Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by RSAnimate

James C. Collier

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The End Of The University As We Know It

by Nathan Harden

"In fifty years, if not much sooner, half of the roughly 4,500 colleges and universities now operating in the United States will have ceased to exist. The technology driving this change is already at work, and nothing can stop it. The future looks like this: Access to college-level education will be free for everyone; the residential college campus will become largely obsolete; tens of thousands of professors will lose their jobs; the bachelor’s degree will become increasingly irrelevant; and ten years from now Harvard will enroll ten million students.

We’ve all heard plenty about the “college bubble” in recent years. Student loan debt is at an all-time high—an average of more than $23,000 per graduate by some counts—and tuition costs continue to rise at a rate far outpacing inflation, as they have for decades. Credential inflation is devaluing the college degree, making graduate degrees, and the greater debt required to pay for them, increasingly necessary for many people to maintain the standard of living they experienced growing up in their parents’ homes. Students are defaulting on their loans at an unprecedented rate, too, partly a function of an economy short on entry-level professional positions. Yet, as with all bubbles, there’s a persistent public belief in the value of something, and that faith in the college degree has kept demand high.

The figures are alarming, the anecdotes downright depressing. But the real story of the American higher-education bubble has little to do with individual students and their debts or employment problems. The most important part of the college bubble story—the one we will soon be hearing much more about—concerns the impending financial collapse of numerous private colleges and universities and the likely shrinkage of many public ones. And when that bubble bursts, it will end a system of higher education that, for all of its history, has been steeped in a culture of exclusivity. Then we’ll see the birth of something entirely new as we accept one central and unavoidable fact: The college classroom is about to go virtual."...

Read the full article at the American Interest (here).

James C. Collier

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Sandy Hook School And Top Ten Myths About Mass Shootings

Reposted From Chronicle of Higher Education (here)...

Top 10 Myths About Mass Shootings December 18, 2012, 2:42 pm

By James Alan Fox

Even before the death toll in last Friday’s school massacre in Newtown, Conn., was determined, politicians, pundits, and professors of varied disciplines were all over the news, pushing their proposals for change. Some talked about the role of guns, others about mental-health services, and still more about the need for better security in schools and other public places. Whatever their agenda and the passion behind it, those advocates made certain explicit or implied assumptions about patterns in mass murder and the profile of the assailants. Unfortunately, those assumptions do not always align with the facts.

Myth: Mass shootings are on the rise. Reality: Over the past three decades, there has been an average of 20 mass shootings a year in the United States, each with at least four victims killed by gunfire. Occasionally, and mostly by sheer coincidence, several episodes have been clustered closely in time. Over all, however, there has not been an upward trajectory. To the contrary, the real growth has been in the style and pervasiveness of news-media coverage, thanks in large part to technological advances in reporting.

Myth: Mass murderers snap and kill indiscriminately. Reality: Mass murderers typically plan their assaults for days, weeks, or months. They are deliberate in preparing their missions and determined to follow through, no matter what impediments are placed in their path.

Myth: Enhanced background checks will keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of these madmen. Reality: Most mass murderers do not have criminal records or a history of psychiatric hospitalization. They would not be disqualified from purchasing their weapons legally. Certainly, people cannot be denied their Second Amendment rights just because they look strange or act in an odd manner. Besides, mass killers could always find an alternative way of securing the needed weaponry, even if they had to steal from family members or friends.

Myth: Restoring the federal ban on assault weapons will prevent these horrible crimes. Reality: The overwhelming majority of mass murderers use firearms that would not be restricted by an assault-weapons ban. In fact, semiautomatic handguns are far more prevalent in mass shootings. Of course, limiting the size of ammunition clips would at least force a gunman to pause to reload or switch weapons.

Myth: Greater attention and response to the telltale warning signs will allow us to identify would-be mass killers before they act. Reality: While there are some common features in the profile of a mass murderer (depression, resentment, social isolation, tendency to blame others for their misfortunes, fascination with violence, and interest in weaponry), those characteristics are all fairly prevalent in the general population. Any attempt to predict would produce many false positives. Actually, the telltale warning signs come into clear focus only after the deadly deed.

