JH, I get that Mr. Moe was talking about people in general. I was just trying to say that there is no relationship between the problems of "ordinary people" and the problems of, uh, homeless people. I'm not going to get all weepy for being well off because others aren't. The logical conclusion of such a position is that one would abnegate all that is good in one's life in order to demonstrate one's poignant sympathy with those less fortunate. There are better ways to regard the problem. As for Phil Collins's stupid song -- I have the same problem with it that I have with William Wordsworth's poems about the poor. The homeless and poor become objects for middle-class self-reflection, middle-class complacency, mirrors in which we see opportunities for magnanimous, masturbatory gestures of our own generous humanity. To me it reeks of sentimental posturing and I don't like it. And meanwhile, Collins profits from it. What do the homeless get? As for my mood, that has nothing to do with this. I just have a different perspective than you do. Dedalus
Just Another Issue
by MrMoe 26 Replies latest jw friends
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detective
Perhaps Mr. Moe might have avoided some confusion by a less heavy-handed approach in her writing style. Clearly, she couldn't possibly know what problems people who post on this board might have, so calling them petty might be considered offensive to some. Sh ehas no idea what people think at stoplights or elsewhere, so presuming to might seem condescending, which I imagine she would want to avoid so that people focused more on content and less on delivery. Similiarly, she may want to clarify who this mysterious "you" is that she addressing. With a few small revisions, I'm sure nobody would feel patronized or insulted by the post.
Instead of:
"Here is where you react with your personal problems which are rather petty"
"You know who I am talking about, that creepy homeless guy (or so you say to yourself as you remember to lock your door while sitting at the red light.) "
"Now I dare you..."
She could try:
"Here is where I, Mr. Moe, react with personal problems which are rather petty"
or
"...or so I say to myself,Mr. Moe, as I remember to lock my car door while sitting at the red light"
This way, she is still able to make her point but without appearing to condescend to others while doing it. And, the more people who can really ~hear~ your message the better, right?
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bluesapphire
I don't know enough about this issue, really. But it did get me thinking about something:
My ex-husband lost his job at UPS almost four years ago. He had been there for 10 years and was making over $50,000 per year. Lost it beause he had been put on drug rehab twice with the bill footed by the company and on top of that major counseling which the company also paid for, he still had severe emotional/anger issues that he was unwilling to face with 100% honesty. One day he threw hot coffee on the wrong person who demanded that the company fire him or he would sue. So he lost his job and even the Teamsters wouldn't go to bat for him anymore.
Well, since he has been working under the table and selling drugs for a living to avoid paying me child support. The thing is he is addicted to coke, marijuana and who knows what else. He does every drug he can get his hands on. He lives in his mom's garage. Now, he could choose to continue down that path. What will happen when his mother dies? Where will he live? He has already exhausted his friends and other family with his pity party.
I think he is a good candidate for a homeless person when he finally reaches say his 50's or 60's. Unless, of course, my then grown-up daughters decide to take him in (which I can totally see happening). But if they don't, what will he do with no social security, no pension, no job, unlealthy, drug addiction, alcoholism. And what if they're married and their husbands get sick and tired of their dad mooching off of them. What if their husbands decide they don't want to support a lazy bum? Well, where would he go? The streets perhaps.
The thing is that like you said, no one wakes up one morning and says, "Hey I want to be homeless." And I'm not putting all homeless people into the category of my ex. But this is clearly an example of decisions being made by an individual that can very well put him in that position someday. Then when they're there they might be the one saying, "You rich bitch! You can afford more than a dollar!"
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MrMoe
I never meant to offend with this post or belittle anybody's personal issues. I have strong opinions, as do many of you. I think we all have problems... but can our personal issues be compared to those less fortunate? You bet your butt. Life is wonderful for so many of us, and the downs make the ups so much sweeter.
Next time you go home, even if you go home to an empty house, just remember, you have a home.
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Francois
Could my personal issues be compared to those less fortunate? You bet your ass. In the first place, I have not arrived at where I am in this life because I'm lucky...fortunate.
And the homeless did not get where they are because they are less lucky...less fortunate. I think they got where they are via a lifetime of bad choices.
And I see homless people running to put the arm on a passer-by. I can't run any more. I haven't been able to run in almost five years, ever since I fell from the tree. I see homeless people who are drunk. I can't enjoy even one beer, which I feel is the nectar of the Gods, because I can't mix alcohol with fentanyl patches (or opiates in general) for the moderation of chronic pain. I'd give a lot to be able to down an ice-cold Aass Bok, or maybe Heineken's. There are a lot of things that homeless people can do that I no longer can.
Mr. Moe, I like you, I always have. But I don't like the way you express yourself on this issue. Luck don't have a damn thing to do with it.
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JH
And the homeless did not get where they are because they are less lucky...less fortunate. I think they got where they are via a lifetime of bad choices.
Many made bad choices François and ended up in the streets, homless like you say. Sometimes it is bad luck. When a homeless person gives birth to a child and they live in poverty, that child might end up the same way as the mother did. That child might say one day that he wasn't lucky to be brought up in poverty and couldn't have a decent education. Poor people mingle with poor people, and then things get worse, violence, drugs etc...
It's true that you may have more serious physical problems than certain homeless people, but on the other hand, maybe you don't... Do you know the health of each homeless person? One thing we DO know, is that they are miserably poor and homeless. Sickness is never far behind poverty.
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wednesday
Really, we are ALL so close to being homeless. Get sick, lose your job, any number of things and most of us have limited resources. Most of us are a paycheck or two away form being homeless. Everyone thinks there are so many things u can do, short term disability, long term disability, unemloyment, etc. But all those require time and u must meet requirements. Some states, like Texas, have horrible employment saws. They can fire u for everything, nothing. U have almost no rights here.Texas is really bad for food stamps and welfare.The poverty level is so low, u could not survive until u got assisatance.
I remember that phil collins song-it made me cry too. There are so many people right here in the USA that go to bed hungry and barely get by from one paycheck to another, or depend on relatives.
take Yizzman , a poster here on the board. It happen to him. He had to sleep in a shelter. I don't know about the rest of u, but i would be really afraid if i had to do that. Even if u were mentally stable to begin with, living on the street could unbalnace u.
so when i see those tv progams for "save the starving children", yes i feel bad, but i wish they would have programs for "help the poor working class" so people could see what it is like to almost be on the street.