Here is the quote I am particularly fascinated by:
Don't blame the big banks. If you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself.
I think this gets at the heart of our beliefs about class mobility in the United States. What are your personal thoughts on what Herman Cain said?
This is very sad that anyone would say this, especially a Presidential candidate. The middle to lower class has a lot to worry about if this guy gets elected. As we have seen in class, a lot of times it has to do with the environment, and everyone's ability to make it rich is not necessarily equal.
ReplyDeleteI think that it's really hard for some people to look outside of the box and see that others' circumstances are the way that they are because of external factors and not always internal factors. Do some people make excuses and blame the big banks because they don't have a job? In some cases, yes. But lots of times it's not an excuse. More often than not, it is not the fault of the individual, but rather circumstances that led up to their unfortunate lifestyle. I thought it was interesting that Herman Cain said that he was blessed to have been raised by parents who taught him not to be jealous of things he didn't have or to be images of other people. Because he WAS "blessed" he is assuming that other people should take personal responsibility just like he has. Well, Herman Cain, it's possible that not everyone is as "blessed" as you were/are. Some people didn't grow up with parents who taught good things, and some may not have even grown up with parents at all. In these cases, how can you expect them to blame themselves?
ReplyDeleteWe have read about and discussed mobility, minorities, and stratification in our Sociology class, and one of the things brought up was the fact that African Americans typically have a much more difficult time becoming wealthy. With this in mind, it is especially interesting to listen to Herman Cain make statements like “it is a person’s fault if they fail,” and “if you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself.” Is he an exception to the typically poorer blacks? If so, he does not seem to understand the plight some people may be in.
ReplyDeleteWe learned that a Horatio Alger rags to riches story may not be as easy as hard work. Government and class both have an effect on people, so if someone doesn’t have a job or isn’t rich, I would not immediately place the blame on them. Is Herman Cain too quick to judge? Does he have a limited sociological perspective?
~Hannah Trimble
I'm not sure what the protest is all about. It seems trendy to me. All I know is that all those people protesting aren't improving their job situation.
ReplyDeleteI thought his quote of "It is not a person's fault because they succeeded, it is a person's fault if they fail" was interesting. Herman Cain seems too quick to judge to me. It is easy to see successes and failures in terms of ability when you are blessed with the circumstances. But what about those not blessed with the circumstance? There is definitely a lot more to being rich than just pure hard work. Although we'd like to believe that rags to riches is the American way of life, even in those stories there is usually some luck and seizing of opportunities. While I don't know necessarily think the blame lies solely with the big banks, I think the principle of the protests are important. It's not right that so few people hold so much of the money, and it's not fair that some people are born into better circumstances than other. I'm not sure what we can do about this, but it is important to be aware of it.
ReplyDelete-Chantelle Lyman
Personally, I don't blame Mr. Cain for saying what he feels. It's evident that our capitalist system isn't completely fair,(no system is)and it does make it possible for certain groups of people to feel like they're just being thrown around by the wallstreet Tophats, but honestly, I'm sure almost every one of those protesters has made some stupid choices, living outside their means, or what have you. I think Cain spoke more strongly than he actually believes, that seems to be his style, and I don't necessarily agree with him when he says they have only themselves to blame...but I also don't think the protesters are doing something worth while. There are better ways to deal with the issue, like electing people who actually care enough to fix it. With that said, I do not think Cain would be one of those people :/
ReplyDeleteI thought that what he said at the end was interesting. He said that he was grateful that he had parents who didn't teach him to be jealous or envious of anyone, and that its only your own fault if you fail. While it is true that if you aren't trying to put yourself in good situations or if your not trying to succeed in life, then you have already failed, its also true that some people are never given a chance to succeed. There probably are people protesting that have put themselves in their position and have no right to blame anyone else, but at the same time there might also be others who really have not been given any chance to succeed. I just don't think its ever a good idea to generalize, and Cain will be criticized for having said what he did.