Myth: Widening the availability of mental-health services and reducing the stigma associated with mental illness will allow unstable individuals to get the treatment they need. Reality: With their tendency to externalize blame and see themselves as victims of mistreatment, mass murderers perceive the problem to be in others, not themselves. They would generally resist attempts to encourage them to seek help. And, besides, our constant references to mass murderers as “wackos” or “sickos” don’t do much to destigmatize the mentally ill.

Myth: Increasing security in schools and other places will deter mass murder. Reality: Most security measures will serve only as a minor inconvenience for those who are dead set on mass murder. If anything, excessive security and a fortress-like environment serve as a constant reminder of danger and vulnerability.

Myth: Students need to be prepared for the worst by participating in lockdown drills. Reality: Lockdown drills can be very traumatizing, especially for young children. Also, it is questionable whether they would recall those lessons amid the hysteria associated with an actual shooting. The faculty and staff need to be adequately trained, and the kids just advised to listen to instructions. Schools should take the same low-key approach to the unlikely event of a shooting as the airlines do to the unlikely event of a crash. Passengers aren’t drilled in evacuation procedures but can assume the crew is sufficiently trained.

Myth: Expanding “right to carry” provisions will deter mass killers or at least stop them in their tracks and reduce the body counts. Reality: Mass killers are often described by surviving witnesses as being relaxed and calm during their rampages, owing to their level of planning. In contrast, the rest of us are taken by surprise and respond frantically. A sudden and wild shootout involving the assailant and citizens armed with concealed weapons would potentially catch countless innocent victims in the crossfire.

Myth: We just need to enforce existing gun laws as well as increase the threat of the death penalty. Reality: Mass killers typically expect to die, usually by their own hand or else by first responders. Nothing in the way of prosecution or punishment would divert them from their missions. They are ready to leave their miserable existence, but want some payback first.

In the immediate aftermath of the Newtown school shootings, there seems to be great momentum to establish policies and procedures designed to make us all safer. Sensible gun laws, affordable mental-health care, and reasonable security measures are all worthwhile, and would enhance the well being of millions of Americans. We shouldn’t, however, expect such efforts to take a big bite out of mass murder. Of course, a nibble or two would be reason enough.

James Alan Fox is the Lipman Family Professor of Criminology, Law, and Public Policy at Northeastern University and the author of Violence and Security on Campus: From Preschool Through College (Praeger, 2010).

James C. Collier

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Responding to Newtown, Aurora, Blacksburg, et al

I watched President Obama's speech at the Newtown Memorial last night. My college and high school-aged kids and some of their friends and cousins were there too. It gave me a chance to not only consider how to pick myself up after such a senseless tragedy, but to also grasp what I could do as a father. But I was speechless, my internal BS detector was not having any of it.

During the President's words, all the kids, and adults, oscillated between silent tears, squirms, and nervous comments, reflecting the raw emotion and tension of the moment. It was clear that they were translating the events of Newtown to their own school and work lives. I was silent, because nothing I could say could assure them, or make them feel the safety that is supposed to be my parental job.

This morning I woke still without answers, but with a resolve that I did not have last night. Whatever I do going forward, it must be with a simple notion in mind. Mental health services must be more accessible to everyone, and guns must be more difficult to acquire. With my vote and my wallet I will support leaders who support this, and jettison support for those who dance around the issues.

Down? Yes. Out? No.

James C. Collier

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#18 Why Do Black People Get Creative In Naming Their Children?

STRONG LANGUAGE:

I ask this question, my mother ask me this question, and I figure non-blacks must silently (if they are wise) ask it too.

No right appears more sovereign to socio-economically disadvantage blacks than naming their offspring some phonetic combination of sounds, apostrophes, prefixes and suffixes that mimic what is believed to represent an African name.

If such naming correlates to reduced life outcomes, including income, as studied by Freakonomic-economist Steven Levitt and Harvard economist Roland Fryer (here), we are left to wonder why parents, especially mothers, choose this route.

I will postulate that naming one's offspring is a non-trivial extension of the ultimate expression of independence, that of bringing a child into this world, such as it is.

