OT: Does Everyone Have the Same Opportunities?

[Bigmagicfan82]

Don't believe that inner city schools are not well funded. The Census Bureau does a report every couple of years when they look at the per puple spending rates of public schools nation wide. Majority of the public schools with the highest per puple spending rates were inner city schools. School districts like Newark NJ, Jersey City NJ , and Camden NJ made the top ten (they were also top ten in wost testing districts). So the issue isn't funding but rather how that money is spent or not spent. As well as other issues that go into it too. Public schools, magnet schools, and charter schools are very corrupt. Ultimately, only the students get screwed over.

Maybe one day I go into it, but tonight is not the night. I'm about to go to bed so i can get up for work in the morning.

[Hoopslife]

What about the simple fact that if you are a poor undergrad you have to work 30-40 hours a week to afford to go some schools. I mean there is only so many hours in a week so that is 30-40 less hours of studying available which automatically gives the rich kid who doesn't have to work 30-40 more hours to study. That is more opportunity. Not to mention the added stress of having to worry about money makes it harder to study then someone that has no problem, no worries.. No people don't have the same opportunities, but yes if you want to do something bad enough you can achieve your goal with hard work.

[UCFJayBird]

yea we brought that up, their response? Well people have done it before, so that's not an excuse, you still have the opportunity to do it. You just have to work harder at that opportunity.

[N4U|Redux]

Just kill them Jason.

They're obviously not useful to the world.

[theTHIEF]

yea we brought that up, their response? Well people have done it before, so that's not an excuse, you still have the opportunity to do it. You just have to work harder at that opportunity.

and i actually fully agree with that...i wouldnt feel so strongly today about my place in this world had i just of been able to go to school and get and education...sure it would have been nice...but having to work everyday, 2 different jobs AND play basketball...it was so difficult...but i feel so good for it...because it's so behind me and I made the difference...I feel like I achieved my best...and do all that for 6-7 years to get a master's vs. maybe 2-4 or 5 years for the average student...

im just saying...it's all in how you look at things, and how much of a value you put on stuff...

[MoGrAdY]

I know this really doesnt go with what your getting at Jdubbz. But jus as a different type of example. Anyone familiar with the show "Runs house" will know what Im talkin bout. Rev Run's son JoJo is a rapper. I remember Rev sayin once its harder for JoJo because his Dad is Rev Run. An I called BS on that statement. Well as the show has gone on, Rev has set up a meeting with JoJO and his crew "Team blackout" with a recording label. He then went on to get JoJo and Blackout a well known producer, Rockwilder, to do their first single. The label didnt have enough money to get blackout a big name producer. So to me as a rapper its disgusting. I cant just have my Daddy set me up with meeting with record labels. And I sure as hell cant jus call Rockwilder and have him produce a banger wit me. IMO its a case of Rich people sayin some real dumb ****. I have to work hard at my craft and save money for studio time. Jojo has a studio is his basement and his Dad settin everything up for him. Again I know this is a total u turn on the subject to a certain extent, but its a solid example.

[Hairy Midget]

You just gotta be like John Brown and grab opportunity by the balls. Unfortunately, not everyone can be king of da burbz.

[MoGrAdY]

You just gotta be like John Brown and grab opportunity by the balls. Unfortunately, not everyone can be king of da burbz.

Haha


Trust me, Im not gonna sit back and let my chance pass me by. Im gonna be in everyones face gettin my **** out soon as I can hit a studio. But its just disgusting to see dudes gettin free rides cus their Dad is Rev Run.

[Devin 1L]

Jason, no offense meant, but I think you're being kind of whiny yourself.

Ironically, from what I've read from you over the years, I think I've come from a very similar situation as yourself, maybe "worse". I don't really care to post details here, but I'm familiar enough with you on here that I'd be happy to talk more in detail via PM or AIM.

I just don't buy it though. I think everyone pretty much does have the same opportunities, it's just a hell of a lot harder for some people. I'm pretty close to doing pretty well for myself, not because I ever had anything easy, but because I worked my ass off when I needed to.

As for these people who have things handed to them -- do they really have "more"? From the sounds of it, you wouldn't want to be like any of them.

It's just life, I guarantee you there are a bunch of 5'6" people equally talented, who bust their butt 10x more than the likes of, say, Antoine Walker, but he's in the NBA (and a millionaire) in large part due to the fact that he is abnormally tall. It's not "fair", I suppose, but hey, it happens.

Ok I now feel much better that most people think the same way we do.

And I don't hate on rich kids, but I hate on rich kids that act like they have it difficult and don't realize how great they have it. Today one of the girls was like "i wish my mom would go buy a new car already so i can have hers. I mean I have a Civic and it runs ok, but i just want something nice ya know?" WTF? This girl on her first day had her dad drive from his job just to put gas in her car cause she didn't want to get lost trying to find a gas station (even though we told her it was two turns). Talk about spoiled right?

And I didn't even think about the poor schools not having enough money for extra curiculars that they could put on their portfolios. I'll have to bring that up! I couldn't seem to get across the fact that they had lesser opportunities cause they went to a bad school, they seemed to think as long as they had As that was enough.

It's all about perspective.

I bet many of the things that you worry about would look quite foolish to a starving kid somewhere, who's worrying about when he eats next.

And that girl -- she'd probably thinks it's pretty ridiculous that some guy in in LA is wishing his daddy would hurry up and buy him a new house because he doesn't like the view from he current house. After all, she just wants a nicer car...

