WTF????

[mapgirl]

so the quote below was a "friend's" status on FB. i called him a douche and unfriended him. we're the only country with homeless without shelter etc...?!?!?!!?! then, my bestest friend in the whole world posted almost the same thing except saying "liberal media and hollywood" rather than "America".

i am at a loss here. i'm disgusted at the ignorance and the flat out un-truth of the whole thing. i almost never get into political conversations like this, but i am sooooo angered by the ignorance of the whole thing. i do understand that we have problems in this country that need to be addressed, but these people aren't volunteering their time at a soup kitchen or working with under privileged children, etc... who are they to condemn those that are choosing to help those in haiti. i have a good friend with family there, that they can't find. and it hurts me to think that a friend actually feels this way. the first one to post this isn't really a friend, but someone i hung out with like 17 years ago. he's ignorant and i don't care. but for my bestie to say this? i feel like i don't know my best friend of 20 years.

ug, i guess i just needed to vent.


"JUST FOR AMERICA: Shame on you America: the only country where we have homeless without shelter, children going to bed without eating, elderly going without needed meds, and mentally ill without treatment - yet we have a benefit for the people of Haiti on 12 TV stations. 99% of people won't have the guts to copy and re...post this!"

[cecelia]

Hmmm am I missing the point? I feel like its not condemning Americans for helping the people of Haiti but rather condemning Americans for only stepping up to help out those less fortunate when there is an 'international disaster'. I certainly had that thought the other night when I went to a bar in Boston and was bombarded at the door flyers and cards re: donating money to the people of Haiti. It's really sad how we only see problems when they are not on our own front steps...

[K!!]

Not that I entirely agree (I'd help everyone if I could!) but this has a lot of good points about not helping our own:

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2010/01/25/h ... etroit-is/

[SpringFlowers]

I kinda interpreted the quote as "homeless people AND a 12-station benefit for a different nation", not just "we're the only country with homeless". Surely no one actually thinks that?

But, the whole help ourselves vs. help others is sort of a....oh, what the heck do they call it? There's some... oh! "false dichotomy". Is that what I'm thinking of? Yeah. It's not as if it has to be, or even is, an either/or proposition.

That said, though, the whole quote is just kinda "meh", to me. It wouldn't get my panties in a wad, either way.

[mapgirl]

you know it didn't occur to me that they would mean have this situation AND sending aid. that actually makes much more sense. i interpreted it as we were simply the only country with homeless, etc... which is just absurd. hmmm.

[SpringFlowers]

It's not the most well-written thing I've ever read....

[huzzah!]

Actually, I think the shame should be on other countries who use having their own problems as an excuse not to help haiti or other international disasters.

I was proud when Obama announced we were going to devote $100 million to Haiti relief. I like to think that even though our own nation is struggling so much now, we still know that some things are so important you just have to help out, even if it is financially painful.

We do have homeless people and mentally ill people and children living in poverty who need our help. But, thankfully, we don't have cholera, or typhoid, or TB, or even polio; we have extreme poverty but we don't have total mayhem. Haiti is a tropical country with no infrastructure and no way to access clean water, food or medical supplies - without any outside help at all, they would be facing mayhem and disease. As it is things are going to be bad enough for them.

I'm proud that people in the US have stepped forward to help, and I only wish we did a better job of helping our own more consistently. Shame on those other wealthy countries who sent over a group of ten doctors and figured they were doing their part.

[mapgirl]

right-o!! well said. thank you.

Actually, I think the shame should be on other countries who use having their own problems as an excuse not to help haiti or other international disasters.

I was proud when Obama announced we were going to devote $100 million to Haiti relief. I like to think that even though our own nation is struggling so much now, we still know that some things are so important you just have to help out, even if it is financially painful.

We do have homeless people and mentally ill people and children living in poverty who need our help. But, thankfully, we don't have cholera, or typhoid, or TB, or even polio; we have extreme poverty but we don't have total mayhem. Haiti is a tropical country with no infrastructure and no way to access clean water, food or medical supplies - without any outside help at all, they would be facing mayhem and disease. As it is things are going to be bad enough for them.

I'm proud that people in the US have stepped forward to help, and I only wish we did a better job of helping our own more consistently. Shame on those other wealthy countries who sent over a group of ten doctors and figured they were doing their part.