Cynical?
Woestehoff says this investigation is long overdue. She complains that wealthy and well-connected parents have long-been throwing around their clout on behalf of their children. The rules ought to be the same for everybody. But, you know, this is Chicago. And we know that in Chicago there’s an expectation that a certain group of people who have power will be able to get their children into any school. Unqualified students who have parents with clout aren’t just attending public high schools. The issue has also plagued top officials at the University of Illinois in recent months. They’re accused of admitting hundreds of unqualified students. The scandal involves the president of the university along with many high-ranking elected officials. A state panel investigating the admissions process recently recommended every trustee on the board resign and yesterday, the chairman of the board did just that. http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/Content.aspx?audioID=35938 Absurd? Admissions clout clearly thrived in places where families were politically savvy and well-positioned to tap into connections with elected officials and university trustees, said educators and other observers. Just how skewed was the campus clout list? Half of the 616 Illinois students who received preferential treatment from 2005 to 2009 graduated from just 22 high schools, all but one in the metro area. Meanwhile, at least 668 Illinois high schools had no clouted applicants at all. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-clout-schools-17-jul17,0,2620479.story There's more as you must know. I didn't apply anything to the world at large, clearly the elite school comment was pertinent to Chicago but I will admit that I think it does go on in other parts of the country and the world. Besides, you should understand that I'm addressing the fact that poverty, while there are exceptions, is a nurtured aspect of the world. It's Marx distinction between the powerful and the powerless, the establishment of a social strata which is prevalent in many parts of the world, fact is I don't know of any off hand that function without it, some are worst than others. Truth is if the world sincerely wanted to rid itself of poverty it would end. Bulldozers would raze the ghettos and decent affordable housing would be built, bankrupt farms would be financially rescued, revived and enabled to productive feed the world acreage, the same goes for much of the failed small business's that translate into jobs. But of course that wouldn't be all too profitable to the stock market, investment capitalists and bankers. Better the not so 'well to do' bail them out when they need help, no? Isn't it all so obvious, or is is just me? On Oct 5, 6:11 pm, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote: > Chicago's elite public schools, the ones that parents are bedding with > aristocracy in exchange for their kids enrollment. > > very cynical, Slip. Inner city schools have additional problems that > come with poverty, there is not doubt about that. But to state that > other schools in any state provide more services because parents are > bedding with aristocracy is, well, absurd. You seem to take the worst > case scenario and apply it to the world at large. > > On Oct 5, 6:26 pm, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Well Molly, your examples merely confirm my comment that "little" > > effort is made. I wouldn't say that the examples reflect a great deal > > of effort. Sure there are organizations that combat numerous problems > > but overall results are insignificant. Things haven't really changed > > all that much, have they? > > > I'm not assuming that "all" children are experiencing the same thing > > and I would think you should know better than that. Of course there > > are better schools, better standards and better students. I'm simply > > addressing the obvious problems. It wouldn't make sense to talk about > > Chicago's elite public schools, the ones that parents are bedding with > > aristocracy in exchange for their kids enrollment. It's about inner > > city mentality and the mentality of those who contribute to the > > development of inner cities across the country and around the world. > > > On Oct 5, 1:15 pm, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > "I feel that little sincere effort is made towards nurturing peace", > > > SD > > > > I disagree, and offer some of the following organizations that are > > > active in nurturing peace in > > > societies:http://www.cnvc.org/http://www.americanhumane.org/protecting-children... > > > > "We don't actually try to instill attitudes of peace but relay the > > > idea that violence is a solution." SD > > > > You may be encouraged to know that most Middle and High Schools in the > > > US have made diversity and non violence a big part of their > > > curriculum, mission and code of conduct. Often their state funding > > > depends on it. There are certainly messages out there that our > > > children receive, that give the idea that violence is a solution. But > > > we do, as a society, in the public school system, give alternative > > > ideas. It would be nice to think that kids get that at home also. We > > > all know this is not always the case. > > > > It would be a mistake to watch the video of the gang fight in Chicago > > > and assume that all of our children experience this or that our > > > schools do nothing to instill attitudes of non violence. > > > > "It's all about self preservation and greed." That may be part of it, > > > but is not all of it. There is a great big green movement out there > > > trying to save the world, and the angry, mean green meme are willing > > > to fight anyone they have to to do it. This is a developmental stage > > > of the individual's ability to work in a group, and not, I think, a > > > reflection of our ability as a whole to progress. People fight. They > > > fight for, they fight against, they just fight to fight. Why is the > > > question. I think that those of us who have not learned that peace > > > makes life more livable, meaning, improves the quality of life and our > > > relations exponentially, just keep fighting until they do learn it. > > > > On Oct 5, 10:56 am, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Leave it to Cleaver! lol > > > > > To address the whole of it I would say the same as in another thread, > > > > peoples minds are up for grabs. I can't say that it is all about > > > > identity issues