throw around fuzzy words like "white privilege" and institutional racism as excuses to just throw money at the problems.

Whatever you subsidize, you get more of.

Coldtype said...

Long time no hear from Rue. As for the video you must have missed something in the translation. I point to the following as proof:

"For example, if I say that I don't like the fact that 70% of black men leave their families, and that I think it does irreparable harm to society - I'd get vilified for that because I'm not black and "I have no right" to say that...See what I mean?"

No Rue, I don't see what you mean for this is not a racist statement. I believe it to be motivated by assumptions about a subject to which you don't fully comprehend... but it doesn't tell me anything at all about who you are as a person.

We are open to a "what he said" conversation. In this case, what YOU said but not WHO YOU ARE (i.e a racist) for I am not privy to your innermost thoughts.

J Smooth went out of his way to make this distinction and it flew right over your head.

Rue St. Michel said...

I only watched the first minute of the video .... I'd seen enough.

Let me clarify through example:

My partner is black, we've been on the car for 4 years now.

Whenever we meet a black person somewhere that he knows, he never introduces me to him or her. I either just stand there like a goof, or I have to stick my hand out and say,"Hi, I'm Rue."

I know, I know, he is doing it unconsciously but if I was of a thinner skin, I'd be offended and I could make the case that he harbors racist leanings.

I haven't said anything to him because I don't think its a big deal and it's tiny in the grand scheme of things. And even if he harbors those feelings: So what? I don't think I have any right to tell someone how to think or feel, or how much money they're entitled to earn. There is no language in the Declaration or the Constitution prohibiting people from being bigots.

That is one difference between you and I Coldy.

Coldtype said...

"I only watched the first minute of the video .... I'd seen enough."-RSM

Rue, therein lies the problem. Please watch the ENTIRE video with an open mind. He's quite clear about how to constructively address those who engage in racist speech without falling into the common pitfalls that lets the transgressor off the hook.

Your partner in the example you've described is being rude and inconsiderate and frankly you should address that with him. I sure would. I think it's a stretch, however, to attribute what may in fact be an unintended slight as racist behavior. This is exactly the kind of scenario where J. Smooth cautions one to avoid jumping to conclusions. Conclusions derived from the unknown (i.e someone's inner thoughts and feelings). What you CAN address are a person's WORDS and ACTIONS.

In any constructive engagement with a transgressor his or her words and actions MUST be the focus of debate and NEVER whether the person is or is not a racist. Force the transgressor to defend those words and actions you find offensive. This is a "what he said/did" conversation which is the one to have. Calling someone who may in fact be an actual racist a "racist" let's the offender flip the script on you by derailing the issue into a "who you are conversation" whereby you are now in the untenable position of "proving" what another person thinks or feels.

Give the video another whirl.

Rue St. Michel said...

Alright Coldy, I'll take your advice. Thanks.

I'll have to confess that it's frustrating that so many of us are now immersed in our ethnicity. You and I work in a true melting pot. And it seems as if they have a romanticized affection for their heritage, much more. Whether it is the greeks, germans, irish, puerto ricans, mexicans ... et al - We are all Americans and we should be united in that since it is our culture, and our blood.

Anonymous said...

We are all Americans and we should be united in that since it is our culture, and our blood.


Yea, sure thing, Rue-y. Another right wing theory that we should be Americans first and anything else second.

Not me, brother. You look at the red white and blue and think the U.S. does no wrong. I look at the red white and blue and think it represents an unequal nation that holds down persons of color and the working class.

If someone wants to be a (fill in the blank)-American let em. This country cannot be truly united until there is an equality for all. There is not.

"leftisthebest"

Rue St. Michel said...

"A spectre haunts Coldy's blog, and that spectre is leftisbest...."

The Founders wanted us to be united and to work together. That's why the language of our founding documents was so inclusive of all citizens. They'd come from some horrible tyrannies under the monarchs of britain and france. They knew how horrible a feudal-authoritarian system could be, and they wanted nothing like it. They specifically built the government with checks and balances so that the power lay with the people, and not in a centralized government. That's why the intent of the framers is so important in being applied to today's world. These were the best and brightest we had and they knew what they were talking about.