For the downtrodden, however they come by their downtrodden-ness, control over their lives is practically non-existent. From birth to the grave, others tell them the measure and direction of their every move, less they end up in some worse place or shape. The decision to have a child and what to name them is, sadly, part of the one time in their lives that they get to do exactly what they please. Never mind that the child might forever pay a price. To the parent, the name is a lasting show of independence to a society that will forever force them, and their child, to conform to what others think is best.

Some might say that such naming is selfish, and it might be, but Levitt and Fryer offer that correlation is not cause. Being born poor is the greatest influence to adult disadvantage, not your name. A 'black' name, like Roshanda, does not cause the holder to live a life of social and economic disadvantage, but rather it is still the choices that Roshanda and her caregivers make in her life. The choice of studying well and working hard, even as the playing field is un-level, is still hers. I have met many impressive, accomplished, funny-sounding named people, of all colors and backgrounds.

However, let's be clear, the naming objective of all parents, throughout the ages, has been the reasonable accommodation of self-expression and placement of their child on a proper road to success, including one of minimal ridicule. Those parents who choose self-expression alone are telling the world where their priorities come to rest.

James C. Collier

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Obama’s Winning Ground Game Revealed

There has been much talk on the losing side of the presidential election about the Obama “Ground Game”. By example, losing VP candidate Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin focused (here) on what he called “record-breaking turnout numbers from urban areas”, code for black votes, as the reason for the Romney/Ryan pounding at the polls. What about the battleground states, like Colorado, Iowa and Ohio, that were mostly rural and/or white?

So now, about this Obama Ground game - was it a “fair and square” win as Ryan back-tracked, or something more sinister, as offered by Republican strategist Karl Rove, who stated (here) that “Obama won by voter suppression”, clearly an act that, if found to be true, would be illegal? For the record, Rove has yet to back up his allegation with anything resembling evidence.

Moving along, I dug deeper into the Obama Ground Game, with a reputable source – my retired sister Karen, an Obama volunteer from the trenches in the battleground state of Colorado, (she is pictured here with Obama volunteer/actor Laurence Fishburne, aka Morpheus from the Matrix series).

It seems that over the past months Karen has been phone-banking (calling); canvassing (walking door-to-door); registering and otherwise educating goo-gobs of people as to why they, within her assigned territory, should vote for Obama. She pursued Blacks, Whites, Asians, and Latinos, without distinction. She did this during the day, evenings and on weekends. She said there were thousands like her all over the city, counties, and the Columbine state. Each volunteer was prepped to get people to act their support of the President.

All the way from Bill Clinton holding a pep rally for volunteers at Manual HS, to actress Angela Bassett (What’s Love Got To Do With It) cheering on N.E. Denver precincts, to comedian/actor George Lopez working West Denver, and actor Jon Hamm (Madmen) in North Denver, the Obama machine left no motivating stone unturned or potential vote uncast. Fishburne not only 'bumped' the troops in the precinct offices, the actor was spotted hawking votes door-to-door in the eastern suburb of Montbello.

On election day, Karen was picking up and delivering sealed ballots from people she had earlier convinced to sign up for mail-in-ballots - but who had not mailed them. She drove people to the polls and back, when a ride stood between them and voting. The volunteers gleefully called this the knock-n-drag - knock on the door and drag them to the polls to vote. All of this was done on her time and dime – no reimbursement. She said people liked Obama over Romney when you lined up their positions, but the key was getting them into action - to vote. “That’s what our ground game did – that’s how we won!"

James C. Collier

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Jezebel Exposes Young Bigots In-Training

Young people are known for mixing up the sequence "ready, aim, fire" to something more akin to ready, fire, uh...aim", but Tracy Egan Morrissey, over at Jezebel has certainly taken some of the kiddies to 'school' on how responsibility goes hand-in-hand with the First Amendment right to free speech (here).

It seems that quite a few young white folks took to Twitter just after the presidential election to let their worlds know just how they feel about four more years of Mr. Obama. What many had to say was not indicative of good anything...parenting, schooling, coaching or anything else. Mrs. Morrissey/Jezebel simply gave these young people a greater public forum for their youthful vileness. Good for her. It is important for us to know the kids we are raising.

