Tag: Bob

English: City seal of Detroit, Michigan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Hittingthesweetspot by Bob Skelley is proud to offer the first of hopefully many question and interview segments with young people. Their opinions, points of view, experiences and overall life outlooks are shaping where America is headed today.
Some say the challenges are too great for any particular demographic or subset of the population—young, middle aged or old, to take on. Here we recognize that our futures are really tied to how young people perceive the state of affairs not only domestically, but globally. We agree that young people have inherited an enormous burden. We face huge problems and the despair that attaches itself to them. But we also feel all is not lost. Young people have the energy, intelligence, vision and wherewithal to help reverse the downward spiral. And, we think featuring impressive young, critical thinkers like Earl Dinwiddie on hittingthesweetspot by Bob Skelley, is a way to perhaps open our eyes, see things differently and create some empathy for the plight of people everywhere today.
hittingthesweetspot: Hi Earl and thanks for being with us. Let’s jump right in. You are a Detroit native. Is Detroit’s recent bankruptcy only a Detroit problem or do you think Detroit could be a microcosm for what could happen to cities across the U.S.?

EMD: I think it could possibly be an every-city problem, but for now Detroit is being made into an example of what happens when you have corrupt city leadership, not enough jobs or productive education, and positive activities for the youth and adults alike.
hittingthesweetspot: You never knew Detroit in its heyday. Now it has only 700,000 people—a fraction of the population during its peak. The Obama administration bailed out GM and Chrysler. Was that a good thing or should there have been no government intervention?
EMD: I don’t have much of an opinion on the Auto bailout. But I will say this… There are probably millions of Americans in need of a bailout then and now. So that should show you where the government’s interest really lies.
hittingthesweetspot: Generally-speaking, tell us if you think more or less government (control) in our lives is a good thing and why.
EMD: I say the less government the better! People should be able to govern their own home/neighborhood/city and state efficiently and collectively through conscience and logical decisions. Do not seek help from this seemingly omnipotent entity that was systematically augmented through the decades, to be a beacon of hope and peace in the world, but has done the opposite. The problem with it is that in this day and age, a lot of people are too caught up in the everyday hustle and bustle, that they don’t mind their food being genetically modified. They have no interest in knowing that the U.S. government is provoking more war in the middle east. They just DON’T CARE. “The 49’rs are playing tomorrow night and we’re all meeting up at BW3 after work”… “Wal-Mart’s gotta super sale on Flat Screens.” Which do you hear more?

hittingthesweetspot: It’s not a bad thing to maintain healthy suspicions about certain things in life. You are somewhat suspicious of governments in general. Tell us why.
EMD: I’ve always been curious about how the way of life in the States differs from other countries. With having that level of questioning about the world, I guess it was no wonder that I became aware of the atrocities from governments throughout history.
hittingthesweetspot: This is not about conspiracy theories—it is a fact we are being tracked more than ever, but you and more people than care to admit are suspicious of many of the historical precedents that led to things like the Patriot Act and the restrictions that institutions like the Transportation Security Administration have placed on the comings and goings of people. We are all under surveillance as a result of the Patriot Act. You have interesting thoughts regarding 9/11, too. Would you care to share?

EMD: Ah! 9/11… The Smoking Gun! I can’t really go into great detail… But I will say that That Event changed my life forever… And for the BETTER. I know that if people were to give a little time looking into the events on 9/11/01 and the collapse of building 7, the world would be turning in a better direction right now. Here are a few good links for you and your readers to view:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEuJimaumW4  and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VhILF6_bDA (the link to this second video was no longer working as of press time).
hittingthesweetspot: Some say young people are not concerned about how things are and have accepted the fact there is no privacy online anymore; that they are too busy being distracted behind the screens of their cell phones, computers and tablets; that they have so many technological pacifiers, video games and time drains, that it’s an “I’ve got mine and that’s all that matters” mindset—they resign themselves to being tracked online as a price for their using the Internet. They let their governing bodies figure out for them how they should live. Do you agree at all with any of these thoughts and why?

EMD: Of course I agree. I’ve noticed this too. But understand that this is the digital age. And also an age of great deception. Technology is seemingly exceeding humanity at a steady pace. Is this by accident?? Or design?? I don’t know. But I do know that a lot of these “smart gadgets” are mass produced, conspicuously consumed and highly intrusive. People should definitely think twice about these products.
hittingthesweetspot: What are some things you view wrong with our economy? Everyone seems to be struggling—whether they have jobs or not. Young people are staying in school and racking up enormous student loan debt trying to improve their employability. Should it cost six figures to get a four year degree?
EMD: Well Bob, I’m a firm believer in free education to all people. No matter the course.  People should want to become teachers to help sharpen minds and sculpt a better society. I’m not in school so I don’t want to pass judgment but the whole thing seems like a big headache.

hittingthesweetspot: I think we can agree that young people can be positive keys to what will happen going forward. I would hope that some of them like you remain hopeful of shaping the future positively. To this end, what can young people do to help change any of the state of affairs today? Is activism relevant or is it just still dominated by relics of the 60’s whose messages do not resonate, or are often ignored completely, by young people?
EMD: I can’t answer if activism is relevant to you or the next person. All I know is that it is relevant to me because I try to keep up with events and spread the truth. One has to seek change to find it. I understand that you can kill a man but you can’t kill an idea. So that keeps me fighting. I hope that enough of the right people wake up in time.
hittingthesweetspot: Thanks Earl.
Have any more questions for Earl? He can be reached at earldinwiddie@gmail.com for further comment.

Related articles

• Best Drug Rehabilitation CEO Per Wickstrom Speaks to Lem Barney at Detroit’s Hometown Heroes Event (prweb.com)
• Plan Goes Into Action to Give Homeless Youth More Support, Opportunities (prweb.com)