Just the other day I saw a youtube of women fighting in a fast food parking lot. On top of it all, the main antagonist was obviously pregnant. My embarrassment won't let me link to it, but the imagery stayed with me. These combatants, with their clothes and hair weaves in disarray, showed no reluctance to put themselves or their animosities on public display. No one had any shame, and hence, the title of this post. Some may see this proclamation as a no brainer, but what is not obvious is how it clearly spells out our reduction. You heard me right – the absence of shame will be our great un-doing. Yes, releasing ourselves from shame was suppose to free us, but it did just the opposite. Our ability to feel shame, a critical skill for advancing, is missing-in-action. What we need in this country is some good old fashion shame building. You heard it here folks.
What? First of all, the rich have no shame, they flaunt their wealth as if it springs from DNA that they composed with their own MacBook Pro, while listening to iTunes. But on the other side, the poor also have no shame, as they stand idle on the street corner smoking a cigarette, while talking on a cell phone, and with a sign that says ‘homeless please help'. As I move pass them, I always wonder where they got the ‘free’ cell (I have to pay for mine).
The educated have no shame. They drop the names of fancy schools, degrees, and store-bought SAT scores to-boot. And let’s not forget that school cheating, by students and teachers, is significant and rising. The un-educated too have no shame, boldly showing off a profound ignorance in every direction and manner, that has them graduate or drop out (take your pick) of high school with somewhere near an eight grade attainment.
Moving on, the beautiful have no shame as they prance around saying, ‘look at me, look at me, and don’t hate me because I’m so beautiful'. They buy fake this and that, and leave the price tag showing as well. Unsurprisingly, the ugly have no shame either, as they work to draw greater attention to the superficial gifts they think they did not receive, by way of billboard-sized tattoos, hollow-point piercings and other self-mutilation showing how twisted-proud they are of their ugliness.
But it’s not just outliers with shame disabilities. The masses have no shame, as they lie, cheat, and fabricate at every turn. Whatever is said or done is twisted to its opposite meaning, up is down, good is bad, right is wrong, from the tabloids to the White House. When caught in lies – you guessed it – we try to lie our way out. “I swear I did not have sex with that woman!”
Granted, shamelessness was not invented here and is on the upswing worldwide, but America is leading the charge nonetheless. Unless we somehow rediscover the shame in our behavior. Unless we re-learn the embarrassment that has always corrected our aim, humanity will continue to miss the mark, and we are done.
Have a good weekend.
James C. Collier
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Technorati Tags: America – Home of the Shameless, Embarrassment, Oakland, White House, Fighting, Acting White
15 comments:
Excellent, I agree!
Careful there James.
You'll make a lot of sense and you'll get turned on like Bill Cosby did.
BTW you make sense a lot of the time and that's what keeps me coming back.
I agree wholeheartedly with your opinion here on shame.
Intellectual dishonesty and political correctness and the politics of gotcha is stinking up political discourse.
The blatant lying by the right wing media is astounding especially with all the fact checking. Sadly the new wars are information wars.
Keep telling the truth no matter how unpopular it is becoming.
"Some may see this proclamation as a no brainer, but what is not obvious is how it clearly spells out our reduction. You heard me right – the absence of shame will be our great un-doing. Yes, releasing ourselves from shame was suppose to free us, but it did just the opposite."
Indeed, but explain this to any liberal and you'll be met with a fit of childish rage. On the one hand, we are not allowed to "judge" a disgusting hyper-obese pig, and on the other hand we can't demand the slightest hint of modesty from skanky high school sophomores. We're supposed to endure pretentious overeducated postmoedern windbags, and also tolerate subhuman gutterspeak and pidgin English. I don't think it's merely a lack of shame, though, it's a deliberate subversiveness that has been promoted as the highest virtue by an elite that has become increasingly hostile to any traditional American standards of decency. While they remain sequestered in their private schools, private jets, country clubs, and summer homes, they preach scorched Earth to the common people. Much of this debasement has occurred in the guise of feminism, multiculturalism, diversity, and tolerance. Sometimes it seems like the only rule in today's society is that there are no rules. But a society with no rules is no society at all, it's chaos.
There were other things on the video that demonstrated a lack of decency. A rather large man at first seemed to be trying to break up the fight, then savagely beat the defenseless pregnant woman. And at the end of the video the crowd celebrates a motorcycle cop who gets hit by a car. It all shows the complete lack of any kind of moral framework, a nihilistic desire for spectacle and carnage, and a an utter unwillingness or inability to suppress our basest impulses. Not to mention that this was all caught on tape by some guy who was out in anticipation of riots after the Mehserle verdict.
