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No one expects young men to do anything and they are responding by doing nothing

robkhenderson.substack.com

281–290 of 1001 posts

Re: No one expects young men to do anything and they are responding by doing nothing

#281
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Defund the police blew up because certain communities' only experience of police is of being harassed, beaten and robbed. It's hardly an attitude that's dripping with privilege. The backlash, on the other hand...

I'm 100% sure you're not part of such a community. Neither am I, of course :) When polled, poor black people want more policing, despite also agreeing with much of the defunder critique. Knowing both options, they prefer flawed policing to being ruled by criminal gangs.

Im not American.

The Americans I do know who really hate defund are the very definition of latte swilling liberals complaining about crime going up in their nice suburbs in SF, Portland and Seattle while... complaining bitterly about rich white liberals.

The one supporter I do know lives a few blocks from George Floyd although the slogan seems to mean something different to her (transfer funds and responsibilities for mental health to social service departments).

Re: No one expects young men to do anything and they are responding by doing nothing

#282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> America so thoroughly that the head of the “conservative” party is a three-times-divorced man of little character. I think that’s an interesting point. The political window has shifted further and further left in recent years. The fact is he’s not the head of the conservative moment, he’s the head of the Republican Party. There are differing factions and he promised something most in the party could support. For ex…

> The political window has shifted further and further left in recent years. As an outside observer, I'm Canadian, this viewpoint of many Americans that their politics has shifted "left" is flabbergasting. The SC has definitely shifted hard right and Roe v. Wade is essentially overturned, or being, overturned in many states. "Don't say gay" and other anti LGBQT+ laws are being passed. I feel you are using a very "tru…

No post body was provided.

Re: No one expects young men to do anything and they are responding by doing nothing

#283
post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rob went to Yale. He's literally a luxury columnist.

He went to Yale, yes, but he doesn't have the typical Yale graduate background of wealth and status. He had a drug addict mother and was sent to foster homes until he was adopted. He experienced the various levels of society first-hand.

> Of my five closest friends in high school, none went to college. Two went to prison.

Agreed, couldn't be further away from your typical Yale graduate.

Re: No one expects young men to do anything and they are responding by doing nothing

#284
post #3

This is an important read, especially this part. > This highly educated and affluent person prioritized stability for her own children. But refused to publicly endorse this value so that less fortunate children could also benefit from family stability. I’m from a rigidly socially conservative immigrant family that professes fashionably liberal values in public—imposing a double standard between “us” and “Americans.”…

"The article is right on the mark talking about the importance of social expectations for men." Those only really work if the opportunities are there for the person to succeed. If you have no hope of success, then people just give up.

I think it actually means redefining success. Today, success means having disposable income, but that's not the success that children need. They need stable households, and that can be obtained even with low paying jobs, though obviously it's easier with high paying jobs.

But it's impossible if the will to work isn't there, and the only way to get that will is to instill a good work ethic and proper, family-oriented goals.

Re: No one expects young men to do anything and they are responding by doing nothing

#285
post #3

This is an important read, especially this part. > This highly educated and affluent person prioritized stability for her own children. But refused to publicly endorse this value so that less fortunate children could also benefit from family stability. I’m from a rigidly socially conservative immigrant family that professes fashionably liberal values in public—imposing a double standard between “us” and “Americans.”…

"The article is right on the mark talking about the importance of social expectations for men." Those only really work if the opportunities are there for the person to succeed. If you have no hope of success, then people just give up.

The funny part about expectations is they don't have to match reality to have an impact. If you raise a child telling them they have no opportunity, their chance of success is quite low.

Re: No one expects young men to do anything and they are responding by doing nothing

#286
post #53

We're living in an utterly corrupt society. I know the middle class types on here don't like to hear it, but it's true. At the bottom of society, one can see clearly how bad it is. In the middle, you are insulated in your little suburban homes with your inflated sense of self-worth. Many people here are outright slaves. They are trapped in a predatory system that prevents them from gaining any dignity. It should be n…

Is there a country outside of the US that does not have some of the corrupt aspects you mention? Does this corruption pervade only at a national level or also at state and town and community layers?

Re: No one expects young men to do anything and they are responding by doing nothing

#287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> America so thoroughly that the head of the “conservative” party is a three-times-divorced man of little character. I think that’s an interesting point. The political window has shifted further and further left in recent years. The fact is he’s not the head of the conservative moment, he’s the head of the Republican Party. There are differing factions and he promised something most in the party could support. For ex…

>Finally, there was a decent support of policies for the working class. Please provide actual policy examples. I don't mean like when he put on a hard hat and pretended to dig coal with an imaginary shovel while on stage, I mean actual tangible policy proposals that would have improved the lives of working folks. Tariffs were very likely a net negative. Tax giveaways to build domestic factories almost never resulted…

Stopping mass illegal immigration that undercuts native workers, and pushes up living costs, especially housing.

Re: No one expects young men to do anything and they are responding by doing nothing

#288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What does it mean to be "successful, controlling for socioeconomic status"? Their success is defined by their peoples' socioeconomic status.

Maybe it would be better to say "controlling for immigration policies"? But even then the US is going to come out behind because those countries don't have the legacies of slavery still weighing them down.

Germany, US, France have about the same percentage of immigrants if you want to compare things like life expectancy on that basis.

Re: No one expects young men to do anything and they are responding by doing nothing

#289
In my relatively wealthy EU country there are two types of non upper class young men: those who are set to receive a relatively large inheritance and those who don't.

People in the second group have to work much harder than those in the first group to achieve well-being, even if they are professionally successful. People in the first group can afford to underachieve, since they will progressively become richer than those in the second group anyway.

The way I see it there is not simply a low and middle class, there is a multitude of subclasses among them that are mostly defined by inheritance. Partly as a result of it, we now live in awkward economic bubbles that don't mate with each other.

Re: No one expects young men to do anything and they are responding by doing nothing

#290
post #3

This is an important read, especially this part. > This highly educated and affluent person prioritized stability for her own children. But refused to publicly endorse this value so that less fortunate children could also benefit from family stability. I’m from a rigidly socially conservative immigrant family that professes fashionably liberal values in public—imposing a double standard between “us” and “Americans.”…

Great comment. I would just make a minor but relevant change, everybody is responsible here.

"And creating a culture where men and women are told it’s okay not to do those things creates harm."

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