Assault rifles...you know, like the ones soldiers carry. AK47s, armor piercing pistols, N57s, etc.
I bet you 10 to 1 that they were semi-automatic military style firearms. No more dangerous than your average "sporting" rifle or shotgun. If they weren't then he faces federal charges for having an illegal machine gun. That's 10 years in prison or $250,000 fine.
Is this really a shock? It's DMX, he practically fought dogs in his videos, I guess his 15 minutes dried up like 10 years ago but I mean...wow, did it really take MV testimony to get him? He's already been busted for cocaine.
D. Dogfighting. M. Man.... X = Here
DogfightingMan Here HELLO.....MCFLY!!!!
My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
Who the hell is shocked by this revelation? Really, DMX has always been into dog fighting. Several of his pit bulls have been previously rescued from his places. Hell, two of them are on Dog Whisper. Dog fighting like cockfighting is a big business attended by high stakes gamblers of "all" races. People like Vick and DMX were stupid enough to think they could become the game. People get vengeful when money goes in a different direction.
SIN EATERS--We take the moral excrement we find in this equation and we bury it down deep inside of us so that the rest of our case can stay pure. That is the job. We are morally indefensible and absolutely necessary.
The only person to blame for America's drug issues is the user, period. Personal responsibility should cut across all races and socio-economic backgrounds.
I don't think that it's as cut and dry as that... If I grew up in a home or neighborhood where drug use was common place, readily available and even glorified, drugs might not seem like a bad thing to me... Every teenager gives in a little bit to peer pressure to fit in, and the problem with many of the drugs, is that once you are get into them, it's a LONG HARD road out.
My whole life
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
I 100% agree. Drug issues go way beyond blaming the user (and are about accountabily, not blame. Blame on any level perpetuates problems). There are far reaching variables with drug issues and how they begin, issues that extend beyond the individual.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
I don't think that it's as cut and dry as that... If I grew up in a home or neighborhood where drug use was common place, readily available and even glorified, drugs might not seem like a bad thing to me... Every teenager gives in a little bit to peer pressure to fit in, and the problem with many of the drugs, is that once you are get into them, it's a LONG HARD road out.
It's an interesting discussion. You are both right. On one hand, when the environment is so full of drugs and other readilly available bad choices, any person is more likely to succomb. I would say that you take then ten totally clean, white, suburban kids and put them in such an environment, some (i.e. 3) would have made an impulsive bad choice that led them down that road. The environment (the drug dealers, pushers, etc.) is a contributer. On the other hand, you can take each of those three and say "YOU made a choice. You had a responsibility to yourself and you failed yourself."
Blacks commit more crimes than whites in the US. It is statistically provable that it is not coincidence. So do blacks, therefore, have less positive "personal responsibility" or is it that those with "marginal personal responsibility" (i.e. some propensity to do stupid shit) are more likely to fuck up than suburbanites with the same "marginal personal responsibility" because whitey just does not have the opportunites in his face?
I think we all have character flaws, some worse than others. But some of us also have more likelyhood for those flaws to be exploited. And that is my feeling as to the key difference between blacks and whites. These numbers are totally made up, but if an average 17 year old male in an upper class third ring suburb has a 5 percent chance of committing a felony, I think that same person would have, say a 20 percent chance in a crime-ridden area.
I cannot come up with a new sig till I get this egg off my face.
It's an interesting discussion. You are both right. On one hand, when the environment is so full of drugs and other readilly available bad choices, any person is more likely to succomb. I would say that you take then ten totally clean, white, suburban kids and put them in such an environment, some (i.e. 3) would have made an impulsive bad choice that led them down that road. The environment (the drug dealers, pushers, etc.) is a contributer. On the other hand, you can take each of those three and say "YOU made a choice. You had a responsibility to yourself and you failed yourself."
As well, the environment, and the interactions with the individual with family, caregivers etc., along with the person's existing inner predispositions creates the fertile soil of potential drug use.
There are levels of accountability beyond merely one person. Even though ultimately it is entirely up to the individual to deal with and transcend any existing drug problems.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
Sorry, but give me just two examples of famous, wealthy, white men who engage in dog fighting, narcotics and firearms. It is a cultural issue. Where I live, the urban city deals with this as an everyday occurrance among the black community. You cannot walk down the street without encountering pit bulls, gangs, drugs and guns. You go to the white suburbs, and it doesn't exist. Sure you have your petty high school drug dealers....but it comes from downtown. And there certainly isn't any dog fighting, cock fighting, gangs, guns or violence.
no, you're right. it's white men who PROFIT from those things, lurking in the background.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States, Barack Obama."
