The Lampstand

London Riots

2011-08-15T09:30:00.002-05:00

Aside from all the damage and chaos, this petulant and disgraceful temper tantrum is interrupting the start of the English Premier League. Now those hooligans have gone too far...nobody stops me from watching Tottenham!

But as for the mechanics of the situation, does anyone really believe this is a justifiable expression of anger? Most of the apologetic scuttlebutt I've read goes something like this: "Young people have been locked out of the economic system by evil capitalists. They have no one to advocate for them, and no hope of a future because old, white people are greedy. Therefore, the only recourse open to them is to riot like thugs and destroy private property. Furthermore, the government's proposed budget cuts deny them the ability to cloth and feed themselves. And so, reluctantly, with their back against the wall and no real options, their anger bursts forth like a righteous tidal wave against the bulwark of The System." Sound about right?

Just one problem. Well, actually there are several, but one stands out. The above line of reasoning conveniently starts the story in the middle. I'll assume for a moment that the people engaged in the riots suffer from dire economic circumstances, and that any so-called austerity measures enacted by the gov't will negatively, and directly, affect their lives. Loathe as I am to interrupt the orgy of zero personal responsibility, either the gov't has the money to subsidize people's lives, or else it doesn't. If the central apparatus can no longer afford to issue payments (the relative merits or demerits of those payments aside) then whether or not the absence of said payments will cause hardship is a moot point. The apologists never seem to weigh the possibility that decades of precisely this system, which is now top-heavy and teetering under its own grotesque weight, is a contributor to the social conditions which have now shown us their ugly fruits.

In other words, a culture of entitlement is a root cause here. Prime Minister Cameron said much the same the other day. Just go back to the days of the Great Depression in America, see the contrasts, and ponder for awhile what role principles and a sense of morality might play, and if different principles embodied by the public might be the central factor in determining the response to hard times instead of outside circumstance.

Are We This Fragile?

2009-09-17T18:27:00.003-05:00

The Chaminade-Madonna High School football team from Hollywood, FL, has recently come under fire for defeating rival Pompano beach 83-0. Check out the full story here:

http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=989089

This reminds me of a similar story a few months back regarding a girl's basketball team in Texas. Anyway, everyone is wringing their hands because Chaminade-Madonna stomped their opponents...in a football game. Game.

Get this quote from the head coach, Tim Tyrrell - "We did not go into the game looking to score that many points." Really? How many did you intend to score? Just 40? Perhaps 35 would have been better. I think the objective is to score as many as you can. The question of scoring too many ought not to be a factor at all, otherwise the focus will be all wrong. Of course, sportsmanship and good conduct should be followed. But that has nothing to do with how many points you score, and certainly not a subjective, self-imposed limit before the game even begins.

Here's some quick facts. The entire second half was played with backup players, three of the touchdowns came on kickoff returns (should the runner have stopped in the middle of a play?), only one pass was thrown in the second half, and the clock was run continuously with no stops. Sounds to me like coach Tyrrell conducted himself perfectly well as the leader of a football team. This wasn't a counseling session.

Also consider these factors:

1. Just last year, Pompano Beach defeated Chaminade-Madonna.
2. In the second half, should coach Tyrrell have told his replacement players, who don't often get time on the field, not to try hard and do their best?
3. For those who think Tyrrell should have pulled his starters earlier, as a sign of mercy, doing so would hinder their preparation and skill development needed for the rest of the season. Would that be fair?
4. This is a football game. Teams lose. Do you think the morale of the Pompano players would really be any better in they knew their opponents were going at 50%?

We are brought to the point where excellence is embarrassing, not a goal to be achieved. How about some congratulations for the Chaminade-Madonna players for a job well done? They worked hard and performed well, and shouldn't be ashamed. What a bunch of sissies we've become.

In a larger sense, this fragility is deeply troubling. Think of the economic crisis last year. I would rather endure a recession than the Stimulus Bill and all the other garbage - we can survive a recession, and once it's gone it doesn't stick around. The American economy is a robust and marvelous thing, yet we were told we MUST give billions of dollars to failing companies, invest the Federal gov't with strange new powers over our lives, and watch our debt grow exponentially...lest we approach a recession.

This cultural trend will undermine our ability to be resilient, creative, and resourceful. And it starts will telling teenagers that you can't compete to the best of your ability in a sphere that exists solely for the purpose of competition, and, simultaneously, that any loss is inherently a bad thing from which you can never recover.

We grow in adversity. Man up, America.

Change to schedule for Labor Day

2009-09-06T20:53:00.002-05:00

Fans of The Lampstand:

The Wick will be shedding light on the truth on a different day this week due to the Labor Day holiday. Relax and enjoy your friends and family, then get back to work on Tuesday at 6:30pm CST with the Lampstand on Blog Talk Radio.

Matthew J.

Lampstand Programming Engineer

The Inaugural show is Monday @ 6:30 pm CST!

2009-06-14T22:13:00.000-05:00

Join your host, "The Wick" as he takes an in-depth look at politics and current events, as well as the culture struggle going on in America. At the Lampstand, we hope to shed some light and dispel illusions while having some fun along the way.

Hosted by Jeremy Bunge

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thelampstand

Mondays

6:30-8 pm CST
7:30-9 pm EST

We're looking for your input.

2009-06-08T23:15:00.002-05:00

If there is something you find interesting in the news, whether it's politics or culture related, send your links to lampstand@directionforamerica.com

And stay tuned...

Coming soon to a PC near you...

2009-05-25T23:18:00.001-05:00