Taking a break

I'll be out of the office most of next week so won't be posting as much, if at all. Yes, I'm planning on getting away to recharge. No, I'm not going to South America -- unless my wife wants to go with me and someone can pay our way there. (Sorry, I had to do it.) Hope the week goes well for everyone. Feel free to use the comment section to link stories and have discussions. I'm planning on checking in next week and will be reading them. Thanks.

Comments

[Sunny Fry]

Have you notified your second in command?

[Carlton]

Good that you can have a sense of humor about the whole debacle Sunny. But now that the cat is away...let the trouble-making begin. I read these four very contentious questions on a right wing blog and found them quite provocative and one of the reasons Republicans have problems with other races jumping on board. Anybody care to try to address them as to the validity of what they are trying to imply? I could offer my opinion first, but that's no fun. http://race42008.com/2009/06/23/four-highly-contentious-questions-pertaining-to-race/

[Sunny Fry]

I'm having a hard time sorting out what they're trying to imply, but I'll give the questions a shot.

"1. Asians score higher than whites do on standardized tests. This testifies to one of two things: Asians are either harder-working than whites are, on average — or Asians are inherently more intelligent, on average, than whites. Right?"

Maybe. Probably not, though. Genetically, there's not enough variation to make a difference.

I'd say it has a lot more to do with cultural expectations combined with the Confuscian notion that intelligence is only slightly a "gift from the gods" and is mostly something that can be acquired through hard work. Believing that you're not doomed to be stupid, and having a culture where parents are much more revered and good scores are expected, probably has a great deal more to do with it.

As evidence, I'd point to black children adopted by white parents. When they're young, they outscore the aggregate white kids by a good margin in IQ tests. As they get older, their measurable IQ actually diminishes.

I did know one Laotian young man who tried to kill himself by slicing his own throat, because his grades were disappointing his parents.

"OK, so are whites harder-working (or inherently more intelligent) than blacks?"

Genetically, there's not but a smidge of difference, so I vote for neither. I'd put it more down to 1) lack of history of education, 2) cultural effects, 3) peer pressure, and 4) testing anxiety.

"2. It’s true that blacks are better at basketball than whites are, on average, correct?"

"Nobody seems to dispute that blacks excel at basketball.

Is there something that anyone can name that whites are better than blacks at?"

Do you mean sports?

Well, there's golf generally, but then there's Tiger. It's sort of a dumb question, actually. The whole institution of slavery was survival of the fittest -- only the strongest even survived the passage. Combine that with the historic reality that the only two ways for blacks to excel in mainstream America has been largely either sports or music, and obviously that's where the focus will be.

If football or basketball scholarships are the only way to get ahead, you're going to have a lot of kids playing football and basketball. And some of them are bound to be great.

"3. Almost all interracial rape in this country comes about from blacks raping whites."

Is that true? It seems statistically unlikely. Whites comprise roughly 70% of the population, blacks just under 15%.

I will just point out that 1) rape is and always has been a crime of anger, 2) rape has also always historically been a way to "dominate" another tribe, and 3) that violent crime of any sort strongly correlates with poverty.

But I'd still want to see hard numbers. *and* I'd want to know if that's reported rapes, convictions for rape, or something else.

"4. Nearly 70% of black babies are born out of wedlock."

Yep, but whites are catching up fast. I'd say it probably started to be a real problem with welfare, when society essentially told the black male he wasn't necessary.

" Homosexuality is practically taboo within black culture."

I think that's mostly true.

"And yet, black media glorifies the ‘pimp’ and ’street’ culture. Is there some sort of cultural problem pertaining to sex within the black community?"

It sometimes looks like it, though I'd want to be careful how I defined the black community.

[cat1dog]

Carlton -

You said - "now that the cat is away" -

The cat is here - I did not go anywhere - LOL

[cat1dog]

First statement made was -
“Asians score higher than whites do on standardized tests. This testifies to one of two things: Asians are either harder-working than whites are, on average — or Asians are inherently more intelligent, on average, than whites. Right?”

