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Thanks for writing that. As a European I'm always shocked by this aspect of San Francisco. Come on, you, the great land of free, surely can afford to help the d

by majke 12y ago

Thanks for writing that. As a European I'm always shocked by this aspect of San Francisco. Come on, you, the great land of free, surely can afford to help the disadvantaged. But it looks like nobody's even trying. I was looking for pointers on how I can help - and here they are - thank you!

Gracana 12y ago
> Come on, you, the great land of free, surely can afford to help the disadvantaged. A common attitude I see from people who have "made it" in some way, whether that's running their own business or just working hard and making a good life for themselves, is that their success is deserved and a result of their hard work. By extension, if you're homeless or poor or on welfare or whatever, it's because you haven't put in that effort. It's a fallacious argument, but it makes it easy for a lot of people to dismiss those in need. Actually on second though... I've seen that attitude from plenty of people who aren't well off. It's quite pervasive. I guess people just want to believe that it's always possible to succeed through hard work, and that they/others aren't just getting fucked over.
- jorgis 12y ago
  People in the US all believe that if they just work hard enough for somebody else, they can become millionaires. There's also this fun narrative about the mysterious "job creators," which are angelic creatures from beyond the firmament who seek only to sprinkle money down on the destitute in exchange for a paltry 40 hours of their lives per week. Personally, I don't believe in them but I know enough people who do.
  - mcguire 12y ago
    "the mysterious 'job creators'" Hm. What do their Series A funding deals look like?
- vijayr 12y ago
  Many people believe in "It is not your fault if you were born poor, but it is your fault if you die poor". It is very hard to make them understand that some people just don't have enough opportunities, even though they are born in a western/capitalist country. Edit: John Oliver pokes fun at income inequality, he says it in a much more entertaining way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfgSEwjAeno http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfgSEwjAeno

by majke 12y ago

Gracana 12y ago

> Come on, you, the great land of free, surely can afford to help the disadvantaged. A common attitude I see from people who have "made it" in some way, whether that's running their own business or just working hard and making a good life for themselves, is that their success is deserved and a result of their hard work. By extension, if you're homeless or poor or on welfare or whatever, it's because you haven't put in that effort. It's a fallacious argument, but it makes it easy for a lot of people to dismiss those in need. Actually on second though... I've seen that attitude from plenty of people who aren't well off. It's quite pervasive. I guess people just want to believe that it's always possible to succeed through hard work, and that they/others aren't just getting fucked over.

jorgis 12y ago
People in the US all believe that if they just work hard enough for somebody else, they can become millionaires. There's also this fun narrative about the mysterious "job creators," which are angelic creatures from beyond the firmament who seek only to sprinkle money down on the destitute in exchange for a paltry 40 hours of their lives per week. Personally, I don't believe in them but I know enough people who do.
- mcguire 12y ago
  "the mysterious 'job creators'" Hm. What do their Series A funding deals look like?
vijayr 12y ago
Many people believe in "It is not your fault if you were born poor, but it is your fault if you die poor". It is very hard to make them understand that some people just don't have enough opportunities, even though they are born in a western/capitalist country. Edit: John Oliver pokes fun at income inequality, he says it in a much more entertaining way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfgSEwjAeno http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfgSEwjAeno