A prime example of a major university professor

[Guest Vern Gagne]

From a profesor at the university of Texas.

 

From Foxnews.com

 

pledge allegiance to all the ordinary people around the world,

to the laid off Enron workers and the WorldCom workers

the maquiladora workers

and the sweatshop workers from New York to Indonesia,

who labor not under God but under the heel of multinational corporations; I pledge allegiance to the people of Iraq,

Palestine and Afghanistan,

and to their struggles to survive and resist

slavery to corporate greed,

brutal wars against their families,

and the economic and environmental ruin wrought by global capitalism; I pledge allegiance

to building a better world

where human needs are met

and with real liberty, equality and justice for all.

 

I'd laugh at this psycho if she wasn't a teacher at the biggest school in the United States.

[Guest NoCalMike]

Ummm, what is so wrong with that statement? Besides the part about the Iraq/Afgan/Pakistan part(of course I am sure she doesn't mean the terrorists groups though)

[Guest NoCalMike]

Vern, how about re-writing it to how you see fit?

[Guest Vern Gagne]

It completley bashes the United States. That's what's wrong with it. I'm just tired of this global community crap and the United States is the worst country in human history, which is what these fringe commies want you to think.

 

How I see fit. What about the Pledge of Allegiance we have know. If aint broke don't fix it.

[Guest Cancer Marney]

First of all, it demonstrates conclusively that she has absolutely no idea what "allegiance" means. You'd think she'd have access to a dictionary...

 

Rewrite it? Why would anyone want to rewrite it? There's no need to rewrite it yet again. It's already been written once, correctly. For reference:

 

"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

[Guest NoCalMike]

Nothing in that statement says, America is horrible, or America is the worst country in the world. It does however seem to state that Global corporations take advantage of the average hard working american. Which you really can't deny. Corporate Greed is an established fact. I can see how you might get mad at the part about Iraq, but besides that I am not sure what the fuss is about. It is not like that professor's statement is gonna hold any weight anyway, it is just what 1 individual stated. Not like it is on capitol hill getting passed into the senate.

[Guest Cancer Marney]

Well, let's go over it line by line anyway...

I pledge allegiance to all the ordinary people around the world,

If anything, I'd prefer to cast my lot with the extraordinary people. But she probably has a fair amount of experience at catering to the lowest common denominator, so it isn't surprising that she feels more sympathy for it.

to the laid off Enron workers and the WorldCom workers

the maquiladora workers and the sweatshop workers from New York to Indonesia,

who labor not under God but under the heel of multinational corporations;

Nothing to say here, really. I never figured out why I was supposed to feel sorry for people who lose their jobs. Quite a few people I know have two; you can't get a new one?

I pledge allegiance to the people of Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan, and to their struggles to survive and resist slavery to corporate greed,

No, actually, they're struggling to survive the incompetence and viciousness of their own leaders. For the last time, our interests in Afghanistan were not commercial. Did you sleep through the last five months of last year or something?

brutal wars against their families,

and the economic and environmental ruin wrought by global capitalism;

Because we've all seen that communism works so much better.

I pledge allegiance to building a better world where human needs are met

This would not build a better world. A better world would be one in which human talent were more consistently rewarded.

and with real liberty, equality and justice for all.

Equality? Okay, now I know she's nuts.

[Guest Spicy McHaggis]

and the sweatshop workers from New York to Indonesia,

who labor not under God but under the heel of multinational corporations;

Or the laborers could be unemployed...

[Guest Some Guy]

Equality to most people is everyone having the same rights as others, those rights incluse teh right to succeed and fail. Capitalism is a two way street, people rise and people fall. To people like her and many of my proffessors Equality means that everyone has the same ammount of everything, regardless of what they do or whether they work.

to me that is teh fundemental problem with Marxism and Socialism. It is an unatainable goal. Not every can have or deserves to have teh same things as everyone else. Should a derilect high school drop out junkie have the same ammount of money as an MD who spent 8 years in college? I don't think so, but did that junkie have the oppurtunity to make his life better? Yes he did. There are community colleges, state schools which would accept him adn give him a free education, formt here he could go on to a better school if he worked hard enough. it would take him longer then the doctor but the oppurtunity is there, he just has to seize it.

I'm not trying to over simplify this and I understand that some have monetary advantages over others, but the point stands that they everyone has a chance to succeed, it may be harder for some but they have "equal oppurtunity." Blatant racism from whites to blacks is more and more becoming a thing of the past, sexism is also on the decline, the rights and oppurtuntiy is there.

