Let's try and get 1,000,000 replies to this post
- Thread starter The Ancient Mariner
- Start date
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Thank you. I wonder what you guys are exactly celebrating. Reading wikipedia there's about a ton of different things. I wonder if there's any other more vague celebration day in the world. Anyway, enjoy the turkey!Headed to my sisters for Thanksgiving. Should be fun. I hope everyone has a great day whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not.
The Flash
Dennis Wilcock did 9/11
Not a case of that.
Almost all of us are in the same page in terms of economical situation.
Dr. Eddies Wingman
Brighter than thousand_suns
One does not need to see every decision about what to spend money on, in a rich vs poor perspective.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Not every indeed. School is not exactly the least important of all activities.
On the school spending issue.
My daughter is captain of her school volleyball team and is organizing thank you gifts for her coaches.
Girl on her team has pled poverty all year and has been subsidized in a number of ways.
She has declined to chip in for the gift for that reason. (It's $10).
Team members look at her clothes and her spending habits at the cafeteria and corner store and are skeptical she can't find the $10. The question is: should she be allowed to sign the gift card?
My daughter is captain of her school volleyball team and is organizing thank you gifts for her coaches.
Girl on her team has pled poverty all year and has been subsidized in a number of ways.
She has declined to chip in for the gift for that reason. (It's $10).
Team members look at her clothes and her spending habits at the cafeteria and corner store and are skeptical she can't find the $10. The question is: should she be allowed to sign the gift card?
Dr. Eddies Wingman
Brighter than thousand_suns
But how do you get from Flash's choice not to spend money on the trip, to the conclusion that the Turkish school system is shitty? Quite a stretch, if you ask me.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
@mckindog:
It's sound like she profits from the deeds others do for her. I am not well enough informed with the details but the following are just my 2 cents with the stuff I deduce from what you say.
In your example sports are mixed with school. If it was purely sports then I'd say, when you are poor, I don't think every other club member needs to pay everything for you.
But this is on school, and it's a social matter as well. And what I read from your post this thank you gift is a big (blown-up) tradition thing, in which not participating might be seen as weird (correct me if I am wrong).
Since when should it be obligatory to thank someone with money?
So one can say: "she should (not) be allowed", and I say "she doesn't have to", because she better can spend money on other matters.
She could explain why she didn't sign the card and perhaps her worded thanks are enough.
edit:
Then again, it feels kinda unfair that the other pay for the presents, but if it was up to this girl, the present was perhaps not even given. Others came up with that idea.
It's sound like she profits from the deeds others do for her. I am not well enough informed with the details but the following are just my 2 cents with the stuff I deduce from what you say.
In your example sports are mixed with school. If it was purely sports then I'd say, when you are poor, I don't think every other club member needs to pay everything for you.
But this is on school, and it's a social matter as well. And what I read from your post this thank you gift is a big (blown-up) tradition thing, in which not participating might be seen as weird (correct me if I am wrong).
Since when should it be obligatory to thank someone with money?
So one can say: "she should (not) be allowed", and I say "she doesn't have to", because she better can spend money on other matters.
She could explain why she didn't sign the card and perhaps her worded thanks are enough.
edit:
Then again, it feels kinda unfair that the other pay for the presents, but if it was up to this girl, the present was perhaps not even given. Others came up with that idea.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Alright. I can't judge the quality of the lessons etc.
Dr. Eddies Wingman
Brighter than thousand_suns
Well, I think even the next quote is quite a stretch:
Wouldn't this be the case everywhere? In Holland, Norway or the US as well? Keeping Flash completely out of the picture here, making this a general question: Regardless of the school system, wouldn't rich people always have more opportunities than the others? I mean, even if the school itself is the same for everyone, and all field trips etc are paid for by the school, those who have enough money will have the possibility of moving to a better school, if one exists.
Now, if rich people received better teaching, better food, better everything during the school day, just because they were rich, that would be a shitty system. But I think the above discussion does not say anything about whether the school system in Turkey is shitty or not.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Yes, but now you make the point broader than I intended to. I surely see that richer people have more possibilities, but now I am just talking about the following: When people go to the same school, person A and B should get the same.
I guess we both feel the same about the basic obligatory elements of the school. But when we go to the voluntary VIP-treatment, it gets different "Yes, dear kids, you all get the same but the extra deluxe stuff needs extra payment for."
I admit that it might go like this in my country, the strange thing is that I've forgotten about it (perhaps my parents should know better), but I still think it stinks a bit. Perhaps I am too idealistic (or left wingish for some people's taste).
I think I used the wrong words. Let me replace "school system" with "school policy", so I am just talking about these particular schools who are into VIP-treatment.
Over here it is mandatory in public schools that no student can be held out of a school activity because of cost.
There are workarounds based on how they define "school activity."
But on something like the volleyball team, money is not supposed to be an object, so there is a bit of a slush fund.
The girl I referred to above had a good pair of court shoes paid for by the school.
But the school would not provide transportation for the kids to and from games.
Parents who drove subsidized those who didn't.
There are workarounds based on how they define "school activity."
But on something like the volleyball team, money is not supposed to be an object, so there is a bit of a slush fund.
The girl I referred to above had a good pair of court shoes paid for by the school.
But the school would not provide transportation for the kids to and from games.
Parents who drove subsidized those who didn't.
Crimson Idol
Caveman
Well our school's would always have residentials etc to take the kids away for a week, it would always need paying for. The school budget goes on other things IN school, anything like that is considered an extra and a perk that is paid for by the families. You don't have to attend, but if you do you will need to pay for accomodation etc.
Dr. Eddies Wingman
Brighter than thousand_suns
To the part in bold: I do, partly intentionally, because I think your first post was making a more general point than there was substantiation for in Flash's post.
To the rest: I agree with you on this. Schools should probably not arrange really expensive, half-voluntary trips that the parents have to pay for. That would quickly exclude those who are less fortunate in the monetary department, and the school shouldn' serve to highlight economical differences between their pupils/students.
The issue is subject to debate in Norway from time to time as well. I think the authorities encourage schools to avoid such situations. As for McKindog's example, I can't really find a parallel here, because sports is completely independent of schools (schools don't have sports teams). And in sports clubs, the parents pay the biggest share.
Ariana
Black-and-white leopard
I feel kind of detached from people lately. I don't want to talk to anybody, I've been deliberately avoiding friends, conversations seem boring. That's very unusual for me. I might be depressed because of the weather or the stress at work might be having an impact.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
@Ariana: I'm sorry to hear that. Perhaps indeed the stress at work and the weather might make the feeling stronger. I hope your family and this forum still give you some distraction and cause some smiles.
I wouldn't too feel guilty about not seeing many people at the moment. I'd say do what you prefer and when things go better, people will understand you needed some recovery. If it's going to take much longer than you'd imagined, then it might be time to take other steps, but for now, take it easy....!
@Wingman: I see what you mean.
@mckindog, Crimson and EW: cheers for giving some info on how this works in your countries, I guess it's not much different from here. But we don't have school sport teams either.
I wouldn't too feel guilty about not seeing many people at the moment. I'd say do what you prefer and when things go better, people will understand you needed some recovery. If it's going to take much longer than you'd imagined, then it might be time to take other steps, but for now, take it easy....!
@Wingman: I see what you mean.
@mckindog, Crimson and EW: cheers for giving some info on how this works in your countries, I guess it's not much different from here. But we don't have school sport teams either.