The one thing I would object to in your rant is this: "store-bought SAT scores." The effect of test preparation on the SAT is trivial - approximately 25 points on average. On the fiercest reality-proof ideologues are still harping on about this.
How popular is this truth to you FB?
You will likely die at an earlier than normal age of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, some cancers, or any of the other diseases brought on by your love of everything that causes you to be a "fat bastard".
(Yes I looked at your blog page)
Here's another truth for you you won't care for.
The people know the truth and the people have left and are leaving the biased left wing media in droves because of political correctness and gotcha coverage and their ignoring of any news that makes the current administration look anything less than favorable.
Do yourself a favor. Have a salad and an apple.
You'll think much clearer thoughts.
FB, your advocacy of all things fat enhances the conspicuous absence of the statement (in the post), "the fat have no shame".
To anonymous coward-
People have not deserted left-wing media because of a lack of truth and gotcha journalism. The intellectually curious and truth-seekers are slowing FINDING it after being tired of being lied to and having divisive fears played upon by the right wing noise machine. Right wing media is attractive to people because it plays to their fears, validates the worst part of them and requires no thought.
People are seeking alternative ways to get information. The search is hard, for people with busy lives, but once they have broken free, they tend to stay free.
@anonymous 12:57:
" ... a deliberate subversiveness that has been promoted as the highest virtue by an elite that has become increasingly hostile to any traditional American standards of decency ... Much of this debasement has occurred in the guise of feminism, multiculturalism, diversity, and tolerance."
Negative. You could not be more off base if you tried. I'm sorry, but I fail to see how championing the equal rights of women (you know, that thing we call feminism), celebration of cultures (multiculturalism), and not penalizing those who do not fit into YOUR cookie cutter idea of decency encourages derelict behavior.
If anything, feminists would be appalled at the video, as the men egg on and videotape the fight, and the women are seemingly on display and performing for them. Also, I don't believe the insults hurled at each other, as well as the general "girl-on-girl" hate aspect of it sits particularly well with feminists.
What I find most offensive about your assertion that this horrible behavior is the fault of multiculturalism/diversity is that you associate criminal and delinquent behavior as an inherent component of black culture in America. I don't know ANY black person who would watch this video and feel pride, nor anyone who would defend it as a benchmark of black American culture. Bad behavior is bad behavior, regardless of race.
And what the hell, pray tell, are "traditional standards of American decency." Defining this is what wakes makes champions of diversity nervous. Because something does not fit in your limited parameters of acceptable behavior (and I'm not talking about ostensibly criminal behavior like we see here) does not mean it's "unamerican." This is EXTREMELY subjective, as everybody attributes what they grew up with as "more American" than something unfamiliar. Just because you grew up in the rust belt with a white picket fence and 2 church going parents does not mean that you are more American that a family headed by a gay couple in Brooklyn. Under these types of definitions, Carrie Prejean is more Americanly decent than Barack Obama, simply because on the surface, she seems more "all American."
p.s. the term "All American" and "Girl Next Door" are similarly problematic because it usually implies a "wholesome looking" blonde, blue eyed, smiling young woman. That's not inherently American, as that profile could just as easily fit some random German/Swedish/whatever chick.
Sorry Lulu. Ratings show viewers are leaving the left leaning media in droves.
If you want truth you will not find it in MSNBC or some of the others.
It's been shown time and time again they will ignore stories that have a less than stellar view of the current administration.
That is not truth.
Again, the ratings show it.
The majority of people interested in the facts do not watch CNN, MSNBC, etc.
The aptly named "Moufbreatha" proves my point. Thank you.
Moufbreatha...
"I don't know ANY black person who would watch this video and feel pride, nor anyone who would defend it as a benchmark of black American culture."
Maybe your in denial... or maybe your from another planet... but did you not here the guy in the background egging them on? Did you not see all of the african american by standers who thought the "hos" were going at it and it was a good fight? Its people like you that live in denial.
And there should be standards for American Decency. How are people suppose to know how to behave if they don't have an example?
"Maybe your in denial... or maybe your from another planet... but did you not here the guy in the background egging them on? Did you not see all of the african american by standers who thought the "hos" were going at it and it was a good fight? Its people like you that live in denial."
