[nabs-l] Stop Blaming the Economy & MLK JR. Rememberence & HisView of the U.S. Economy

[wmodnl wmodnl]

From many of the things I seen, I think things have not gotten better; people, have gotten more crafty at there ways to be discriminatory.  For example, government forms, or job applications should not be  asking about race, gender or disability.  Have a good day.


Sent from my iPad

> On Jan 20, 2014, at 8:23 PM, "Arielle Silverman" <arielle71 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I agree with all the points made here so far. Of course the
> experiences we as blind people have had as a group pale in comparison
> to the collective experiences of blacks in America, or countless other
> ethnic groups throughout the world who have been subject to genocides,
> slavery and other forms of dehumanizing treatment. However, I do think
> that on the one-on-one level, in interactions between a single blind
> person and a single sighted person, the experience on both sides is
> quite similar to people's experiences in interracial interactions.
> When somebody sees my cane and immediately makes assumptions about my
> abilities, my intelligence, my personality, etc. without speaking to
> me, I imagine that experience is quite similar to that of being judged
> by racial stereotypes just because of one's skin color. On the other
> side, too, members of majority groups, and sighted people, are often
> concerned about how to treat us right, and sometimes they worry so
> much that they come across as being more prejudiced. Dr. King's
> speeches have resonated with me since I was a young child because I
> could always relate to the aversive sense of being pre-judged by my
> appearance and not the content of my character.
> 
> Arielle
> 
>> On 1/20/14, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
>> Hi,
>> Right Jamie, I saw the speech in that context; about injustice,
>> discrimination, and struggles in general. I won't get political and comment
>> 
>> on MLK's view of capitalism though; however, he did argue, capitalism, was a
>> 
>> bit evil.
>> 
>> Anyway, while I do not mesh with all his left wing views, I do honor and
>> respect Dr. King. He did make strides to break down separation in society
>> and get people to see blacks as equal people. I think we take for granted
>> the strides of integration he made now.
>> 
>> I do see parallels to our civil rights movement and the black movement of
>> Dr. King. We are all striving for equality and first class citizenship.
>> People judged them just for being black, and people judge us based on being
>> 
>> blind or having a symbol of blindness like a cane.
>> 
>> I am glad that societal attitudes are changing and we are slowly changing
>> what it means to be blind.
>> 
>> Ashley
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Jamie Principato
>> Sent: Monday, January 20, 2014 5:06 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Stop Blaming the Economy & MLK JR. Rememberence &
>> HisView of the U.S. Economy
>> 
>> I tend to agree with Robin here. If you read the speech in the broader
>> context of discrimination against any person, especially the sort of defacto
>> 
>> discrimination that effects all blind  people in effect, you'll find that
>> it's message is equally relevant to our cause today as it was to Black
>> Americans back in the 60's.
>> 
>> -Jamie
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Jan 20, 2014, at 2:04 PM, Robin <robin-melvin at comcast.net> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Martin Luther King JR. in this speech was NOT focusing just on Blacks in
>>> America, he was focusing on injustice for Poor People no matter what
>>> ethnic group they belonged to. What I was trying to say on MLK Day is that
>>> 
>>> he felt capitalism was NOT a sufficient economic system for America
>>> primarily because it left people out in the cold. I suggest that you read
>>> 
>>> the MLK 1967 "Where do we go from here" speech again.
>>> 
>>> At 09:26 AM 1/20/2014, you wrote:
>>>> Anyone who thinks the struggles of the collective blind are remotely
>>>> similar
>>>> to the struggles of African-Americans is severely misguided. It is true
>>>> that
>>>> blind people are discriminated for being perceived as helpless, but
>>>> African-Americans face, and in some cases continue to face,
>>>> discrimination
>>>> for being thought of as less than human. I think Martin Luther King
>>>> would
>>>> have appreciated laws that would have protected his people from
>>>> employment
>>>> discrimination. I think he would have loved laws that intercede in the
>>>> interest of a child's equal educational opportunities. We may not have
>>>> always counted on Braille bathroom labels, but we have certainly enjoyed
>>>> equal access to them. Similarly, we may not count on these laws and
>>>> policies
>>>> always working, but the privileges we enjoy have always surpassed the
>>>> disadvantages of a lot of other underserved and vulnerable populations.
>>>> And
>>>> yet, despite the challenges African-Americans faced, MLK used this very
>>>> same
>>>> speech you share to promote the hard work African-Americans were doing
>>>> to
>>>> build housing and create jobs throughout a troubled region traditionally
>>>> rallied against them. If anything, you prove the point that it can be
>>>> done.
>>>> It seems grossly incompetent to pretend the challenges of a population
>>>> that
>>>> can receive monthly checks, special transportation, special hiring
>>>> authorities, and in some cases free college tuition are anything like
>>>> the
>>>> struggles of our African-American peers.
>>>> 
>>>> Joe
>>>> 
>>>> --
>>>> Twitter: @ScribblingJoe
>>>> 
>>>> Visit my blog:
>>>> http://joeorozco.com/blog
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Robin [mailto:robin-melvin at comcast.net]
>>>> Sent: Monday, January 20, 2014 12:38 AM
>>>> To: jsoro620 at gmail.com; National Association of Blind Students mailing
>>>> list
>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Stop Blaming the Economy & MLK JR. Rememberence &
>>>> His
>>>> View of the U.S. Economy
>>>> 
>>>> In the words of the GREAT Martin luther King JR.
>>>> (MLK JR.), I give you this as my response to your EMAIL post. Read it.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> you are always telling us to
>>>> 
>>>> lift ourselves by our own bootstraps, and yet we are being robbed every
>>>> day.
>>>> Put something back in the ghetto." So along with our demand for jobs, we
>>>> said,
>>>> 
>>>> "We also demand that you put money in the Negro savings and loan
>>>> association
>>>> and that you take ads, advertise, in the Cleveland Call & Post, the
>>>> Negro
>>>> 
>>>> newspaper." So along with the new jobs, Sealtest has now deposited
>>>> thousands
>>>> of dollars in the Negro bank of Cleveland and has already started taking
>>>> 
>>>> ads
>>>> 
>>>> in the Negro newspaper in that city. This is the power of Operation
>>>> Breadbasket. [applause]
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Now, for fear that you may feel that it's limited
>>>> to Chicago and Cleveland, let me say to you that
>>>> we've gotten even more than that. In Atlanta, Georgia,
>>>> 
>>>> Breadbasket has been equally successful in the
>>>> South. Here the emphasis has been divided between
>>>> governmental employment and private industry. And while
>>>> 
>>>> I do not have time to go into the details, I want
>>>> to commend the men who have been working with it
>>>> here: the Reverend Bennett, the Reverend Joe Boone,
>>>> 
>>>> the Reverend J. C. Ward, Reverend Dorsey,
>>>> Reverend Greer, and I could go on down the line,
>>>> and they have stood up along with all of the other ministers.