but there seems to be a degree of self representation > > > > in what people absorb from the external. The advertising industry > > > > knows this very well and promotes products in a way that bolsters the > > > > human ego. From the big truck to the elitist mustard the sell is > > > > based on that simple appeal. > > > > As far as television and movies I do believe that they have an affect > > > > on society. The presentations on the tube or screen are no better > > > > than the people in control of the industry, which as we all know > > > > doesn't run high in the ethics and morals department. Either way the > > > > offerings of non violent role model presentations are next to none. > > > > There have been many studies that show how young children act out > > > > violently after watching a movie containing violence. > > > > > Excerpt: > > > > Societal influences help foment violent behavior. The images that > > > > populate mass media actually have the longest-lasting impact of all > > > > contributors to violence. Prolonged exposure to violent images > > > > increases the fear of becoming a victim, desensitizes violence, and > > > > heightens the viewer's appetite for similarly engaging in > > > > violence.http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199403/violence-has-home-address > > > > > Violent and other antisocial behaviors involving children and > > > > adolescents are being > > > > blamed on the media. In the United States, controversy over the > > > > influence of > > > > the media on children remains intense. Yet more violent acts are > > > > depicted on tele- > > > > vision, sales of video games depicting death and destruction are > > > > skyrocketing, and > > > > many rock videos show violence as a viable means of conflict > > > > resolution. Efforts > > > > to limit the acts of violence shown in the media are met with the > > > > industry's consid- > > > > erable financial resources to resist responsible programming. Although > > > > media vio- > > > > lence is not the leading cause of real-life violence, it is a > > > > significant cause, and one > > > > that is easily remediable. The major components of the media affecting > > > > children-- > > > > television (videos, movies), print (comic books, magazines, and > > > > newspapers), and > > > > radio--continue to have powerful negative effects on American > > > > children. > > > > >http://www.questia.com/read/27253421?title=Schools%2c%20Violence%2c%2... > > > > (#5 left pane) > > > > > Television has a dominant role. American children view two hundred > > > > thou- > > > > sand violent acts on television by the age of eighteen. While parents > > > > have a > > > > central role in influencing the lives of their children, television > > > > has a powerful effect > > > > on the development of unhealthy activities, negative attitudes, and > > > > antisocial be- > > > > haviors. American children and adolescents spend twenty-three to > > > > twenty-eight > > > > hours per week viewing television. This three to four hours per day > > > > displaces > > > > healthy activities, including exercise, play, reading, and homework. > > > > By high school > > > > graduation, twelve thousand hours will have been spent in formal > > > > classroom > > > > instruction, yet fifteen thousand hours will have been spent in front > > > > of the > > > > television. > > > > > Violent Human Nature: Telling a New Story > > > > William L. Ury > > > > > In this past year when it came to the question of intervening in > > > > Kosovo, > > > > as in Bosnia or Rwanda, we heard countless times in the media that > > > > these > > > > people have been fighting for centuries and centuries; it's in their > > > > blood > > > > and there's nothing you can do about it. The day after the Columbine > > > > shooting in April 1999, the spokesperson for the school district was > > > > quoted as saying, “You can take every reasonable step to make a > > > > positive > > > > environment for everyone, but sometimes human nature will defeat you.” > > > > This attribution of violence and war to human nature has a rich > > > > intellectual > > > > heritage. Voltaire, for instance, expressed the widespread beliefs of > > > > his > > > > time when he asserted that slavery is as ancient as war and was human > > > > nature. At the beginning of this century, Freud posited the existence > > > > of an > > > > instinct of destruction and aggression, believing that it lay at the > > > > root of > > > > war. He wrote, “Under primitive conditions it is superior force, brute > > > > violence > > > > or violence backed by arms, that lords it everywhere.” > > > > > _____________________________ > > > > > I feel that little sincere effort is made towards nurturing peace, > > > > instead we succumb to barbarianism as with Popeye when we had all we > > > > can stand it's time for the violence. We don't actually try to > > > > instill attitudes of peace but relay the idea that violence is a > > > > solution. The world continues to churn with decreasing attention to > > > > reason. I wouldn't imagine any violent uprising in a meeting room > > > > full of Minds Eye members, therefore I would reason that the lack of > > > > reason and the effort to place value on reason in the minds of our > > > > society lies at the core of the increase in violence behavior. > > > > In the beginning of the video in Chicago I hear the girl yelling "get > > > > out the car" and wonder where is the disconnect in our system of > > > > education, the integration somehow has been lost, somewhat abandoned > > > > and a sub culture had been allowed to fester and emerge, a lord of the > > > > flies scenario. The tragedy of the death is simply a by product of > > > > another tragedy, the failure of a segment of society to grasp hold of > > > > the opportunities that are afforded them, the reasons for that are > > > > many. This is not a race debate but a social issue directed at the > > > > whole in failure to address the part. Unfortunately there is a > > > > tendency to ignore that which is not a immediate personal problem. > > > > Society ignores inner cities because most don't have to live there > > > > with the rats and rodents. Society spends millions on incarceration > > > > as a result but spends little on a infrastructure that promotes > > > > productivity, advancement and higher educational > > ... > > read more » --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/minds-eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
