Kevin O'Leary is kind of a dick

[Vedder]

Not to be outdone, Tom Perkins managed to compare critics of the one percent to Nazis. Included in the link is a picture of his $250 million yacht.

http://www.businessinsider.com/tom-p...i-email-2014-1

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by nik-

wow

My favourite is how he took a continent of 55 countries and asks who is in charge of it?

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

My favourite is how he took a continent of 55 countries and asks who is in charge of it?

Sounds like the same type of conversation the British, French and Belgians were having in the 1800's

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

I can honestly say I do not want to be super rich. I think the premier life is at upper middle class and I'm on target for that I think eventually. So nobody is stopping me from getting what I want other than myself and that is the answer you're looking for.

I agree with some statements you make, but the reality is that it isn't just a case of poor people being poor because they're not working hard enough. It's too complex a problem to slap a solution like "work harder" on it and when you do that like Mr. O'Greedy you sound like a moron.

At the end of the day a guy like O'Greedy simply lacks compassion for others. That's the story essentially, and it isn't a news worthy story that some people don't have the ability to have empathy.

I'm not saying the solution is 'work harder' in a vacuum. But I think there is a lack of personal responsibility that's pervasive in our thinking. If someone wants to achieve something, they'll need to commit to it first, and figure out the how later.

I'm guilty of this all the time, where I have an idea, and I get all into planning the smallest of details rather than acting on whatever the idea is. And shockingly, I never seem to complete these tasks.

Poor people who stay poor will likely lack motivation to improve, have issues with substances, and probably didn't come from environments that focused on family and education. Maybe that's not very empathetic. But I suppose that's my solution to societal problems

1. Focus on family and education.
2. Aim big. Don't dream big. But if other people think your goals are unreasonable, you're probably on the right track. Nobody gets excited about an attainable goal, which results in even the attainable never occurring.
3. Don't make excuses.

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

You should probably find a new job or develop new skills that allow you to make a go of it on 40 hours a week. And guess what, the people that have managed to escape the middle class don't work 40 hours a week.

Once again, who is actively preventing you or anyone else from achieving their full potential?

The danger to future generations lies in perpetuating the idea that there is some bare minimum effort that will allow you to be 'comfortable'. Why don't we try teaching kids to be sharks; keep moving forward, keep looking for the next meal, the next opportunity? If we could ingrain that mindset into our culture, we'd be unstoppable.

Changing gears...

Africa has a population of 1.033 billion (*google*)
India has a population of 1.273 billion (*google*)
China has a population of 1.315 billion (*google*)

There's your 3.5 billion. Who's in charge in those places?

Do we really need both parents working 80+ hour weeks so they can strive to be spectacularly rich?

Do you think that is what's good for our future?

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

My favourite is how he took a continent of 55 countries and asks who is in charge of it?

http://ffp.statesindex.org/rankings-2013-sortable

Here's the failed state index. How much green do you see in Asia or Africa?

Apparently Canada, Australia, New Zealand and northern Europe are the only places deemed sustainable. Who knew.

[Brannigans Law]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

Africa has a population of 1.033 billion (*google*)
India has a population of 1.273 billion (*google*)
China has a population of 1.315 billion (*google*)

There's your 3.5 billion. Who's in charge in those places?

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

I'm not saying the solution is 'work harder' in a vacuum. But I think there is a lack of personal responsibility that's pervasive in our thinking. If someone wants to achieve something, they'll need to commit to it first, and figure out the how later.

I'm guilty of this all the time, where I have an idea, and I get all into planning the smallest of details rather than acting on whatever the idea is. And shockingly, I never seem to complete these tasks.

Poor people who stay poor will likely lack motivation to improve, have issues with substances, and probably didn't come from environments that focused on family and education. Maybe that's not very empathetic. But I suppose that's my solution to societal problems

1. Focus on family and education.
2. Aim big. Don't dream big. But if other people think your goals are unreasonable, you're probably on the right track. Nobody gets excited about an attainable goal, which results in even the attainable never occurring.
3. Don't make excuses.

Sure I think the difference being that if you're born to a broken family of alcoholism / drug abuse and a low educational standard, you're extremely unlikely to have the mental capacity or wherewithal to stand back and say "Hey, maybe I just need to focus on family and education".

We're talking about people that are scraping to make ends meet. Not philosophy majors with a keen ability on self-improvement problem solving.

Are all schools / educational systems made equal? No? Then right there it isn't about "how hard you work". 4 Year olds don't have the capacity to sit back and evaluate their social status and map out their rise to the 1%.

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

http://ffp.statesindex.org/rankings-2013-sortable

Here's the failed state index. How much green do you see in Asia or Africa?

Apparently Canada, Australia, New Zealand and northern Europe are the only places deemed sustainable. Who knew.

It must be because the people in Africa don't work hard enough?

[Zarley]

I've loved O'Leary since he was on BNN. I'd say he's normally 50% schtick 50% serious.

His delivery in this case is a bit over the top but his message is a good one.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Do we really need both parents working 80+ hour weeks so they can strive to be spectacularly rich?

Do you think that is what's good for our future?

Again, where have I said 'spectacularly rich'? Or that both parents need to be working 80+ hours a week?

