I forgot to add that the US is becoming less socially mobile and also has greater extremes of inequality than "Europe" -- Britain's going the way of the US. --- John Wager <john.wager1@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Eric Yost wrote: > > > . . .It's all very romantic to think the poor are > noble, but after > > watching homeless drunks fight each other with > lead pipes at 4 a.m., > > after watching the skankiest toothless hookers > sizing me up for a > > manip or begging me for fix change, after > witnessing closeup the > > extreme mental illness of the homeless, the sadism > and brutality of > > the ignorant poor on a daily basis, you might sing > a different song. > > > > Maybe the noble poor image fits with some pastoral > Christ dream, but > > in the real heart of urban darkness, the poor are > just part of a > > vision of demons. They eat themselves and then > they eat your soul. > > > > "The rich are not like you or me, Scotty" -- They > have money. > > > That seems to be, in my experience, the main > difference. Eric's story > is of the poorest of the poor; the homeless, > addicted, alcoholic poor. > But according to U.S. official statistics, > 37,000,000 people in the U.S. > live in "poverty." These people are not your addicts > or hookers; they > are rural families trying to make a living, or > mothers trying to raise > families without fathers, or veterans whose society > has abandoned them. > Lots of other stories in 37,000,000 lives! > > > So if we're telling urban stories, let me share one > of mine. One summer > in grad school I tried selling Encyclopedia > Brittanica. I was a > horrible failure, financially, but I thought it > would do me good to > develop the pushy, sell-something side of me, so it > was the best job I > ever had, personally. Anyway, I got a "lead" > post-card from an address > in Cabrini Green housing development in Chicago, one > of the worst > possible high-rise jungles. I thought "Well, I > don't have anything > better to do, and obviously this person wants the > free paperbacks" so I > arranged a meeting. When I got to the right floor, > past the non-working > elevators and smell of urine, I found a small > apartment, tastefully > decorated, with a mother and four children of > various ages. She made > room for me at the table and we talked for a while. > The children came > and went, always politely. After I left I thought > "Here is a normal > person, trying to make her way in life with her > family." She did indeed > want the free paperbacks, and obviously was not > interested in buying the > Brittanica, but it was a chance to talk to her about > what she wanted for > her children. If I hadn't gone into that apartment, > the outside > appearance of Cabrini Green would have given me an > image of stark > despair and poverty that would have clouded my > judgment. Street people > are just that, on the street, in your face. But what > goes on behind the > windows of all those decrepit buildings lining the > streets is probably a > complete surprise to all of us. > > > The fundamental problem, it seems to me, is that not > only are we as a > society "unzipping" politically along red/blue > lines, we are "unzipping" > socially along economic lines. I grew up knowing a > fair number of rich > and poor people. I suspect that most citizens in the > U.S. today no > longer have as wide a range of friends or > acquaintances of differing > economic status. Who we don't know can destroy us > as a society. > > > -- > ------------------------------------------------- > "Never attribute to malice that which can be > explained by incompetence and ignorance." > ------------------------------------------------- > John Wager john.wager1@xxxxxxxxxxx > Lisle, IL, USA > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, > vacation on/off, > digest on/off), visit > www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html > ___________________________________________________________ To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre. http://uk.security.yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html