[ExI] Class Differences Among Black People

[Olga Bourlin]

>From: "Samantha Atkins" <sjatkins at mac.com>
>
>> On May 27, 2007, at 7:02 PM, Olga Bourlin wrote:
To: "ExI chat list" <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Sent: Monday, May 28, 2007 12:51 PM

>> Yes I am. Besides, from where does Sowell's "considerable stature" come?
>> Mainly from white conservatives.  Think about that.
>>
> No one said otherwise.  But if you are to be taken seriously you need to
> give some supporting argument.

Isn't the neocon base mainly "white" (e.g., the Bush administration, as are 
most Republicans, and libertarians)?  Of course, not everyone who is a fan 
of Stowell is "white" - he does have Michelle Malkin, Dinesh D'Souza and 
Clarence Thomas regularly throwing laurels to him.

>>>> He has said a great deal about why he believes many of the things tried 
>>>> not only did not help but made the problems worse.

What could possibly be worse than the present neocon Bush administration? 
(I mean, even in my wildest nightmares ... I never thought we'd see such a 
demented crew as is presently occupying the White House and its environs.)

Sowell has been writing for some 25-30 years, and yet ... is anyone 
implementing his advice?  Whom has he helped?  (All right, Clarence Thomas.) 
Practically speaking, what has he really done to move the country forward? 
Who is listening to him?  Is he mainly preaching to the choir?  Perhaps he's 
not being very diplomatic towards the people he claims he wants to help?

I don't know what the problem is - but something about Thomas Sowell, in 
spite of his education, his prolific writings, his dire warnings and 
frequent tongue lashings - his message is somehow not getting through. 
Maybe he's writing for the wrong century (i.e., maybe libertarianism is no 
longer a viable philosophy for our complicated world)?

>> Essentially, Sowell blames poor people for being poor.  As if poor people
>> don't have enough problems.  A real class act, that Sowell.

> I don't believe his positions are remotely reducible to this.  However,
> there are cultural aspects that tend to perpetuate many situations, good
> or ill.  It would be good to examine what those might be and how to
> overcome them in whole or part to reduce the ill of poverty and ignorance.

Samantha, you're right - that was only *one* of the things Sowell does so 
well (insulting poor people), for he certainly has positions on other 
matters:

* He is against gay marriage because, he says, marriage is actually a
"restriction" (but what I don't understand is if gays want this
"restriction" like, apparently, some heterosexuals do, then why not give it
to 'em?);

* He is against minimum wage;

* He is against affirmative action (but he's seemingly not opposed to white
affirmative action - I mean, I've heard no complaints from Sowell about the 
current affirmative action baby in the White House (no pun intended));

* He is against universal / socialized health care;

* He gave kudos to Malkin's book about how the Japanese internment during 
WWII was a good idea (although he did think the government went too far by 
taking away the houses of those people who were put into the internment 
camps ... it's okay to take the people away from their homes - just don't 
pocket the homes, I guess is his position on this);

* And, please, tell me this is a joke, yes?  Oh, please.  Sowell recently 
wrote: "When I see the worsening degeneracy in our politicians, our media, 
our educators, and our intelligentsia, I can't help wondering if the day may 
yet come when the only thing that can save this country is a military coup":

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YmU0NGQ0ZTQzZTU4Zjk4MjdjZWMzYTM4Nzk2MzQ0MGI=

* Military coup?

* Eh?

>>> That is quite a gross over-simplifying dismissal.  You might want to 
>>> work
>>> on that.

>> I don't see much in our society that inspires me to think otherwise.  Do
>> you?  (If so, please inform me where all this progressive amelioration is
>> taking place ... or where white people are becoming more informed or
>> concerned about anything having to do with blacks in our country.)

> Over generalization is a general intellectual weakness.  It has little
> to do with anything external.

External, internal ... schlemiel, schlimazel ... hasenpfeffer incorporated 
... (did he really write "military junta"?) ...

Olga