Black parents certainly get a daily dose of what vileness their kids can produce left unattended, but this time around it was white folk's turn to say 'what the hell?'. I also know that kids speak in ways that they were not taught, so I do not automatically blame parents for any particular kid, however, all parents collectively share the blame. You cannot assume that what your kid says in front of you is what they say to others. Parents need to be a little crafty in order to really know their kids - because kids are crafty. And for many parents, it all begins with setting a good example.

In the coming days their will be more made of this, but one thing is for sure, what you say in public forums, electronic or otherwise, follows you and is sticky like syrup. I'm sure Mr. Romney wishes he could take back "self-deportation", "binders of women", "the 47%...", and the like, when he considers how Latinos and women reacted to those words. Mitt certainly wasn't dropping N-bombs, but his gaffes showed that someone could have schooled him a little better about measuring his words.

James C. Collier

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Obama Shares Moment With Young Team

James C. Collier

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Racist Gov. John Sununu (R) Stumps For Obama

Everytime one of these Republican gadfly's opens their mouth to spout some racist dribble, Obama gets more votes because of race. How stupid is that?

"Frankly, when you take a look at Colin Powell, you have to wonder whether that's an endorsement based on issues or whether he's got a slightly different reason for preferring President Obama," Sununu said in an interview on CNN. When pressed on what those reasons might be, he replied, "Well, I think when you have somebody of your own race that you're proud of being president of the United States, I applaud Colin for standing with him."

Former NH Gov. Sununu claimed that General Powell is endorsing Obama because of race, despite all that Republicans have come to know about this most widely respected modern-day Black Republican - serving three Republican administrations, and Democrats as well.

So in response, a bunch of otherwise centrist 'Rockefeller' Republican voters, who had planned to hold their noses and vote for Mitt, decide to hold their noses and vote for Obama, so at least they can look themselves in the mirror and imagine that they are NOT as Mr. Sununu portrays them.

Everyday it becomes more clear, the Dems don't need a good story to stay in power, just a story that is slightly better than their opponents. It seems to be the job of these gadfly politicians and pundits, like Sununu, to continuously pump stupidity into the contest.

James C. Collier

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Obama Blinks All Debate, Romney Surges

Anyone who knows or reads me, knows that I have plenty of bones to pick with President Obama about the last four years. Nevertheless, I plan to vote for him, as the lesser of evils (certainly a far cry from why I voted for him in 2008). Today's bone is special and about why in hell he let Mitt open a can of whup-ass on him in the debate. I mean really - the only lie Mitt did not tell that night was that his best friend growing up was an old black man named 'Smokey'.

Being presidential is one thing, getting punk'd by Mitt is quite the other. Samuel Jackson, and his kids, had to be throwing around the F-bombs like M&M's that night.

I think Obama forgot the most important numbers. Fifty percent of Americans don't think his behind should have ever THOUGHT that a black man should run the country. Another twenty-five percent said we will give you ONE CHANCE, so you better not F--- it up! That leaves only another twenty-five percent solidly in his corner.

Now, while the one-chancer's are willing to concede that the devil-duo of Bush/Cheney left way more than a hella-mess for Obama to deal with, no one likes to see their leader get his ass whupped by a lying-thieving private-equity bastard who made his fortune by buying companies, loading them with debt, raping them, and then shooting them in the head. Nice f---ing guy!

I have never seen so many depressed Dems and Independents in my life! The Repubs are saying, 'hell, we just might win this MF'!

James C. Collier

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Vietnam War's "Napalm Girl" 40 Years Later: Kim Phuc

I was nearly fourteen when AP photographer Nick Ut took the Pulitzer-winning picture of nine-year old Phan Thi Kim Phuc, running naked after being stripped of her clothes and badly burned by napalm, an anti-personnel weapon provided by US Forces.

My young emotions went spinning as I witnessed that our country could hurt innocent children, in the name of democracy. This only added to my suspicion of our government's motives. At home, dogs and water hoses turned on peaceful protesters, while foreign babies died abroad. Much for a kid to take in.

