2 ms·

I have walked by homeless people in sf who I think probably don’t have much longer to live. I have done this. And I’ve watched dozens of people around me do the

I have walked by homeless people in sf who I think probably don’t have much longer to live. I have done this. And I’ve watched dozens of people around me do the same thing. I walked by several people like this for probably about a week. Then those people disappeared. I assume they died because who would spend the money to give them care?

n4r9 2y ago
I see. How much of that do you think comes down to being overwhelmed and disillusioned? I'm from the UK but have road-tripped around California. I've seen areas in SF and LA with intense social decay, and I imagine if I lived there for long I might give up trying to help just because it would take so much time and effort. Conversely, if I see someone in London lying on the street in a really bad way I would probably call an ambulance. But that's not happened so far.
- ninetyninenine 2y ago
  It’s more not caring. When exposed to massive amounts of it, it becomes desensitized. You saw it yourself when you visited these places and like the others who lived there you chose not to do anything about it. But homeless shelters do exist in the city. So there are people who a genuinely good and who do care. But again people willing to take action on this are in a tiny minority.
  - gosub100 2y ago
    > When exposed to massive amounts of it, it becomes desensitized This is what I was going to say. But looking backwards, I think it's a consequence of large cities vs little towns. If you lived in a little village, it's harder to ignore someone in need. You're going to see them again, you know their name, and almost like your family. This is how societies operated for millennia. But in a metropolis, it's easier to stop caring, expect the government to fix it (lol), and fear your neighbor instead of thinking of your city as "yours" and investing in it.
    - ninetyninenine 2y ago
      I think desensitization is part of it. But many others like you who visited these places and saw these things for the first time also chose not to help. You likely didn’t break down and cry from all the tragedy either. So I think it’s more than that. And clearly if the homelessness exists in the city then we know the government isn’t doing anything about it.

n4r9 2y ago

I see. How much of that do you think comes down to being overwhelmed and disillusioned? I'm from the UK but have road-tripped around California. I've seen areas in SF and LA with intense social decay, and I imagine if I lived there for long I might give up trying to help just because it would take so much time and effort. Conversely, if I see someone in London lying on the street in a really bad way I would probably call an ambulance. But that's not happened so far.

ninetyninenine 2y ago
It’s more not caring. When exposed to massive amounts of it, it becomes desensitized. You saw it yourself when you visited these places and like the others who lived there you chose not to do anything about it. But homeless shelters do exist in the city. So there are people who a genuinely good and who do care. But again people willing to take action on this are in a tiny minority.
- gosub100 2y ago
  > When exposed to massive amounts of it, it becomes desensitized This is what I was going to say. But looking backwards, I think it's a consequence of large cities vs little towns. If you lived in a little village, it's harder to ignore someone in need. You're going to see them again, you know their name, and almost like your family. This is how societies operated for millennia. But in a metropolis, it's easier to stop caring, expect the government to fix it (lol), and fear your neighbor instead of thinking of your city as "yours" and investing in it.
  - ninetyninenine 2y ago
    I think desensitization is part of it. But many others like you who visited these places and saw these things for the first time also chose not to help. You likely didn’t break down and cry from all the tragedy either. So I think it’s more than that. And clearly if the homelessness exists in the city then we know the government isn’t doing anything about it.