"Obama's main opponent in this election on November 4th (was) not John McCain, it (was) ignorance."~Michael Moore
"i'm feeling kinda righteous right now. with my badass motherfuckin' ukulele!"
~ed, 8/7
I 100% agree. Drug issues go way beyond blaming the user (and are about accountabily, not blame. Blame on any level perpetuates problems). There are far reaching variables with drug issues and how they begin, issues that extend beyond the individual.
I disagree. In the end we only have our selves to blame for the drugs we take. No one's forcing me to have my morning coffee but me or that 14 year kid to take that hit but him/herself. I fully understand there are environment issues and all that other crap but in the end, as Ed would say, I Am Mine.
I think you run into a world of trouble when you place personal responsibility and accountability on anyone or anything other than the individual. It's disrespectful and disempowering. All the other factors that may make it harder for someone to make right choices in no way absolve the individual of responsibility or accountability for his/her choices. I want society to work on providing as healthy an evironment as it can to as many people as possible but where society fails to do this I will not accept absolving individuals from the consequences or responsibility for their actions.
“One good thing about music,
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
I want society to work on providing as healthy an evironment as it can to as many people as possible but where society fails to do this I will not accept absolving individuals from the consequences or responsibility for their actions.
Acknowlegement of reason is not the same as absolution from consequence.
I disagree. In the end we only have our selves to blame for the drugs we take. No one's forcing me to have my morning coffee but me or that 14 year kid to take that hit but him/herself. I fully understand there are environment issues and all that other crap but in the end, as Ed would say, I Am Mine.
I think you run into a world of trouble when you place personal responsibility and accountability on anyone or anything other than the individual. It's disrespectful and disempowering. All the other factors that may make it harder for someone to make right choices in no way absolve the individual of responsibility or accountability for his/her choices. I want society to work on providing as healthy an evironment as it can to as many people as possible but where society fails to do this I will not accept absolving individuals from the consequences or responsibility for their actions.
But the first post called out race, so this is not just about DMX and Vick but about "those people." Therefore, rather than talk about them and other individual choice makers, particularly given who started the thread, it makes some of us have to adress the implication that blacks are morally, intellectually or otherwise inferior, in general.
Therefore, to say "personal responsibility", end of story is, if we accept that blacks have more per capita issues with chemical dependancy, is to say that blacks are just more irresponsible. That is why I bring up the other factors (that you even just acknowledged) that make it that much tougher for those in some situations to make the right choice. On an individual level, when it's you or the 16 year old kid in East St. Louis, yes, you have to send him the message (and others who observe him) that he made choices in his life and he has to pay for them.
Perhaps I'm just being the over-sensitive white liberal--but I am partly reacting to the recent discussions by a few members that blacks are worse off for one simple reason: inferiority.
Another thing about personal responsibility...when it's that black and white ("the user and nobody else"), it sort of absolves the kingpins/suppliers, etc. of their role and responsibility. I recently read one of those "self awarness books" that discussed "blame" vs. "contribution." I feel that there are a lot of non-users making tons of money that are contributors.
I cannot come up with a new sig till I get this egg off my face.
I disagree. In the end we only have our selves to blame for the drugs we take. No one's forcing me to have my morning coffee but me or that 14 year kid to take that hit but him/herself. I fully understand there are environment issues and all that other crap but in the end, as Ed would say, I Am Mine.
It doesn't sound like you "fully" understand the evironmental issues.
I think you run into a world of trouble when you place personal responsibility and accountability on anyone or anything other than the individual.
This is exactly my point--each person is 100% responsible for their actions. For example, parents are 100% responsible for whether they perpetuate dysfunctional parenting that causes their child to use drugs, just as the drug user is responsible for using said drugs.
It's disrespectful and disempowering.
To focus on one person's problems and flaws while ignoring the other aspects and accountability of the system is disempowering. And it's unfair. When we hold each person responsible for what they do, it's the only option.
When we focus only on the accountability of the user, and do not address the other myriad contributions to the problem, we ignore the full problem and thereby lessen our ability to successfully resolve it.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
Another thing about personal responsibility...when it's that black and white ("the user and nobody else"), it sort of absolves the kingpins/suppliers, etc. of their role and responsibility.
