Why I Love Letts 6

     Last night, in my little corner of the room, I attempted to dive into the ocean of homework that will eventually drown me.  Yet, said homework was more of a background statement among the chattering of friends and the sound effects of Harry Potter 5.  Though I had never seen the movie, I soon realized that the true magic was not on the television screen, but permeated in the minds and thoughts of the people surrounding me. 
      Only on Letts 6 can we turn a conversation about Draco Malfoy and the Hogwarts houses
      into a full-fledged debate on prosperity and poverty.
     I have always realized that these are tricky subjects, but for some reason, it is too easy to think of them as "outside."  Over there they are starving.  Over there they do not have shelter.  What should we do about it?  What about dignity? 
     These questions are important, but furthermore, we must question how they pertain to us, right here and right now, as U.S. citizens, as individuals with our own stories and backgrounds, and as human beings.  That is when our voices truly explode like fireworks.  Their powder is our passion.
     One of the can of worms openened was the "rights" v. "needs" debate.  It is so interesting that we feel the need to separate issues on a philosophical and biological/practical level, but I think it has roots in church/state or even religion/logic divides.  On the surface, nobody has a right to anything.  As Social Darwinsim outlined, it is all about competition and survival.  Yet, humans are more than "animals."  We unite as a race not necessarily because we always agree, but because we realize our need to survive is better done collectively and that the needs for survival are the same (i.e. food, water, probably shelter).  On a moral level, those needs equal rights.  For example, following the Catholic Preferential Option for the Poor, the poor should be cared for not just out of sympathy, but out of practicality.
     The other can was on whether the "American dream" was practical.  As an optimist, I would like to believe so, but in reality, I have to agree with that chance of randomness (i.e. luck/fate).  For example, higher education in America is expensive and selective.  Despite ambition, talent, and financial need, not all students are going to be lucky and land in their "dream schools" (or even "safety schools").
     In the end, we all agreed that it was unfair that some people started with more than others.  For that reason, many hypotheical scenarios become skewed because society is not "equal."  This was one point that Inayatullah was making:  many "quasi-states" are disadvantaged because of colonization, and such a force was out of their control.  Humans are creatures of circumstance, too.  Yet, if we clearly defined the tools to succeed in life as "rights," maybe societies would feel more pressure to grant them.  Maybe it would be for the greater good of humanity.