Sailor Moon says "Judging people you don't know based on assumptions is bad!"
Okay, I am getting really sick of hearing certain individuals making light of other people's misfortunes. Read: If I see one more Facebook status laughing at the people of Dakota Dunes for losing their homes to flooding, I am going to start typing in CAPS LOCK. (oops, too late.)
For those of you who don't live in the Tri-State area of Iowa/Nebraska/South Dakota like I used to, the Missouri River is overflowing like crazy and is only going to get worse over the coming months. There's a good chance some of the poorer neighborhoods are going to get hit, and they're being helped and evacuated as needed, but the area that is going to get hit badly for absolute certain is Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, so that's where the media spends its time. This town is known for being a Rich People neighborhood with some very expensive mansions (though it's worth noting not everyone there lives in half million dollar houses, despite what certain grouches would have you believe).
Also, half my old friends think this is amusing. Because it's happening to rich people.
I can't deny, I was relieved to hear that for once a natural disaster isn't targeting an impoverished neighborhood that would have a hard time putting things back together, but I was certainly not gleeful that a wealthy neighborhood is getting destroyed instead. I don't roll my eyes and snort when I hear about people trying to save their wine collections and art pieces and grand pianos, because even though those have no value to me, I know they mean as much to those people as my autographed Neil Gaiman book means to me. No doubt someone with less than me would laugh if I tried to save that from danger instead of just being grateful I was still alive.
I think most of us have a few possessions we'd sorely miss if disaster struck, possessions that can't be easily replaced or that would just hurt to know were destroyed due to sentimentality. But it's funny when it happens to people with a higher income? What, because they can buy back sentimentality? No, no, apparently, so long as you have money, nothing bad can happen to you. And when something unfortunate does occur, you deserve no sympathy, because clearly this is the first time something bad has happened to you and you had it coming.
I thought money brought no happiness. Wasn't that the moral of some umpteen children's movies and Arthur cartoons? And yet, people with money have no problems? Wait, how does this work again?
This is just such a blatant case of resentment and I can't believe people I consider friends would stoop to such levels. It's so hard to keep myself from yelling at them. Yes, how dare those South Dakotans have a nicer life, when you've worked so much harder and earn so much less? That's just not fair, is it? It's about time they learned how difficult life is, seeing as you had to long ago. Also, you walked five miles to school uphill in a blizzard, so everyone else should get on that too.
Besides, those Dakota Dunes residents are all Republicans, they all inherited their money, they all bought their way through school, they all cheated their way to their fortunes by avoiding taxes and screwing the poor, they're all filthy rich and deserve not a cent of their money... Oh, wait. We know none of this. What we do know is that these people live in Dakota Dunes and are in trouble. Every single other blank is filled in by assumptions and resentment at those who have an "easier" life.
Look, if you've got a chip on your shoulder about very specific "rich people" who dance their way through a school and career thanks to Daddy Bush their parents and wealth, I understand. I relate. They get on my nerves too and I never want to see Donald Trump on my TV again either. Go complain about them. Don't drag down an entire community based on the fact they live in the Rich Neighborhood when you probably can't name a single person who lives there, let alone vouch for their eeeevil character.
To top it off, no one I've seen whine about those awful rich people can call themselves unprivileged. If you're reading this on your own computer connected to your own Internet, you are (get this) privileged. I'm not saying that's a bad thing; it's just something to be aware of if you're going to bitch and moan and whine about how other people are too well off and spending their money selfishly. How many people would you have fed if you'd given your money to a charity instead of buying your laptop? (Again, I'm not trying to say you should have, as that's not up to me to decide.) It's pretty damn hypocritical to live the life of luxury -- yes, a laptop is luxury, just ask all the people who can't afford one -- and then complain when others dare do it better than you.