That Jeremy Wright crap is exactly that: Crap! Those people have an inherent interest in keeping us divided, keeping us at our throats, and keeping the tension high so that they can get paid. That's what it comes down to.

Don't believe the hype, my brother. Just keep it simple. We don't have to go into Super String Theory like Chomsky does. It's simple - be an American and be proud of who we are. United We Stand.

Coldtype said...

Identity politics is the perhaps the most effective tool in the ruling class tool kit in keeping the masses divided and in competition with one another and thus distracted from their common class interests.

Anonymous said...

"Yea, sure thing, Rue-y. Another right wing theory that we should be Americans first and anything else second."

Theory???You are such a niggerapologist.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

"Yea, sure thing, Rue-y. Another right wing theory that we should be Americans first and anything else second."

Theory???You are such a niggerapologist.
10:56 AM


There you go, Rue-y, there's one of your conservative friends that you preach in "United we stand."

Maybe, as you say, the founding fathers truly wanted equality for all, personally I do not think they did. The point is my friend is that TODAY that does exist.

This distrust (for me anyway) has been brought about by the historic inequality of the United States government. Obama is part of this also. He talks a good game but in the long run, he too caves into the global control of the working man.

The use of racial slurs is further indication of how far we still have to go.

"******apologist?" Whatever that means I'll wear as a badge of honor.



"leftisthebest"

Anonymous said...

budkillagain

Rue St. Michel said...

Lefty -

I appreciate your thoughts on this because it is important.

As I always say, I value clarity over agreement. If we can come to a point where we can clearly see where the other party is coming from, then that's enough.

The country has made tremendous gains in the past 40 years on the race issue; on the black versus white issue.

And the reason we've made gains is really because of white people. White liberals have bent over backwards to help blacks 'get a leg up' via the courts, via academia, legislation, affirmative action, sets asides, quotas and using the media to portray sympathy for black Americans.

The issue now is that blacks need to take the next step and assimilate; and do it completely.

It is frustrating for us to see blacks still wallowing in the morass of 'institutional racism' and letting the professional race baiters use race as a divisive issue simply to line their own pockets with donations.

People want blacks to take that the next step; the ones the Irish, the Italians and the Germans took after migrating to America.

We're beginning to get tired of hearing how 15% of the population just can't make it on their own without gov't assistance.

As GW Bush said,"That is the subtle racism of low expectations."

Does this vibrate on any level for you? I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Rue-y,
there is no doubt there are blacks who take advance of the system. Look at the goofs we encounter on the job who are on SSI because of "substance abuse" or they are "handicapped."

The reliance on government assistance is a way to keep minorities down. If they were self sufficient then they would have more political power. Holding people down makes them having to rely on the government to survive.

Have there been gains in 40 years? Yep. Remember though blacks were starting from having almost nothing.

There are dividers on the left, yes. Yet, there are dividers on the right too. Look I say all Tea Party members are not racist, but many are not tolerant of minorities.

Use of the "n word" is racist. It has a negative connotion and please do not use the ole white folks can be an "N" too. When is the last time you heard a white person called that?

The fact of the matter is, and I always get laughed at for this, but the corrupt two-party political system wants this division. The rich know with division they stay on the top.

"leftisthebest"

Anonymous said...

German socialist: 'Guns for me but not for thee'?

August 20th, 2010 9:29 am
By David Codrea, Gun Rights Examiner

"Leftist politician accused of illegally selling machine guns," The Local ("Germany's News in English") informs us:

"Manfred Hämmerle, chairman of the party in Hückelhoven near the Dutch border, has been accused of illegally selling a submachine gun, and possibly a Kalashnikov AK47 as well as an Uzi machine gun."
http://www.thelocal.de/national/20100814-29157.html
And then we're told this:

A conviction would be doubly embarrassing for The Left, or Die Linke in German, because the party is avowedly pacifist, and has been campaigning for a ban on weapons being kept in private homes.