Wrong - It does not mean Asians - Blacks or Whites are harder-working or more intelligent - It means Asians think it is more important in their culture to do better on “standardized tests” -

Next statement was -
“It’s true that blacks are better at basketball than whites are, on average, correct?”

Actually - I would like to answer that question to the person who wrote this with a question of my own -
My question is - It’s true that Asians especially Japanese are good at Sumo wrestling - So how good do Asian Sumo wrestlers do on “standardized tests” -

Next question was -
“Is there something that anyone can name that whites are better than blacks at?
Anyone?”

Well apparently were pretty good at making racist web sits like this one these questions came from -
Do not get me wrong - I have seen some black raciest web sites also but the token black dude on this one is a nice touch -

Next question was -

“Is there a cultural problem specifically in the black community that needs to be addressed?” -

Yes -

Let’s not stop there though and ask these questions also -

Is there a cultural problem in Arabic culture where woman can still get stoned to death and count for less than men -

Yes -

Is there a cultural problem in some areas of rural white America where meth is the drug of choice -

Yes -

Is there a cultural problem in North Korea -

Yes but there should not be because those “Asians “ do better on “standardized tests” - LOL

[Denise]

Since they threw that extremely dubiuos interracial rape statistic out there, I'll toss this one in the mix:
"Is there something that anyone can name that whites are better than blacks at?"

How about serial killing?

Is it a cultural or a mental difference that seems to make whites so much better at it? Are blacks just too impatient to take the time to stalk, torture ,mutilate, and dump their victims, or is it more a matter of need for speed (hey, you're black, so The Man is is going to be knocking on your door soon for something or other,right?). Are white people just crazier than blacks that way? Are blacks more prone to kill because they want your car or you cheated them on a drug deal, while whites are more likely to kill because their dog told them to or they want to add to the collection of blue eyeballs in the basement?
My own first choice for death, like all of you, I'm sure, would be at home at a VERY old age with loved ones surrounding me, but if it's got to of the stupid and senseless variety, I think I'd prefer being shot for my car by some crackhead than languishing for days in some crazy dude's basement who yells at me to "put the lotion on my skin" before cutting it all off to use as a dress and carving out my eyeballs so he can use them as click-clacks.
And if whites are smarter than blacks, and Asians are smarter than whites, does that mean there are even crazier Asian serial killers out there ?
And I hope you all realize my tongue is very firmly planted in cheek right now, which would probably not have been the case with a lot of posters had this subject come up about a year ago........where have all the commenters gone?

[Sunny Fry]

Okay, I feel dirty at this point.

Out of curiosity, I started looking up numbers. Japan only just recently banned video games that have rape as an objective, and there's a big scandal about a top school where the young men formed a rape club. There are rape scenes in children's comic books, in addition to plain old graphic sex. In South Africa, one in four men admit to raping someone.

Finding really hard numbers is problematic everywhere, though, since there seem to be so many unreported rapes, across all borders. But in looking at it, some things seem obvious. First, men are dogs. Second, the prevalence in different areas seems to have a whole lot more to do with culture than either race or socio-economic status. Third, it happens in other species, too.

A quick glance at serial killer stats turns out that race doesn't seem to be a good predictor of that, either -- the numbers roughly correspond to racial demographics.

And I thought this was interesting and somewhat encouraging:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8115219.stm

[cat1dog]

Denise -

Good post -
“some crazy dude's basement who yells at me to "put the lotion on my skin" before cutting it all off to use as a dress and carving out my eyeballs so he can use them as click-clacks.” - LOL -

You ask - “where have all the commenter’s gone?” -

The Sun screwed up Issac’s blog site when they took it off the front web page and added other blog sites -
About three years ago he use to get a thousand replies a month sometimes -

The Sun seemed to think more was better when it came to blog sites -

Even if I do not agree at times I realize when I read a post by you or Sunny or Carlton or root or Brian or Walt - It is an intelligent well thought out post -

