In a truly free market I would agree. In a free market, people, no matter what they do are worth exactly what other people, directly and indirectly, are willing to pay for their services.

But since the courts have taken away the owners' right to run their businesses the way they see fit (with government forced "free" agency etc.) it is not a free market and athletes are able to get more than their free market value. How much more is anybody's guess and we will never know unless a sports free market is restored.

Which I'm not holding my breath for.:(

But this is a great thread. :up:

What I'm wondering.... is if you actually lost someone on that day? Try telling someone who lost their whole family to "Get over it"

:down::down:

It's silly to stamp food with a "Sell before [date]" instead of a "Consume before [date]". Does food actually last forever as long as it's purchased by the "Sell before" date?? The point of the date is so I know when to toss it, and all food should have the date, not just milk and OJ.

You can't call it "World Series" if all participating teams are American. Same goes for the so-called NBA "World Champions".

Why do they put 5 language tracks on adult DVDs? Do we need moanings translated?

A few more...
-Recycling should be mandatory. I have never heard a good reason not to.
-People who have those ultra bright lights on their cars suck. I have no doubt that you can see better, but everyone else has to squint or whatever. It's no different from driving with your high beams on in traffic.
-I think that welfare should exist, but instead of doing nothing, people should be forced to do the jobs that no one else wants to do. Garbage collector, paper delivery, maintenence personnel, things like that. The only way out of working those should be free career training or them getting a job of their own.

I remembered a few more, too...

11. Miniatures and stop motion are better than CGI.

12. Bass thumpin' booty rap is awesome!

13. Non-whites cannot be "racist" - they can be prejudiced, but racism is about power.

14. Tofu tastes good (not raw).

15. Hippies are cool (even though they may be smelly).

16. Medical malpractice premiums are not rising because of lawyers.

17. Pro-lifers shouldn't be allowed to have sex.

18. Paul Wellstone was one of the greatest politicians ever.

19. Michael Moore, Alec Baldwin, and other celebrity activists are pretty cool.

20. This thread has a lot of "popular" opinions (at least on dvdtalk).

Non-whites can't have power?

Of course not silly, The Man won't let them have it. Duh!

Actually, Bill Engvall said that, not Jeff Foxworthy. Here's your sign.

Not to argue your opinion, but the dictionary says nothing about power. Go here

Briefly:
rac·ism
n.
*The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
*Discrimination or prejudice based on race

Of course, my non white friends are going to be crushed when I tell them they can't have any power. ;)

edited to add unclear smiley

Honda owners are the WORST friggin' drivers on the road.

SUV owners buy them primarily because they're status symbols.

As gas-guzzlers, SUVs increase the demand side of the supply / demand ratio and thus drive up the cost of gas for everyone.

With the exception of the Dandy Warhols, there hasn't been a really good rock band in 30 years.

It should be acknowledged by religious people that the mere act of believing in mythology does not make them morally superior to non-believers.

Immigration without assimilation sucks and will ruin this country.

I think ViewAskwbian should be a mod.

:p

So what you're saying is that the belief that non-whites can't be racist, based on the premise that non-whites can't have power, is racist?

Oh, I'm sorry - I thought this was the unpopular opinion thread.

Nope, I refuse to get worked up by a bunch of people dying all at once when we have 10 times that number dying EVERY year from drunk driving, and nobody gives a damn. It's over and done with - get on with your life. Stop whining.

Meh. Sounds like merely an argument of semantics, and a bad one at that. Racism is racial prejudice, simple as that.

Welllll, racism is about actively advancing your race and only your race, either in power, social status, financial security, or any aspect (which is different than prejudice, since one can be passively prejudiced - one cannot be passively racist). Racism is the promotion of your race with disregard for other races.

And no one can convince me, no matter how much they may want to, that minorities by definition cannot do that. That is a weak assed philosophy.

I find her sexy as hell, too.

You're making my head hurt. No, I'm just saying that he may not be familiar with the actual definition of racism.

Perhaps two of the most ignorant statements I've read in this thread. Two follow up questions for you:

1. What is causing the dramatic rise in medical malpractice premiums?

2. Why should pro-lifers not be allowed to have sex? Explain...

yeah - finally an "unpopular" opinion. I knew that one would get the tempers flaring. I am not going to argue about it - Its my "unpopular" opinon - there were plenty of other opinions people voiced that I think are BS. But just to give you an idea of what I'm talking about and so you don't think I'm a complete moron, here is an example from the National Association of School Psychologists:

http://www.nasponline.org/information/pospaper_rpd.html

"Prejudice: Prejudice is an attitude, opinion, or feeling formed without prior knowledge, thought, or reason.

Discrimination: Discrimination is differential treatment that favors one individual, group, or object over another. The source of discrimination is prejudice, and the actions are not systematized.

Racism: Racism is racial prejudice and discrimination supported by institutional power and authority used to the advantage of one race and the disadvantage of other race(s). The critical element of racism which differentiates racism from prejudice and discrimination is the use of institutional power and authority to support prejudice and enforce discriminatory behaviors in systematic ways with far reaching outcomes and effects."

Since non-whites don't have institutional power in this country (which is what I was talking about) they cannot be "racist" but can be discriminatory or prejudiced.

Without this billowing into another debate thread, lets just say that I disagree. Good cite though. And way to stick to the "unpopular opinion" intent of the thread.

Oooh oooh - more proof of my "unpopular" opinions. I think I have the most unpopular opinions out there. :)

1. Bad business practices. Medical malpractice litigation costs have stayed flat. Despite what you may or may not have heard, awards are not rising. Meanwhile, malpractice premiums have soared. Why? Because the stock market tanked. Bad investments have caused insurance companies to raise rates - not runaway juries or "greedy trial lawyers." In fact, even the insurance companies have said that medical malpractice caps will NOT lower rates!!! Go figure...

2. That was mostly a joke. ;)

Orangerory, I agree, that was a great cite, but I would like to point out that not only White People instituutionalize...

The Black Panthers, just for example, were most definitely, an institution, and had institutional power.

orangerory, let me go off on a tangent for just a second...
I saw a few minutes of "Donahue" on MSNBC a few nights ago and there was a guy who sued GM and won a $25 Million settlement. This guy was driving an SUV, wearing his seat belt, and he flipped his car. Unfortunately, his neck was broken in the accident and he is now a quadrapalegic. The reason GM lost the lawsuit is because the jury decided that GM's car roof was not strong enough to withstand a rollover.

Bored? Good. Here's the clencher...

The defendant FELL ASLEEP AT THE FRIGGIN WHEEL!!! He feel asleep and rolled his car. Can't people take responsibility for their own mistakes???? Someone please convince me that this guy deserves a $25 million settlement...

Is that the pro-choice equivalent statement to "The only people who should have been aborted are those who are pro-abortion?" ;)