>>>> 
>>>> But here is the story that's not printed in the
>>>> newspapers in Atlanta: as a result of Operation
>>>> Breadbasket, over the last three years, we have added about
>>>> 
>>>> twenty-five million dollars of new income to the
>>>> Negro community every year. [applause]
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Now as you know, Operation Breadbasket has now
>>>> gone national in the sense that we had a national
>>>> conference in Chicago and agreed to launch a nationwide
>>>> 
>>>> program, which you will hear more about.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Finally, SCLC has entered the field of housing.
>>>> Under the leadership of attorney James Robinson,
>>>> we have already contracted to build 152 units of low-income
>>>> 
>>>> housing with apartments for the elderly on a
>>>> choice downtown Atlanta site under the
>>>> sponsorship of Ebenezer Baptist Church. This is the first project
>>>> [applause],
>>>> 
>>>> this is the first project of a proposed southwide
>>>> Housing Development Corporation which we hope to
>>>> develop in conjunction with SCLC, and through this corporation
>>>> 
>>>> we hope to build housing from Mississippi to
>>>> North Carolina using Negro workmen, Negro
>>>> architects, Negro attorneys, and Negro financial institutions
>>>> throughout.
>>>> 
>>>> And it is our feeling that in the next two or
>>>> three years, we can build right here in the South
>>>> forty million dollars worth of new housing for Negroes,
>>>> 
>>>> and with millions and millions of dollars in
>>>> income coming to the Negro community. [applause]
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Now there are many other things that I could tell
>>>> you, but time is passing. This, in short, is an
>>>> account of SCLC's work over the last year. It is a record
>>>> 
>>>> of which we can all be proud.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> With all the struggle and all the achievements,
>>>> we must face the fact, however, that the Negro
>>>> still lives in the basement of the Great Society. He is
>>>> 
>>>> still at the bottom, despite the few who have
>>>> penetrated to slightly higher levels. Even where
>>>> the door has been forced partially open, mobility for the
>>>> 
>>>> Negro is still sharply restricted. There is often
>>>> no bottom at which to start, and when there is
>>>> there's almost no room at the top. In consequence, Negroes
>>>> 
>>>> are still impoverished aliens in an affluent
>>>> society. They are too poor even to rise with the
>>>> society, too impoverished by the ages to be able to ascend
>>>> 
>>>> by using their own resources. And the Negro did
>>>> not do this himself; it was done to him. For more
>>>> than half of his American history, he was enslaved. Yet,
>>>> 
>>>> he built the spanning bridges and the grand
>>>> mansions, the sturdy docks and stout factories of
>>>> the South. His unpaid labor made cotton "King" and established
>>>> 
>>>> America as a significant nation in international
>>>> commerce. Even after his release from chattel
>>>> slavery, the nation grew over him, submerging him. It became
>>>> 
>>>> the richest, most powerful society in the history
>>>> of man, but it left the Negro far behind.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> And so we still have a long, long way to go
>>>> before we reach the promised land of freedom.
>>>> Yes, we have left the dusty soils of Egypt, and we have crossed
>>>> 
>>>> a Red Sea that had for years been hardened by a
>>>> long and piercing winter of massive resistance,
>>>> but before we reach the majestic shores of the promised
>>>> 
>>>> land, there will still be gigantic mountains of
>>>> opposition ahead and prodigious hilltops of
>>>> injustice. (Yes, That's right) We still need some Paul Revere
>>>> 
>>>> of conscience to alert every hamlet and every
>>>> village of America that revolution is still at
>>>> hand. Yes, we need a chart; we need a compass; indeed, we
>>>> 
>>>> need some North Star to guide us into a future
>>>> shrouded with impenetrable uncertainties.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Now, in order to answer the question, "Where do
>>>> we go from here?" which is our theme, we must
>>>> first honestly recognize where we are now. When the Constitution
>>>> 
>>>> was written, a strange formula to determine taxes
>>>> and representation declared that the Negro was
>>>> sixty percent of a person. Today another curious formula
>>>> 
>>>> seems to declare he is fifty percent of a person.
>>>> Of the good things in life, the Negro has
>>>> approximately one half those of whites. Of the bad things of
>>>> 
>>>> life, he has twice those of whites. Thus, half of
>>>> all Negroes live in substandard housing. And
>>>> Negroes have half the income of whites. When we turn to
>>>> 
>>>> the negative experiences of life, the Negro has a
>>>> double share: There are twice as many unemployed;
>>>> the rate of infant mortality among Negroes is double
>>>> 
>>>> that of whites; and there are twice as many
>>>> Negroes dying in Vietnam as whites in proportion
>>>> to their size in the population. (Yes) [applause]
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> In other spheres, the figures are equally
>>>> alarming. In elementary schools, Negroes lag one
>>>> to three years behind whites, and their segregated schools (Yeah)
>>>> 
>>>> receive substantially less money per student than
>>>> the white schools. (Those schools) One-twentieth
>>>> as many Negroes as whites attend college. Of employed
>>>> 
>>>> Negroes, seventy-five percent hold menial jobs. This is where we are.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Where do we go from here? First, we must
>>>> massively assert our dignity and worth. We must
>>>> stand up amid a system that still oppresses us and develop an
>>>> 
>>>> unassailable and majestic sense of values. We
>>>> must no longer be ashamed of being black. (All
>>>> right) The job of arousing manhood within a people that have
>>>> 
>>>> been taught for so many centuries that they are nobody is not easy.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Even semantics have conspired to make that which
>>>> is black seem ugly and degrading. (Yes) In
>>>> Roget's Thesaurus there are some 120 synonyms for blackness
>>>> 
>>>> and at least sixty of them are offensive, such
>>>> words as blot, soot, grim, devil, and foul. And
>>>> there are some 134 synonyms for whiteness and all are favorable,
>>>> 
>>>> expressed in such words as purity, cleanliness,
>>>> chastity, and innocence. A white lie is better
>>>> than a black lie. (Yes) The most degenerate member of a
>>>> 
>>>> family is the "black sheep." (Yes) Ossie Davis
>>>> has suggested that maybe the English language
>>>> should be reconstructed so that teachers will not be forced
>>>> 
>>>> to teach the Negro child sixty ways to despise
>>>> himself, and thereby perpetuate his false sense
>>>> of inferiority, and the white child 134 ways to adore himself,
>>>> 
>>>> and thereby perpetuate his false sense of
>>>> superiority. [applause] The tendency to ignore
>>>> the Negro's contribution to American life and strip him of his
>>>> 
>>>> personhood is as old as the earliest history
>>>> books and as contemporary as the morning's newspaper. (Yes)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> To offset this cultural homicide, the Negro must
>>>> rise up with an affirmation of his own Olympian
>>>> manhood. (Yes) Any movement for the Negro's freedom that
>>>> 
>>>> overlooks this necessity is only waiting to be
>>>> buried. (Yes) As long as the mind is enslaved,
>>>> the body can never be free. (Yes) Psychological freedom,
>>>> 
>>>> a firm sense of self-esteem, is the most powerful
>>>> weapon against the long night of physical
>>>> slavery. No Lincolnian Emancipation Proclamation, no Johnsonian
>>>> 
>>>> civil rights bill can totally bring this kind of
>>>> freedom. The Negro will only be free when he
>>>> reaches down to the inner depths of his own being and signs
>>>> 
>>>> with the pen and ink of assertive manhood his own
>>>> emancipation proclamation. And with a spirit
>>>> straining toward true self-esteem, the Negro must boldly
>>>> 
>>>> throw off the manacles of self-abnegation and say
>>>> to himself and to the world, "I am somebody. (Oh
>>>> yeah) I am a person. I am a man with dignity and honor.