I miss some of the posts by racists and religious fanatics like Dr. Lambert - In an odd way they make a blog site better because it is fun to dog them back - Meow - Woff Woff

[cat1dog]

Issac said “Feel free to use the comment section to link stories and have discussions and Carlton came up with this so back on his “topic” -

Sunny -

You said “Okay, I feel dirty at this point.” - Do not feel that way - Only us men are dirty dogs - LOL

Now to get back to the original topic Carlton got us going on - It said on that web site -

“Almost all interracial rape in this country comes about from blacks raping whites” -

I believe that to be true but the guy that did the racist web site also must take statistics in to account -

White Americans make up 74% of the population -
Black Americans compose 12% of the population -

So let’s say this black is going to rape -
Rape is a crime of violence not sex - He is looking for a woman -

The odds are he will find a white woman because there are so many more white woman than black women -

In turn - The reason “Almost all interracial rape in this country comes about from blacks raping whites” and not white guys raping black woman is because there are a lot less black woman to rape in general -

People rape people not just black men raping white woman like this moron racist wants people to believe -

Too bad he did not post here so I could cut him with my cat paws and bite him with my dog jaws - LOL

Like I said before - In 2009 I do not think we should “apologize” for slavery but in 2009 people need to stop feeding into this “evil black man” crap -

Now not to pick on Asians because as I said I think we are all the same but if you are going to talk about “black men raping” and say things like -
“Asians score higher than whites do on standardized tests” -
Then perhaps these racists need to read more history - I quote -

“One of the greatest mass rapes in world history. The number of women raped ranged from twenty thousand to as many as eighty thousand, and stated that women from all classes were raped, including Buddhist nuns Furthermore, rape occurred in all locations and at all hours, and women both very young and very old were raped. Not even pregnant women were spared, and that after gang rape, Japanese soldiers sometimes slashed open the bellies of pregnant women and ripped out the fetuses for amusement. Not all rape victims were women. Chinese men were sodomized and forced to perform repulsive sexual acts. Some were forced to commit incest—fathers to rape their own daughters, brothers their sisters, sons their mothers.”

http://www.tribo.org/nanking/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rape_of_Nanking_(book)

[Denise]

Cat1dog, I believe you're right about the drop in comments corresponding to the move from the front page ....I also think it offers a sad commentary on how lazy people can be, that an extra "point and click" or two can deter people from looking for it. The same can be said for the "discussion" board, too.......when the format was changed, there was much whining about how difficult it was to navigate (frankly, my 6 year-old could figure it out, I don't know what their problems were - some people just can't handle change, I guess) and the number of users has dropped significantly. I miss some of the more out-there commenters for the sheer jaw-dropping "WTF, did they just really say that?" quality of their posts. I've got to say that while he and I rarely agreed on anything, I worry at the absence of PhoneyLiberal........I've become oddly fond of the old coot, and I hope he's OK.

[Brian37]

Issac

Everyone needs time to unwind. You do it by eating watermelon, not in front of whites of course. I do it by BBQing kittens, not in front of believers of course.

In any case, everyone needs the down time at some point.

[Carlton]

Man, you guys are way too rational. OK, this one not only appears to have race as a component but also, politics, morality (paying kids to do stuff they SHOULD be doing anyway) and even a little religion. If you don't want to talk about it, at least read it for entertainment value. Is this an assault on traditional values or resourceful innovation that provides a helpful service? http://www.wxii12.com/health/19843503/detail.html

[Denise]

Boy, Carlton, you sure do bring the topics to the table!
I wish the article had contained a bit more information, such as how many girls are actually in the program, how many have been dismissed from the program, and exactly what the required meetings cover. Is the program leading to girls actually abstaining from all sexual activity, or is it encouraging better use of birth copntrol? Or are they turning to alternate sexual practices (you'd be surprised - or maybe not - at how many teenagers of all races think that oral sex doesn't count)? Is it open to anyone, or are they specifically targeting by race , economic status, single parent homes, etc?

[Denise]

It really is a slow news day if this is what passes as "breaking news"

http://www.thesunnews.com/news/breaking_news/story/959719.html

They're really milking this for all it's worth!

