I’ll just leave this here…
“In its great era of capitalism, the United States was the freest country on earth—and the best refutation of racist theories. Men of all races came here, some from obscure, culturally undistinguished countries, and accomplished feats of productive ability which would have remained stillborn in their control-ridden native lands. Men of racial groups that had been slaughtering one another for centuries, learned to live together in harmony and peaceful cooperation. America had been called ‘the melting pot,’ with good reason. But few people realized that America did not melt men into the gray conformity of a collective: she united them by means of protecting their right to individuality.
The major victims of such race prejudice as did exist in America were the Negroes. It was a problem originated and perpetuated by the non-capitalist South, though not confined to its boundaries. The persecution of Negroes in the South was and is truly disgraceful. But in the rest of the country, so long as men were free, even that problem was slowly giving way under the pressure of enlightenment and of the white men’s own economic interests.
Today, that problem is growing worse—and so is every other form of racism. America has become race-conscious in a manner reminiscent of the worst days in the most backward countries of nineteenth-century Europe. The cause is the same: the growth of collectivism and statism.”
(Ayn Rand — “Racism”, The Virtue of Selfishness, p. 30)
July 5th, 2018 at 0:29
Eric my boy, if you had 10-15 more years under your hair you’d well recall Rochester’s “melting pot” along Joseph, Clinton, and Hudson Avenues extending over to Portland in some sections, from Keeler St South to Hanover. The melting didn’t begin till the mid 60s, and most of the melting occurred in large part due to female posterior.
There were at least 20 very ethnic communities in that area, and more than 20 languages spoken along with over 30 newspapers. There was great pride in nationality and damn little melting. People interacted at work, and occasionally socially, and everyone respected everyone else. The City was clean, Ben Franklin delivered quality education, and people minded their business until the Unitarians sponsored Alynski to come to Rochester and melt the city into a manure pile. The Black community was well established around Hanover Houses by 1960, and maintained strong families.
The so called “melting pot” didn’t exist, and still doesn’t.
July 5th, 2018 at 8:56
At age 60 I doubt there’s much that you remember that I don’t.
That said, the curvature of the thing indicated two or three generations along what accomplish the goal of melting into American society. Prior to the 1960s that was how things worked. Then suddenly people like Saul Alinsky figured out that there was political power to be had and money to be made by means of promoting ethnic separation.
Irony, the groups that you mentioned came here because all the lack of governmental influence over the various cultures and subcultures. All that changed with the rise of the state in the 1960s in for example the Great Society.
in short we had a good thing going until such time as Government got large enough and powerful enough to muck it all up
July 5th, 2018 at 16:57
You misspelled Light Bulb Johnson’s GRATE Society.
It’s been GRATING my ass since LadyTurd beautified AmeriKa by ordering the daughters never ride in an open car.
You recall LadyTurd, don’t ya kid? She was the largest stockholder in Kellogg Brown & Roote, and owner of the LBJ Ironworks in Texas.
Hell kid, you were only 10 when Rochester had the SECOND riots sponsored by Saul. Kodak was already toast thanks to their 67 agreement with Saul. The city was cooked. Gilbert McCurdy was lamenting his decision to go along with the Midtown monument after he had declared downtown dead in the 50s.
You completely missed Pigeon Hole Parking across the street from the CYO. Damn shame, you could have covered that fiasco and exposed some of Rochester’s fine porkiticians. Instead your destiny became sitting in a windowless concrete room adjacent to a giant crap tank.
Ya missed some real fun years Eric. What you didn’t know about yesterday vectored you down some wrong paths.
July 5th, 2018 at 17:14
Lyndon B. Johnson is simple. Johnson fought two wars, the War in Vietnam and the War on Poverty. He lost them both.