No, it doesn't absolfe the kingpins/suppliers. It just means you hold them accountable for their actions only. Just as in WWII we did not allow people to say "well Hitler told me to do it", we held all people accountable for their actions, including the kingpins.
“One good thing about music,
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
When we focus only on the accountability of the user, and do not address the other myriad contributions to the problem, we ignore the full problem and thereby lessen our ability to successfully resolve it.
But I'm not focusing on the full problem, I'm focusing on the individual. When this is done to all who are involved in the problem the issue is being addressed and all are held accountable for their actions. However, when dealing with the individual I do not care about the full problem, I only care about the choices this person is making with their life.
“One good thing about music,
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
No, it doesn't absolfe the kingpins/suppliers. It just means you hold them accountable for their actions only. Just as in WWII we did not allow people to say "well Hitler told me to do it", we held all people accountable for their actions, including the kingpins.
You said the only person to blame for America's drug issues is the user, and clearly there are numerous people who hold accountability, including "kingpins" and suppliers, which it seems you now admit.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
No, it doesn't absolfe the kingpins/suppliers. It just means you hold them accountable for their actions only. Just as in WWII we did not allow people to say "well Hitler told me to do it", we held all people accountable for their actions, including the kingpins.
Well you brought up personal responsibility in response to my post that claimed that there are a lot of people responsible for drug isses. You said (and I paraphrase) "it is the responsibility of the user. Period." I guess we all interpret those sentences differently. Personally responsibility is important and its also the thing that helps execs at tobacco, fast food, soda, etc. companies sleep at night.
Well, I have to take the personall responsibility to get back to work. I can blame nobody but myself...
I cannot come up with a new sig till I get this egg off my face.
But I'm not focusing on the full problem, I'm focusing on the individual. When this is done to all who are involved in the problem the issue is being addressed and all are held accountable for their actions. However, when dealing with the individual I do not care about the full problem, I only care about the choices this person is making with their life.
The individual cannot be removed from the whole problem.
Part of solving the problem for the individual (in terms of healing addiction) is acknowledging the ways they had a loss of power, due to their personal circumstances. Such as what their third grade teacher did to shame them in front of the class, if that is a key issue for the individual. Further denying their personal experiences only serves to perpetuate their need to continue to numb themselves to stay blocked from their experiences.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
I hold the user responsible for the drug issue. Others I'd hold responsibility for providing a piss poor environment, but I'm sure they are quick and ready with their excuses.
“One good thing about music,
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
But I'm not focusing on the full problem, I'm focusing on the individual. When this is done to all who are involved in the problem the issue is being addressed and all are held accountable for their actions. However, when dealing with the individual I do not care about the full problem, I only care about the choices this person is making with their life.
I can understand that you are focusing on the fact that only the user is responsible for their choices, and making changes. No matter what happens around them. Unequivocally. I agree.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
I hold the user responsible for the drug issue. Others I'd hold responsibility for providing a piss poor environment, but I'm sure they are quick and ready with their excuses.
People have excuses all the time. That is not to be confused with whether they are accountable or not. They may not accept accountability, and still when accountable, it holds no matter what--that accountability echoes on forever...some might even say eternally.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
I can understand that you are focusing on the fact that only the user is responsible for their choices, and making changes. No matter what happens around them. Unequivocally. I agree.
That's how I address issues and situations with my son and his friends. They actually respond very well when you take the time to break it down to this is about you. This is your choice in life. Tell me what you think your options are. Now tell me what you think the results and consequences of those options are. I can't help you make the decision, that has to be done by you. But what I can do is give you some tips on how you can make your choices be more socially acceptable and how to try to limit the adverse or downside to any choice you make. About the only hard line I draw where there is no discussion is if the choice hurts others, then it's not an option in my books at all.
We can all overcome our circumstances. I may be a victim to my own weaknesses but I refuse to be victim to circumstances. I get to choose how I respond to what life throws my way. Today, I'll make a choice to be happy.
“One good thing about music,
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
That's how I address issues and situations with my son and his friends. They actually respond very well when you take the time to break it down to this is about you. This is your choice in life. Tell me what you think your options are. Now tell me what you think the results and consequences of those options are. I can't help you make the decision, that has to be done by you. But what I can do is give you some tips on how you can make your choices be more socially acceptable and how to try to limit the adverse or downside to any choice you make. About the only hard line I draw where there is no discussion is if the choice hurts others, then it's not an option in my books at all.
