Count has a point. Before I started getting into programming, I was a musician. Guess what? That meant years of dead-end jobs waiting tables, delivering pizzas, you name it, just about every shit job in the book...all for the opportunity to get screwed at every turn by unscrupulous club owners, baited-and-switched by "record companies", and just generally living hand-to-mouth.
I finally got sick of it, so I went back to school and learned a real skill that pays real money.
Sure, CS/IT/Whatever might not be the most glamorous career out there, but guess what? You get to make *way* above average money to sit on your ass most of the day, and you don't have to depend on the whims of drunken moronic assholes for your livelihood. Well, you shouldn't, anyway. If you do, get another job NOW.
The bottom line is - quit your bitching and be thankful that you are able to do this kind of work.
They can't prove it. Oh, sure, they can come up with tons of circumstantial evidence, to be sure, but the one thing that they cannot do is establish causality beyond a doubt. It's impossible, there are just simply too many variables, and how can they possibly establish a scientific control group, when the experimental group is the entire planet? The answer is...they can't.
So, what's the next best thing they can do? Go on the PC offensive, or course! It's simple and it's proven to be effective time and time again. They can just demonize any thought or information that doesn't conform to their preconceived determination, and use the willing accompices in the media and academia to ensure that their views will be the "accepted" ones. Anything that doesn't march in lockstep will be declared "evil" and ostracized.
If you don't believe me, just watch as this post gets modded down by some "friends of the earth", just like my last one did.
Yeah, but it's the "socially acceptable" pseudoscience! You don't need actual facts and evidence to back up what anything you say as long as it is deemed politically correct.
And since when did your average Joe Buck-Spending Yuppie have such an overwhelming social conscience? He's more concerned about his own well being and that of his own kids, than of some dark-skinned kid half a world away.
And just why the hell shouldn't he be? The truth is, his own kids are his responsibility, not some "dark-skinned kid half a world away".
Nice use of "dark-skinned" to imply that "your average Joe Buck-Spending Yuppie" is racist, though. But...but...aren't you, gasp, stereotyping the all middle class white Americans? Isn't using stereotypes supposed to be wrong and, oh my God, politically incorrect? Oh, wait, that's right, he's a middle class white male! He doesn't count! It's okay! Whew, that was close!
Yes, kids, that's right, liberals really are HYPOCRITES.
...how a bunch of hippie losers trashing the downtown area of whatever city a WTO meeting is being held in is going to "globalize ethical awareness"? Please?
Yeah! That's it! Trash a Starbucks! That'll really get people to understand the plight of the "third world slave worker"!
Fuckin' liberal idiocy, as usual. Are we really surprised?
Finally, this program is about more than just turning black and hispanic bangers into programmers, but rather the developement of bright young minds who have been oppressed for so long by stupid restrictions...
What stupid restrictions? Please cite just one regulation that specifically prohibits someone from taking advantage of an opportunity because he or she is Black or Hispanic. Just one.
I most certainly would not favor any such "restrictions", but frankly, as a white person, I am sick and fucking tired of being blamed for every failure of every non-white person in this country. No one is being institutionally denied anything because of their race, so quit trying to push your individual shortcomings off on "the man". That's such a cop-out.
And no, I don't harbor any negative feelings toward anyone who might benefit from this program. I'd be thrilled if some gang-bangers got an opportunity like this and were able to make something out of themselves. But, I don't want to fucking hear how it's "white, rich, corporate America's fault" when one of these kids doesn't succeed, and there will be at least one who doesn't, by law of averages alone. Sorry, but you had your chance. You should have made the most of it.
Forgive me for being cynical, but I fully expect to be called all manner of "racist Nazi hatemonger" epithets for not toeing the politically correct line...
Leave it to a goddamn liberal to start whining and reciting chapter and verse from The Total Idiot's Guide to Waging Class Warfare at the mere *mention* of the idea that, perish the thought, a person who commits a crime in this country should actually be PUNISHED for it.
These people are not criminals because they are "economically disadvantaged". They are criminals because they chose to break the law. Their "social class" did not force them to pull the proverbial trigger on the proverbial gun. That was something that they chose to do on their own, and, as much as it pains your oh-so-PC little heart, they should PAY THE CONSEQUENCES. Period.
Guess what else? These people ARE given a chance at an education. Every child in this country has an opportunity to go to school and make something of themselves. If they apply themselves and work hard, they WILL get a chance to continue on with a college education, no matter how "economically disadvantaged" they are. That's what academic scholarships are for. It's not my or anyone else's fault if they choose to squander that opportunity in favor of a life of thuggery. It is their fault, and it is their parents' fault for not doing their job of raising their children properly.
Hopefully, those that do make the best of their opportunities won't go to the same place that taught you to regurgitate this ridiculous leftist bullshit.
Talk like that will get you branded a "racist hatemonger" faster than you can say "politically incorrect", and golly gee, who wants to be politically incorrect these days?
There are alot of skills Slashdotters take for granted that these kids probably don't know. Like reading at a 9th grade level or knowing multiplication tables or how to write a paragraph.
Have you been reading the same Slashdot that I have?
Just out of curiosity, I checked out the Hotmail version of the Passport signup page.
What I found there was truly frightening, given the context of what's been discussed here. Check out the "Secret Question and Answer" section. I dunno, maybe it's just me, but the idea of them prompting Joe Sixpack to enter any part of his Credit Card info or SSN...
Well, that is at least a bit encouraging. They do use the term 'hate speech', however, which is a phrase that turns my stomach. Why? Because it's so easy for someone to label an opinion that they don't agree with 'hate speech' in a dishonest attempt to marginalize that opinion. It's the same sort of abuse by overuse that the term 'racism' gets these days.
So you have a beef with the Religious Right. Good for you. I'm not their biggest fan, either, and I was not trying to side with them with my reference to the nativity scene, either. My point was that the ACLU has quite a case of selective perception going on when it decides that someone's rights are being violated.
Quite frankly, I do believe that the Religious Right is out of control in the vast majority of cases, and you are correct in your assessment of their goals to "enforce conformity". I should know. I lived in the Deep South for many years, and got to witness a lot of utter bullshit that was perpetrated by these people firsthand. So, no, I'm no fan of them by any means.
That having been said, when's the last time you heard of the ACLU defending someone from some of the ridiculously draconian policies that are being instituted on college campuses nationwide in the name of "fairness" and "diversity"? Would these policies not qualify as "enforcing conformity", as you put it? As far as I'm concerned, this kind of McCarthyism is at least equally as heinous as anything the Falwells and Robertsons of the world aspire to. Does it not seem strange that the ACLU fails to find much, if anything, wrong with oppressive behavior that comes from the left side of the political fence? That is my point.
Please, anyone, cite a case that proves me wrong. I would be delighted. Seriously.
See what you can do with groups such as the ACLU to take any issues to court and challenge on constitutional grounds.
The ACLU? Are you kidding? They're too busy trying to shut down nativity scenes to worry about things like this. They are about the last group that I'd want to depend on to defend our freedoms. Oh sure, they'll go all out for you, as long as you pass their PC litmus test, but anything beside that...fuhgeddaboutit!
...just gut the machines? It'll take 'em so much longer to figure it out. A hard drive here, some RAM there...hmm...come to think of it, this machine is pretty loaded....
...but after reading some of the moronic posts here on/., it's just gotten worse. I can live with the ones that are just obvious childish trolls, but I CAN NOT BELIEVE:
A) the Americans who are sitting in front of their screens, enjoying the freedoms that they have long ago taken for granted in this country, and have the audacity to say that we are to blame for this attack, or that we had it coming, or that our way of life is "oppressive" and "evil". It is exactly this sort of thought that has led to the weakening of this country over the last eight years, and allowed this tragedy to happen.
