Community Chat

[matty liz]

"If you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem."  Americans are so giving and inventive and self interest is the only thing that stops our success.

[Isobel Archer]

Nice platitude.  However human nature is such that sometimes "helping" those who refuse to participate in their own help just becomes enabling the behavior that caused the problem in the first place.

Teams are often dysfuntional.  Ever been on a class team - where everyone will get the same grade and some of the "team" members do as little as possible knowing the others will pull them through.

Nothing wrong with self interest and it makes no sense to pretend there is.  Taking care of yourself and your family is not the same thing as selfishly taking from others things you didn't earn yourself.  Leaders imposing restrictions "for the good of all" that they have no intention of following themselves also fall in the category of selfish oppression - which, again, is different from honest self interest.

I definitely agree people should get out of their bubbles and realize that not all of us are in the same boat and there are definitely problems that need to be solved.  And we need to apply more scrutiny to the "solution" part - and look at actual results not just rhetoric.

[rms1954]

Don't get thie point of your comment.  It's a generalization.  

[Isobel Archer]

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@rms1954 wrote:

Don't get thie point of your comment.  It's a generalization.  

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Well it's a "generalization" that I don't believe is generally true.  Which was my point.

Even claiming that you are part of a "problem" you did not in any way cause or contribute to  because you aren't actively working to "solve" it is putting emphasis in the wrong place.  Now if you were actively sabotaging actual solutions, that would be another matter.  But not everyone is responsible for solving problems others create for themselves.

When these problems created by others rise to the level of affecting us all, then yes, we should do what we can - but then that would involve self interest - wouldn't it?  Which according to the "generalization" is what is preventing "success."

[kitcat51]

Silly.

[SharkE]

Is that a picture of Nicole Kidman ? @Isobel Archer 

[Isobel Archer]

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@SharkE wrote:

Is that a picture of Nicole Kidman ? @Isobel Archer 

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Yep she played Isobel in Portrait of a Lady.

[SharkE]

Like her better as a blonde.

[QVCkitty1]

Here's how I look at the quote, let's say you here a racist comment or joke, if you let it pass without comment, you are part of the problem. 

[Isobel Archer]

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@QVCkitty1 wrote:

Here's how I look at the quote, let's say you here a racist comment or joke, if you let it pass without comment, you are part of the problem. 

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Agree and if you see someone beating  up someone, you should call the police.