4 ms·

When you read this story - your heart warms & your eyes gets filled. It is crazy nice feeling. You feel like this world is such a better place. Yet, it hurts -

by the_arun 10mo ago

When you read this story - your heart warms & your eyes gets filled. It is crazy nice feeling. You feel like this world is such a better place. Yet, it hurts - to know there are so many homeless that our system needs corrections.

alwa 10mo ago
It also reminds me that systems can’t fix situations like this. The system of “care,” as the story alludes to the autistic person experiencing in their youth, often looks a lot more like warehousing the people on the margins of society, often in unpleasant (and almost always in institutional) conditions. Some kinds of humanity can only ever happen person-to-person, and it’s a great treasure for everyone involved to encounter such an opportunity and choose to take it up.
- the_arun 10mo ago
  Yep, we are part of the system.
  - deleted 10mo ago
    [deleted]
- h2zizzle 10mo ago
  "Incentivizing" doesn't really fix it either, as people take avantage of the incentives. You do have to make it possible for the people who do care to be able to, though.
- weakfish 10mo ago
  I think that the _current_ systems are incapable of care, but that doesn’t mean systems can’t be in general. I often think that they’re held back in large part by people who say “we can’t” rather than building a solution
  - kulahan 10mo ago
    It’s extremely easy to say that things could and should be better, but it’s about as useful as saying that things “can’t” be done. The problem isn’t that nobody wants things to get better, it’s that we disagree on how to get there. This has literally always been the case. Of course things could be better. Life could be perfect. Lacking this solution you’re hand-waving, it’s useless drivel.
    - weakfish 10mo ago
      I disagree that it’s as useless as saying they can’t be done, because acknowledging the possibility opens the door intellectually to think about solutions.
      - kulahan 10mo ago
        It’s a great way to pat yourself on the back and absolutely nothing else.
- johanneskanybal 10mo ago
  That’s an easy cop-out and disagree as an European with stronger social nets. But yes this is still a heart warming story.
  - kulahan 10mo ago
    This story takes places in Europe, so it sounds like those social safety nets aren’t really doing shit here, as OP implied.
    - KPGv2 10mo ago
      It takes place in the UK, which many Europeans (British and non-British) do not include when they say "Europe."
      - kulahan 10mo ago
        Imagine Chinese saying they aren’t Asian, or Brazilians saying they aren’t South American! It would be equally as hilarious and important to ignore.
        showsover 10mo ago
        The UK in general is left out when talking about Europe or the EU because of a mix of historical behaviour and geography (i.e. not on the continent).
        kulahan 10mo ago
        Nobody does this, it’s a disconnect between the UK’s believed place in the world vs. their true one. Literally nobody does this. They might say UK to differentiate from Europe because they’re SO intertwined that it can be legitimately difficult to separate the two in any other way.
        birksherty 10mo ago
        Americas do it themselves. Imagine Americans (and they don't live in Asia, so have no right) saying Iranian Iraqi Saudis are not Asians.
- Retric 10mo ago
  You see far more horrific cases in the current US system where minors are cared for by members of the general public at their homes. This self selects for both ends of the spectrum people who want to do good and very bad actors. That’s the core issue so often ignored, we need systems to deal with people at their best and their worst.

alwa 10mo ago

It also reminds me that systems can’t fix situations like this. The system of “care,” as the story alludes to the autistic person experiencing in their youth, often looks a lot more like warehousing the people on the margins of society, often in unpleasant (and almost always in institutional) conditions. Some kinds of humanity can only ever happen person-to-person, and it’s a great treasure for everyone involved to encounter such an opportunity and choose to take it up.

the_arun 10mo ago
Yep, we are part of the system.
- deleted 10mo ago
  [deleted]
h2zizzle 10mo ago
"Incentivizing" doesn't really fix it either, as people take avantage of the incentives. You do have to make it possible for the people who do care to be able to, though.
weakfish 10mo ago
I think that the _current_ systems are incapable of care, but that doesn’t mean systems can’t be in general. I often think that they’re held back in large part by people who say “we can’t” rather than building a solution
- kulahan 10mo ago
  It’s extremely easy to say that things could and should be better, but it’s about as useful as saying that things “can’t” be done. The problem isn’t that nobody wants things to get better, it’s that we disagree on how to get there. This has literally always been the case. Of course things could be better. Life could be perfect. Lacking this solution you’re hand-waving, it’s useless drivel.
  - weakfish 10mo ago
    I disagree that it’s as useless as saying they can’t be done, because acknowledging the possibility opens the door intellectually to think about solutions.
    - kulahan 10mo ago
      It’s a great way to pat yourself on the back and absolutely nothing else.
johanneskanybal 10mo ago
That’s an easy cop-out and disagree as an European with stronger social nets. But yes this is still a heart warming story.
- kulahan 10mo ago
  This story takes places in Europe, so it sounds like those social safety nets aren’t really doing shit here, as OP implied.
  - KPGv2 10mo ago
    It takes place in the UK, which many Europeans (British and non-British) do not include when they say "Europe."
    - kulahan 10mo ago
      Imagine Chinese saying they aren’t Asian, or Brazilians saying they aren’t South American! It would be equally as hilarious and important to ignore.
      - showsover 10mo ago
        The UK in general is left out when talking about Europe or the EU because of a mix of historical behaviour and geography (i.e. not on the continent).
        kulahan 10mo ago
        Nobody does this, it’s a disconnect between the UK’s believed place in the world vs. their true one. Literally nobody does this. They might say UK to differentiate from Europe because they’re SO intertwined that it can be legitimately difficult to separate the two in any other way.
      - birksherty 10mo ago
        Americas do it themselves. Imagine Americans (and they don't live in Asia, so have no right) saying Iranian Iraqi Saudis are not Asians.
Retric 10mo ago
You see far more horrific cases in the current US system where minors are cared for by members of the general public at their homes. This self selects for both ends of the spectrum people who want to do good and very bad actors. That’s the core issue so often ignored, we need systems to deal with people at their best and their worst.