B) those Europeans (not all who have posted here, but some) who are sitting in front of their screens, enjoying the freedoms that they have only because America came to their rescue back in WWII, and have the audacity to mock our country and what it stands for after this attack. You'd think that they'd be more understanding, given the incidents of terrorism that happen in their own countries.
C) those who wasted no time in blithely blaming President Bush for this incident because he is an "evil" Republican. How insane. If anyone or anything is to blame for this, it is the Clinton Administration. Yes, I know that you have been avoiding the truth, but it was because of the Clinton Administration that the military and intelligence agencies in this country were emasculated to the point of ineffectiveness. It was the Clinton Administration that sat idly by while terrorists such as Osama Bin-Laden, who is overwhelmingly likely to have perpetrated this incident, ran free with little more than a slap on the wrist. It was the Clinton Administration who presided over the transformation of Political Correctness from the exception to the rule in this country and effectively neutered our moral resolve. IMHO, this set of circumstances, which led to this terrorist attack, is the TRUE LEGACY of the Clinton Administration. So, sure, just keep on blaming Bush to your little heart's content, but if you do, you will know that you are in denial of the truth.
I kept reading this morning about how this tragedy was going to unite this country and strengthen its resolve, but after reading the posts on/., and responding in blood-red anger like so many others, I'm not sure that we won't be torn further apart than ever. It can only be a matter of time before we start turning this anger on ourselves.
Now that I've spilled my guts for the last time today, I'm going to stay away from/. for a while, and all other forums, until I can regain some semblance of sanity and composure. May I suggest that others who feel this rage and anger do the same.
Slashdot Mirror
Count has a point. Before I started getting into programming, I was a musician. Guess what? That meant years of dead-end jobs waiting tables, delivering pizzas, you name it, just about every shit job in the book...all for the opportunity to get screwed at every turn by unscrupulous club owners, baited-and-switched by "record companies", and just generally living hand-to-mouth.
I finally got sick of it, so I went back to school and learned a real skill that pays real money.
Sure, CS/IT/Whatever might not be the most glamorous career out there, but guess what? You get to make *way* above average money to sit on your ass most of the day, and you don't have to depend on the whims of drunken moronic assholes for your livelihood. Well, you shouldn't, anyway. If you do, get another job NOW.
The bottom line is - quit your bitching and be thankful that you are able to do this kind of work.
They can't prove it. Oh, sure, they can come up with tons of circumstantial evidence, to be sure, but the one thing that they cannot do is establish causality beyond a doubt. It's impossible, there are just simply too many variables, and how can they possibly establish a scientific control group, when the experimental group is the entire planet? The answer is...they can't.
So, what's the next best thing they can do? Go on the PC offensive, or course! It's simple and it's proven to be effective time and time again. They can just demonize any thought or information that doesn't conform to their preconceived determination, and use the willing accompices in the media and academia to ensure that their views will be the "accepted" ones. Anything that doesn't march in lockstep will be declared "evil" and ostracized.
If you don't believe me, just watch as this post gets modded down by some "friends of the earth", just like my last one did.
Yeah, but it's the "socially acceptable" pseudoscience! You don't need actual facts and evidence to back up what anything you say as long as it is deemed politically correct.
Jeez, didn't you learn anything in college?
Actual logic and common sense from a Bezerkely student?!? Now I've seen it all....
And since when did your average Joe Buck-Spending Yuppie have such an overwhelming social conscience? He's more concerned about his own well being and that of his own kids, than of some dark-skinned kid half a world away.
And just why the hell shouldn't he be? The truth is, his own kids are his responsibility, not some "dark-skinned kid half a world away".
Nice use of "dark-skinned" to imply that "your average Joe Buck-Spending Yuppie" is racist, though. But...but...aren't you, gasp, stereotyping the all middle class white Americans? Isn't using stereotypes supposed to be wrong and, oh my God, politically incorrect? Oh, wait, that's right, he's a middle class white male! He doesn't count! It's okay! Whew, that was close!
Yes, kids, that's right, liberals really are HYPOCRITES.
