Yes, I'm inclined to go with Saul on this. While there is never a solid guarantee that some people will be forever excluded from opportunity to improve their lots by their own efforts, it's evident that it is indeed the case just as it's the case that some with privilege and wealth will never lose it by their own foolishness. (When you have billions of dollars, as many do nowadays, even a dedicated profligacy couldn't drain it all).
It comes down to the old struggle between 'rights by opportunity' or 'rights by condition'. Some people, always the ones who have superior rights by condition, want to deny those same rights to others and claim that the inferior conditions of others are set by some divine code. The most they will allow is that those others can earn their way toward a new condition by making their own opportunities. Then they restrict those opportunities by many insidious means, replacing the harsh, rigid reality with a foggy mythologizing such as "anyone can make good with hard work". Again, if you begin with social and economic privileges you have a good chance to keep and improve them. If you begin with social and economic deprivations, you will probably never escape them fully. So far as I know, this has been the case in every complex society since the beginning of history. It's true that some societies are more open to 'change by opportunity' and maybe none has done better than the USA (excepting the period of slavery) but permanent inequality and injustice remains the central problem of human society, in my view. wc ----- Original Message ---- From: saulostrow <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sat, August 18, 2012 3:28:20 PM Subject: Re: Subjective - Objective lets be generous 10 to 2 odds seemingly means that 8 out of ten who get in the game will loose - that is the reason I used the word most (the largest amount) On Sat, Aug 18, 2012 at 4:12 PM, saulostrow <[email protected]> wrote: > One I guest may generality extends to the rest of the world - and I think > that the logic of capital is punitive - or at least the Darwinistic version > that has developed in the Protestant world - in which grace is measured by > wealth > > > On Sat, Aug 18, 2012 at 3:10 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > >> In a message dated 8/18/12 1:25:45 PM, [email protected] writes: >> >> >> > I would like to point out that we are not all created equal and that >> most >> > of us are further penalized for not only race, gender, and class but >> also >> > for education and ability - seemingly the deck is stacked against most >> of >> > us >> > >> 'Penalized' is the wrong word. >> >> I'd suggest that 'restricted' might be better here, but even that is too >> gloomy, too focussed on the morose possibilities in life. Freud had an >> interesting phrase: "Anatomy is destiny." I won't try to grapple with >> what he >> had >> in mind in the essay where the phrase appears, because he too focusses on >> the >> bleak. >> >> The fact is we can also be ADVANTAGED by anatomy. We see that regularly in >> great athletes. We see the advantages of an attractive appearance, a >> strong >> immune system, of stamina mental and physical. The many aspects of high >> intelligence are the lucky advantages of anatomy within our skulls. >> >> Don't reply by pointing out that many athletes, entertainers, and smart, >> healthy, rich folks have been "unhappy". That would trend toward saying >> none >> of us has a chance to be contented. And it would be as unconvincing a >> response as asserting that no black female born into a poor family has >> ever >> eventually led a satisfying "happy" life. >> >> The sweeping "seemingly the deck is stacked against most of us" is too >> morbid a generalization. And, without qualification it's useless. It >> becomes >> useful for many when it's modified to something like "seemingly the >> deck is >> stacked against most of those who elect to forego higher education". There >> are many things that are beyond our electing for ourselves -- being >> taller, >> smarter, impervious to germs. But some things yield to effort, and to >> abandon >> effort because of a belief "the cards are stacked against me" is >> self-confirming pessimism. >> >> > > > -- > S a u l O s t r o w > > > *Critical Voices* > 21STREETPROJECTS > 162 West 21 St > NYC, NY 10011 > [email protected] > > > > -- S a u l O s t r o w *Critical Voices* 21STREETPROJECTS 162 West 21 St NYC, NY 10011 [email protected]