Everyone seems so freaked that the middle class is being squeezed out, so why would you possibly want to join that club? Would it be better or worse to have more money?

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

It must be because the people in Africa don't work hard enough?

Then you fix Africa, sir. Good luck to you. I'd lead with 'focus on family and education', but I'm sure that just makes me a racist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Index

[RogerWilco]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

I'm not saying the solution is 'work harder' in a vacuum. But I think there is a lack of personal responsibility that's pervasive in our thinking. If someone wants to achieve something, they'll need to commit to it first, and figure out the how later.

I'm guilty of this all the time, where I have an idea, and I get all into planning the smallest of details rather than acting on whatever the idea is. And shockingly, I never seem to complete these tasks.

Poor people who stay poor will likely lack motivation to improve, have issues with substances, and probably didn't come from environments that focused on family and education. Maybe that's not very empathetic. But I suppose that's my solution to societal problems

1. Focus on family and education.
2. Aim big. Don't dream big. But if other people think your goals are unreasonable, you're probably on the right track. Nobody gets excited about an attainable goal, which results in even the attainable never occurring.
3. Don't make excuses.

So, how much did the Tony Robbins bullet point seminar set you back? I just can't drum up the motivation to attend one.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

Sure I think the difference being that if you're born to a broken family of alcoholism / drug abuse and a low educational standard, you're extremely unlikely to have the mental capacity or wherewithal to stand back and say "Hey, maybe I just need to focus on family and education".

We're talking about people that are scraping to make ends meet. Not philosophy majors with a keen ability on self-improvement problem solving.

Are all schools / educational systems made equal? No? Then right there it isn't about "how hard you work". 4 Year olds don't have the capacity to sit back and evaluate their social status and map out their rise to the 1%.

You're right. Not all school systems are equal. Guess we should throw up our hands and wait for someone else to solve the problem.

This is the other thing. Worry about what you can control. Who has a greater ability to effect some sort of social change? Murray Edwards or me?

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by RogerWilco

So, how much did the Tony Robbins bullet point seminar set you back? I just can't drum up the motivation to attend one.

Less than a liberal arts degree?

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

Then you fix Africa, sir. Good luck to you. I'd lead with 'focus on family and education', but I'm sure that just makes me a racist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Index

What?

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

You're right. Not all school systems are equal. Guess we should throw up our hands and wait for someone else to solve the problem.

This is the other thing. Worry about what you can control. Who has a greater ability to effect some sort of social change? Murray Edwards or me?

Murray Edwards, hands down.

I'm not totally sure I understand your general premise anyway. You start chitter chattering about people needing to work harder and a squeezed out middle class and so "do you want money or not?" and then you move onto "where did I say we need to be spectacularly rich and work 80 hour weeks".

So colour me confused with where you're headed here. Not really all that interesting a debate anyway to be honest.

And yes, sometimes people need help. If you think it's because of a lack of motivation or that people will milk a system so others solve their problems, then good for you. I don't think it's so black and white when the problem is so complex.

[Devils'Advocate]

This whole discussion is f*ing stupid. I think what is being missed on this whole conversation is that NONE OF US IS IN THE 85 AND NONE OF US ARE IN THE 3.5 BILLION.

Why did Oxfam do this study? To highlight the unfair distribution of wealth on this planet. And hopefully people will do something to make life more fair. Like help out Oxfam.

Oxfam isn't about giving people food and then running away. And the people they are helping are working one HELL of a lot harder than those 85 richest people. Those 85 people I can assure you are NOT sweating 16 hour days to put food on the table for their kids.

Oxfam success stories:
http://www.oxfam.ca/our-work/success-stories

- Built a bulla (native food crop) processing centre in Ethiopia allowing the people there to feed themselves
- Literacy training and ensuring that children who otherwise wouldn't be going to school get an education
- In Sri Lanka, they are helping entrepreneurs start their own businesses by providing loans

It is not that the most impoverished people in the world are not working hard enough!!! It is that there is no way out of their poverty without help. They can stand on their own so long as someone gives them a hand up.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I FIRMLY believe that socialism, like we see in Sweden or Finland, provides a better quality of life for everyone. And I think we can have that debate. But this is about kids living in garbage dumps. I don't think there is any debate that that is just WRONG.

[GirlySports]

There's too much corruption, religion and tribes in Africa.

Only we in the west care about those kids, they don't

http://www.transparency.org/news/pre...ca_and_must_be

From improper budget spending and insufficient access to education, to poor teaching practices and nepotism, corruption in education is rampant across Africa, robbing millions of young people of their right to knowledge and a decent future.

[Devils'Advocate]

"Nothing we can do. Might as well just live it up."

Meh. A very good friend of mine is now working for UNICEF and it is his job to ensure that the money is getting to the children and not into the hands of the corrupt. He retired from a good paying safe job in Canada to go over to Africa. At his retirement party (he worked for me) I almost begged him not to go over as it is very dangerous. Right now he is making sure that UNICEF's money is NOT going to the corrupt bureaucracy.... I admire the HELL out of the guy. I know there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and I don't know what side of the line he is on.

Some people are willing to put their life on the line to help others. Some will say "meh, what's the use?".