People also have a tendency to think that rich people became rich overnight, it doesn't work that way 9 times out of ten, it can take generations. My father is not rich per say but he is well off. he is the son of a bus driver and a hair dresser. His father died when he was 17 and he put himself through college in 4 years and then through law school in 3 years. He worked days and went to school at night and applied for every scholarship possible. He did that to go from the lower middle class in Terre Haute, Indiana to the middle class in a Boston suburb. It can be done but it is hard damn work to do it. The point is he was went from a poor hick in Indiana to a successful lawyer in Boston and he didn't have nearly the monetary advantages of many.

[Guest EricMM]

To me this did not mock America as much as global/huge corporations and their ability to screw the poorer people in order to get a better profit margin. Because companies WILL lay off people in order to save money. The question of which is more important jobs or money is no longer an issue. There was literally a time where there was a sense of companionship between factory owner and factory worker. Both were necessary. Both were respected. And if times were good or bad, both could BECOME the other. This has since changed.

 

It just burns me that people can be layed off for profits the same year that CEOs retire with massive golden parachute gifts.

 

It is clear that some companies exploit workers, the environment, and the law for their own gain. It's the downside of capitolism. And I think it's something that should be mocked and stopped. I don't think shes mocking free trade, she's mocking people with no scruples.

 

I mean if there is a small town built around a factory, and all the towns money comes from said factory, because half the workforce works there and the other half run restaurants, shops, etc. and the factory gets shut down and relocated, what does this town do? Half the people are out of jobs and the other half need the first half to spend money on them. It cripples the town because a company was in search of better easier profits.

 

Some people mock "the right thing" as naive. But I wish some companies would have some empathy

 

*EDIT* and I don't think it's about socialism or communism

[Guest Some Guy]

*EDIT* and I don't think it's about socialism or communism

Sure it is.

 

and the economic and environmental ruin wrought by global capitalism

 

What's the opposite of capitalism? That seems to be what she's shooting for.

[Guest Cancer Marney]

I mean if there is a small town built around a factory, and all the towns money comes from said factory, because half the workforce works there and the other half run restaurants, shops, etc. and the factory gets shut down and relocated, what does this town do? Half the people are out of jobs and the other half need the first half to spend money on them. It cripples the town because a company was in search of better easier profits.

Then the town never had an independent sustainable economy in the first place. The people move somewhere else. It's called change, and contrary to the stupid implication that the factory should be subsidised, presumably by the government or by the corporation's more successful sites, change is not evil.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. This dipsh*t prof. probably needs a student in his/her class to turn on the classroom VCR.

 

I never paid attention to college teachers when I was in school, why should I do so now?

[Guest big Dante Cruz]

Let's see, what's the adage I heard from a college professor I liked and respected:

 

"Democracy means freedom. Communism means equality."

[Guest godthedog]

It completley bashes the United States. That's what's wrong with it. I'm just tired of this global community crap and the United States is the worst country in human history, which is what these fringe commies want you to think.

 

How I see fit. What about the Pledge of Allegiance we have know. If aint broke don't fix it.

okay, so bashing the united states, in itself, is wrong. someone doesn't agree with your love of this country, even though he's allowed by the first amendment to disagree with it. boo hoo, now shut the fuck up.

 

and, aside from louis farrakhan in a 60 minutes interview, i've never heard anyone say america was the worst country in human history. there's a difference between saying we're the worst country in the world and trying to eliminate the holier-than-thou, "we're better than everyone else" white man's burden mentality we've had for centuries. learn that difference and get your head out of your hyperbolizing ass.

[Guest Cancer Marney]

We are better than everyone else.

[Guest EricMM]

Says who?????

 

I'd say everyone is biased lol.

 

Except me! *goes to Belgium and waves a flag*

 

a woohoo! Best chocolates ever = best state ever!!!!!!!!

 

Dispute that!

[Guest Cancer Marney]

Ah, Belgium, the world capital of the bourgeoisie...

[Guest TJH]

Here's a game.

Name a famous Belgian?

[Guest LooseCannon]

Hercule Poirot was Belgian wasn't he?

 

But you probably want a real in-the-flesh Belgian.

 

Ummm... I think Jean-Claude Van Damme is actually Belgian

[Guest Some Guy]

If the best they have is Jean Claude Van Dam then they're in trouble, because we have Rob-Van-Dam. I'd rather watch our guy than their's.

[Guest NoCalMike]

<<<If the best they have is Jean Claude Van Dam then they're in trouble, because we have Rob-Van-Dam. I'd rather watch our guy than their's>>>

 

Hehehehe, yah, RVD was in a couple of "action" movies a few years back.

[Guest Some Guy]

Yes I think he was in a few karate movies.