[cat1dog]

Carlton -

When I first read the link you posted I thought they should not be -
“paying kids to do stuff they SHOULD be doing anyway” -
Then I realized I was being a hypocrite - I never got an “allowance” when I was a kid -
When I was about 12 like these kids in the article my dad use to say stuff like -
For every A you get on your report card I will give you 10 bucks -
My dad was not rich and 10 bucks years ago was a lot of money -
In an odd way - At lease to me anyway - The lesson was work hard - Do the right thing and get paid for it -
Of course I was only 12 years old and as I got older I realized there is more to it than that -
The think is though - Although my Dad passed away in 1986 he gave me lessons in life - Stuff like do not ever hit a woman - Stuff like work hard - Stuff people “SHOULD be doing anyway” -
If you are young like these girls and have no guidance like I am sure some of them do not have - Then I do not think there is anything wrong with this teacher giving a monetary incentive to show that if you do the right thing you will be rewarded for it -
It is much better to show these kids that doing the right thing is the way to make money by not have sex -Instead of some pimp trying to convince them that having sex for money is the way to make money

[cat1dog]

Denise -

You said - “you'd be surprised - or maybe not - at how many teenagers of all races think that oral sex doesn't count” -

I actually have a friend like that and he is not a teenager-

When all that stuff was happening with Clinton and Clinton said “I did not have sex with that woman” - People said “Clinton lied” - My friend said he was unfaithful to his wife but did not lie -

I am not saying what is right or wrong - Or what is or is not sex - I just think different people have a different opinion of what sex is -

You are right though when you said - It really is a slow news day if this is what passes as "breaking news" and “They're really milking this for all it's worth!” -

“A state law that dates to at least 1880 says adultery is a crime, no matter where it occurred, and that adulterers "shall be severally punished." And, under an antiquated state law, it could also cost him up to $500 and a year in jail.” -

Some of those blue laws are still on the books but no one ever enforces them and like you said they're really milking this for all it's worth -

Here is two more still on the books -

SECTION 20-7-8915. South Carolina
Playing pinball machines.
It is unlawful for a minor under the age of eighteen to play a pinball machine.

Title 16 - Crimes and Offenses South Carolina
CHAPTER 15.
OFFENSES AGAINST MORALITY AND DECENCY
ARTICLE 1.
MISCELLANEOUS OFFENSES
SECTION 16-15-50. Seduction under promise of marriage.
A male over the age of sixteen years who by means of deception and promise of marriage seduces an unmarried woman in this State is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined at the discretion of the court or imprisoned not more than one year. There must not be a conviction under this section on the uncorroborated testimony of the woman upon whom the seduction is charged, and no conviction if at trial it is proved that the woman was at the time of the alleged offense lewd and unchaste. If the defendant in any action brought under this section contracts marriage with the woman, either before or after the conviction, further proceedings of this section are stayed.

[Carlton]

You bring up some good points, Denise. Personally, I think that all sexual behavior is being ignored except that which results in a pregnancy. Pregnancy, not sexual expression, is seen as the biggest problem for this age group. I am not completely sold, but I think I like it. As for Cat1Dog's assertion that there's nothing wrong with being paid for stuff you should be doing anyway...I have to agree because I can't find a way not to.

[Carlton]

As for the adultery law and our governor I think the transparency on this law is actually a good thing. I have faith that the populace will see it for the folly it is. After all, the majority of citizens remained on Clinton's side after he lied to a grand jury. They realized it was stupid to expect someone to tell the truth to a bunch of nosy strangers before discussing his infidelities with his own wife.

[Sunny Fry]

Money's just another incentive.

Kids have influences all over the place. Mom and dad (presumably) discourage sexual activity; hopefully the school discourages while educating. Movies, TV, Benneton ads, Cosmo, Glamour, Britney Spears, and hormones all influence in the other direction.

I have no problem with it. I don't think it's a cure-all, but any influence that postpones pregnancy is a net gain for everyone.