...how a bunch of hippie losers trashing the downtown area of whatever city a WTO meeting is being held in is going to "globalize ethical awareness"? Please?
Yeah! That's it! Trash a Starbucks! That'll really get people to understand the plight of the "third world slave worker"!
Fuckin' liberal idiocy, as usual. Are we really surprised?
Finally, this program is about more than just turning black and hispanic bangers into programmers, but rather the developement of bright young minds who have been oppressed for so long by stupid restrictions...
What stupid restrictions? Please cite just one regulation that specifically prohibits someone from taking advantage of an opportunity because he or she is Black or Hispanic. Just one.
I most certainly would not favor any such "restrictions", but frankly, as a white person, I am sick and fucking tired of being blamed for every failure of every non-white person in this country. No one is being institutionally denied anything because of their race, so quit trying to push your individual shortcomings off on "the man". That's such a cop-out.
And no, I don't harbor any negative feelings toward anyone who might benefit from this program. I'd be thrilled if some gang-bangers got an opportunity like this and were able to make something out of themselves. But, I don't want to fucking hear how it's "white, rich, corporate America's fault" when one of these kids doesn't succeed, and there will be at least one who doesn't, by law of averages alone. Sorry, but you had your chance. You should have made the most of it.
Forgive me for being cynical, but I fully expect to be called all manner of "racist Nazi hatemonger" epithets for not toeing the politically correct line...
Since 90% of the candidates he finds are drug addicts....
Gee, last time I checked, using drugs WAS a criminal activity. Maybe you should check YOUR facts.
Leave it to a goddamn liberal to start whining and reciting chapter and verse from The Total Idiot's Guide to Waging Class Warfare at the mere *mention* of the idea that, perish the thought, a person who commits a crime in this country should actually be PUNISHED for it.
These people are not criminals because they are "economically disadvantaged". They are criminals because they chose to break the law. Their "social class" did not force them to pull the proverbial trigger on the proverbial gun. That was something that they chose to do on their own, and, as much as it pains your oh-so-PC little heart, they should PAY THE CONSEQUENCES. Period.
Guess what else? These people ARE given a chance at an education. Every child in this country has an opportunity to go to school and make something of themselves. If they apply themselves and work hard, they WILL get a chance to continue on with a college education, no matter how "economically disadvantaged" they are. That's what academic scholarships are for. It's not my or anyone else's fault if they choose to squander that opportunity in favor of a life of thuggery. It is their fault, and it is their parents' fault for not doing their job of raising their children properly.
Hopefully, those that do make the best of their opportunities won't go to the same place that taught you to regurgitate this ridiculous leftist bullshit.
Talk like that will get you branded a "racist hatemonger" faster than you can say "politically incorrect", and golly gee, who wants to be politically incorrect these days?
There are alot of skills Slashdotters take for granted that these kids probably don't know. Like reading at a 9th grade level or knowing multiplication tables or how to write a paragraph.
Have you been reading the same Slashdot that I have?
That, and use heavier gauge strings. 10s, at least. It'll sound thicker that way, too.
Just out of curiosity, I checked out the Hotmail version of the Passport signup page.
What I found there was truly frightening, given the context of what's been discussed here. Check out the "Secret Question and Answer" section. I dunno, maybe it's just me, but the idea of them prompting Joe Sixpack to enter any part of his Credit Card info or SSN...
...we need to keep an eye on whoever has Passport account #666.
Well, that is at least a bit encouraging. They do use the term 'hate speech', however, which is a phrase that turns my stomach. Why? Because it's so easy for someone to label an opinion that they don't agree with 'hate speech' in a dishonest attempt to marginalize that opinion. It's the same sort of abuse by overuse that the term 'racism' gets these days.
So you have a beef with the Religious Right. Good for you. I'm not their biggest fan, either, and I was not trying to side with them with my reference to the nativity scene, either. My point was that the ACLU has quite a case of selective perception going on when it decides that someone's rights are being violated.
