Is this our future..?

[Woodman909]

Good question.

Yes. We can fix it. It isn't easy, but anything worth fighting for never is.

Sure, many people in their 20s now will never amount to anything. My priority is that I, and those I care about, don't end there. I will do what I can do live a steady life and a good life and lead by example. I am not in a position to ever hope to make a widespread change, but change doesn't come in one big swoop. It never did. It comes incrementally. Step by step. person by person.

That's why when you see people using the word "change" a great deal, and it's not just Obama, republicans use it as often as they can, they're lying through their teeth. They don't know what this mystical word is. It's just a flash word. An empty statement that will never be enforced.
People who actually contribute to change don't advertise it. They just do it. And they start with themselves.

Let's not put all republicans in the same bucket... buddy. I agree with you.

 

[Woodman909]

From my perspective, the first place to look for a place to initiate change is in the mirror.

 

[Visbek]

Have you ever been interviewed by Anderson Cooper? You might want to consider it, because right now she's the one speaking for your generation.

1) She is not a part of "my" generation.
2) No one who claims to speak for "my" generation speaks for me.
3) A lack of articulation is hardly a new phenomenon. E.g. James Dean was not exactly known for his oratory skills.

 

[Arbo]

Can we survive as a civilized culture? If this is what we have to look forward to, as the next generation.... then God help us.

Jeantel: "The Jury, They Old. That's Old School People. We In A New School, Our Generation" | RealClearPolitics

I find no generation has a stranglehold on stupidity and ignorance. I've seen many an old person to be just as much of a moron as this girl.

 

[humbolt]

1) She is not a part of "my" generation.
2) No one who claims to speak for "my" generation speaks for me.
3) A lack of articulation is hardly a new phenomenon. E.g. James Dean was not exactly known for his oratory skills.

Yet you stated unequivocally that you know that the generation in question is not headed where the OP mused without any substantive argument supporting the assertion at all. None. I make no claims regarding my generation either, although it's direction has already been firmly established. A lack of "articulation", as you put it, is not being able to speak the language in a manner understandable by the majority of the country. That's a problem.

 

[Woodman909]

no argument here

 

[bubbabgone]

no argument here

The very notion of Rachel getting so much airtime to say whatever the hell she's saying is one thing ... for a limited stretch of time ... it's kind of understandable given the circumstances ... BUT ... under reverse circumstances can you envision some good ol' boy of her age garnering the level of respect and deference she gets wherever she goes to say whatever she says?
Would he be taken seriously if he was to educate Piers Morgan like she purported to educate Piers Morgan on old vs new school?

example: ... she says "nigga" isn't racial ... so let's say the good ol' boy called someone "nigga" in the same venue she did. Would Piers be as respectful to him?

Clearly not ... that kind of deference to anyone spouting irrelevant garbage contributes mightily to the problem of perpetual victimhood perpetrated for profit by professionals.

 

[Visbek]

Yet you stated unequivocally that you know that the generation in question is not headed where the OP mused without any substantive argument supporting the assertion at all. None.

Declinist nonsense like this barely merits more than a one-word shutdown. Nor does anything about my brief negation indicate that I am the same age as the individual in question.

I make no claims regarding my generation either, although it's direction has already been firmly established. A lack of "articulation", as you put it, is not being able to speak the language in a manner understandable by the majority of the country. That's a problem.

I have no idea what generation you belong to.

And again, the point is that there are plenty of people of all ages who lack education, articulation, or who use dialects that others find hard to understand.





And of course, no lack of people who claim that something (anything) means the End of All Things. It really does get tiresome.

 

[humbolt]

Declinist nonsense like this barely merits more than a one-word shutdown. Nor does anything about my brief negation indicate that I am the same age as the individual in question.

Nonsense? More than a few noteworthy people say otherwise. You've shut nothing down. You may not be the same age as Jeantel, but you represent yourself with the ability to speak for her. That's a good thing. Somebody needs to speak for her.

I have no idea what generation you belong to.

And again, the point is that there are plenty of people of all ages who lack education, articulation, or who use dialects that others find hard to understand.





And of course, no lack of people who claim that something (anything) means the End of All Things. It really does get tiresome.

Movies and videos? Heh. The point of the speech problem, in case you missed it, is that the prosecution in the Zimmerman/Martin case put that person on the witness stand, and she was unable to make coherent and understandable statements. Rachel Jeantel's value as a human in inherent. Her value as a spokesperson is reflective of the acceptability in our country of language deficiencies so severe as to be incomprehensible. It's not the "end of all things". It is reflective of decline.

 

[Medusa]

mocking the way people speak the second language is just arrogance

the topic is about proficiency fluency etc l think

 

[humbolt]

mocking the way people speak the second language is just arrogance

the topic is about proficiency fluency etc l think

Noting Rachel's inability to speak coherently is not mocking. Maybe the prosecution should've provided a translator. If she had preferred to speak Haitian, I'm certain they could've accommodated her.

 

[Visbek]

Nonsense? More than a few noteworthy people say otherwise.

Oh. You say that "noteworthy people" disagree with me. That settles that, then.

You may not be the same age as Jeantel, but you represent yourself with the ability to speak for her.

I make no such claim.

What I'm saying is that problems with articulation and/or divergent dialects, or whatever else you project onto this individual, is not new. It's not a generational claim, it's a historical claim.

The point of the speech problem, in case you missed it, is that the prosecution in the Zimmerman/Martin case put that person on the witness stand, and she was unable to make coherent and understandable statements.

I do understand that. And again, there is absolutely nothing new about that.

It's not the "end of all things". It is reflective of decline.

1) It is absurd to look at one, and only one, person and on that basis make a judgment of millions of people.
2) If I had to list all the alleged indicators of "decline," I'd be here all day. Maybe I'll let someone do a bit of the work for me:

Declinism's Fifth Wave - Josef Joffe - The American Interest Magazine

 

[humbolt]

Oh. You say that "noteworthy people" disagree with me. That settles that, then.

I don't expect you to take my word for it. You could look and read for yourself, if you would.

I make no such claim.

Your response to the OP was "No."

What I'm saying is that problems with articulation and/or divergent dialects, or whatever else you project onto this individual, is not new. It's not a generational claim, it's a historical claim.

I project nothing. Rachel spoke.

1) It is absurd to look at one, and only one, person and on that basis make a judgment of millions of people.

Rachel is just the latest example highlighted in the national media. If you have to look real hard for other examples, you just aren't looking.

2) If I had to list all the alleged indicators of "decline," I'd be here all day. Maybe I'll let someone do a bit of the work for me:

Declinism's Fifth Wave - Josef Joffe - The American Interest Magazine

I've already read that, and others, as well. If you can look at the results of our current educational system and claim everything is just fine, again you just aren't looking. Nobody has claimed the end is near. Those dark clouds on the horizon might mean a little something, though. If that doesn't concern you, by all means continue watering the lawn.

 

[CRUE CAB]

The Racheal Jeantels and Trayvon Martins of the world are of no concequence. It will take alot more than those two idiots to bring down our world.

 

[TheGirlNextDoor]

Just because you had crappy parents doesn't mean it is OK for you to be a crappy adult.

(By "you" I don't mean you personally, but generally people who blame their parents for their F'ed up views)

This is very true. I don't know ANY parent who does everything right. None.

At some point, people grow up and make their own decisions. Time to take control of your own life and quit blaming everyone else.

It boils down to steering your own life in the direction you want it to go...it's responsibility.