So the socialists expect government to impose one standard on the people while the party elite are above such mundane limitations? How democratic. How...progressive.

How unsurprisingly elitist.

The pity is, so many sleeping through history believe the new "kinder, gentler" face of the left when it tries to distance itself from the monstrous tyrannical abuses of its past, such as this bit of apologia from Die Linke:

"The first great attempt in the 20th century to build a non-capitalist order was frustrated by the lack of democracy, over-centralization and economic inefficiency. In a perversion of the socialist idea, crimes were committed. This obliges us to redefine our understanding of socialism. We want socialism in the 21st century that lives up to present social and global challenges and possibilities."

See, we're really nice guys now. Those other "old school" progressives, well, they were just perverts. You can trust us with a monopoly of violence. Honest.

And here's the kicker, hypocrisy-wise, from someone working to impose further government-coerced disarmament on his countrymen:

“'My client did not exactly know the legal situation,' said Hämmerle’s lawyer Heribert Kayenburg."

Now that's almost funny right there. Until you recall that real people have their freedom stripped and lives destroyed running afoul of edicts Hämmerle and his comrades force upon them in what they perversely call "progress."
__________________
What the gungrabbers don't say.

Anonymous said...

http://www.triggerthevote.org/homepage/

Anonymous said...

WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE on this Labor Day 2010.

"leftisthebest"

Coldtype said...

For more along that theme check this out.

Anonymous said...

I was on the IWW site yesterday, in observance of Labor Day, but missed that story. Thanks, Coldie.

I am disappointed that for another year there were no major Labor Day festivities anyplace. The leftists of yesteryear are rolling in their graves, again.

"leftisthebest"

Anonymous said...

CPUSA meeting Sunday in the Beverly neighborhood, Coldie. I do not live in that rich area but received a call yesterday with an invite.

I'm game if you are. Be funny if the residence is a mansion.

"leftisthebest"

Anonymous said...

I think our friend over at Bienvenue has ColdType eliminated. I better keep an eye out.

"leftisthebest"

Coldtype said...

Rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated my friend, I'm just going through a busy patch on the home front. I'll get back to posting real soon. Stay tuned...

PS: don't forget that another reason I keep this blog going is to provide a one-stop repository for those looking for left perspectives as will be found on my link list and blog roll when I go on my (frequent) dry spells.

Anonymous said...

PS: don't forget that another reason I keep this blog going is to provide a one-stop repository for those looking for left perspectives as will be found on my link list and blog roll when I go on my (frequent) dry spells.

12:32 AM

Dont you really mean suppository??

Coldtype said...

"Dont you really mean suppository??"-Anon

Whatever it takes for you to absorb a different point of view.

Rue St. Michel said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rue St. Michel said...

Hey Coldy -

Just checking in .... You haven't been 'eliminated' You're still linked on my blogroll. I don't know what Lefty is referring to.

Anyway, hope you're well.

Rue

Coldtype said...

The batteries are nearly recharged Rue. I'm sketching out a post on the woeful Democrats that should be up soon.

Rue St. Michel said...

Look forward to it. Take care...

Anonymous said...

Coldie come back!!!

Coldtype said...

Won't be much longer. I swear...

Anonymous said...

Coldtype said...
Won't be much longer. I swear...

4:31 PM

leftisthebest must be on furlough

Anonymous said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Coldie.

"leftisthebest"

Rue St. Michel said...

Hey Coldy - Happy Thanksgiving!

All the best to you and your family,
Rue

ps. You too Leftisbest

Coldtype said...

Happy Turkey Day guys!

Anonymous said...

Happy Thanksgiving to Shady,SGT Hulka and Lil Malcolm.

Rue St. Michel said...

Coldy -

What's your email?

Coldtype said...

Get me at Leftglance@yahoo.com