Ouch!
"There is much discussion of the haves and the have-nots, but very little discussion of the doers and the do-nots, those who contribute and those who merely take."
--Thomas Sowell
"There is much discussion of the haves and the have-nots, but very little discussion of the doers and the do-nots, those who contribute and those who merely take."
--Thomas Sowell
posted by Under The Mountain | 1:27 PM
4 Comments:
What about the can nots?
The can nots are a subset of the do-nots. The do-nots are divided into two groups -- the can nots, who are the "deserving do-nots", and the will nots, who don't merit that designation. And of course there's overlap between the categories; nothing is simple.
And that's sort of the point. Talking about the haves and the have-nots carries with it a background assumption that wealth and goods have been arbitrarily distributed, which is often not the case. While people's economic status is subject to factors beyond their control, it is also, particularly in a country with strong property and contract law enforcement, subject to choices they make. The "doers" and the "do-nots" points toward an analysis of those choices, which is the only way to actually figure out how to help people in the long run.
Note, also, that the "doers" aren't automatically "good" and the "do-nots" aren't automatically bad. The guys at Enron were doers, for example. Osama bin Laden is a doer. And the do-nots who are also can nots obviously aren't bad, at least not in relation to their status as do-nots.
"People will tell you this is America and there is a level playing field. That's the most BS you're ever going to hear," [Charles] Barkley said. "If you're poor, if you're dodging bullets and drop out (of school), it's not a level playing field.
Actually, the US probably has a more level playing field than any society in history. (Well, I guess there have been socities with very level playing fields, but they were "level" because nobody had any opportunity at all.)
What Barkley really means (and he's right) is that not all players come to the field equally equipped. Partially, that's a result of conscious choices made. Partially, it's a result of where and when each person is born, who the parents are and what they know, and yes, even oppression by outside forces. I think the point of the "doers" versus the "do-nots" is that it is worth examing the WHYS behind "have" and "have not".
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