I think I love Jacques Villeneuve

[Rockheart]

So glad I came across this article and video.


Social media was buzzing about a Boston-area high school teacher's blunt commencement speech that told students they "are not special."

Wellesley High English teacher David McCullough Jr. told graduates "You are not special. You are not exceptional," quoting empirical evidence: "Across the country no fewer than 3.2 million seniors are graduating about now from more than 37,000 high schools. That's 37,000 valedictorians ... 37,000 class presidents ... 92,000 harmonizing altos ... 340,000 swaggering jocks ... 2,185,967 pairs of Uggs," he said in the speech published in the Boston Herald. He added: "Even if you're one in a million, on a planet of 6.8 billion that means there are nearly 7,000 people just like you."

McCullough makes a statement on parents who overdo it in a modern society focused on collecting achievements. "You've been pampered, cosseted, doted upon, helmeted, bubble wrapped ... feted and fawned over and called sweetie pie." But he adds in a video on Wellesley Channel TV YouTube page, "You see, if everyone is special, then no one is. If everyone gets a trophy, trophies become meaningless. ... We have of late, we Americans, to our detriment, come to love accolades more than genuine achievement."
McCullough's address does push students to recognize real achievement: "The fulfilling life, the distinctive life, the relevant life is an achievement," and he encourages graduates "to do whatever you do for no reason other than you love it and believe in its importance." - By Pueng Vongs | The Lookout

That is an awesome speech and so true.

"You may get divorced but you will never become ungraduated from High School"

There seems to be some sort of sense of individual entitlement in today's youth.

No one person is special unless they do something extraordinary, which is rare.

However their rights are only equal to the next person, not more or less.

[falkon]

Why should anyone get taxed 100%, that is not fair no matter how much they make.
Just because some are successful and others aren't why should they pay so much more than others.
Paying more is one thing, but 100% is not ever realistic or right.

I'm not saying I want them to be taxed 100%, I'm just illustrating there isn't that much rich people in Quebec. Thinking we can solve all our problems by taxing the rich is just stupid. This is what I was trying to illustrate, the stupidity of the student's arguments.

As it is, these protestors pay no tax at all and rely on the taxpayer for over 50% of the real costs of their education as it is. Students pay a mere 40% or less of the real cost of their education, no one realizes this.

After the hike, they will pay close to 20% (it will be 17 or 19%, IIRC).

These aren't real students, this is just the Anti Capitalist Occupy movement again.
If a large portion of the next generation wants to be hippies and not work then why do they need to go to school?
We should start some large communes for them and they can live in tents and grow carrots and peas to survive.
The won't need cable or the internet, these are just tools of Capitalism.

There are 30% of the students on strike.

You have to understand that they receive much of their funding from the unions (FTQ, CSN and the teacher's unions), so that's why they can afford massive protests that go beyong their yearly budget.
There's irony in saying a corrupt government has no right to ask for more while at the same time accepting the money from a corrupt union whose name has surface in the papers as often as the italian mafia or the Liberal party.

[Rockheart]

I'm not saying I want them to be taxed 100%, I'm just illustrating there isn't that much rich people in Quebec. Thinking we can solve all our problems by taxing the rich is just stupid. This is what I was trying to illustrate, the stupidity of the student's arguments.




After the hike, they will pay close to 20% (it will be 17 or 19%, IIRC).


There are 30% of the students on strike.

You have to understand that they receive much of their funding from the unions (FTQ, CSN and the teacher's unions), so that's why they can afford massive protests that go beyong their yearly budget.
There's irony in saying a corrupt government has no right to ask for more while at the same time accepting the money from a corrupt union whose name has surface in the papers as often as the italian mafia or the Liberal party.

I understand what you are saying.

The students should all be forced to take a semester of business before anything.

That way they might understand that:
Millions of dollars of damage and disruption IS NOT EQUAL TO Lower Tuition.

[whywouldi]

This whole situation is bullshit. I don't want my school taxes to go up and these lazy students don't want to work. Quebec has the lowest tutition fees in North America. Layla told me that they were protesting on my street in Montreal while I was on tour. My answer was to egg them. They are disrupting the private and public sections...disrupting people that pay school taxes so these retards can get an education. I saw a student walking with his parents....the stupidity in this image is simple. One of them has to pay. If it's not the student paying, it's a school tax hike. So the parents protest with their child, and if they get what they want then their taxes are going up. The original hike was something like 380-400$ a year....do the math. Divide that by 52 weeks....it's less then 8$ a week. Roughly the same number as min wage. So you are telling me these lazy brats couldn't ask their bosses to work one extra hour a week?

I'm sure you declare all your income from escorting on your tax forms. And the raise is 325 $ per year, for five years, so it comes up to 1625 $ a year at the end; a lot more than your 8$ a week.

The students are not only protesting the raise, but also the way the universities spend the money the government gives them; just look at how the UQAM lost 300 millions with the "il?t voyageur" project. Were jobs lost amongst the executives or on the board of UQAM ? No.

[Rockheart]

I'm sure you declare all your income from escorting on your tax forms. And the raise is 325 $ per year, for five years, so it comes up to 1625 $ a year at the end; a lot more than your 8$ a week.

The students are not only protesting the raise, but also the way the universities spend the money the government gives them; just look at how the UQAM lost 300 millions with the "il?t voyageur" project. Were jobs lost amongst the executives or on the board of UQAM ? No.

That is still nothing compared to the damage and cost of babysitting these hooligans.
Police and property damage are in the millions.
Who the hell do you think is paying for this shit.
Me, and I do not even live in Quebec.

What about the thousand of dollars thrown away by all the students by not going to class.
They still have to pay for classes or they won't have to go back.

Maybe take some finance and business classes and you will see how the world works.

These students are crybaby whiners being used as puppets by anarchists.

