tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post36190922215302135..comments2024-03-27T03:19:11.216-04:00Comments on Assistant Village Idiot: Sauron Himself Is But An Emissary - Part VAssistant Village Idiothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-17301275431347372492009-07-01T04:37:28.276-04:002009-07-01T04:37:28.276-04:00> these men were simply unlucky to be who they...> these men were simply unlucky to be who they were<br /><br />Sorry, ben. Luck is something you have no personal control over, really. These people are "unfortunate", but not "unlucky".<br /><br />Karrde -- re: The "orientals" (whatever the codeword is "today" for them... I refuse to use "asians", because, last I checked, there were a few *billion* people living in Asia who weren't from "The Orient".)<br /><br />I'd long-since noticed that of which you speak, and would add a couple more points:<br />1) They were, in fact, treated little, if any, different from blacks as far as social perception goes.<br />2) I believe the one key difference which blacks have against them in the case of all others, is that the ancestors of every other group in America, essentially, have been pre-selected for an aggressive attitude. If your umpty-ump-parents weren't the "aggressive, go-getter type", they stayed in the home country... So this is true across the board for all American groups, with one exception -- black people, who not only were largely brought here (many exceptions exist, of course) but also, to the shame of the existing white culture, were "bred" for submissiveness. I'd claim this, and this alone, puts blacks at a severe disadvantage in relation to all other ethnic and cultural groups in the USA, and must be factored into the social systems which are designed to resolve problems.OBloodyHellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09992539380115488567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-85696991727881378182009-06-21T16:36:25.793-04:002009-06-21T16:36:25.793-04:00Stay tuned, Ben.Stay tuned, Ben.Assistant Village Idiothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-60463618374136301702009-06-21T15:15:42.779-04:002009-06-21T15:15:42.779-04:00Last winter I occasionally worked the night shift ...Last winter I occasionally worked the night shift at the local homeless shelter. Some of the guys there were obviously going through a patch of bad luck. With a few months of steady employment, a few breaks, they'd be back on their feet, no problem.<br /><br />Others were unlucky in a more radical way. Many of their problems were inside themselves -- self-destructive attitudes and beliefs, profound lack of self-knowledge, etc. Some of this was doubtless the result of unfortunate circumstances in their own lives. But whatever the cause, the present reality was that these men were simply <i> unlucky to be who they were.</i> So long as their internal makeup remained the same, no external change could ever bring "good luck" for them. It would be a gift they were simply incapable of receiving.<br /><br />No doubt the potential for inner transformation in a human being is greater than it might appear. With God, I'm told, all things are possible. But the shelter guys occasioned some disturbing meditations on my part.<br /><br />We all subconsciously want to draw a line between "what we are" and "what happens to us" -- between "me" and "my luck". My luck is something outside of me, like the weather. That may be an essential part of the whole concept of "luck". But what if it isn't true?Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14392234366892695268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-73860727927564987712009-06-21T09:08:16.738-04:002009-06-21T09:08:16.738-04:00Hey, that pretty much writes the post that will be...Hey, that pretty much writes the post that will be Part VII!Assistant Village Idiothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-13875942187765902572009-06-21T00:26:05.232-04:002009-06-21T00:26:05.232-04:00So, if it's the lucky guys who win...
That al...So, if it's the lucky guys who win...<br /><br />That almost naturally leads to the assumption that most of the challengers aren't any more skilled than any other challenger.<br /><br />And that few/none of the winners are highly deserving of winning.<br /><br />This assumption implies that predicting winners and losers is as hard as predicting the next number rolled on a die. <br /><br />A person who believes that the winner is lucky (and knows that they are not the winner) can become embittered that their luck hasn't come through yet. Almost as if they believe that everyone gets a victory, once in their life.<br /><br />(Strictly speaking, probability and luck don't work that way. In short, the past record of wins and losses in a game of dice cannot be used to predict the next winner...unless the dice are loaded.)<br /><br />It is easy to see this belief mutating into a belief that all the non-winners in the game of life deserve some help. They aren't to blame for their bad luck, so those who are lucky <i>ought</i> to to help them.<br /><br />Mind you, this is not the only possible result of a belief in luck. A careful thinker could come to the conclusion that luck was an irresistable force, and that it is foolish for the lucky to try to change the status of the unlucky.<br /><br />That depends on the larger cultural/ethical milieu.karrdehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00205160745963596856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-81450552829300371792009-06-20T21:11:39.483-04:002009-06-20T21:11:39.483-04:00No, no, you're supposed to be doing the luck p...No, no, you're supposed to be doing the luck part now. We'll get to you guys later. It's like one of those physics problems where you imagine "okay, what if we had zero ping-pong balls in the box? What if we had thousands of balls in the box? What if we had one ball in the box?" Answering those questions allows you to see what problems you are going to face loading five balls in the box.Assistant Village Idiothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-81139727576381210802009-06-20T15:12:11.856-04:002009-06-20T15:12:11.856-04:00At my workplace, we are heavy with the hard-work a...At my workplace, we are heavy with the <i>hard-work</i> angle.<br /><br />Is is a surprise that I work as an engineer? (Despite my attempt to get into academia as a mathematics student...)<br /><br />I work for a company which manufactures parts to be used by other engineering enterprises. The company is foreign-owned, and the entire firm is enfused with the work-ethic that belongs on an island nation in the Orient.<br /><br />It is easy to pay attention to people and companies that were successful due to their hard work. <br /><br />This breeds an assumption that nations, companies, ethnic groups, and people tend to get what they work for.<br /><br />As an aside--in California, during the 1920's, there was an ethnic minority which was subject to heavy discrimination, both legal and cultural. That minority is now one of the richest minorities (in California, and in the nation as a whole). The discriminatory laws and customs are dead. The minority was not black-skinned; they were Chinese.<br /><br />Did the Chinese become prosperous and accepted through special-interest groups, political maneuvering, and visible protests? Or was it by hard work, a level of social acculturation, and patience?<br /><br />To return to my point--there are examples to support the assumption. There are also counter-examples.<br /><br />Logically speaking, the assumption can't really be proved. <br /><br />I do let it color my thinking process, <br />mainly because I find myself assuming that one of the set {Hard work, luck, Providence, exploitation} is primary. The rest can all be a part of the explanation, but I'll put one on top.<br /><br />It is easy to point this assumption out in others when I disagree with it. It is harder to accept that I may be doing it myself.<br /><br />Perhaps, if I ruminate on it, I will be able to generate a list of international winners and losers according to this set of assumptions.karrdehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00205160745963596856noreply@blogger.com