Quite frankly, I do believe that the Religious Right is out of control in the vast majority of cases, and you are correct in your assessment of their goals to "enforce conformity". I should know. I lived in the Deep South for many years, and got to witness a lot of utter bullshit that was perpetrated by these people firsthand. So, no, I'm no fan of them by any means.
That having been said, when's the last time you heard of the ACLU defending someone from some of the ridiculously draconian policies that are being instituted on college campuses nationwide in the name of "fairness" and "diversity"? Would these policies not qualify as "enforcing conformity", as you put it? As far as I'm concerned, this kind of McCarthyism is at least equally as heinous as anything the Falwells and Robertsons of the world aspire to. Does it not seem strange that the ACLU fails to find much, if anything, wrong with oppressive behavior that comes from the left side of the political fence? That is my point.
Please, anyone, cite a case that proves me wrong. I would be delighted. Seriously.
See what you can do with groups such as the ACLU to take any issues to court and challenge on constitutional grounds.
The ACLU? Are you kidding? They're too busy trying to shut down nativity scenes to worry about things like this. They are about the last group that I'd want to depend on to defend our freedoms. Oh sure, they'll go all out for you, as long as you pass their PC litmus test, but anything beside that...fuhgeddaboutit!
...here comes the Microsoft trashing.
<yawn>
Strom Thurmond.
No, but dice.com is.
This was done at least 15 years ago with the release of the seminal Spinal Tap album Smell the Glove.
Hello, Cleveland!
Yeah, you have it all figured out, there, chief. Anyone from below the Mason-Dixon line is automatically a moron....
....PLEASE stop your mindless stereotyping and go get a life. Even if it's just rent-to-own.
"Osmotic Eel" is a band name waiting to happen.
...just gut the machines? It'll take 'em so much longer to figure it out. A hard drive here, some RAM there...hmm...come to think of it, this machine is pretty loaded....
...but after reading some of the moronic posts here on /., it's just gotten worse. I can live with the ones that are just obvious childish trolls, but I CAN NOT BELIEVE:
/., and responding in blood-red anger like so many others, I'm not sure that we won't be torn further apart than ever. It can only be a matter of time before we start turning this anger on ourselves.
/. for a while, and all other forums, until I can regain some semblance of sanity and composure. May I suggest that others who feel this rage and anger do the same.
A) the Americans who are sitting in front of their screens, enjoying the freedoms that they have long ago taken for granted in this country, and have the audacity to say that we are to blame for this attack, or that we had it coming, or that our way of life is "oppressive" and "evil". It is exactly this sort of thought that has led to the weakening of this country over the last eight years, and allowed this tragedy to happen.
B) those Europeans (not all who have posted here, but some) who are sitting in front of their screens, enjoying the freedoms that they have only because America came to their rescue back in WWII, and have the audacity to mock our country and what it stands for after this attack. You'd think that they'd be more understanding, given the incidents of terrorism that happen in their own countries.
C) those who wasted no time in blithely blaming President Bush for this incident because he is an "evil" Republican. How insane. If anyone or anything is to blame for this, it is the Clinton Administration. Yes, I know that you have been avoiding the truth, but it was because of the Clinton Administration that the military and intelligence agencies in this country were emasculated to the point of ineffectiveness. It was the Clinton Administration that sat idly by while terrorists such as Osama Bin-Laden, who is overwhelmingly likely to have perpetrated this incident, ran free with little more than a slap on the wrist. It was the Clinton Administration who presided over the transformation of Political Correctness from the exception to the rule in this country and effectively neutered our moral resolve. IMHO, this set of circumstances, which led to this terrorist attack, is the TRUE LEGACY of the Clinton Administration. So, sure, just keep on blaming Bush to your little heart's content, but if you do, you will know that you are in denial of the truth.
I kept reading this morning about how this tragedy was going to unite this country and strengthen its resolve, but after reading the posts on
Now that I've spilled my guts for the last time today, I'm going to stay away from