The government subsidizes education by up to 60%.
So if tuition goes up $325 a year, so what.

You all act like none of us go to school.
Obviously none of the protestors has to go to work, if they have all this time on their hands.

Lazy people who whine are a joke.
If you don't want to go to school and pay what they ask, then go get a job, there is lots around.

It's pretty simple.

[whywouldi]

The government subsidizes education by up to 60%.
So if tuition goes up $325 a year, so what.

So ?

University is free in a lot of countries; it is a society choice we make, like 7$ daycare. If everyone pays its dues, there is no problem whatsoever...

[Rockheart]

So ?

University is free in a lot of countries; it is a society choice we make, like 7$ daycare. If everyone pays its dues, there is no problem whatsoever...

What countries?
You cannot make a statement like that and not give evidence.

Some countries and jurisdictions offer free education for trades that are short in that area.
However University is not considered trade school and even if it is free it is only going to be for areas that society is short on.

If you want to go take Arts or something like that you should have to pay 100%.
Unfortunately many are taking humanities and arts courses that are useless in the economy.

University is cheaper that it has been in the past but mainly because the government and taxpayers subsidize it more.

I am not sure where these students think the money is coming from?
It comes from people like me that pay a shitload of taxes.

Most of these protestors don't even have jobs, why should i have to pay more for free loaders?
My society wants people to pay something for their education.

If you want to live in a country with free education, then move to one.
Canada does not have this, unless Alberta enacts it in the future, however I believe this will never happen.

As it is people come from all over the world to attend school in Canada.
These people usually pay full price because they are not Canadian citizen, thus pay 10 times as much.
This is what keeps universities afloat in Canada and helps keep tuition down for Canadians.

To complain about a small increase when the majority of your tuition is paid by taxpayers and foreigners is ridiculous.

This protest is a joke.

The future success will come from the people that stayed in school and didn't join this fiasco.

I would bet 75% of the protesters will never finish any high education program.
They are just looking for handouts.

I paid to go to school, I got a great job, now I pay for others to go to school.
If these people have their way they are going to put and end to this friendly circle.
Mainly because people like me are going to refuse to pay for lazy ingrates to go to school.

[WastedYouth]

Nice little graph/s to show just who in Canada pays what for their post-secondary education

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/05...anada-graphic/

A student is Quebec pays on average less that half what a student in Saskatchewan pays. And the Quebec students are surprised more students from other universities aren't supporting their cause?

[Rockheart]

Nice little graph/s to show just who in Canada pays what for their post-secondary education

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/05...anada-graphic/

A student is Quebec pays on average less that half what a student in Saskatchewan pays. And the Quebec students are surprised more students from other universities aren't supporting their cause?

The protesters will never use facts in their battle.
It makes too much sense.

Quebec's youth is so used to whining to get their way and getting it, they don't know anything else.
They have been brought up to be complainers who are never happy with anything.
This is the atmosphere has them always dwelling and living in the past.

Take everything for granted, fight the society that feed you, and always insist you get your way.
Also try not to pay for anything.

It's bad enough my tax dollars have to pay to prop up a dying language.
But to see ungrateful students joining with anarchists to waste my tax dollars, it is sickening.

[falkon]

Quebec's youth is so used to whining to get their way and getting it, they don't know anything else.

That's not exclusive to Quebec. I doubt the G-20/G-8 protestors were all from Quebec.

It's bad enough my tax dollars have to pay to prop up a dying language.

And what about my tax dollars to subsidize an antiquated government system with a mad devotion to a foreign ruler? Supporting the monarchy costs more, way more than anything you would pay for the official languages act, the only thing that keeps this country together, what with that insane fear of english canadians to become americans if they stop pretending they like the diversity of culture in Canada. Silliest thing I heard is how 1812 saved the French language in this country. Never heard such bullshit from a politician ever since Trudeau promised change if people voted NO in 1980.

It's easy to talk about a dying language when historically everything was done to eradicate it.
But please, go ahead and vote for the first party to propose the end of official bilinguism. I wonder why Canadians keep complaining about bilinguism but almost never voted for the Reform Party. Or why they don't vote for any party promising that. I guess they like to complain. Having Quebec in the Federation means they have a scapegoat for when things go bad, just as being part of Canada is an excellent excuse for us to not change anything. The best thing that could happen to both is to part their ways and be done about it.

[toban]

Whywouldi, I ask you - Have you paid your dues in full?

[QUOTE=whywouldi;366762]So ?

University is free in a lot of countries; it is a society choice we make, like 7$ daycare. If everyone pays its dues, there is no problem whatsoever...[/QUOTE]

Whywouldi, I gather from your comments that, if you are not one of the student protestors in the Province of Quebec, then you are at least a strong supporter of their movement and I must take issue with your statement that “If everyone pays his dues, there is no problem whatsoever..."

But despite what you claim, there is a problem, a very big problem! Who do you think is paying those dues that you expect will pay for your education? It is not the government! The government has no magical source of free money! Any money the government has is what it gets from it's citizens - those citizens who pay income tax, sales tax etc.! That tax money is what the government uses to support education.

You should be aware also that the province of Quebec is being kept solvent only by the millions of Federal dollars of Transfer Payments made each and every year. This money comes from every taxpayer in Canada! Education in Quebec is indirectly subsidized by these transfer payments of tax dollars from the rest of Canada.

As it stands today, every one of the striking students will have forfeited their semester and by doing so will have pissed away whatever tuition fees they did pay plus many more millions of government money that had been paid by the taxpayers to maintain the universities and faculties which they refuse to attend. That means that these striking students are wasting money, money that has been contributed not only by taxpayers in Quebec but by all other taxpayers in Canada and most importantly by myself.

I don’t much like that these students are pissing away my tax dollars!