There Could be Worse Places to Self Isolate

[Troy]

It is not the biggest home office I ever had, but it is the most comfortable. While I miss socializing, I also appreciate how truly lucky I am. I'm not saying I don't have challenges, but relatively speaking...

 

 

I called a longtime buddy of mine yesterday, a physician, he is in the hospital, on oxygen, as a result of Covid19. He told me he had gotten so sick that he wished he had died. Fortunately, he will recover.

 

My friend is wealthy. I think about all the poor people, in his situation, that have died painful deaths, alone, and scared.

 

Will this prompt Americans to fight stop a system that increase wealthy inequality and has millions without health insurance?

 

-----

 

This is the kind of thing would have shared on social media were I still using it for personal reasons.  

 

I never really considered it, but these forums is my "social media." I haven't written a Blog post since August of 2019. Pretty much anything I have to say, I say it here. 

 

Stay healthy fam.

[Chevdove]

7 hours ago, Troy said:

It is not the biggest home office I ever had, but it is the most comfortable.

 

Looks so peaceful. 

Just now, Chevdove said:

 

 

 

8 hours ago, Troy said:

Stay healthy fam.

 

I ran across these two short videos. I don't know if this is helpful, but you never know:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Delano]

Thanks Troy

[Troy]

I just read an letter sent to me by someone who spent 10 days in the hospital recovering from Covid19.  They wrote;

 

“luck really had nothing to do with it; this is a narrative more appropriately viewed through the frame of ‘privilege.’”

 

That really was the sentiment that I was feeling, though I could not put my finger on it.  Look, I'm FAR from being in the 1%, but I am privileged in many ways. The story about my doctor friend and my home office reflects this privilege.

 

As an adjunct professor I'm forced to teach courses remotely.  I see, first hand how privilege, or the lack of if, effects people.  My college had an "instructional pause" while they distributed 50K Wifi enabled tablets to students who needed them to learn remotely. This is commendable, but also alarming that so many college students lacked access. 

 

The digital divide that we used to fight against is still as real as ever. Smart phone access to social media is not enough and has benefited telephone carriers, cell phone manufacturers, and social media companies than the people who use them. 

 

Many poor primary school children have simply "disappeared" from the school system as they don't have computers with high speed WIFI access at home and can't be reached.  How much further will these children fall behind? Who will help them?

 

When I raised my kids, everyone in my household had a computer and or laptop/tablet, and smartphone. We always had internet access and, for a decade, this was true across two homes ... privilege. 

 

 

[Delano]

I am quoting Troy from March 30, 2017 7:05

 

I hate to let you guys in on something, but feudalism has already returned. Once white folks started complaining about a lack of opportunity that should have told you it was a wrap for us spooks.  

But we are happy to be serfs, so long as we have cable TV, social media, sugary food, porn/sex, and some way to get high.  We don't mind being bound to the land--most of us don't even have passports. We are happy to give away our labor for free (ala HuffPosty Bloggers)

Here is a related article worth reading:

 

[Pioneer1]

Troy
 

I'm glad to hear that your friend is on the mend.
He's a doctor so I guess he's on the front lines up there in the NYC.

Man, where did you choose to move to.....the Everglades rain forest?
It looks like your room is right on the edge of a swamp.....lol.

Aren't you afraid to live so close to large bodies of water with all those hurricanes and shit Florida has?


 

Will this prompt Americans to fight stop a system that increase wealthy inequality and has millions without health insurance?

It depends on WHICH Americans you speak of.

Most AfroAmerican and Latino Americans and a few Caucasians want Universal Healthcare where everyone can get quality healthcare for free. But most Caucasian Americans only want it if ONLY THEY can get quality healthcare for free.
If other's can also benefit from it.....well....most of them would rather see things stay as they are.

This is the main reason why most European nations have universal healthcare and America doesn't.  In America, too many people of color stand to benefit and that's something most Caucasians do not want.

Now, I know you don't believe what I just typed but......
As evidence of what I just said, after decades of socialized medicine.... look at how many European nations are NOW questioning their healthcare system, cutting back funding for it, and openly questioning whether or not they should start privatizing it again.
This change of mind is a direct result of the recent influx of African and Arab immigrants.
 

 

 

Many poor primary school children have simply "disappeared" from the school system

At the risk of sounding ignorant to you, this may not NECESSARILY be a bad thing.

Except for a minority of students, what the hell good is the current school system for most AfroAmerican children anyway?

Seriously....
What are most of them really learning in these public schools?
Except how to cross-gender dress , fight in the bathrooms, and smoke weed.

Again, there are exceptions and there are many Black students who do good in school and move on to live successful lives in great occupations (like yourself), but that still is the MINORITY. 

Probably less than 20% move on to successful well paying careers.  The MAJORITY of Black students....who don't drop out first...end up working on low wage menial jobs that they really don't like.

A century ago Black people with less than an 8th grade education had FAR MORE BUSINESSES, FARMS, PROPERTY AND OTHER WEALTH to show for themselves than most highschool graduates today.