[Bensational]

Just kill them Jason.

They're obviously not useful to the world.

ahem.... i'm sure i can think of a couple uses for them that won't involve them thinking.

send them my way before you kill them Jason.

[Bensational]

here's my take on the situation:

(this'll be awesome. this analogy is going to completely fall to pieces as i try to write it down)

opportunities in life are like a reverse version of the NBA lottery, where instead of the worst off teams getting the most chances, the best off teams do.

i.e. the upper class kids have the highest chance at adding the next LBJ or Oden sized opportunity to their lives. but then, so do the lower class kids. they just don't have as many balls in the barrel.

[CourtsideTV]

but you cant hate on rich people, or children of the wealthy...

Translation: "I'm rich beyaaaach. So don't hate on me"

[Optimus_Steel]

Those girls are naive but thats not suprising.

[magicmamma]

Of course we don't all have the same opportunities. I don't have to look any farther than to compare myself and my son. I grew up in a poor family in which no one had ever gone to college. I was not just the first, but the only member of my generation to graduate. He was raised by two PhD's. Money to go to school was not the issue. My husband and I went to state colleges and worked for our support, and so did our son. But he had every opportunity he needed laid out in front of him. He could have ignored them -- many of his fellow students did -- but all he had to do was follow the map to get to the prize.

What I didn't have and my son had in abundance is someone to tell me how to make it. I had to make every decision on my own and I made every single one wrong. I was more than willing to take advice, I sought it from my professors, and they gave me bad information. It's a variation on "Rich Dad, Poor Dad." I won't go in to sex discrimination, because you simply wouldn't believe it.

Could I have been sucessful? I can think of one choice I could have made, going against the advice of my advisor, that would have put me in the laboratory of future Nobel prize winner at the time the prize-winning work was being done. If I had a parent who knew anything about the academic world, I would have been there. Someone who was more aggressive would probably have made that choice, but I was raised to defer to men, particularly those who were my superiors. These are just a few examples of the advantages these little rich girls have that they don't realize they have.

It's not just how hard you work, it's knowing what to work on and how to make your accomplishments known that really counts. A few people overcome unbelieveable odds to become successful, but that doesn't mean that others can do the same.

[UCFJayBird]

Jason, no offense meant, but I think you're being kind of whiny yourself.

Ironically, from what I've read from you over the years, I think I've come from a very similar situation as yourself, maybe "worse". I don't really care to post details here, but I'm familiar enough with you on here that I'd be happy to talk more in detail via PM or AIM.

I just don't buy it though. I think everyone pretty much does have the same opportunities, it's just a hell of a lot harder for some people. I'm pretty close to doing pretty well for myself, not because I ever had anything easy, but because I worked my ass off when I needed to.

As for these people who have things handed to them -- do they really have "more"? From the sounds of it, you wouldn't want to be like any of them.

It's just life, I guarantee you there are a bunch of 5'6" people equally talented, who bust their butt 10x more than the likes of, say, Antoine Walker, but he's in the NBA (and a millionaire) in large part due to the fact that he is abnormally tall. It's not "fair", I suppose, but hey, it happens.

-= original quote snipped =-



It's all about perspective.

I bet many of the things that you worry about would look quite foolish to a starving kid somewhere, who's worrying about when he eats next.

And that girl -- she'd probably thinks it's pretty ridiculous that some guy in in LA is wishing his daddy would hurry up and buy him a new house because he doesn't like the view from he current house. After all, she just wants a nicer car...

Yea I realize i'm coming off whiny, I don't mean to but this subject seems to always bring it out in me.

You say everyone has the same opportunities, but some people have to work harder. Isn't that contradicting yourself? An opportunity is a situation or favorable condition for advancement. Having to work harder isn't favorable IMO. Can both attain the same things? Yes. Each person has the ability to achieve what everyone else can, but not everyone has those same opportunities, or as good of opportunities.

You bring up the shorter guys trying to make the NBA. But short guys can't make it in the NBA as easy, they're far less likely. Their opportunity is much smaller. Is it anyone's fault? No.

I'm not placing blame here. I'm just saying, not everyone has equal opportunity.

is it possible for anyone to achieve what another can? Absolutely. It's absolutely just as possible for a person from the slums to make it to an Ivy League school as it is for someone from the suburbs. But do they have equal opportunity to accomplish this? I don't believe so.

Same could be said for millions of other things. Education is harder to prove as their are things to counteract the disparity (such as scholarships, grants, etc). But what about buying a car? The 16 year old from the slums can't go take out a loan for a car unless he's got great credit. But the 16 year old who's parents can go out and buy one for em can get one very easily. Is it possible for both to get a car? yes. But do they have equal opportunities? no.

[N4U|Redux]

-= original quote snipped =-
Depends what they interpret as opportunity.

They seem to be perceiving opportunity as 'not being disqualified from something' as having an opportunity. From there, it depends how hard one works.

They seem to be speaking of 'opportunity' as not being completely removed from happening.

For instance, according to Einstein we do not have the 'opportunity' to go beyond the speed of light. However, if we came up with two different ways to achieve the speed of light, they both have the 'opportunity' to do it, regardless of how difficult it may be for one scenario. One or another way isn't less opportune to achieving the speed of light, one just has to work harder (i.e. take longer, use more fuel, cost more) than the other.

[mhectorgato]

Does Everyone Have the Same Opportunities?

No.