I have lived in abject poverty. I am perfectly aware how
dire life can become when you hit rock bottom and I mean rock bottom when all
options have been depleted and there are only two avenues you can follow:
either change your situation or die. Now, this can apply to many things:
addiction (all levels), mental stability, and/or financial stability.
With that being said, I’d like to focus on what happened earlier
today. I went to change over my mailing address to my new apartment from the
building where, if you are homeless one can receive a multitude of services…all
free of charge and receiving mail is one of them. As I stood patiently in line among the insane and unwashed,
there was an obese bull dyke on a phone apparently abusing her underpaid caseworker.
That wouldn’t had bothered me until she snarled, “I want the things from you
that I am entitled to!” In which I casually turned to her and stated, “Lady,
you aren’t entitled to anything. Not one damn thing. These people don’t have to do anything for you.”
“Why don’t you mind your own business?” She snapped at me.
“Since you decided to yell and include everyone in you
dilemma, you obviously made it my business!” I stated.
“Fuck you!” She barked.
“Nope. It is you who are obviously fucked.”
She rose red faced and faux hyper-ventilating, “I need
someone to talk to! I need to calm down! This fucker….this fucker can’t talk to
me like that!”
I sighed, “Look, lady, I’m not your therapist. Pay me $250 an hour and
I’ll tolerate any asinine bullshit you can spill forth and then tell you all is
okay. But, you don’t, so I’m not.”
Eventually, a case worker whisked her outside and I finished
my business and left.
On the walk downtown, I was approached by an elderly
woman. In a timid tone she asked, “Could you help me? I need food for me and my
kids…could you spare anything?”
I explained calmly to her I just left staying at a shelter (her attitude dissipated
quickly) and when I informed her of the family services provided at the
Primavera Foundation (food, clothing - all free), she mumbled okay or something else dismissive
and sulkily walked away.
That and that alone is why I never assist anyone in this
country. For one, I know for a fact that the homeless or near homeless in The
United States receive benefits free of charge that would be envious of anyone
in other countries who work and toil for their meager possessions. As a matter
of fact, years ago when I resided at the St. Vincent de Paul shelter in
San Diego, during their lunch a kid from Central America was appalled and shocked
at the amount of food wasted by the clients who ate – for free – in the cafeteria.
His comment being the amount tossed into the garbage could feed the people in his village for
an entire year.
The homeless of America – generally – are spoiled and over privileged.
They believe they are irrefutably entitled to all free benefits and do become
quite irate when those benefits; i.e. food, financial, or housing – are not
provided at the given moment requested. They expect everything without
any effort to work on the situation themselves. Please recall, I lived among
them and witness this time and time again, so save your ignorant comments.
I for one will never assist anyone down and out in this
country unless I knew them personally. There are far too many organization who
will assist with food, housing, clothing, employment, among many other things
most people take for granted.
As I have mentioned, I have lived in other countries and
witnessed unassisted poverty at its most insidious. Most, and I refer to most
and not all, Americans are in it for the short con…I ought to know, I did it
for decades…
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