If you've made it this far and still think the people of Dakota Dunes are selfish jerks who don't deserve your precious sympathy: Congratulations! You just failed Human Empathy 101! How does it feel to judge a person's character and worth by their income? I prefer the method of learning how they care for their fellow human beings, but I'm sure sticking to assumptions makes things much quicker and easier!
For those of you who don't live in the Tri-State area of Iowa/Nebraska/South Dakota like I used to, the Missouri River is overflowing like crazy and is only going to get worse over the coming months. There's a good chance some of the poorer neighborhoods are going to get hit, and they're being helped and evacuated as needed, but the area that is going to get hit badly for absolute certain is Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, so that's where the media spends its time. This town is known for being a Rich People neighborhood with some very expensive mansions (though it's worth noting not everyone there lives in half million dollar houses, despite what certain grouches would have you believe).
Also, half my old friends think this is amusing. Because it's happening to rich people.
I can't deny, I was relieved to hear that for once a natural disaster isn't targeting an impoverished neighborhood that would have a hard time putting things back together, but I was certainly not gleeful that a wealthy neighborhood is getting destroyed instead. I don't roll my eyes and snort when I hear about people trying to save their wine collections and art pieces and grand pianos, because even though those have no value to me, I know they mean as much to those people as my autographed Neil Gaiman book means to me. No doubt someone with less than me would laugh if I tried to save that from danger instead of just being grateful I was still alive.
I think most of us have a few possessions we'd sorely miss if disaster struck, possessions that can't be easily replaced or that would just hurt to know were destroyed due to sentimentality. But it's funny when it happens to people with a higher income? What, because they can buy back sentimentality? No, no, apparently, so long as you have money, nothing bad can happen to you. And when something unfortunate does occur, you deserve no sympathy, because clearly this is the first time something bad has happened to you and you had it coming.
I thought money brought no happiness. Wasn't that the moral of some umpteen children's movies and Arthur cartoons? And yet, people with money have no problems? Wait, how does this work again?
This is just such a blatant case of resentment and I can't believe people I consider friends would stoop to such levels. It's so hard to keep myself from yelling at them. Yes, how dare those South Dakotans have a nicer life, when you've worked so much harder and earn so much less? That's just not fair, is it? It's about time they learned how difficult life is, seeing as you had to long ago. Also, you walked five miles to school uphill in a blizzard, so everyone else should get on that too.
Besides, those Dakota Dunes residents are all Republicans, they all inherited their money, they all bought their way through school, they all cheated their way to their fortunes by avoiding taxes and screwing the poor, they're all filthy rich and deserve not a cent of their money... Oh, wait. We know none of this. What we do know is that these people live in Dakota Dunes and are in trouble. Every single other blank is filled in by assumptions and resentment at those who have an "easier" life.
Look, if you've got a chip on your shoulder about very specific "rich people" who dance their way through a school and career thanks to Daddy Bush their parents and wealth, I understand. I relate. They get on my nerves too and I never want to see Donald Trump on my TV again either. Go complain about them. Don't drag down an entire community based on the fact they live in the Rich Neighborhood when you probably can't name a single person who lives there, let alone vouch for their eeeevil character.
To top it off, no one I've seen whine about those awful rich people can call themselves unprivileged. If you're reading this on your own computer connected to your own Internet, you are (get this) privileged. I'm not saying that's a bad thing; it's just something to be aware of if you're going to bitch and moan and whine about how other people are too well off and spending their money selfishly. How many people would you have fed if you'd given your money to a charity instead of buying your laptop? (Again, I'm not trying to say you should have, as that's not up to me to decide.) It's pretty damn hypocritical to live the life of luxury -- yes, a laptop is luxury, just ask all the people who can't afford one -- and then complain when others dare do it better than you.
If you've made it this far and still think the people of Dakota Dunes are selfish jerks who don't deserve your precious sympathy: Congratulations! You just failed Human Empathy 101! How does it feel to judge a person's character and worth by their income? I prefer the method of learning how they care for their fellow human beings, but I'm sure sticking to assumptions makes things much quicker and easier!