- This is actually a quote from President Bill Clinton that he used in the story. Steyn goes on to say that he doubts he could find a single rap album in the President's music collection. It's funny because Steyn was dead on with this when he said that. I think a lot of people do the same thing and try to relate to people that they have absolutely no clue about. The music of different cultures defines them. But does it define them in the right way? I do not consider myself defined if someone from the same culture as me sings songs about strippers and getting drunk. No. That's not me at all.
"The number of souls in this kingdom being usually reckoned one million and a half, of these I calculate there may be about two hundred thousand couple whose wives are breeders; from which number I subtract thirty thousand couples who are able to maintain their own children, although I apprehend there cannot be so many, under the present distresses of the kingdom; but this being granted, there will remain an hundred and seventy thousand breeders. I again subtract fifty thousand for those women who miscarry, or whose children die by accident or disease within the year. There only remains one hundred and twenty thousand children of poor parents annually born." -A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
- These numbers may be old, but they amaze me. I have never realized how many people are homeless especially with the economy being at it's worst. And this was back then! Imagine how many there are now. It's sad though. Because you do see those kids following around their parents and it's awful. It's not something that's fake. I couldn't even imagine going through what some of these people go through everyday. It's not until you see something with numbers that high or you actually see people like that, that you realize how fortunate you are.
"...to be ruined by the expense if they bring over evidences to prove their innocence, or be found guilty and hanged if they can't afford it." - Rules by Which a Great Empire May be Reduced to a Small One.
- Basically saying that if a person is convicted of a crime they cannot be defended in any way but if they try to receive it, they will be hanged if they cannot afford it, or if they are found guilty. Boy am I glad that I live somewhere that I am given a lawyer if I get caught. That just sucks for those people back then. I think everyone could agree that the US has one of the better policies on being provided services when your in trouble. (cough illegal immigrants cough cough)
"There is powerful literature in all big cultures, but you can't get away from the fact that Europe still is the centre of the literary world...not the United States, the US is too isolated, too insular. they don't translate enough and don't really participate in the big dialogue of literature...that ignorance is restraining."- Essay on Horace Oscar Axel Engdahl
- Obviously he hasn't been reading some of the things that we all have been because if we are as "backwards" as he claims we are, he's the dumb one. Some of the greatest writers have come out of the US and they have even won the Nobel Prize. So he needs to stop turning a blind eye to us.
"Technology is our main problem"- The School Library Journal
- I did not put a long quote on this one because those 5 words say enough. Let me start off with this, if it were not for technology, how would we be doing this assignment? How would the people who wrote that post survive without their cell phones and the internet? It's hypocritical because I'm sure that they'd go crazy without their technology. As would anyone else in this day and age. Sorry we're advancing in technology! Let's just stop using the internet so we can go read books about out dated information! YAY! Let's stop using the technology that we have for heart and brain surgery. We'll just cut out the parts we think are bad. Yeah, good idea guys!
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