It now waters my eyes to know that the little girl in the famous picture survived that hell and went on to realize her dream of love and family.

Those days taught me that war is hell. Time has mercifully offered that the human spirit can triumph, when you least expect it, as well.

James C. Collier

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Obama's Gay Marriage Head Fake

When I first heard that President Obama was coming out in support of same-sex marriage, I thought for once that he was playing it 'straight', so to speak - but no such luck. I say this because the president added the caveat that laws granting this 'civil-right' of union, should be left up to the states. Say what?

As a constitutional scholar, Mr. Obama knows too well, after studying Brown v. Board of Education (desegregation), that state implementation of civil-rights protection is a dog that does not hunt. In other words, he knows that gay marriage left up to the states does not stand a chance in hell of becoming a right, by law. His Harvard legal education showed him, in no uncertain terms, that when the Supreme Court, under Justice Earl Warren, handed-off the implementation of their landmark rebuke of 'separate but equal' (Plessy v. Ferguson) in 1954, it took the states another twenty years to make it a reality. Even then, desegregation occurred amid street battles. To hear former NAACP lawyer and Justice Thurgood Marshall tell it at the time, the Warren Court was being purposefully "S-L-O-W" in handing their desegregation decision to the states, as I believe is Mr. Obama in his caveat-ed support of gay marriage.

Obama is denying what he knows - that it is the role of the federal government, as outlined in the constitution, to defend the civic-rights of every citizen (including equality under the law), particularly when individual state pursuits might abridge such rights. In true political slight-of-hand, Mr Obama is looking for voter credit, for gesture over real substance, while giving the politician's wink/nod to anti-gay factions that know history, especially those folks in the South.

Thurgood Marshall is certainly shaking his head, somewhere in the after-life, and maybe wishing Obama had attended Howard Law (Marshall's alma mater), rather than Harvard.

James C. Collier

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Is Hockey Racist? Ask Joel Ward

Joel Ward is a professional hockey player for the Washington Capitals, who happens to be Canadian, like most professional players, but also black. Ward scored the winning goal against the Boston Bruins the other night, sending his team to the Stanley Cup quarter finals. So what if some of the Boston fans used Twitter to show their sour grapes at losing. Those fans hurt no one, but their own sorry asses, by throwing the n-word around at Ward, because the Bruins lost at the hands of a black player. Hockey is a great sport, but it attracts more than its share of neanderthals, so no big whup. Next.

James C. Collier

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The Riot Within By Rodney King, With Lawrence Spagnola

I place Rodney King in a similar iconic category with actor/politician Ronald Reagan, with no intent to offend either. Their individual significance is not about who they are/were, but rather what they reflect about their fellow Americans, from their respective moments in the sun until now.

The emblazoned images of King being beaten with no mercy by the LAPD, and the acquittal of his captors by an all-white jury, galvanized how blacks felt and still largely feel about law enforcement and justice in America.

Even today, the Trayvon Martin killing and George Zimmerman trial have people wondering what will happen once a jury speaks. Will blacks riot? Will vigilantes re-double? 

As for the book itself, beyond its macro-relevance, I enjoyed the easy and honest read of how King, the man, came into infamy. I stopped to think of how the fifty-one person death toll of the riots hit him harder than the bone-breaking baton strikes of Officer Stacy Koon, and others that night. I realized how logical it was that the events of those days would only accelerate the litany of abuse he would continue to heap upon himself, as an alcoholic. It was also interesting to know just how little compensation he actually received ($1.8M of a $5.4 settlement and fees), and how his lawyers, black and white, beat the hell out of him financially, on top of it all.

The up-shot is that whether you loved or hated Rodney Glen King, he is forever a part of history that represents quite the tragic tale of race and the pursuit of justice in America.

James C. Collier

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Secret Service Agents Buy Colombian Sex, Forfeit Careers For $800

I presume that Secret Service Agents buy sex for similar reasons to why all men buy sex - they want it. Of course, there is more to it than this. I went looking for data and this is what I found.

"A survey of 103 men in London, England (here), who frequently sought the services of prostitutes were questioned about their experiences, attitudes, awareness of the sex industry, and deterrents to seeking prostitutes. The study was a collaborative effort between Eaves, a feminist organization that works to curb demand for commercial sex; and Prostitution Research & Education, an educational nonprofit in San Francisco that researches and documents the dangers of prostitution and sex trafficking.

The survey conducted in London was part of a larger international research project that interviewed 700 men to discover why males buy sex. The project covered six countries. The men surveyed in England ranged in age from 18 to 70 and were primarily white, black, Asian, and eastern European. Most of them were employed and had continued their education past high school. More than half were either married or in a relationship with a women. Thirty-five percent reported no religious affiliation, 33 percent said they were Christian, 13 percent had an unspecified religious affiliation, and the remainder were Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh, or Spiritualist.

When asked how many prostitutes they had ever paid for, 15 was the number most often mentioned, although the numbers ranged from 1 to 2,000. Twelve percent of the men had gone to more than 130 prostitutes, and 65 percent believed that “most men” go to prostitutes occasionally. Even though many of these men sought the services of prostitutes quite often, 71 percent of them said they experienced some degree of shame, guilt, or negative feelings about paying for sex.

Men seek prostitutes for a variety of reasons. The most common reason named was to satisfy an immediate sexual urge or for pleasure (32%), followed by a need for variety (21%), not having their needs met in their current relationship (20%), convenience (15%), the thrill (8%), and an addiction or compulsion (3%)..."

Of course, my pragmatic question to the agents involved is once you have 'stepped in it' (had compromising sex on a presidential detail), how much is your career/marriage/relationship worth to you? Whatever value you calculate - that's how much you should be willing to pay Ms. Colombia, before Air Force One lands - duh?

James C. Collier

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Acura Embarrassed By "Not Too Dark" Casting Revelation In Seinfeld Ad

While I think it is reasonable, in casting, to seek specific actor attributes, requesting an "African-American" that is "not too dark" should have seemed a bit over the line, I think. Darkness, as used here, would seem to connote a negative attribute working against the desired positive representation of Acura - at least in someone's view. The lame excuse of 'lighting issues' makes the screw-up worse.

The actual casting document is an interesting read, and unambiguous. So what do you think?

James C. Collier

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What John Derbyshire Should Have Said In His 'Talk' To White Kids About Blacks: Part II

This is Part II in response to conservative John Derbyshire's 'NonBlack' version of The Talk - for which he was fired from the National Review. I focus on point 10 of 15, where Derbyshire spouts his most racist of rhetoric on Whites engaging Blacks.

As in the first post (here), I say what Derbyshire might have said, if his goal was to provide something useful for his reader. I agree with him that people should learn how to use statistical common sense, but I believe it applies to everyone, not just Blacks.

Before I make my points, a set-up is required. Poor people, in general, are less educated, less law abiding, more aggressive, and more willing to take chances with their lives AND others. Black people are disproportionately poor, and, as stated in number #9 of the earlier post, many Blacks have 'attitudes' towards Whites that are minimally suspicious up to outright racist. Therefore:

10a. Avoidance. Avoid concentrations of any group of poor people, unless it is an event expressly to help them.
10b. More Avoidance. Stay out of poor neighborhoods, no matter the race, unless you are on a planned mission of renewal, led by experienced professionals.
10c. Large Groups. Stay away from large groups of any race, period, and definitely stay away from large groups of an ethnicity not your own, especially lawyers, clergy, and Mary Kay sales people.
10d. Events. Do not attend events likely to draw large groups of anyone, except farmer's markets - they cool.
10e. More Events. If you are at an event where the number of people swells, leave quickly. If it's Blacks, Latinos, Asians, or Whites, leave more quickly.
10f. Politicians. Be wary of ALL politicians.
10g. More Politicians. Scrutinize All politicians.
10h. Samaritans. A smart Good Samaritan is someone willing to dial 911 from a safe/secure distance. Be smart!
10i. Accosted. If accosted by a strange anyone on the street, don't smile, don't be polite, make an exit and take it agressively, with eyes on your antagonist, and with a loud voice.