We can all overcome our circumstances. I may be a victim to my own weaknesses but I refuse to be victim to circumstances. I get to choose how I respond to what life throws my way. Today, I'll make a choice to be happy.
We can definitely all overcome our circumstances. Where my concern comes in is when people contribute to the problems, and consider they are problem solving, when really they make it worse.
In imbalances of all kinds, and particularly with addictions and substance abuse, the individual is blocking their own experiences because they do not have the inner resources, or environmental supports that enable, accept and support them acknowledging such experiences. It's a huge, wide-spread problem. And in terms of such abuses, those around the abuser support, enable and encourage the abuse unwittingly, all the while thinking they know best and are helping. It's insidious.
For example, my family has not yet acknowledged the dynamics that contributed to the mental illness and ongoing imbalances of numerous family members. Even once I got well, my step-sister could no longer manage her own life and committed suicide because the underlying problems in our family are still rampant. Yes, I "rose above" it, but that's because I have a natural inclination towards psychology and all levels of self-help, plus I have natural inner spiritual guidance. My atheist brother is still mentally ill, and my elderly mother was long ago denounced in the family for her mental illness and ostracized as flawed, and "crazy". These two along with my step-sister, well, they weren't/aren't so "lucky". Every one of them --ill or "healthy"--have a dark cloud that follows them wherever they go. Their lives are tinged with unresolved pain and blindness and the resulting patterns. They are not able to understand what goes on around them and their part in it.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
You go to the white suburbs, and it doesn't exist. Sure you have your petty high school drug dealers....but it comes from downtown. And there certainly isn't any dog fighting, cock fighting, gangs, guns or violence.
You are wrong about that. You can find it everywhere, and as a matter of fact, you can not only find it on a larger scale in the white suburbs, its usually more than just marijuana.
No, it doesn't absolfe the kingpins/suppliers. It just means you hold them accountable for their actions only. Just as in WWII we did not allow people to say "well Hitler told me to do it", we held all people accountable for their actions, including the kingpins.
You're right, we allowed them to say "we were just following orders" and many, including captured SS were released from American camps on American soil to become citizens. Just as in WWII the companies that supplied the war machine, were the same companies that turned their eyes when the slaughter of the jews could have been contained early. Yet, under your philosophy of the "individual" or of "where society has failed", it was the Jews fault for being slaughtered, they had options, they could have left or converted. Yet, as individuals, your logic is that they chose to be slaughtered.
WWII is not always the best thing to use to make a point.
SIN EATERS--We take the moral excrement we find in this equation and we bury it down deep inside of us so that the rest of our case can stay pure. That is the job. We are morally indefensible and absolutely necessary.
You are wrong about that. You can find it everywhere, and as a matter of fact, you can not only find it on a larger scale in the white suburbs, its usually more than just marijuana.
Good point. Like the medical professional who called me up on the crisis line. She had been doing cocaine all night and her heart was racing, and she was considering suicide due to her life problems. She couldn't go to her medical professional colleagues for help because by her perspective, they were all ensconced in the drug world, also using. She felt all the more paralyzed from seeking help, due to her circumstances.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
Something I wanted to add about this dogfighting business is that I think it is a socio-economic issue opposed to a race one. I attended high school in B'ham, Al. I also worked at a pizza joint while in high school. The manager (a white guy, probably a 'redneck' in most folks eyes) was involved in the dogfighting underground. He had mainly pit bulls, but also had other large dogs. It was also no secret that he moved drugs, as well. I think we are seeing the 'wealthy, black-folks' involved now due to the culture they came out of, both Vick and DMX came from lower income situations.
There is dogfighting where I live now, however, with the exception of the college population (University located here), we have more white & Hispanic folks here than black folks. The dogfighting rings are run by lower income white folks and you usually see methamphetamine use and production as well.
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance,
but the illusion of knowledge.
~Daniel Boorstin
Only a life lived for others is worth living.
~Albert Einstein
I hold the user responsible for the drug issue. Others I'd hold responsibility for providing a piss poor environment, but I'm sure they are quick and ready with their excuses.
I think we had a bit of a communication problem, as I tend to agree. I was talking large scale and you were talking individual. On a one-on-one level, talking to your child, or a rehab client or something, I am entirely on board. At most, I could say "yeah, you had some messsed up circumstances, but ultimately, you made the choices you have made. And more importantly, it is entirely up to you to make the right choices from now on. The negative environment probably is not going to go away."