>>>> 
>>>> (Go ahead) I have a rich and noble history,
>>>> however painful and exploited that history has
>>>> been. Yes, I was a slave through my foreparents (That's right),
>>>> 
>>>> and now I'm not ashamed of that. I'm ashamed of
>>>> the people who were so sinful to make me a
>>>> slave." (Yes sir) Yes [applause], yes, we must stand up and
>>>> 
>>>> say, "I'm black (Yes sir), but I'm black and
>>>> beautiful." (Yes) This [applause], this
>>>> self-affirmation is the black man's need, made compelling (All right)
>>>> 
>>>> by the white man's crimes against him. (Yes)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Now another basic challenge is to discover how to
>>>> organize our strength in to economic and
>>>> political power. Now no one can deny that the Negro is in dire
>>>> 
>>>> need of this kind of legitimate power. Indeed,
>>>> one of the great problems that the Negro
>>>> confronts is his lack of power. From the old plantations of the
>>>> 
>>>> South to the newer ghettos of the North, the
>>>> Negro has been confined to a life of
>>>> voicelessness (That's true) and powerlessness. (So true) Stripped of
>>>> 
>>>> the right to make decisions concerning his life
>>>> and destiny he has been subject to the
>>>> authoritarian and sometimes whimsical decisions of the white power
>>>> 
>>>> structure. The plantation and the ghetto were
>>>> created by those who had power, both to confine
>>>> those who had no power and to perpetuate their powerlessness.
>>>> 
>>>> Now the problem of transforming the ghetto,
>>>> therefore, is a problem of power, a confrontation
>>>> between the forces of power demanding change and the forces
>>>> 
>>>> of power dedicated to the preserving of the
>>>> status quo. Now, power properly understood is
>>>> nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength
>>>> 
>>>> required to bring about social, political, and
>>>> economic change. Walter Reuther defined power one
>>>> day. He said, "Power is the ability of a labor union like
>>>> 
>>>> UAW to make the most powerful corporation in the
>>>> world, General Motors, say, 'Yes' when it wants
>>>> to say 'No.' That's power." [applause]
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Now a lot of us are preachers, and all of us have
>>>> our moral convictions and concerns, and so often
>>>> we have problems with power. But there is nothing wrong
>>>> 
>>>> with power if power is used correctly.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> You see, what happened is that some of our
>>>> philosophers got off base. And one of the great
>>>> problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have
>>>> 
>>>> usually been contrasted as opposites, polar
>>>> opposites, so that love is identified with a
>>>> resignation of power, and power with a denial of love. It was
>>>> 
>>>> this misinterpretation that caused the
>>>> philosopher Nietzsche, who was a philosopher of
>>>> the will to power, to reject the Christian concept of love. It was
>>>> 
>>>> this same misinterpretation which induced
>>>> Christian theologians to reject Nietzsche's
>>>> philosophy of the will to power in the name of the Christian idea
>>>> 
>>>> of love.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Now, we got to get this thing right. What is
>>>> needed is a realization that power without love
>>>> is reckless and abusive, and that love without power is sentimental
>>>> 
>>>> and anemic. (Yes) Power at its best [applause],
>>>> power at its best is love (Yes) implementing the
>>>> demands of justice, and justice at its best is love correcting
>>>> 
>>>> everything that stands against love. (Speak) And
>>>> this is what we must see as we move on.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Now what has happened is that we've had it wrong
>>>> and mixed up in our country, and this has led
>>>> Negro Americans in the past to seek their goals through
>>>> 
>>>> love and moral suasion devoid of power, and white
>>>> Americans to seek their goals through power
>>>> devoid of love and conscience. It is leading a few extremists
>>>> 
>>>> today to advocate for Negroes the same
>>>> destructive and conscienceless power that they
>>>> have justly abhorred in whites. It is precisely this collision of
>>>> 
>>>> immoral power with powerless morality which
>>>> constitutes the major crisis of our times. (Yes)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Now we must develop progress, or rather, a
>>>> program-and I can't stay on this long-that will
>>>> drive the nation to a guaranteed annual income. Now, early in
>>>> 
>>>> the century this proposal would have been greeted
>>>> with ridicule and denunciation as destructive of
>>>> initiative and responsibility. At that time economic
>>>> 
>>>> status was considered the measure of the
>>>> individual's abilities and talents. And in the
>>>> thinking of that day, the absence of worldly goods indicated a
>>>> 
>>>> want of industrious habits and moral fiber. We've
>>>> come a long way in our understanding of human
>>>> motivation and of the blind operation of our economic system.
