In response to “Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by setting a goal that all middle school and high school students do 50 hours of community service a year”
In this plan, there will be no compensation for the work put forth by these teens. There will only be the labor — forced labor. There was another time in our country when there was forced labor. This is one of the saddest times in our history, a time where men bought and sold other men in slavery. In this case, people will not be bought and sold, but our children will simply be confiscated.
That’s right, it is the goal of the Obamessiah to create a new ’slave class’. I realize that the word ‘slave’ in this context is a powerful word that brings a lot of emotion. It should. Slavery was a horrible crime perpetrated on the world’s population. However, in the United States, this crime was perpetrated in the past. The Obamessiah is seeking to reinstate slavery.
63 comments
50 hours of community service a year is less than one hour a week. Clearly, doing things like working in homeless shelters or cleaning highways for a total of 50 hours a year is exactly like being forced to pick cotton all day, every day during the picking season, under pain of whipping for not meeting quotas. Clearly, giving something back to the community is just as bad as knowing that your family can be split up at the whim of someone who sees you as subhuman.
Incidentally, don't a lot of youth pastors actively encourage community service?
"I realize that the word slave’ in this context is a powerful word that brings a lot of emotion."
What you don't realize, though, is how ridiculous it would be for a black man to bring slavery back to our country.
Volunteer work: exactly like slavery!
That aside, I wonder how all of these people missed the fact that many high schools *already* require community service hours and the world has not yet collapsed.
Wow, obviously we're dealing with a man who knows his history.
Point 1.) The black slaves worked and toiled for their owner's profit. These kids will be working to better their communities, not to help put cash in some rich white farmer's pockets.
Point 2.) These community service hours are intended to help alleviate the tax burden on families by letting them write off the CS hours on their taxes. The blacks of the old South worked just so their owner wouldn't whip them to death.
I think you might hate Canada very much Randy. Canadian high schoolers have to do 40 hours of community service before they can graduate. It's not slavery, it's community building, something you fundtards don't understand.
Other than the group this was posted in and (arguably) the use of "Obamessiah" this isn't very fundy. It's also a pretty reasonable perspective for a teen, IMHO. They don't have control of their own lives or destinies and requiring them to labor for the community is forced labor. I'd like to think that most teens would do this work anyway, if asked, but making it mandatory does strike me as unethical. Wow, did I just sort of agree with Bro Randy? Madness.
@Syb
yeah, i dont see the big deal. i had to do 25 hours of service my senior year of high school. i got no compensation for it. OH NOES, ITS COMMUNISM.
i really like the part where college students do 100 hours of service and get 4k towards college. i dont know about these fundies, but i sure would appreciate some help.
Obama isn't forcing anyone. He's asking people to volunteer. Big difference there Randy.
By the way, you ain't my "Bro". I have 2 bros already.
@ Pinkie, agreed.
On another note, when I was in school I had to have 100hrs by the end of 12th grade (25-per year was recommended, of course) or I couldn't graduate. And borderline 30 credits. Grueling? Yes. Slavery? No, you sick ass.
Encouraging community service is good, but the government forcing students to do community service is a form of involuntary servitude, which was outlawed by the 13th amendment. Yes, I know it's not nearly as severe, but it's still forced labor and therefore unconstitutional.
Obama seems to be for the former and not the latter, so it's not a problem. Bro. Randy is just being willfully ignorant here (Surprise, surprise).
In this plan, there will be no compensation for the work put forth by these teens.
That's why it's called community service . Just be glad he isn't proposing National Service like they have in Israel.
If I'm not mistaken, they get money for college for doing the work, so it's not too bad. Otherwise, I am against forcing kids into community service unless they've committed a crime.
What!? voluntary work, with no financial reward!? How Barbaric!!!
Thats not what Jesus would have done, I'm assured he always charged competitive prices for his miracles...
Community service is VOLUNTARY, but some courts make it mandatory for minor offences such as vandalism.
Where on earth do you gullible idiots obtain such untrue crap, let alone have the will to spread it.
Each time a story like this starts, the next "author" has to make his/her addition in order to hype the punchline.
This is how the bible ended up.
It is Bro Randy who is the slave of his own bullshit.
Does Brother Randy (Is it Just me or is that one creepy ass name) realize that a certain number of hours of community service are already a requirement for graduation at many high schools? It's weird to see fundies denouncing slavery seeing as how their bible endorses it and in some instances encourages how to trick you slave into staying willingly.
That and the number of fundies I hear these days talking about putting blacks, latinos, muslims, and atheists in their "proper place" (i.e. In the fields).