If the more so-called "education" our people get the less businesses and land they have then perhaps school is the PROBLEM.

[Troy]

14 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Most AfroAmerican and Latino Americans and a few Caucasians want Universal Healthcare where everyone can get quality healthcare for free. But most Caucasian Americans only want it if ONLY THEY can get quality healthcare for free.
If other's can also benefit from it.....well....most of them would rather see things stay as they are.

 

So why do they keep saying that Black people did not support Bernie Sanders.  I would have voted for Bernie over Biden and Biden and I went to the same university.

 

Sadly, I do believe you are right about people wanting benefits for themselves while excluding others.  This is a highly cynical perspective that I do not relish holding, but I've seen to many examples of this.  Look at all the hording going on.  I know people have gone into a store and purchased all of the toilet paper, water hand sanitizer available.  The stores had to stop people form doing this so that other could get these products...  Why else would one not everyone to be covered with medical insurance.

 

14 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Except for a minority of students, what the hell good is the current school system for most AfroAmerican children anyway?

 

Sure the public education system is jacked up for poor Black people, but some education is better than none.  The time when one with a grade school education could earn enough to survive on was during a time when virtually no one went to college and skilled trades were in demand. 

 

Today the best you can hope for is to provide services for people with an education, clean their homes, deliver their food, drive them around, watch their kids, and wipe their asses when they get to old to do it themselves -- none for these jobs pay well or provide benefits.

 

 

[Pioneer1]

Troy

So why do they keep saying that Black people did not support Bernie Sanders. I would have voted for Bernie over Biden and Biden and I went to the same university.

Because most AfroAmerican (including myself) don't trust Bernie Sanders.
Now I and many AfroAmericans KNOW why we don't trust him, but most other AfroAmericans don't know why.....but they just don't by instinct.




Sadly, I do believe you are right about people wanting benefits for themselves while excluding others. This is a highly cynical perspective that I do not relish holding, but I've seen to many examples of this. Look at all the hording going on. I know people have gone into a store and purchased all of the toilet paper, water hand sanitizer available. The stores had to stop people form doing this so that other could get these products... Why else would one not everyone to be covered with medical insurance.

I'm glad you recognize this.
This is why I was saying in other thread that you must first ACCEPT racism before trying to UNDERSTAND it.

You were forced to ACCEPT the fact that many Caucasians would gladly allow themselves to die from lack of coverage if it means making sure people of color are also denied coverage.
You didn't want to accept it at first....because it didn't make any sense...buy after seeing so many examples of it you were FORCED to accept it.

You should apply these examples to other aspect of society when it comes to race relations.
 

 

 

Sure the public education system is jacked up for poor Black people, but some education is better than none. The time when one with a grade school education could earn enough to survive on was during a time when virtually no one went to college and skilled trades were in demand.

I didn't say AfroAmerican children were better off without an education. I said that maybe they were better off not going to these SCHOOLS.
You can get a thorough education without stepping foot into a classroom.

Furthermore, skills and skilled trades are VERY MUCH in high demand right now.
Infact, they are in higher demand and needed much more today than they were 100 years ago.  They are just not needed in Caucasian communities.
 

In most AfroAmerican communities like Detroit, Baltimore, North Philadelphia, ect......where the buildings and roads and other infrastructure are crumbling and not much is being done about it, they are in EXTREMELY HIGH DEMAND.

Men and women with the skills and equipment needed to come in and repair or replace so there is there is plenty of work to be done and you don't need a college or even highschool education to do most of it. All you need to be is relatively healthy and can read, write, and count on a 8th grade level.

The problem is, most AfroAmericans are waiting on Caucasians to initiate the work before they engage in it.
 

[Troy]

3 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

where the buildings and roads and other infrastructure are crumbling and not much is being done about it, they are in EXTREMELY HIGH DEMAND.

 

Need does not equal Demand. We need better schools for poor Bkack children. Presumably there is insufficient demand for them. Our nation's infrastructure needs maintenance, but apparently there is inadequate demand to effect the repairs

 

 

On 4/18/2020 at 11:10 PM, Pioneer1 said:

Man, where did you choose to move to.....the Everglades rain forest?

 

Lol. That us a typical Florida retention pond and I happen to live next to preserve. Flooding is unlikely, but I can see an alligator and deer from the window.

[Pioneer1]

Troy


Need does not equal Demand. We need better schools for poor Bkack children. Presumably there is insufficient demand for them. Our nation's infrastructure needs maintenance, but apparently there is inadequate demand to effect the repairs

You make a great point.
The need is clearly there, but the demand isn't strong enough in the larger community and sadly enough....not even in the AfroAmerican community.


BTW.....
Actually alligators were one of the first things I thought of when I saw that picture but forgot to mention them.
You DO know that alligators can jump, right?
You can see alligators FROM the window but have you considered one THROUGH your window?
Your home or atleast your office is so close to that swamp, one of them mugs might take a notion to leap right in....lol.