SO let me get this straight. Some Black Americans were partaking in delinquent and criminal activity, therefore it is both a trademark of black culture, and the result of liberalism?
The Virginia Tech shootings were committed by an Asian, so does that mean it is an inherent aspect of Asian behavior/the fault of liberal "permissiveness"? And the videos of white high school girls beating each other and taping it, is that a part of white patterns of behavior and the fault of feminists? See what I'm getting at?
We have a standard of decency: the US justice system. It takes care of that. Those who stray outside of it are criminals, not "typical blacks" or whatever.
And FYI, I think that attributing the actions of a few individuals of a certain race to traits of the entire race is the epitome of racism. I think you are in denial of your own bigotry.
I am not in denial. You are the one in denial. Check the statistics. African Americans have a problem with crime. It is not the fault of liberalism, but the fault lies with African Americans.
"Some Black Americans were partaking in delinquent and criminal activity, therefore it is both a trademark of black culture, and the result of liberalism?"
No I do not think it is the result of liberalism.I didn't make myself clear in the last post, but I don't believe liberalism has anything to do with it.
But I do believe that some stereotypes have truth to them.
"And FYI, I think that attributing the actions of a few individuals of a certain race to traits of the entire race is the epitome of racism. I think you are in denial of your own bigotry."
Well, heres my FYI to you. Its not the first time I have seen this type of garbage behavior from African Americans. And I am African American myself. So, swallow the race card. I'm speaking the truth. You don't want to hear it. Its sad but true. Here is the problem with our African American community. We can't admit that the majority of African Americans commit crimes and have a problem and then we see it on t.v. or youtube and act like only a few Black Americans do this.
I am not labeling an entire race, I am only speaking truth. African Americans have a certain attitude and it comes with the culture. Pimping, selling drugs, being cool, speaking ebonics having the newest brand name gear, hot whip, lots of chicks, smoking weed, not acting WHITE... its a culture and even if you went to certain suburbs you could find African Americans trying to behave in this manner, because they are told that people who look like them are suppose to behave this way.
You know its strange because if I was to have this conversation with someone in the hood, they would admit that the majority of their boys get locked up, have guns, sell drugs. They would be able to sit here and say yes, this is the attitude we have, but that is just the way it is.(Because they keep it real) The first step is to realize the attitudes of the majority of African Americans, (since we already know why) Second step is to show them they can change. I'm still trying to figure out which group of African Americans are in denial and think its racist to say that the majority of African Americans commit crimes. When I am just speaking truth. I'm still trying to figure out which group of African Americans think its sooooo racist to say we have a problem.
@Anonymous: "And I am African American myself. So, swallow the race card."
The race card? Really? And your being African American is relevant how? I'm sorry, but being black does not preclude you from making racist statements. You are no Bill Cosby. You sound more like a Glenn Beck.
"its a culture and even if you went to certain suburbs you could find African Americans trying to behave in this manner"
Again, wrong. You are conflating the realities of socioeconomic conditions with inherent "traits" of Black Americans which is, again, racist. Poverty and lack of access to education and resources leads to crime. Due to the cyclical nature of poverty/historical factors, yes, black Americans are disproportionately represented in prison populations. But have you been to economically depressed white cities in Appalachia? You'd be astonished to see how much poor whites and poor blacks have in common in terms of employment rates, crime, drug use, education, out of wedlock births, and even foods. Poverty, like death, is a great equalizer.
"No I do not think it is the result of liberalism.I didn't make myself clear in the last post"
Which is why your tone comes off as more Glenn Beck than Bill Cosby. I'm sorry, you still have some 'splainin to do as to why the behavior of the people in the video are the fault of feminism, tolerance, and multiculturalism. I especially baffled by the feminism part.
It's one thing to want to address and try to rectify some o the issues that plague your community. But to do so with a "black folks just born that way" approach without taking into account the realities of socioeconomic and historical factors is short sighted, inaccurate, and yes, racist.
Moufbreatha,
You know assnonymous isn't a Black person. Just another White Supremacist that can hide behind the computer and spew their racist bs.
And by the way assononymous what is "acting white'? Hmmm.. last time I checked not all white people speak proper English, are gainfully employed,or drug free. And YES, some White people actually engage in "Pimping, selling drugs, being cool" (whatever being cool is, maybe wearing cowboy hats, engaging in White collar crime, or binge drinking??)
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