On a larger scale, however, I still believe there are a lot of contributors beyond the user.
I cannot come up with a new sig till I get this egg off my face.
Comments
I bet you 10 to 1 that they were semi-automatic military style firearms. No more dangerous than your average "sporting" rifle or shotgun. If they weren't then he faces federal charges for having an illegal machine gun. That's 10 years in prison or $250,000 fine.
D. Dogfighting. M. Man.... X = Here
DogfightingMan Here HELLO.....MCFLY!!!!
Who the hell is shocked by this revelation? Really, DMX has always been into dog fighting. Several of his pit bulls have been previously rescued from his places. Hell, two of them are on Dog Whisper. Dog fighting like cockfighting is a big business attended by high stakes gamblers of "all" races. People like Vick and DMX were stupid enough to think they could become the game. People get vengeful when money goes in a different direction.
I don't think that it's as cut and dry as that... If I grew up in a home or neighborhood where drug use was common place, readily available and even glorified, drugs might not seem like a bad thing to me... Every teenager gives in a little bit to peer pressure to fit in, and the problem with many of the drugs, is that once you are get into them, it's a LONG HARD road out.
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
It's an interesting discussion. You are both right. On one hand, when the environment is so full of drugs and other readilly available bad choices, any person is more likely to succomb. I would say that you take then ten totally clean, white, suburban kids and put them in such an environment, some (i.e. 3) would have made an impulsive bad choice that led them down that road. The environment (the drug dealers, pushers, etc.) is a contributer. On the other hand, you can take each of those three and say "YOU made a choice. You had a responsibility to yourself and you failed yourself."
Blacks commit more crimes than whites in the US. It is statistically provable that it is not coincidence. So do blacks, therefore, have less positive "personal responsibility" or is it that those with "marginal personal responsibility" (i.e. some propensity to do stupid shit) are more likely to fuck up than suburbanites with the same "marginal personal responsibility" because whitey just does not have the opportunites in his face?
I think we all have character flaws, some worse than others. But some of us also have more likelyhood for those flaws to be exploited. And that is my feeling as to the key difference between blacks and whites. These numbers are totally made up, but if an average 17 year old male in an upper class third ring suburb has a 5 percent chance of committing a felony, I think that same person would have, say a 20 percent chance in a crime-ridden area.
not to mention that it's you're not your. :rolleyes: THAT'S the most offensive part!
"Obama's main opponent in this election on November 4th (was) not John McCain, it (was) ignorance."~Michael Moore
"i'm feeling kinda righteous right now. with my badass motherfuckin' ukulele!"
~ed, 8/7
There are levels of accountability beyond merely one person. Even though ultimately it is entirely up to the individual to deal with and transcend any existing drug problems.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
no, you're right. it's white men who PROFIT from those things, lurking in the background.
"Obama's main opponent in this election on November 4th (was) not John McCain, it (was) ignorance."~Michael Moore
"i'm feeling kinda righteous right now. with my badass motherfuckin' ukulele!"
~ed, 8/7
I think you run into a world of trouble when you place personal responsibility and accountability on anyone or anything other than the individual. It's disrespectful and disempowering. All the other factors that may make it harder for someone to make right choices in no way absolve the individual of responsibility or accountability for his/her choices. I want society to work on providing as healthy an evironment as it can to as many people as possible but where society fails to do this I will not accept absolving individuals from the consequences or responsibility for their actions.
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
But the first post called out race, so this is not just about DMX and Vick but about "those people." Therefore, rather than talk about them and other individual choice makers, particularly given who started the thread, it makes some of us have to adress the implication that blacks are morally, intellectually or otherwise inferior, in general.
Therefore, to say "personal responsibility", end of story is, if we accept that blacks have more per capita issues with chemical dependancy, is to say that blacks are just more irresponsible. That is why I bring up the other factors (that you even just acknowledged) that make it that much tougher for those in some situations to make the right choice. On an individual level, when it's you or the 16 year old kid in East St. Louis, yes, you have to send him the message (and others who observe him) that he made choices in his life and he has to pay for them.
Perhaps I'm just being the over-sensitive white liberal--but I am partly reacting to the recent discussions by a few members that blacks are worse off for one simple reason: inferiority.