>>>> 
>>>> Now we realize that dislocations in the market
>>>> operation of our economy and the prevalence of
>>>> discrimination thrust people into idleness and bind them
>>>> 
>>>> in constant or frequent unemployment against
>>>> their will. The poor are less often dismissed, I
>>>> hope, from our conscience today by being branded as inferior
>>>> 
>>>> and incompetent. We also know that no matter how
>>>> dynamically the economy develops and expands, it
>>>> does not eliminate all poverty.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> The problem indicates that our emphasis must be
>>>> twofold: We must create full employment, or we
>>>> must create incomes. People must be made consumers by one
>>>> 
>>>> method or the other. Once they are placed in this
>>>> position, we need to be concerned that the
>>>> potential of the individual is not wasted. New forms of work
>>>> 
>>>> that enhance the social good will have to be
>>>> devised for those for whom traditional jobs are
>>>> not available. In 1879 Henry George anticipated this state
>>>> 
>>>> of affairs when he wrote in Progress and Poverty:
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> The fact is that the work which improves the
>>>> condition of mankind, the work which extends
>>>> knowledge and increases power and enriches literature and elevates
>>>> 
>>>> thought, is not done to secure a living. It is
>>>> not the work of slaves driven to their tasks
>>>> either by the, that of a taskmaster or by animal necessities.
>>>> 
>>>> It is the work of men who somehow find a form of
>>>> work that brings a security for its own sake and
>>>> a state of society where want is abolished.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Work of this sort could be enormously increased,
>>>> and we are likely to find that the problem of
>>>> housing, education, instead of preceding the elimination
>>>> 
>>>> of poverty, will themselves be affected if
>>>> poverty is first abolished. The poor, transformed
>>>> into purchasers, will do a great deal on their own to alter
>>>> 
>>>> housing decay. Negroes, who have a double
>>>> disability, will have a greater effect on
>>>> discrimination when they have the additional weapon of cash to use
>>>> 
>>>> in their struggle.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Beyond these advantages, a host of positive
>>>> psychological changes inevitably will result from
>>>> widespread economic security. The dignity of the individual
>>>> 
>>>> will flourish when the decisions concerning his
>>>> life are in his own hands, when he has the
>>>> assurance that his income is stable and certain, and when he
>>>> 
>>>> knows that he has the means to seek
>>>> self-improvement. Personal conflicts between
>>>> husband, wife, and children will diminish when the unjust measurement
>>>> 
>>>> of human worth on a scale of dollars is eliminated.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Now, our country can do this. John Kenneth
>>>> Galbraith said that a guaranteed annual income
>>>> could be done for about twenty billion dollars a year. And I
>>>> 
>>>> say to you today, that if our nation can spend
>>>> thirty-five billion dollars a year to fight an
>>>> unjust, evil war in Vietnam, and twenty billion dollars to
>>>> 
>>>> put a man on the moon, it can spend billions of
>>>> dollars to put God's children on their own two
>>>> feet right here on earth. [applause]
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Now, let me rush on to say we must reaffirm our
>>>> commitment to nonviolence. And I want to stress
>>>> this. The futility of violence in the struggle for racial
>>>> 
>>>> justice has been tragically etched in all the
>>>> recent Negro riots. Now, yesterday, I tried to
>>>> analyze the riots and deal with the causes for them. Today
>>>> 
>>>> I want to give the other side. There is something
>>>> painfully sad about a riot. One sees screaming
>>>> youngsters and angry adults fighting hopelessly and aimlessly
>>>> 
>>>> against impossible odds. (Yeah) And deep down
>>>> within them, you perceive a desire for
>>>> self-destruction, a kind of suicidal longing. (Yes)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Occasionally, Negroes contend that the 1965 Watts
>>>> riot and the other riots in various cities
>>>> represented effective civil rights action. But those who express
>>>> 
>>>> this view always end up with stumbling words when
>>>> asked what concrete gains have been won as a
>>>> result. At best, the riots have produced a little additional
>>>> 
>>>> anti-poverty money allotted by frightened
>>>> government officials and a few water sprinklers
>>>> to cool the children of the ghettos. It is something like improving
>>>> 
>>>> the food in the prison while the people remain
>>>> securely incarcerated behind bars. (That's right)
>>>> Nowhere have the riots won any concrete improvement such
>>>> 
>>>> as have the organized protest demonstrations.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> And when one tries to pin down advocates of
>>>> violence as to what acts would be effective, the
>>>> answers are blatantly illogical. Sometimes they talk of overthrowing
>>>> 
>>>> racist state and local governments and they talk
>>>> about guerrilla warfare. They fail to see that no
>>>> internal revolution has ever succeeded in overthrowing
>>>> 
>>>> a government by violence unless the government
>>>> had already lost the allegiance and effective
>>>> control of its armed forces. Anyone in his right mind knows
>>>> 
>>>> that this will not happen in the United States.
>>>> In a violent racial situation, the power
>>>> structure has the local police, the state troopers, the National
>>>> 
>>>> Guard, and finally, the army to call on, all of
>>>> which are predominantly white. (Yes) Furthermore,
>>>> few, if any, violent revolutions have been successful
>>>> 
>>>> unless the violent minority had the sympathy and
>>>> support of the non-resisting majority. Castro may
>>>> have had only a few Cubans actually fighting with him
>>>> 
>>>> and up in the hills (Yes), but he would have
>>>> never overthrown the Batista regime unless he had
>>>> had the sympathy of the vast majority of Cuban people. It
>>>> 
>>>> is perfectly clear that a violent revolution on
>>>> the part of American blacks would find no
>>>> sympathy and support from the white population and very little
>>>> 
>>>> from the majority of the Negroes themselves.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> This is no time for romantic illusions and empty
>>>> philosophical debates about freedom. This is a
>>>> time for action. (All right) What is needed is a strategy
>>>> 
>>>> for change, a tactical program that will bring
>>>> the Negro into the mainstream of American life as
>>>> quickly as possible. So far, this has only been offered
>>>> 
>>>> by the nonviolent movement. Without recognizing
>>>> this we will end up with solutions that don't
>>>> solve, answers that don't answer, and explanations that don't
>>>> 
>>>> explain. [applause]
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> And so I say to you today that I still stand by
>>>> nonviolence. (Yes) And I am still convinced
>>>> [applause], and I'm still convinced that it is the most potent
>>>> 
>>>> weapon available to the Negro in his struggle for justice in this
>>>> country.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> And the other thing is, I'm concerned about a
>>>> better world. I'm concerned about justice; I'm
>>>> concerned about brotherhood; I'm concerned about truth. (That's
>>>> 
>>>> right) And when one is concerned about that, he
>>>> can never advocate violence. For through violence
>>>> you may murder a murderer, but you can't murder murder.
>>>> 
>>>> (Yes) Through violence you may murder a liar, but
>>>> you can't establish truth. (That's right) Through
>>>> violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder
>>>> 
>>>> hate through violence. (All right, That's right)
>>>> Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that. [applause]
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> And I say to you, I have also decided to stick
>>>> with love, for I know that love is ultimately the
>>>> only answer to mankind's problems. (Yes) And I'm going
>>>> 
>>>> to talk about it everywhere I go. I know it isn't
>>>> popular to talk about it in some circles today.
>>>> (No) And I'm not talking about emotional bosh when I
>>>> 
>>>> talk about love; I'm talking about a strong,
>>>> demanding love. (Yes) For I have seen too much
>>>> hate. (Yes) I've seen too much hate on the faces of sheriffs
>>>> 
>>>> in the South. (Yeah) I've seen hate on the faces
>>>> of too many Klansmen and too many White Citizens
>>>> Councilors in the South to want to hate, myself, because
>>>> 
>>>> every time I see it, I know that it does
>>>> something to their faces and their personalities,
>>>> and I say to myself that hate is too great a burden to bear.
>>>> 
>>>> (Yes, That's right) I have decided to love.
>>>> [applause] If you are seeking the highest good, I
>>>> think you can find it through love. And the beautiful thing
>>>> 
>>>> is that we aren't moving wrong when we do it,
>>>> because John was right, God is love. (Yes) He who
>>>> hates does not know God, but he who loves has the key that
>>>> 
>>>> unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> And so I say to you today, my friends, that you
>>>> may be able to speak with the tongues of men and
>>>> angels (All right); you may have the eloquence of articulate
>>>> 
>>>> speech; but if you have not love, it means
>>>> nothing. (That's right) Yes, you may have the
>>>> gift of prophecy; you may have the gift of scientific prediction
>>>> 
>>>> (Yes sir) and understand the behavior of
>>>> molecules (All right); you may break into the
>>>> storehouse of nature (Yes sir) and bring forth many new insights;
>>>> 
>>>> yes, you may ascend to the heights of academic
>>>> achievement (Yes sir) so that you have all
>>>> knowledge (Yes sir, Yes); and you may boast of your great institutions
>>>> 
>>>> of learning and the boundless extent of your
>>>> degrees; but if you have not love, all of these
>>>> mean absolutely nothing. (Yes) You may even give your goods
>>>> 
>>>> to feed the poor (Yes sir); you may bestow great
>>>> gifts to charity (Speak); and you may tower high
>>>> in philanthropy; but if you have not love, your charity
>>>> 
>>>> means nothing. (Yes sir) You may even give your
>>>> body to be burned and die the death of a martyr,
>>>> and your spilt blood may be a symbol of honor for generations
>>>> 
>>>> yet unborn, and thousands may praise you as one
>>>> of history's greatest heroes; but if you have not
>>>> love (Yes, All right), your blood was spilt in vain.
>>>> 
>>>> What I'm trying to get you to see this morning is
>>>> that a man may be self-centered in his
>>>> self-denial and self-righteous in his self-sacrifice. His generosity
>>>> 
>>>> may feed his ego, and his piety may feed his
>>>> pride. (Speak) So without love, benevolence
>>>> becomes egotism, and martyrdom becomes spiritual pride.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> I want to say to you as I move to my conclusion,
>>>> as we talk about "Where do we go from here?" that
>>>> we must honestly face the fact that the movement must
>>>> 
>>>> address itself to the question of restructuring
>>>> the whole of American society. (Yes) There are
>>>> forty million poor people here, and one day we must ask
>>>> 
>>>> the question, "Why are there forty million poor
>>>> people in America?" And when you begin to ask
>>>> that question, you are raising a question about the economic
>>>> 
>>>> system, about a broader distribution of wealth.
>>>> When you ask that question, you begin to question
>>>> the capitalistic economy. (Yes) And I'm simply saying
>>>> 
>>>> that more and more, we've got to begin to ask
>>>> questions about the whole society. We are called
>>>> upon to help the discouraged beggars in life's marketplace.
>>>> 
>>>> (Yes) But one day we must come to see that an
>>>> edifice which produces beggars needs
>>>> restructuring. (All right) It means that questions must be raised. And
>>>> 
>>>> you see, my friends, when you deal with this you
>>>> begin to ask the question, "Who owns the oil?"
>>>> (Yes) You begin to ask the question, "Who owns the iron
>>>> 
>>>> ore?" (Yes) You begin to ask the question, "Why
>>>> is it that people have to pay water bills in a
>>>> world that's two-thirds water?" (All right) These are words
>>>> 
>>>> that must be said. (All right)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Now, don't think you have me in a bind today. I'm
>>>> not talking about communism. What I'm talking
>>>> about is far beyond communism. (Yeah) My inspiration didn't
>>>> 
>>>> come from Karl Marx (Speak); my inspiration
>>>> didn't come from Engels; my inspiration didn't
>>>> come from Trotsky; my inspiration didn't come from Lenin. Yes,
>>>> 
>>>> I read Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital a long
>>>> time ago (Well), and I saw that maybe Marx didn't
>>>> follow Hegel enough. (All right) He took his dialectics,
>>>> 
>>>> but he left out his idealism and his
>>>> spiritualism. And he went over to a German
>>>> philosopher by the name of Feuerbach, and took his materialism and made
>>>> 
>>>> it into a system that he called "dialectical
>>>> materialism." (Speak) I have to reject that.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> What I'm saying to you this morning is communism
>>>> forgets that life is individual. (Yes) Capitalism
>>>> forgets that life is social. (Yes, Go ahead) And the
>>>> 
>>>> kingdom of brotherhood is found neither in the
>>>> thesis of communism nor the antithesis of
>>>> capitalism, but in a higher synthesis. (Speak) [applause] It is
>>>> 
>>>> found in a higher synthesis (Come on) that
>>>> combines the truths of both. (Yes) Now, when I
>>>> say questioning the whole society, it means ultimately coming
>>>> 
>>>> to see that the problem of racism, the problem of
>>>> economic exploitation, and the problem of war are
>>>> all tied together. (All right) These are the triple
>>>> 
>>>> evils that are interrelated.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> And if you will let me be a preacher just a
>>>> little bit. (Speak) One day [applause], one
>>>> night, a juror came to Jesus (Yes sir) and he wanted to know what
>>>> 
>>>> he could do to be saved. (Yeah) Jesus didn't get
>>>> bogged down on the kind of isolated approach of
>>>> what you shouldn't do. Jesus didn't say, "Now Nicodemus,
>>>> 
>>>> you must stop lying." (Oh yeah) He didn't say,
>>>> "Nicodemus, now you must not commit adultery." He
>>>> didn't say, "Now Nicodemus, you must stop cheating if
>>>> 
>>>> you are doing that." He didn't say, "Nicodemus,
>>>> you must stop drinking liquor if you are doing
>>>> that excessively." He said something altogether different,
>>>> 
>>>> because Jesus realized something basic (Yes):
>>>> that if a man will lie, he will steal. (Yes) And
>>>> if a man will steal, he will kill. (Yes) So instead of just
>>>> 
>>>> getting bogged down on one thing, Jesus looked at
>>>> him and said, "Nicodemus, you must be born again." [applause]
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> In other words, "Your whole structure (Yes) must
>>>> be changed." [applause] A nation that will keep
>>>> people in slavery for 244 years will "thingify" them and
>>>> 
>>>> make them things. (Speak) And therefore, they
>>>> will exploit them and poor people generally
>>>> economically. (Yes) And a nation that will exploit economically
>>>> 
>>>> will have to have foreign investments and
>>>> everything else, and it will have to use its
>>>> military might to protect them. All of these problems are tied together.