In alot of instances the community service could done in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program where it could do an incredible amount of good. And I also didn't read anywhere that this be mandatory, so comparing it to slavery is just fear mongering to scare Randy's little chickadee's so he can use the big strong protector role to try to get into their pants
"In this plan, there will be no compensation for the work put forth by these teens."
That's why it's called community service. Just for a change, it's not all about "What's in it for me?". The fact that you have a problem with this speaks volumes about your own values.
"There was another time in our country when there was forced labor."
There was, and the very idea that you would compare it to the President-elect's proposal is beneath contempt.
"That’s right, it is the goal of the Obamessiah to create a new slave class’."
CTSTDT?
Strictly speaking, if such labour was enforced but by a democratic government, and thus represented a group decision by society, would it still be involuntary?
An hour a week doing gardening for a little old lady with no family to help out, or helping cook for a homeless shelter, or coaching little kids in soccer or something == SLAVERY, CLEARLY.
I had to do Service hours in high school, and I don't think even the worst spoiled brat in our school complained about it. Another year, my mother rounded us up and we went and helped cook Christmas lunch at the old folks home, delaying our own meal until afterwards. Was my mother enslaving me, too?
I'm no Christian - but I can admire that small percentage of Christians who actually put their money where their mouth is and go out of their way to help their fellow human beings.
(Hell, I bet helping out at your local church will probably count for 'community service' - why does Bro Randy not want teens to be encouraged to help out at church? Why does he hate America?)
Yeah, because entirely voluntary community service for a few hours a week, with the possibility of helping keep kids out of trouble is totally the same as a lifetime of slavery. Randy, you're offensive and you fail.
Obama's success has really fried the few remaining brain cells that called Randy's thick head 'home'.
Serves him right, the ignorant, sick bigot.
But I bet this fucker would support the draft if a Republican president started some nonsense war out of greed or pride. God forbid that our youth, who need to learn the lesson to serve others once in a while, and not to think only of themselves continually, to do a little to help out their community. It would do them, and all of us, some good. That's not slavery, that's ethics. However, by fundy standards, it's alright for wives to be little more than indentured servants, who's only value in life is the cookin' and cleanin'. Let's not forget that it was conservative christians who were involved in slavery in the south. They used the bible to justify there ideals. And there are fundies today who are returning to this way of thinking. But what this is, is called 'volunteer work', or more specifically, 'community service', meaning to serve the community. I thought jesus taught something like that.
And BTW, this isn't slavery. Slaves got nothing for their labor, other than the basic necessecities to barely remain alive. These youth are being offered the chance to make something of themselves, to be productive members of society. So this whole post is batshit.
@BrendanJD
What? No we don't. :/
VOLUNTARY, YOU IDIOT.
They also get money for college for doing the service, so how are they not being compensated? I would fucking love an extra four grand to pay for my university education. That shit's not cheap.
I had to do 40 hours of MANDATORY community service before I could graduate from high school. There were a few kids who were held back from graduating because they hadn't put in even half that amount of time. Which I found kind of pathetic, because 40 hours in four years is not a big deal. People put in 40 hours per week for a full-time job.
@ Barikada : I can't speak for other provinces/territories, but if you live in Ontario, you do have to put in 40 hours before you can graduate. Where do you live?
...Dude, most high schools have community service requirements. Mine had 40, and since I was going to church at the time, and like many of those in youth group, did the shit jobs around there, I finished mine out by the middle of Junior Year.
...Is the good Brother Randy always like this?
100 hours of community service was mandatory to get into the University of California system. Wish I volunteered at animal shelters instead of an elementary school and a volunteer service recording books for blind and dyslexic people.
It's not that bad, if you have the willpower. Do you?
I doubt it.
My old high school South High in Springfield,Ohio required community service.I enjoyed it alot and continue to this day to donate what money,clothes,food and time that I can.I like helping other people.It gives you that warm fuzzy feeling that your doing something good for your fellow mankind instead of spouting off stupid things on message boards because your lazy and have no regards for anyone outside your religion.
He's got the right reaction, but for all the wrong reasons.
Personally, I'm against the "all students do 50 hours of community service a year" thing primarily because I'm a lazy ass. But I'm going to have to get to it eventually.
Asking teenagers to volunteer community service is forced labor?
And you want them to be paid?
Aren't you supposed to be the caring religion that selflessly volunteers and helps people? Shouldn't you be encouraging the teens on this forum to help out in their communities?
No of course not you're just a hateful fuck.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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