Another thing about personal responsibility...when it's that black and white ("the user and nobody else"), it sort of absolves the kingpins/suppliers, etc. of their role and responsibility. I recently read one of those "self awarness books" that discussed "blame" vs. "contribution." I feel that there are a lot of non-users making tons of money that are contributors.
This is exactly my point--each person is 100% responsible for their actions. For example, parents are 100% responsible for whether they perpetuate dysfunctional parenting that causes their child to use drugs, just as the drug user is responsible for using said drugs.
To focus on one person's problems and flaws while ignoring the other aspects and accountability of the system is disempowering. And it's unfair. When we hold each person responsible for what they do, it's the only option.
When we focus only on the accountability of the user, and do not address the other myriad contributions to the problem, we ignore the full problem and thereby lessen our ability to successfully resolve it.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
what she said, as usual
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
Well you brought up personal responsibility in response to my post that claimed that there are a lot of people responsible for drug isses. You said (and I paraphrase) "it is the responsibility of the user. Period." I guess we all interpret those sentences differently. Personally responsibility is important and its also the thing that helps execs at tobacco, fast food, soda, etc. companies sleep at night.
Well, I have to take the personall responsibility to get back to work. I can blame nobody but myself...
Part of solving the problem for the individual (in terms of healing addiction) is acknowledging the ways they had a loss of power, due to their personal circumstances. Such as what their third grade teacher did to shame them in front of the class, if that is a key issue for the individual. Further denying their personal experiences only serves to perpetuate their need to continue to numb themselves to stay blocked from their experiences.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
We can all overcome our circumstances. I may be a victim to my own weaknesses but I refuse to be victim to circumstances. I get to choose how I respond to what life throws my way. Today, I'll make a choice to be happy.
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
We can definitely all overcome our circumstances. Where my concern comes in is when people contribute to the problems, and consider they are problem solving, when really they make it worse.
In imbalances of all kinds, and particularly with addictions and substance abuse, the individual is blocking their own experiences because they do not have the inner resources, or environmental supports that enable, accept and support them acknowledging such experiences. It's a huge, wide-spread problem. And in terms of such abuses, those around the abuser support, enable and encourage the abuse unwittingly, all the while thinking they know best and are helping. It's insidious.
For example, my family has not yet acknowledged the dynamics that contributed to the mental illness and ongoing imbalances of numerous family members. Even once I got well, my step-sister could no longer manage her own life and committed suicide because the underlying problems in our family are still rampant. Yes, I "rose above" it, but that's because I have a natural inclination towards psychology and all levels of self-help, plus I have natural inner spiritual guidance. My atheist brother is still mentally ill, and my elderly mother was long ago denounced in the family for her mental illness and ostracized as flawed, and "crazy". These two along with my step-sister, well, they weren't/aren't so "lucky". Every one of them --ill or "healthy"--have a dark cloud that follows them wherever they go. Their lives are tinged with unresolved pain and blindness and the resulting patterns. They are not able to understand what goes on around them and their part in it.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
You are wrong about that. You can find it everywhere, and as a matter of fact, you can not only find it on a larger scale in the white suburbs, its usually more than just marijuana.
Nuclear fission
You're right, we allowed them to say "we were just following orders" and many, including captured SS were released from American camps on American soil to become citizens. Just as in WWII the companies that supplied the war machine, were the same companies that turned their eyes when the slaughter of the jews could have been contained early. Yet, under your philosophy of the "individual" or of "where society has failed", it was the Jews fault for being slaughtered, they had options, they could have left or converted. Yet, as individuals, your logic is that they chose to be slaughtered.
WWII is not always the best thing to use to make a point.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
There is dogfighting where I live now, however, with the exception of the college population (University located here), we have more white & Hispanic folks here than black folks. The dogfighting rings are run by lower income white folks and you usually see methamphetamine use and production as well.
but the illusion of knowledge.
~Daniel Boorstin
Only a life lived for others is worth living.
~Albert Einstein
I think we had a bit of a communication problem, as I tend to agree. I was talking large scale and you were talking individual. On a one-on-one level, talking to your child, or a rehab client or something, I am entirely on board. At most, I could say "yeah, you had some messsed up circumstances, but ultimately, you made the choices you have made. And more importantly, it is entirely up to you to make the right choices from now on. The negative environment probably is not going to go away."
On a larger scale, however, I still believe there are a lot of contributors beyond the user.