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard this I have to say I agree with Herman Cain to an extent. I ask these people that are out protesting why don't they stop asking for a free handout from the government and go and put the passion they have for protesting into finding a job, search for ways to get more education, enroll in a career college. My dad is a president of a local career college and sees people who have nothing work so hard to come to school and get an education so they can change their circumstance. My dad has told me of some of his students how they are living in cars and still coming to school, some are in abusive relationships and they are getting out of them and coming to school. I believe all people can succeed that are truly willing to work hard enough. I think Americans have largely lost the main concept this country was built on, hard work. The world we live in is unfair and some are not given advantages like other but I don't think we in America should make excuses for ourselves when here in this great country there is a way for all to succeed if one is willing to work hard enough for it. I think for a sociological standpoint we often blame things on society and the way we have come to be but I think there comes a point when we need to stop playing the blame game and start making changes and looking for opportunities.
ReplyDelete"If you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself" seems quite extreme. We don't all start out in the same circumstances. If we did and you didn't have a job while others did then it would be your fault, but that's not the situation. As we learned in class the poverty cycle is a big factor. Those that start out in a bad situation have a very small chance of becoming "rich". However, I have to say that protesting and asking for money is not the way to solve your problems. There are ways to get out of poverty, and to get a job, but for those who start out in a bad situation it is a lot more difficult. Complaining and whining about not having a job never made someone rich.
ReplyDeleteI cant help but agree with him to an extent. We in the US are REALLY good at playing the blame game. You can ask me about any hardship in my life and I can tell you about how it was someone else's fault. How so and so kept me down or stopped me from succeeding, and too many of us use that as an excuse for failure. We are told that it is the fault of others - and it is much easier to blame others than it is to blame ourselves - and that's a beautiful thing because it lifts all of the weight off of our shoulders. We can be broke and jobless and still feel good because it isn't our fault; it's the fault of big banks or corporate CEOs. But what it comes down to is that MY success and MY well being depends on ME, NOT on the government.
ReplyDeleteI have a roommate who is much more successful than I am. He has a better job and makes more money than I do, and he has also received internships that will help him get into Graduate school much easier than me. BUT so what? should I hate him and constantly talk trash about him because he has had more success? Should I do my best to tear him down and expect him to give me some of what he has earned? NO. Heck no, in fact! It isn't his fault. It is MY fault. I should have worked harder and I should have done more. and you know what? Now I will Because blaming him is not going to do me any good.
People like Herman Cain dont get elected, and its simply because voters don't want o accept the blame. Politicians NEVER tell their voters that it is their own fault. Voters don't like to hear that they should have done more and they should have tried harder. They don't like to hear that the crash of the housing market was in fact their own fault; because it was- the banks shouldn't have offered sub prime loans, but the people who accepted them were overextending themselves and should not have even applied for home loans. But no, we as voters would rather have our egos stroked and hear from politicians about how great we are and all of that. The truth is each and every one of us CAN do better and we SHOULD do better and blaming other people is not going to fix anything. I like that Herman Cain came out and said it. It's about time someone did. Sometimes voters are like little kids, we need to be scolded every once in a while rather than coddled all the time.
I don't have a solidified opinion about Hermain Cain as president, but he is 100% correct about this. Here are my 2 biggest problems with Occupy Wall Street.
ReplyDelete1. Its all about a lack of personal accountability. It always comes back to the individual - they blame the banks as if someone forced them to get a loan from the bank at gunpoint, as if someone threatened to kill their families if they didn't decide to go to an expensive university, and so on and so forth. Its SO EASY to blame someone else for your problems. You chose to take a loan you never should have taken, you chose to go to an expensive university, you chose to play video games all day and waste your time instead of working hard for a scholarship, you chose to not prepare yourself for the job market, you chose a major that wasn't practical, you would rather stay home and watch TV than go looking for a respectable job. And whose fault is all of that? Not the banks, not the university's, not rich people, its you, and you alone. NO ONE FORCED YOU TO DO ANYTHING!
2. You are focusing on the wrong problem. Assuming any argument is even semi-valid for my first point, why are you occupying wall street? You should be occupying congress. The private sector may be "to blame" for some our personal life challenges, but not even close to as much as the government. Do you think banks self-imposed regulations to give loans to those unqualified to receive them? The government made them. 47% of america does't pay a cent of income tax - and you say the rich aren't paying "their fair share"? Thats like 150 million people who are living off the taxes of everyone else. In the vast majority of cases, Medicaid pays for 100% of everything - no $5 copay, nothing. Everyone living in our society should contribute something. That is fair.
I'm not against helping people. I'm not against supporting those in need. I am against continually giving people fish when they need to learn to fish themselves.