Quote:
Originally Posted by East Edge
I have been thinking alot about this lately. I am the first one to say I agree whole heartedly with regentrification (sp?) of neighborhoods but am criticized for it. But i will go on to say that i feel there is a place for everyone in a re imagined community. I label myself as fiscally conservative and dont believe in taxes being spent on most entitlement programs. However, I do agree that these programs could be worth while with significant reform. Bottom line, i believe along with bricks and mortar improvements there needs to be the development of people too. I dont have my head head completely around the solution but I feel a little life coaching can go along way to build up members of society who feel that violence, drugs, etc is the only means to getting what need out of life.
The system is broke and has been for a very long time. There simply arent enough opportunities out there and the ones that are require certain skill sets and education. Too many people are falling aside because the emphasis in most curriculums is all about test scores and basic skills and not on discovering what one is good at doing and guiding them along a path for them to create their own opportunities. its sink or swim and too many end up sinking.
I also feel that popular music feeds the attraction to get rich and die trying and hip hop artists are laughing all the way to bank preaching a message that is destroying minds and not do anything to help solve problems plaguing vulnerable demographics. Although im a big fan of his music, if Whiz Khalifa and others could fork over some of their millions to fund some local youth / mentorship programs we could see a huge decline in incidents like the one that happened downtown.
Ok i'll get off of my soap box but just had to get across that we can make the city as beautiful as ever but if there isnt a proportionate investment made in the people who populate revitalized cities then we are swimming upstream.
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You know, you do have a good point. A few of the members of that little PG discussion thread have stated that problems like that stem from, well, home. Some folks have a lousy upbringing, usually poor parenting; people who just don't care about how their kids turn out. They're the ones who go out and cause the bulk of the problems (committing crimes, abusing the system designed to help sick or disabled people, etc).
I agree that everyone seems to put emphasis on the wrong things when it comes to education.
-"Hey, can you locate New York City on a map of the United States?"
-"Eh, who cares, they scored in the top percentile on a standardized test."
^^ That's actually something that alarms me; the vast majority of people are piss poor at geography! You mention how there is no emphasis on development of skills, well let my example with geography be exhibit A. I have always had an interest in geography, and I guess it all started with PBS and "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?" That show made geography something fun and interesting to learn. Eventually, I discovered that geography has a whole plethora of skills under its umbrella, especially urban and regional planning. I eventually majored in that at college and pursued a masters degree in that field. The one problem with that, however, is 90 percent of the jobs appear to be geared toward people who are either mid- or senior-level career and higher...
But seriously, at the high school level, people should have a decent idea of what their strengths and skills are so that the administrative bodies can help them down the right paths. Or, the administrative bodies and/or teachers alike should help or encourage students to develop certain areas of interest, especially if a certain penchant for such an interest seems to be on the rise...
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That lady is retarded.
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