Botecker's Ten Cannots

[Big Don]

I stumbled across this:

• You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
• You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
• You cannot help little men by tearing down big men.
• You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
• You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
• You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
• You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
• You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
• You cannot build character and courage by destroying men's initiative and independence.
• And you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.

Discuss away...

 

[Sukerkin]

It might surprise you that a lot of that I wouldn't disagree with .

 

[geezer]

Well, those are about as true ...and false as most broad generalizations. And like most sayings, you can also find truth in the inverse. For example, "You don't hurt strong men by building up the weak"... or "You don't further the brotherhood of mankind by imposing a repressive class system", and so on.

 

[Big Don]

Well, those are about as true ...and false as most broad generalizations.

What exactly do you find false?

 

[geezer]

Don, as I said, It's as true and false because it's a list of an overly broad generalizations. For example you can sometimes help the weak, poor and oppressed by toppling those who are rich, strong oppressors. The problem is when people start seeing all the rich as "oppressors".

 

[RandomPhantom700]

Don, as I said, It's as true and false because it's a list of an overly broad generalizations. For example you can sometimes help the weak, poor and oppressed by toppling those who are rich, strong oppressors. The problem is when people start seeing all the rich as "oppressors".

Or, to go the opposite direction, seeing all the rich as deserving and all the poor as lazy. But this only reinforces your point about generalizations, really.

Politics based on ideology will result in the same runaround.