People just get weirder and weirder... (NSFW-L)

  And I can't, for the life of me, figure out why.  I'm fairly sure that DSM-5 is an incomplete work, and I've read through the library copy.

  I can't find the psychopathology that would result in the rampant self-loathing that I see from people who cling like oysters to Leftist ideology (idiocy?  For all of the education they're supposed to have, and as intellectual as they try to present themselves, they don't seem to be very bright - once they start talking.)

  Case in point (read through this link before continuing): http://rightwingnews.com/race/professor-i-chose-not-to-have-children-because-they-would-be-white/ (and yes, you're reading the text of that link correctly...)

  Um.  Holy shit!  Anyhow, I found her in the UPenn directory, she's apparently an "Exchange Instructor," according to her email addy: micallis@exchange.upenn.edu.  Full name: Allison S. Michael.

  In return for the "Open Letter" she'd put up (originally at Huffington Post, but it's been getting spread about quite a bit...) I've decided to return with this:

-----     SNIP     -----

Professor Michael -
  I am curious about something.  At what point in your life did you decide to have such self-loathing over simply having light-coloured skin?  When did simply being caucasian become a crime?

  Being white myself, I am quite curious about this.  I have yet to see why having "white" skin is an issue, why it should make us any better or any worse than anyone else.

  Then again, I prefer to judge others by their actions, by the content of their heart and of their mind - not by the colour of their skin.  I have friends of all colours.  I served in the Air Force with people of all colours.  I have dated ethnic women - and had quite happy relationships.

  I have never once felt "white guilt" or "white pride" - nor do I "happen to be white."  Mum's white, dad's white, what else could I be?  It would be more of a surprise if I were to "happen to be Asian," I'd think.  It's more of a surprise that I "happen to be" over six feet tall - since height doesn't normally run in my line.  Makes me a throwback, you see.

  But, I'm not writing so much to talk about me.  I'm curious about you.  There had to be some sort of "defining incident" that was the genesis of all of this self-loathing and "white guilt" that you feel - and feel so much that you even transfer it to your progenitors and refuse to reproduce as a result!  That is an amazing transference of guilt, by far the most extreme case I have ever seen!

  Moreover, you want to transfer your guilt onto the entire population of the Earth that is Caucasian - which, to me, speaks more to arrogance on your part.  You think we should ALL feel guilty, over something that ended in this country 150 years ago, and there is NO-ONE alive that was directly affected by slavery.

  And, if you want to talk about guilt, why are you not handing out a share to the Negroes themselves?  Couldn't buy if no-one was selling - that's just basic market forces.  I've said the same thing to Black people who have been talking positively of "reparations for Slavery" - don't just go after the United States.  English and Dutch ships brought slaves over here, and Negroes were /sold/ /into/ /slavery/ by OTHER NEGROES.

  Where is the "Black guilt"?  Where are the reparations coming from West Africa - where the slaves were originally sold?  Let's look at the /whole/ picture here - not just one corner.

  Moving on - what do you meen by "whites to feel adequately guilty"?  What is "adequately guilty"?  I feel no guilt, because I have done nothing wrong.  I treat everyone equally, with the basic respect that one human being owes another, until something happens to indicate that I should offer more or less.  I have no responsibility for inequality between ethnotypes, because I did not do anything to create or perpetuate any inequity or disparity.  I instead work to create /equality/, and that is something that /nobody/ should feel any guilt over.

  Feeling guilt is non-productive.  Your "white guilt" and rampant self-loathing are useless feelings, will not accomplish anything, and will likely turn into paralyzing depression if you allow them to continue.  After all this time, I honestly don't know how you manage to get out of bed in the morning - all this guilt must be psychologically crippling for you!

  As to what Caucasians have done throughout history?  I wasn't present for history.  I assume no responsibility for anything that happened before 1977 - 1972 at the earliest (I was born mid-1972.)  How couldI feel guilt for anything that happened 200 years before I was born?  Is that not a ridiculous thing to be thinking?

  Or, do you intend to attack me for being "white without shame" - instead of answering my questions and beginning to analyse the cause of your self-loathing and probable depression. 

  And, quite frankly, I worry for your students.  I sincerely hope you aren't teaching this in the classroom - or, if you are, you run into a student like me who will /force/ you to re-examine your beliefs and your history, and realise just what a crooked path you're on.

  As to "white privilege"?  The next person who says that within two metres of me is risking a broken nose.  If white people are so bloody privileged, why have I been homeless for the last two years?  Why am I living in a motorhome, parked behind a City library, grabbing their Wi-Fi signal, and running a generator for electricity?  If I'm so bloody privileged, why do I have to go find a source of water?

  And just /why/ am I supposed to feel guilty for the actions of people long-dead?

  I await your reply.  Both this message and your replay may be considered "open letters," please bear in mind.

-----     SNIP    -----

If I get a response from her, I'll post that here as well.

-JDK

Mega-Fines and Consumers

  I'm back!

  I know, I've been away for a bit.  Long story.  Ain't over yet.  Doesn't improve with retelling.  But, I've been up to my fat arse in alligators, and every damned one of them has wanted a bite.  Ugh.  Ain't much of my sit-upon left...

  Anyhow.  On to why I'm here...

  Howcumzit that, whenever some company does something wrong, the government fines the company for the wrongdoing?  The problem with those fines (case in point - the recent FCC fine of $100M against AT&T over their "unlimited" data plan and low data speeds) is that:
  1) The people who made the decisions aren't personally hit with anything
  2) The fines are "passed through" to the consumers, in the form of rate or price increases.

  Every time I hear about some mega-fine against some company, I groan inside.  Every time I hear someone cheering about it, I don't keep it in.  Then, I end up having to explain why I'm groaning about it.  The usual answer I get?  "Damn.  I never thought of it that way..."

  (No shit.  Most people wouldn't.  Gotta step back and look at a bigger picture...)

  Same with class-action suits.  Except we can add to the list:
  3) The only people who really "win" anything are the attorneys.  Big payday for them!  Niggardly payout for the members of the class.

  Pfizer has to pay out $150M for some pharma class action judgement?  1/3 of that is raw attorneys' fees ($50M,) a good chunk of that gets eaten up in administration ($20M or so,) and the rest filters down to the class (2-5M members,) postage out, and it's probably not a cash payout to the class anyhow.  Lawyers make bank, people get boned.

  I propose something different...

  FINES: If a "company" is to be fined due to executive decisions, then the company itself is not to be fined.  Rather, the executives responsible for the decision(s) are to be fined personally.  This means the B-, C-, E-, V-, and D- level execs are the ones on the hook for fines, they've got to cough up, and cough up HARD.  Company's consumer prices are to be fixed at present level by law, and allowed nominal increases for the following five years or so, with any increase above the amount allowed by the judgement requiring detailed technological justification (id est, a major technical upgrade became necessary, or a natural disaster made replacing a data centre necessary, or something like that.  Such justification to be filed with the governing body and posted in detail to be available for the consumers [and sent out in summary with the last bill prior to the increase.]

  To be honest, I'd rather see the Execs and/or the Board held personally liable to the tune of $100M than the company held liable for $100M - the company doesn't "make decisions," that's why it has Directors and various executives.  So, hold them up!

Discuss

JDK