>>>> 
>>>> (Yes) [applause]
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> What I'm saying today is that we must go from
>>>> this convention and say, "America, you must be born again!" [applause]
>>>> (Oh
>>>> yes)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> And so, I conclude by saying today that we have a
>>>> task, and let us go out with a divine dissatisfaction. (Yes)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Let us be dissatisfied until America will no
>>>> longer have a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds. (All
>>>> right)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until the tragic
>>>> walls that separate the outer city of wealth and
>>>> comfort from the inner city of poverty and despair shall
>>>> 
>>>> be crushed by the battering rams of the forces of justice. (Yes sir)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until those who live
>>>> on the outskirts of hope are brought into the metropolis of daily
>>>> security.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until slums are cast
>>>> into the junk heaps of history (Yes), and every
>>>> family will live in a decent, sanitary home.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until the dark
>>>> yesterdays of segregated schools will be
>>>> transformed into bright tomorrows of quality integrated education.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Let us be dissatisfied until integration is not
>>>> seen as a problem but as an opportunity to
>>>> participate in the beauty of diversity.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Let us be dissatisfied (All right) until men and
>>>> women, however black they may be, will be judged
>>>> on the basis of the content of their character, not on
>>>> 
>>>> the basis of the color of their skin. (Yeah) Let us be dissatisfied.
>>>> [applause]
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Let us be dissatisfied (Well) until every state
>>>> capitol (Yes) will be housed by a governor who
>>>> will do justly, who will love mercy, and who will walk humbly
>>>> 
>>>> with his God.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Let us be dissatisfied [applause] until from
>>>> every city hall, justice will roll down like
>>>> waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. (Yes)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Let us be dissatisfied (Yes) until that day when
>>>> the lion and the lamb shall lie down together
>>>> (Yes), and every man will sit under his own vine and fig
>>>> 
>>>> tree, and none shall be afraid.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Let us be dissatisfied (Yes), and men will
>>>> recognize that out of one blood (Yes) God made
>>>> all men to dwell upon the face of the earth. (Speak sir)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Let us be dissatisfied until that day when nobody
>>>> will shout, "White Power!" when nobody will
>>>> shout, "Black Power!" but everybody will talk about God's
>>>> 
>>>> power and human power. [applause]
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> And I must confess, my friends (Yes sir), that
>>>> the road ahead will not always be smooth. (Yes)
>>>> There will still be rocky places of frustration (Yes) and
>>>> 
>>>> meandering points of bewilderment. There will be
>>>> inevitable setbacks here and there. (Yes) And
>>>> there will be those moments when the buoyancy of hope will
>>>> 
>>>> be transformed into the fatigue of despair.
>>>> (Well) Our dreams will sometimes be shattered and
>>>> our ethereal hopes blasted. (Yes) We may again, with tear-drenched
>>>> 
>>>> eyes, have to stand before the bier of some
>>>> courageous civil rights worker whose life will be
>>>> snuffed out by the dastardly acts of bloodthirsty mobs. (Well)
>>>> 
>>>> But difficult and painful as it is (Well), we
>>>> must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious
>>>> faith in the future. (Well) And as we continue our charted
>>>> 
>>>> course, we may gain consolation from the words so
>>>> nobly left by that great black bard, who was also
>>>> a great freedom fighter of yesterday, James Weldon
>>>> 
>>>> Johnson (Yes):
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Stony the road we trod (Yes),
>>>> 
>>>> Bitter the chastening rod
>>>> 
>>>> Felt in the days
>>>> 
>>>> When hope unborn had died. (Yes)
>>>> 
>>>> Yet with a steady beat,
>>>> 
>>>> Have not our weary feet
>>>> 
>>>> Come to the place
>>>> 
>>>> For which our fathers sighed?
>>>> 
>>>> We have come over a way
>>>> 
>>>> That with tears has been watered. (Well)
>>>> 
>>>> We have come treading our paths
>>>> 
>>>> Through the blood of the slaughtered.
>>>> 
>>>> Out from the gloomy past,
>>>> 
>>>> Till now we stand at last (Yes)
>>>> 
>>>> Where the bright gleam
>>>> 
>>>> Of our bright star is cast.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Let this affirmation be our ringing cry. (Well)
>>>> It will give us the courage to face the
>>>> uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength
>>>> 
>>>> as we continue our forward stride toward the city
>>>> of freedom. (Yes) When our days become dreary
>>>> with low-hovering clouds of despair (Well), and when our
>>>> 
>>>> nights become darker than a thousand midnights
>>>> (Well), let us remember (Yes) that there is a
>>>> creative force in this universe working to pull down the gigantic
>>>> 
>>>> mountains of evil (Well), a power that is able to
>>>> make a way out of no way (Yes) and transform dark
>>>> yesterdays into bright tomorrows. (Speak)
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Let us realize that the arc of the moral universe
>>>> is long, but it bends toward justice. Let us
>>>> realize that William Cullen Bryant is right: "Truth, crushed
>>>> 
>>>> to earth, will rise again." Let us go out
>>>> realizing that the Bible is right: "Be not
>>>> deceived. God is not mocked. (Oh yeah) Whatsoever a man soweth (Yes),
>>>> 
>>>> that (Yes) shall he also reap." This is our hope
>>>> for the future, and with this faith we will be
>>>> able to sing in some not too distant tomorrow, with a cosmic
>>>> 
>>>> past tense, "We have overcome! (Yes) We have
>>>> overcome! Deep in my heart, I did believe (Yes) we would overcome."