Note: Look for Derbyshire on FOX News.

James C. Collier

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What John Derbyshire Should Have Said In His 'Talk' To White Kids About Blacks: Part I

I recently read conservative John Derbyshire's 'NonBlack' version of The Talk - for which he was fired from the National Review. Derbyshire described his White parent-to-child version of what Black parents say to their children, mostly sons, on the perils they will face growing up in White America. The Trayvon Martin case brings this rite of passage front and center.

Derbyshire clearly wrote the article in Taki's Magazine (here) with racist intent, but the idea of White parents talking to their kids is nonetheless poignant. Derbyshire might have been more help if his instructions re: Black people went more like below:
1. Reference. Call them Black (capitalized), not African-American, unless they insist. It's easy and correct. Never, ever, use the N-word! The instant intoxicating effect the word has on Whites guarantees it will not be used in the .1% of situations where a White person could get away with it cleanly.
2. Admixture. Most Blacks have some White admixture. Avoid this subject, along with topics of fried chicken, watermelon, and hair extensions.
3. More Admixture. Provide your own admixture only if asked, and only as if you are being interrogated by an armed, North Korean, soldier - name, rank, and serial number. No smiling, and no hand gestures.
4. Engagement. Treat Blacks the same as non-Blacks, but never forfeit your personal safety to 'prove' you are not a racist - to or for anyone!
5. Presentation. Blacks come in all shapes and sizes. Forgetting this is a great source of stupidity.
6. Difference. You are not obligated to ignore the mean (statistical) difference between Blacks and Whites, especially the difference in adherence to the rule of law (ROL). The cultural lenses Blacks and Whites see through are not the same.
7. Disparities. The combination of disparity in adherence to the ROL and the across-the-board increase in societal violence is a bad mix. Pay attention. Always note the exits.
8. History. Cross-racial conflicts have the added influence of this country's sordid racial past. Avoid the phrase 'get over it'!
9. Attitude. Nearly all Blacks have some degree of 'attitude' about Whites, from suspicion to racist dislike. They feel this is justified, even if the White person is FOB (fresh off the boat). Expect only your closest Black friends to stick-up for you against other Blacks - social pressure is a bitch!
10. Avoidance. See Part II (this one deserves its own posting)(here)
11. Intelligence. Average Black intelligence (measured) is one standard deviation below Whites. This fact is explanatory, in certain discussions, but a distracting hindrance in the day-to-day. The same holds true for White comparisons with Asians and Ashkenazi Jews.
12. Affirmative Action. It did not/does not work and needs to be replaced with help based upon economic disadvantage, which would still help Blacks who really need it. Well-off Blacks, you can guess, do not support this change.
13. Friendship. You should seek friendship with Blacks holding common interest to your own, as this is the best way to confront ignorance, especially that of your parents.
14. More Friendship. When people say there aren't enough Blacks to make friends, know that they are really saying they don't care to be friends with anyone who might be Black.
15. Even More Friendship. Remember, while people may be attracted to you for how you look, they generally like you for who you are. This applies to everyone!

UP NEXT: Part II: Avoidance. Large groups, Blacks, and expected outcomes.

James C. Collier

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Mike Wallace: 1918 - 2012

James C. Collier

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Huffington Post Adds Sports Crime Section Featuring Blacks

On February 27, 2012 I discovered the Huff Post "Sports Crime" Section (here), of the popular internet news source. Wow! A compilation of the most recent criminal troubles of US professional and collegiate athletes. And this does not even include child support cases.

It was no surprise that black males predominate the list, at nearly 80% of the featured perps. I don't think the HP is picking on black males, but I do wonder how this page matches up against all athletes, not just the top tier. I also wish they did not bury this data under sports, as though arrests are akin to game stats.

Players, teams (coaches and owners), and communities should be embarrassed and ashamed of these criminal distinctions. For the record, drugs and assault seem to be the leading categories of violations - surprise!

Features for 2/27: Murder (1), Drugs (5), Assault (6), DUI (2), False ID (1), Driving (1), Fraud (1), Child Abuse (1).

James C. Collier

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