From: Cynthia (cyn386@flash.net)
Date: Fri Oct 08 1999 - 23:13:34 MDT
"Robert J. Bradbury" wrote:
> > True, maybe they shouldn't. And maybe parents are suckers,
> > for loving and taking
> > care of their children.
>
> Oh come on! If that were true the first time the child screamed
> at the top of its lungs for an hour you would chuck it in the
> trash container.
>
> Parents "love" children because nature has programmed us to do that.
> Children are "cute" because nature makes them that way or nature
> makes our perception of "cute" match the image of a child.
That is my point. It may not be logical for parents to love their
children, but it is human nature. And you can't change human nature. And
saying that people shouldn't care about whether young people in their
community are being properly educated, may be logical, but that goes
against human nature also.
Don't argue against natural human impulses. Instead point out the harm
that forcing 'education' on young people does.
> > Street people aren't on the street because they can't take care of
> > themselves. They are there because the have social problems. They
> > either don't want help or they drive away people who could help them.
>
> This is oversimplified. I am sure that some subset of the people
> on the street are the victims of uns of "bad luck". Random chance
> can turn a high flyer into bozo.
Yes it is. But most people like that get off the street rather quickly.
> At the same time someone who is psychotic due to personal
> experiences (something like the war in Vietnam) or simple
> personal genetics may be driving people away, but this is not
> derived from "conscious" decision.
It may not be a conscious decision. You may want to feed a hungry dog, but
if that dog looks like he might bite you, you probably will give the food
to another creature instead. And nobody would accuse you of being
indifferent to the dogs needs.
> > That is true. The idea that everybody can be helped is a fantasy.
> > But it is a fantasy that many people believe.
>
> It isn't a fantasy. The problem is with the belief that "help"
> has a universal form. In one situation "helping" a person may
> be to assist in the termination of their life, in another situation
> "helping" may be to fight tooth and claw to prevent them from doing so.
>
> The fantasy is that there are "universal" answers.
People tend to underestimate how easy it is to solve problems. Certainly,
very few problem can be solved by turning over vast sums of money to social
workers with below average IQ's. Or allowing lawyers to make all the
decisions.
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