>>>> [applause]
>>>> 
>>>> At 03:12 PM 11/17/2013, you wrote:
>>>>> Tyler,
>>>>> 
>>>>> Are you saying my position in the government is comfortable because you
>>>>> think they hire anything off the street or because they bend backward
>>>>> to
>>>>> give you anything you need? You'd be sorely mistaken on both counts. It
>>>> took
>>>>> me years to get into an agency that only hires a couple hundred for
>>>>> every
>>>>> few thousand who apply, and as for accommodations, I had far better luck
>>>>> 
>>>>> in
>>>>> the private sector getting what I need than I've gotten in the federal
>>>>> government. You'd think government would be the most
>>>>> disability-friendly
>>>>> employer. That's a knee slapper.
>>>>> 
>>>>> I'm not sure why you would pretend to know my work history. I have in
>>>>> fact
>>>>> worked, and still work with, the same major corporations and shoe
>>>>> string
>>>>> businesses you reference. I honestly don't see where you were headed
>>>>> with
>>>>> that line of thinking. I've encountered the same biases and prejudices
>>>>> at
>>>>> employers large and small. I've even had experiences where I show up for
>>>>> 
>>>>> an
>>>>> interview after being vetted and got turned away upon discovering I was
>>>>> blind. I could have developed some sort of a record for taking some of
>>>> these
>>>>> places to court, but instead I went back home and began working on the
>>>>> next
>>>>> batch of applications. The irony is that even now when I want to
>>>>> provide
>>>>> services for free as a philanthropic gesture, there are places that do
>>>>> not
>>>>> want the volunteer service. I keep looking, because there are ten other
>>>>> places that will gladly accept the free labor.
>>>>> 
>>>>> You claim my bootstraps ideal is very, very flawed but give no
>>>>> compelling
>>>>> evidence proving it. You did not answer my direct question in the other
>>>> post
>>>>> about what alternative advice you would provide. I am left to assume
>>>>> that
>>>>> you have no answer, and that's okay. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm
>>>>> left
>>>>> to  gather you are young, still in school and can therefore not give
>>>>> concrete evidence to what it is like to be unemployed, truly
>>>>> unemployed,
>>>>> something I have been and can testify to the feeling of overbearing
>>>>> frustration it conjures.
>>>>> 
>>>>> If some of us alumni come back to the list, it's to try to give you a
>>>>> glimpse of what waits for you and dispense proven advice that will help
>>>>> 
>>>>> you
>>>>> get around the inevitable challenges. If my way of thinking does not
>>>>> suit
>>>>> you, I totally respect that, but don't fight the benefit my logic could
>>>> have
>>>>> on others. After all, I began this thread in direct response to
>>>>> references
>>>>> in the training center discussion to graduates who could not find jobs
>>>>> on
>>>>> account of the economy. That's one quick way to give up on looking for
>>>>> jobs
>>>>> and giving up on oneself. The suggestion that my style of thinking is
>>>>> an
>>>>> idealistic notion is laughable. Idealistic is putting faith in a
>>>>> government
>>>>> system that will not be able to sustain social benefits forever. Social
>>>>> Security is just one example of a benefit our generation will more than
>>>>> likely not be able to enjoy when we need it, and that's not ideology,
>>>> that's
>>>>> economics.
>>>>> 
>>>>> I would argue the more you teach yourself to pull yourself up by your
>>>>> own
>>>>> bootstraps, the less dependent you will be on the whims of Congress, an
>>>>> employer, or your family. That's real independence.
>>>>> 
>>>>> And, to those who are not doing what they can to help blind people find
>>>>> jobs, point me to them so's I can smack them about a bit! It's a
>>>>> disservice
>>>>> not to do what we can to help each other out, but I'll say this much
>>>>> speaking for myself, I only put my own neck out for people committed to
>>>> hard
>>>>> work. I've already been burned by someone I helped put into a good
>>>> position.
>>>>> It severely backfired and destroyed my reputation with that employer.
>>>>> Never
>>>>> again.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Joe
>>>>> 
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: Littlefield, Tyler [mailto:tyler at tysdomain.com]
>>>>> Sent: Sunday, November 17, 2013 12:08 PM
>>>>> To: jsoro620 at gmail.com; National Association of Blind Students mailing
>>>>> list
>>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Stop Blaming the Economy
>>>>> 
>>>>> Joe:
>>>>> Through this thread, my point hasn't been to say that blind people are
>>>>> not
>>>>> capable of working. In fact, if that were my stance I wouldn't be
>>>>> working
>>>>> through college right now, taking out loans to cover what scholarships
>>>>> do
>>>>> not. My point is to say that your conservative "I have a job and so
>>>>> should
>>>>> you--just pull yourself up by the bootstraps" ideal is very very
>>>>> flawed.
>>>> You
>>>>> began this thread initially complaining about people who blame the
>>>>> economy,
>>>>> to which I agreed partially and said that while there are some people
>>>>> who
>>>>> do, the economy makes it a lot harder to get jobs. It increases the
>>>>> difficulty for us as blind applicants because we already have other
>>>>> hurtles
>>>>> in the way--assistive technology, accomadations, etc etc. Basically I'm
>>>>> saying it's not quite as easy as you make it sound, while boasting
>>>>> about
>>>>> yourself and skills at the same time. Most people looking for jobs
>>>>> (even
>>>>> sighted people) will agree here. You hold a pretty comfortable position
>>>>> within the government, which I dare say is not really the same as
>>>>> applying
>>>>> to a huge corporation or even a smaller business with minimal
>>>>> resources.
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On 11/15/2013 11:15 PM, Joe wrote:
>>>>>> Tyler,
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> The difficulty in finding clients for your web development skills is
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> a
>>>>>> marketing issue, not a general employment concern. I'm not
>>>>>> belittling
>>>>>> your frustration of finding customers, but hustling for clients is
>>>>>> part of the nature of an entrepreneur, regardless of whether you set
>>>>>> up a full business or just sell yourself. Outside of Craigslist,
>>>>>> which
>>>>>> I would never recommend because of their general decline where
>>>>>> service
>>>>>> advertisement is concerned, I would look into Elance and Odesk.
>>>>>> You'll
>>>>>> need to be careful with clients interested in low bids over top
>>>>>> talent, but that's going to be true no matter what website forum you
>>>>>> set up shop. You'll need to advertise across social networks, pick
>>>>>> up
>>>>>> the phone and make cold calls, and yes, in some cases you'll need to
>>>>>> volunteer at first to prove your worth before someone hires you.
