Akane Nacht

If compensation takes a material form and is derived from state funds, would that not be personal to taxpayers?

By modern I meant... 15th-early 20thC. It was going on before then in various forms too. As you say, none of us alive today are accountable for any part of that.

Modern colonialism? I believe that was Portugal. In SE Asia at any rate, then came the Dutch. The English were late to the party. Anyway, arguing who did what first is pointless, as there were countless invasions before any Europeans came. What matters is how we treat each other now.

I'm more of a beard person...

and then say "your English is so good!" ya lor...

I have not spent any significant time in America, that much is true. I have visited a couple times on business. I recall one visit to San Francisco where I observed something that shocked me. I saw people clearly suffering from mental illness, and by their state possibly living on the street. People around them simply gave them a wide berth as if it's normal. These people were a mix of ethnicities, including caucasians. That was 20 years ago, so perhaps it's better now. But from this, I think the reasons for social inequality and persistent poverty are probably complex there too. ps. we have 4 official languages actually 🙂

For systemic problems, yes. When people fall through the cracks of society, and are stuck in poverty in an otherwise wealthy and peaceful country, the reasons tend to be complicated. It never boils down to ethnicity alone. Physical health and mental health for example are huge factors, combined with resources to seek treatment. What struggling people need first and foremost is for people to listen to them, and understand what they need (hint: it's not all the same thing). Can't do this on social media either, you got to go face to face. I've done this in my work and volunteering - it's emotionally draining and exhausting, and complicated and messy. The more hands the better though, so if that's a cause that interests you, that's awesome and I wish you well.

🙄 I forwarded an article, I didn't say I agreed or disagreed or anything about what I personally thought of it. I see no reason to stop sharing pertinent information, esp if it highlights that there is more than one way to view a situation. Dichotomous thinking is indeed unhelpful.

This lady seems to agree: https://www.2gb.com/jacinta-price-shuts-down-un-australian-accusations/

I was just complimenting the book author's business acumen 🙂

Wow. Still, I suppose it's more lucrative lecturing the advantaged people than materially assisting the disadvantaged ones. Unless that's what the author uses the book sales funds for. In which case I applaud the cleverness of this wealth reallocation scheme.

bananaconda anyone?

The majority ethnicity is Chinese where I live. I've heard some people claiming "Chinese privilege" is a thing, mimicking what is going on in Western countries. I don't think this is done in good faith. It is a sneak attack at people based on their ethnicity, delivered in such a way that they are unable to defend themselves without being labelled a bad person. It has upset Chinese friends of mine who are extremely good people and are hurt and confused by it. Happily it hasn't gained a lot of traction here. To me that is both unkind and ineffective. Pointing fingers at any group on the basis of physical characteristics that they can't change is racism, plain and simple, in my books, no matter how you spin it. If you want to aim it at yourself, fine, but you speak for yourself alone. IMO, if you want to tackle a systemic inequality, look at economic conditions, not skin tone. Make it possible for everyone to get a good education, support lower income groups to get out of poverty, and foster workplaces that hire on merit. It other words, it takes time and effort, as anything worthwhile does.

That's sitting on my bookshelf right next to "The Last Unicorn". On the other side is The Bartimaeus Trilogy.

Somewhat, but word precision matters in a medium where we can't read any non verbal cues. In my comment I was offering a strategy of how to live in a world where there are people we deem to be "bad" for whatever reason, and still maintain some inner peace, and not become "bad" ourselves by dwelling on anger. That's all.

Judging people is a way of dismissing them. Thing is, we still have to share the world with other people, like them or not. How about saying to yourself: this person must have some reason for how he/she behaves, and if I am genuinely kind to them maybe they will tell me. Or maybe I just need to leave them their space and agree to disagree. We all think of ourselves as complex beings, yet can sum up another person based on scant knowledge. This lockdown has made me so self reflective. I'm losing my mean streak... never gonna be a pro gamer at this rate

❤️ read that over and over and over as a kid Another author I recently re-discovered is Frances Hodgson Burnett. She did more than kids books, and some of them are quite dark and intense. Her collected works are free on kindle last I looked.

From what I have seen in this and related threads, the people posting are unanimous in agreeing that all human beings have the right to be treated with fairness, compassion and dignity. I'm not American, so I have no opinion on this particular movement in the American context, but what has filtered over to my corner of the world is a message of: equality and justice, regardless of ethnicity. I am totally behind that, and always have been. It's actually in the national pledge of my country.

I can't help with contemporary fiction as I am more of an 18th-19thC kinda gal. Have you tried the books of the original mystery-man, Wilkie Collins?

Now, it is truly terrifying

Boy did this thread take a funny turn! Btw if you have the Karen haircut, you're a Karen. Sorry, that's meme law. Nothing to be done I'm afraid, but wait til the meme subsides or your hair grows out.