Hatred Towards Less Fortunate, Hard-Working Families

"This is the most amazing statement I believe you have ever made. Have you ever seen residents of a poor neighborhood make an annual trip to a suburb of perhaps $200,000 houses for a drive to 'clean up' the community? I never have. On the other hand it is an annual event to go to a poor neighborhood and make a 'clean sweep' of junk and old tires, old appliances tossed out the backdoor, etc. It takes dozens of people all day to do this, even serving lunch. So no, one will not find junk on the property of nicer neighborhoods at the same rate."

The statement above was posted as a comment in response to something I had written here not long ago about property values and urban redevelopment. The comment comes from a regular reader who seldom, if ever, agrees with me.

My daughter, Joanna, had an interesting comment about the statement.

"Dad, I wanted to reply that I see this every day of the week in my neighborhood," she said. "Poor, hard working people come into my neighborhood every week to clean the houses, to keep the landscape looking perfect and to haul off everything we throw away and waste. We pay them to take care of all of the dirty work."

I like that. I like that alot. Thanks, Jo!

Many poor neighborhoods are filled with houses owned and ill-maintained by absentee landlords (i.e. slumlords). Codes aren't enforced. City services can become sub-standard. Residents do the best they can with the resources available.

I guess I'm like my daughter. We've just seen the folks. We just know the people. Cheap judgment and knee-jerk hatred just doesn't get it.

Comments (2)

madashellliberal

The commenter showed his/her ignorance and arrogance. It is apparent that this person has never fallen on hard times. I have and I will tell you, when you have a choice between buying groceries and paying the trash bill, it's not a tough choice. Ditto on painting the house and paying the gas bill monthly.

When you get married and have children, you don't do it thinking one day your partner will abandon you and your children. When you buy a house, you don't do it thinking one day your income will be cut in half. Things happen and people deal with things the best way they can. And jackasses judge.

But I am certain this person's day will come. Let's hope that this person does not have to be brought down too low in order learn humility and empathy. And let's hope that those around are more kind and generous than this person when it happens.

Posted by madashellliberal | October 22, 2009 10:41 PM

Posted on October 22, 2009 22:41

Tatiana McKinney

People are ignorant and irritate me. When they are on their high horse they have no clue how hard it is to have to work to get the things you want, and the determination to work harder to make sure you keep it.

I agree with the post above. I hope this person never comes on hard times and has to face the agony of dealing with a situation that's less-than-perfect.

Thank you for shedding light on a not-so-perfect situation. It's great to see people with humility these days, even if it's few and far between.

Awesome post! :)

Posted by Tatiana McKinney | October 23, 2009 2:37 PM

Posted on October 23, 2009 14:37

Post your own comment

Name:

Email Address:

Remember personal info?

(To create links here or for style, you may wish to use HTML tags in your comments) We want to know what you think. Feel free to share whatever you'd like to:

Menu

Shortcuts

Contributing Authors