>>>>>> That's how I picked up Serotek as a client. The crazy thing is that
>>>>>> even after you secure new business, you still need to devote time to
>>>>>> marketing for more, because you never know when the safety net will
>>>>>> drop
>>>>> out from under you.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I see you've set up a website, but it does nothing to motivate me to
>>>>>> hire you as a developer. That's not a personal slam. It's candid
>>>>>> feedback from a prospective customer.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Finding business is a full-time job, and I understand if balancing
>>>>>> that with school is problematic at this stage of your life. But,
>>>>>> especially in your high demand field, more skill really does mean
>>>>>> more
>>>>>> job opportunities. Don't let the stupid media landscape of grim job
>>>>>> statistics discourage you from pushing the kind of service you say
>>>>>> you're qualified to deliver. It's not what the rest of the economy
>>>>>> is
>>>>>> up to. It's about what Tyler can specifically help my company do
>>>>>> better.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Remember, blind people were finding and keeping jobs long before we
>>>>>> had today's technological conveniences. The NFB operation began with
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> a
>>>>>> dozen blind people working with far less at our disposal, and while
>>>>>> some would argue the NFB is different because it's a social cause,
>>>>>> it's because it was a social cause that it took grit and elbow
>>>>>> grease
>>>>>> to make it get off the ground. A nonprofit is a business like any
>>>>>> other, and if our past leaders had just crossed their arms and said,
>>>>>> "Well, crap, I guess that's that," we would have never seen the
>>>>> organization we have today.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Before I move onto Bridgit, let me ask you something in all
>>>>>> sincerity.
>>>>>> I've now written half a dozen posts with optimistic encouragement
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> suggestions. You may not like my viewpoint, but I think I've done a
>>>>>> fair job of backing up my assertions. What's your alternative? All
>>>>>> I've read from you is that the economy sucks, that jobs are too hard
>>>>>> to get and that I'm basically delusional for thinking anything
>>>>>> different. Never mind that I and many others are the evidence that
>>>>>> disprove your gloom and doom way of thinking. Surely you are not
>>>>>> suggesting we are anomalies. So, tell us, what would you suggest to
>>>>>> the struggling unemployed person who is desperate for a job? Are you
>>>>>> basically saying to give up and it sucks to be you? If you offer no
>>>>>> alternative, you're basically advocating for the status quo, and
>>>>>> you've already said the status quo is no good. So, I am genuinely
>>>> confused
>>>>> by your logic.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Bridgit,
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> First, let's touch on the point about the number of jobs. It would
>>>>>> be
>>>>>> great if all the jobs we wanted were available where we live. I
>>>>>> think
>>>>>> we have to reach a point where it makes sense to question whether
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> area we live in is open to the kind of qualifications I can bring to
>>>>>> the market. For example, I would not live in Maine and hope to
>>>>>> easily
>>>>>> break into screen writing, nor would it be as feasible for me to be
>>>>>> a
>>>>>> rising star on Wall Street while living in Oklahoma. Is it possible?
>>>>>> Anything's possible, but certain regions of the country are better
>>>> suited
>>>>> for my skills than others.
>>>>>> Grant writing is one service I offer as part of my side business,
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> I live in the perfect place for it given the highest concentration
>>>>>> of
>>>>>> nonprofits in the country. The persistent evolution of the Internet
>>>>>> of
>>>>>> things will help bridge some of these gaps, but until our generation
>>>>>> fully takes over the job market, we will still have to fight against
>>>>>> outdated views that people need to be in a traditional office to get
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> the
>>>>> work done.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Second, to your point about qualifications, it makes sense to think
>>>>>> through what it is we're studying in school before investing in it.
>>>>>> Liberal arts aren't going to make people that marketable outside of
>>>>>> academic circles, and that's coming from a guy who may as well have
>>>>>> graduated with a liberal arts degree. If the qualifications are
>>>>>> severely restricting the kind of jobs I can get, something's wrong
>>>>>> with what I studied. That's why I'm a big proponent of taking a gap
>>>>>> year to figure out yourself and what it is you're really passionate
>>>>>> about before spending thousands of dollars in a very expensive
>>>>>> education
>>>>> program.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Next, employers are humans just like we are. Their reactions are
>>>>>> going
>>>>>> to run a diverse range, but job hunting is a numbers game. There's
>>>>>> nothing we can do to eliminate people who take a dim view of blind
>>>>>> people, and let's be honest. Their views would not change even if
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> economy was booming. If they did not discriminate against me for
>>>>>> being
>>>>>> blind, they might discriminate against me for being Hispanic, male,
>>>>>> immigrant, tall, etc. The only cold comfort I can offer is keep
>>>>>> applying or move to an area with more open minds.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Finding a job after spending years as a stay-at-home parent is not
>>>>>> easy, nor is it fair. A stay-at-home mom knows more about running a
>>>>>> company than the CEO given her responsibilities of time management,
>>>>>> budgeting, planning and executing, but you know, the more I think
>>>>>> about these qualities, the more they could make for a compelling
>>>>>> resume. You're a great writer. Something tells me you more than
>>>>>> others
>>>>>> will find creative ways of conveying your talents. Not every
>>>>>> employer
>>>>>> will bite, but the one that does will be an awesome match.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> And, generally speaking to the list, I guess that's all I have.
>>>>>> There
>>>>>> is such a thing is diminishing returns for people who refuse to
>>>>>> listen
>>>>>> to something other than the tired arguments that it's the fault of
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> economy or my disability or the next-door neighbor. I am accused of
>>>>>> being too idealistic, but when real unemployment strikes, it's very
>>>>>> easy to begin questioning your self-worth. When I'm down in the
>>>>>> dumps
>>>>>> and wondering if I stumbled down the wrong path in life, I would
>>>>>> personally rather here of how I might just make my passion work
>>>>>> instead of constant reminders that we have it so bad for being blind
>>>>>> and for having to compete against so many applicants.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> To each his own. Me, there's a company I've been eager to work for
>>>>>> these past few years. I believe next year I'll make a resolution to
>>>>>> get off my ass and earn at least a part-time  contract there.
>>>>>> Statistics be damned. They'd be lucky to have me working for them.
>>>>>> Arrogant? Absolutely, but it's one of many possible ways to
>>>>>> separating
>>>>>> the great from the good. The key is figuring out the approach that
>>>>>> makes
>>>>> you better.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> To your success,
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Joe
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>>>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
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>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
>>>>>> for
>>>>> nabs-l:
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>>>>>> com
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> --
>>>>> Take care,
>>>>> Ty
>>>>> http://tds-solutions.net
>>>>> He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; he
>>>> that
>>>>> dares not reason is a slave.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> nabs-l mailing list
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>>>> 
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