Galling Arrogance
I read a news article about how shelters in NYC are apparently taxing the working poor for the privilege of staying in the shelters. They charged one woman who earns $1,700 a month (which is nothing in New York) something like $1,200 a month in rent. For a homeless shelter.
If someone's rich and says "oh, it was all luck" we smile and say that they're a lovely, modest person, even though a lot of it is luck. Being born into a stable, drug-free family in a nice neighbourhood, being the right skin colour, not being predisposed to schizophrenia, bipolarism or depression, not having any relatives or parents who want to put their hand down Little Sally's panties or told Little Timmy they'd choke him to death if he told anyone this special secret, having parents who give a damn, not suffering any major illness or accident while growing up, not witnessing acts of brutal violence as a child, all of that is luck. Count your fucking blessings.
Now take some person who grows up in an unstable home, sexually abused by Granpa Joseph, clinically depressed, suffered from bouts of malnutrition, their parents never taught them how to feed themselves or manage money or even how to clean properly, never gave a damn about their education, exposed the kids to violence because they grew up in a violent home and that's how they were taught to deal with their emotions and problems... oh, but they're just lazy.
God fucking bless America. We'd better tax those free-loading layabout single mothers who have the galling arrogance to want to stay in a filthy, crowded homeless shelter and not be raped.
If someone's rich and says "oh, it was all luck" we smile and say that they're a lovely, modest person, even though a lot of it is luck. Being born into a stable, drug-free family in a nice neighbourhood, being the right skin colour, not being predisposed to schizophrenia, bipolarism or depression, not having any relatives or parents who want to put their hand down Little Sally's panties or told Little Timmy they'd choke him to death if he told anyone this special secret, having parents who give a damn, not suffering any major illness or accident while growing up, not witnessing acts of brutal violence as a child, all of that is luck. Count your fucking blessings.
Now take some person who grows up in an unstable home, sexually abused by Granpa Joseph, clinically depressed, suffered from bouts of malnutrition, their parents never taught them how to feed themselves or manage money or even how to clean properly, never gave a damn about their education, exposed the kids to violence because they grew up in a violent home and that's how they were taught to deal with their emotions and problems... oh, but they're just lazy.
God fucking bless America. We'd better tax those free-loading layabout single mothers who have the galling arrogance to want to stay in a filthy, crowded homeless shelter and not be raped.