Does anyone else not really care about Katrina? (page 3)

Soledad

BG I think he meant $21,000 per year not $21 per hour.

That is a drastic cut in salary

Billygoat

BG I think he meant $21,000 per year not $21 per hour.
That is a drastic cut in salary

You are right. I read that wrong. My apologies. But I can't get myself to see how that makes it any different. He has more than MANY people on this earth. MOST of us have an obscene amount of belongings and food in our cupboards. A poster on this board that has been in DIRE financial straights in the near past, gave a good sum of money to help another person victimized by this tragedy. Could she afford it? Probably not. But she gave because she realizes how many blessings she does have. She was helped by people in the past and now she has an opportunity to help another. She wasn't passing that up. Another couple on this board did the same thing. They put money on their credit card to assist. Could they afford it? No. But they did it out of the compassion of their hearts. They've been helped in the past and now they have an opportunity to help another. They weren't passing it up either. Has anyone seen that movie "Pay it Forward"? Cheesey as it might have been, the premise of it is something we could all live by.

We live in a cold, cruel, godless world, and there's no changing that.

YES WE CAN!!! Who says you cannot make a difference?

sonnyboy

But I can't get myself to see how that makes it any different. He has more than MANY people on this earth.

But I live in America, where if your salary gets cut in half someone comes and takes your house. You can't even get a decent apartment on 20K per year. I'm not saying that I have it worse than the hurricane victims. I'm saying that any one of us can get put out on the street given the proper circumstances.

I keep telling myself that things will pick up after graduation, as long as my unreliable roommate can hold his job in the mean time. Once he gets fired (which is always right around the corner), I'll either be homeless or living in a box somewhere that someone has the nerve to call an apartment.

But this is getting off topic anyway.

damselfly

When I was in school the last time I made less then $6000 that year. I couldn't afford proper food for myself. let alone spare any money to help someone else out. My classmates took to packing a big lunch for themselves and then sharing with me so I would have food that day.

That doesn't mean that I didn't care about the suffering of others, it made me more aware of how close I was to being on the street myself.It made me appreciate what I did have all the more.

But I live in America, where if your salary gets cut in half someone comes and takes your house. You can't even get a decent apartment on 20K per year. I'm not saying that I have it worse than the hurricane victims. I'm saying that any one of us can get put out on the street given the proper circumstances.

I believe this as well which is why I feel so deeply for all those that lost everything they had.

Dams

lisaBObeesa

I really don't care about the hurricane victims. I highly doubt that the people walking through Walmart with shopping carts full of clothing and electronics would send me one f'ing red cent if I was in need (and I AM in need, by the way).

This attitude is why, IMO, N.O. got so out of control with looting and why so many of those people were looting Nike shoes and Rocawear instead of helping their fellow man. It was just this feeling of hopelessness and disconnect from society, this belief/reality that life is a life and death struggle and they are in it alone. Gotta look out for number one. Nobody else cares. It is kinda animal-like if you ask me. Very sad that so many of us are reduced to this. We need to fix our country! I just don't know how that can be done...

talesin

sonnyboy,

I understand what you are saying. People ignore the soul-sucking poverty that is around them every day. It's hard to watch people acting all generous during an emergency, when you have sat home and gone hungry ,,, and the very same people did not lift a finger to help you when they were told you were in need.

tal

lisaBObeesa

sonnyboy,
I understand what you are saying. ; People ignore the soul-sucking poverty that is around them every day. ; It's hard to watch people acting all generous during an emergency, when you have sat home and gone hungry ,,, and the very same people did not lift a finger to help you when they were told you were in need.
tal

Thank you talesin, for putting this into words so well. I read that and it was like a lightbulb went on for me. I think I understand much better now where sonnyboy is coming from. Thank you.

Billygoat

That doesn't mean that I didn't care about the suffering of others, it made me more aware of how close I was to being on the street myself.It made me appreciate what I did have all the more.

This was my point. I think if I hadn't lost my job on Monday, I might not be as compassionate as I would have been otherwise. So I guess in a way, I'm grateful I lost my job. My life perspective has been changed this week. Thank God.

Insomniac

I guess it's all a matter of perspective. I have a friend who lives a few miles from me. She's got a husband and two kids, and they live in a frickin' mansion, with every luxury you could imagine. I envy her for all that she has. She, on the other hand, tells me she envies me- because I'm single (with "no responsibilities" as she says,) I can stay out all night if I feel like it, and I live in a teensy apartment full of used furniture (which I could apparently walk away from anytime I wanted, as none of it is worth much.) I told her to live in India for a while, and see if poverty loses its allure for her. As poor as I feel at times, I know for a fact that I've got it better than much of the world's citizens.

Personally, I feel really sad when I see the news coverage of New Orleans, but your emotions are yours alone, and it would be ridiculous for any of us to berate you for having a different visceral reaction to this situation.

sonnyboy

Just for the record, I do care as in if I had something to give, I would. My first post was made in haste. I give to homeless people all the time and I actually stop and talk to them when I'm in the city, which they seem to enjoy because they're most often treated like ghosts.

It's just that I don't see this as much more tragic than things that go on every day which are overlooked because they're commonplace. I don't understand why people's 'suddenly give a shit' buttons are pushed because an event is larger in scope.

Does anyone else not really care about Katrina?

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