5 ms·

>stack the deck against them The question is: how should one react to learning that life is unfair and full of adversity against them? Perhaps the Narrative o

>stack the deck against them The question is: how should one react to learning that life is unfair and full of adversity against them? Perhaps the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass could serve as a good example? I wonder if Douglass had just remained hopeless, blamed others, and waited on the government to fix his problems, instead of learning to read, educating himself, and becoming resolutely determined to gain freedom, would we even be talking about him right now? Surely Douglass was delt far worse cards than most american's complaining about the deck today.

throwawayjava 8y ago
You've done a lot of reasoning and deriving and explaining, but the fundamental conclusion you reach through all that work: > I wonder if Douglass had... blamed others... instead of learning to read, educating himself, and becoming resolutely determined to gain freedom, [we would not] even be talking about him right now has as its counter-example the very discussion in which you're taking part... Douglass is a perfect example of two facts that cut agains the thesis of your comments in this thread. His work demonstrates that 1) critique is necessary; and 2) placing blame where it is due is NOT, as your question insinuates, mutually exclusive with action or self-improvement.
mcguire 8y ago
"The question is: how should one react to learning that life is unfair and full of adversity against them?" The answer: Get incredibly lucky; Douglass learned to read with help from his master's wife when such was significantly frowned on and (IIRC) illegal. Respond to disagreeable situations violently ("After Douglass won a physical confrontation, Covey [a poor farmer who had a reputation as a "slave-breaker"] never tried to beat him again"). Commit crimes; Douglass attempted to escape repeatedly. After that, all you have to do is become one of the most successful writers of your age. This step is trivial.
- wu-ikkyu 8y ago
  That is an incredibly disempowering opinion. Is there any practical value to leading one's life in accordance with such a philosophy? >The answer: Get incredibly lucky; Does a human have no agency in which to improve their odds? >Douglass learned to read with help from his master's wife when such was significantly frowned on and (IIRC) illegal. Indeed today educating oneself is frowned upon by many in the black community, those who do are often referred to as "white" or "uncle toms". Does that mean one should refrain from it? >Respond to disagreeable situations violently ("After Douglass won a physical confrontation, Covey [a poor farmer who had a reputation as a "slave-breaker"] never tried to beat him again"). Commit crimes; Douglass attempted to escape repeatedly. "Disagreeable" is incredibly euphemistic and dishonest characterization of slave-breaking camps. Should human beings not rebel when being tortured and enslaved? "One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all." -MLK
  - fwip 8y ago
    Now you're just willfully misunderstanding. If you're not gonna talk in good faith, it's not worth having this discussion with you.
    - wu-ikkyu 8y ago
      How did I misunderstand? It was not willfull. Maybe they were speaking tongue in cheek and I did not realize? It seemed they were willfully misunderstanding the life of Frederick Douglass which came across as malicious to the struggle for human rights.

throwawayjava 8y ago

You've done a lot of reasoning and deriving and explaining, but the fundamental conclusion you reach through all that work: > I wonder if Douglass had... blamed others... instead of learning to read, educating himself, and becoming resolutely determined to gain freedom, [we would not] even be talking about him right now has as its counter-example the very discussion in which you're taking part... Douglass is a perfect example of two facts that cut agains the thesis of your comments in this thread. His work demonstrates that 1) critique is necessary; and 2) placing blame where it is due is NOT, as your question insinuates, mutually exclusive with action or self-improvement.

mcguire 8y ago

"The question is: how should one react to learning that life is unfair and full of adversity against them?" The answer: Get incredibly lucky; Douglass learned to read with help from his master's wife when such was significantly frowned on and (IIRC) illegal. Respond to disagreeable situations violently ("After Douglass won a physical confrontation, Covey [a poor farmer who had a reputation as a "slave-breaker"] never tried to beat him again"). Commit crimes; Douglass attempted to escape repeatedly. After that, all you have to do is become one of the most successful writers of your age. This step is trivial.

wu-ikkyu 8y ago
That is an incredibly disempowering opinion. Is there any practical value to leading one's life in accordance with such a philosophy? >The answer: Get incredibly lucky; Does a human have no agency in which to improve their odds? >Douglass learned to read with help from his master's wife when such was significantly frowned on and (IIRC) illegal. Indeed today educating oneself is frowned upon by many in the black community, those who do are often referred to as "white" or "uncle toms". Does that mean one should refrain from it? >Respond to disagreeable situations violently ("After Douglass won a physical confrontation, Covey [a poor farmer who had a reputation as a "slave-breaker"] never tried to beat him again"). Commit crimes; Douglass attempted to escape repeatedly. "Disagreeable" is incredibly euphemistic and dishonest characterization of slave-breaking camps. Should human beings not rebel when being tortured and enslaved? "One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all." -MLK
- fwip 8y ago
  Now you're just willfully misunderstanding. If you're not gonna talk in good faith, it's not worth having this discussion with you.
  - wu-ikkyu 8y ago
    How did I misunderstand? It was not willfull. Maybe they were speaking tongue in cheek and I did not realize? It seemed they were willfully misunderstanding the life of Frederick Douglass which came across as malicious to the struggle for human rights.