Comments on: Entitlement

By: torteya

torteya — Sat, 03 May 2008 18:11:04 +0000

Well, the reason I brought up the hobo quote was because it struck me as utter cobaggery (See, I’m trying!) to see the homelessness problem (which yes, it exists on every major metropolitan center in the world) as something that is bad -because some yuppie doesn’t like being bothered by poor people- instead of, you know, because people not having a home and being reduced to begging in the streets is a pretty bad thing -for the homeless person- and that we should feel like it’d be a good thing if something was done to help these people.

When you see somebody starving and your first reaction is overwhelmingly “yuck, poor people” with little to no traces of “this person has it pretty bad”, I find that pretty egregious. Not that I think everybody has any kind of obligation to give beggars money every time you see one. But to take the homeless problem and trivialize it into an unpleasant experience for the yuppies, with the connotation that poor people’s suffering means shit, well f that.

By: SharonZ

SharonZ — Sat, 03 May 2008 15:54:10 +0000

Yeeeeeeahhh…As someone who lives in SF, I can only imagine that this guy was wandering through the TL when all of the people there were so cracked out that they couldn’t put together the necessary words to ask him for change.
Imagined conversation between blogger(B) and crackhead(CH):

CH: MMmggth hey, HEY!
B:How splendid that these people aren’t hitting me up for change!
CH: Huh. blughf (drool) HEY! HHEEEEY!
B: what a lovely city

Still, I love it here.

By: Adorable Girlfriend

Adorable Girlfriend — Sat, 03 May 2008 14:56:45 +0000

I would agree that folks have their right to an opinion. However, when you are going to put your opinion out there and it has no factual basis or is it racist, misogynistic, homophobic, etc., etc. — it is important for those in the know deconstruct that opinion so that ignorance does not continue to spread.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Sat, 03 May 2008 13:33:37 +0000

I think everyone has a right to their own opinion and perspective. With that said, I think Chicago was getting a bad rap in that piece. Show me another urban center – New York, LA, Portland without a homeless problem. And while we’re talking about San Francisco – what about Oakland? I think it would also be much easier to be homeless in a temperate climate (not that it would be easy to be homeless anywhere) – rather than a Chicago winter.

I thought I read that a great percentage of homeless are actually veterans – and others suffer from untreated mental illnesses. But it’s much easier to blame them for their problems, instead of looking at how our government and society is failing our most vulnerable.

By: alexhaas

alexhaas — Sat, 03 May 2008 06:06:06 +0000

Been reading for awhile, but this is my first comment. You are so right about the attitude that people have about the north side. I am, or course, not a Chicago native. However, I heard about how no one wanted to live west of Western and north of Addison, or of course south of Roosevelt. Every part of the city has something great to offer – and some pretty shitty parts too. The whole city is like. Just goes to show – you can be a loser anywhere in the city as well.

By: Adorable Girlfriend

Adorable Girlfriend — Fri, 02 May 2008 17:51:57 +0000

First of all, The Marty bro is smoking hot!!! Damn. He’s married. So unfair.

Second, that Chi-town cobag is such a cobag! I love the people who live in a city for 2 years and claim to know ALL. That is such BS.

Oh and for the record — AG was in the Tenderloin last week (and stayed at the Four Seasons you wanna be elitist who stayed at the Hampton Inn SOUTH SF.) and was asked numerous times for change and food. So, don’t go telling everyone San Fran is sooooo great without Chicago plight.

That guy is such a loser. He is um, what is the phrase AG is looking for: A single cobag and stayin’ that way!!!

Cornhole!

By: Itanya Blade

Itanya Blade — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:02:25 +0000

The first election in which I could actually vote was for George the elder’s second term. My parents were shocked and horrified when I made it clear that I was voting for Perot.

My parents got me into the voting by having me keep track of issues for them, but like most things it did not have the effect they wanted. I did not end up a died in the wool conservative. Instead, I tend towards a more Libertarian veiwpoint then Republican. I do not believe in the legislation of social issues.

It’s just a pet peeve of mine. I think it might be something that those of us on the outside of the two party system might feel agrivation about.

By: officergleason

officergleason — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:46:41 +0000

“You cannot reach people or help people when you refuse to try and understand them.”

Deb–

We dialogue. Lewis and I dialogue. We work on understanding because we come from a place of friendship and common-nerd-ground. Because I care about your (and lewis’) opinion, I try to understand; however, I am coming from the converse of your situation. When I first started to vote, I was pressured by my Catholic church to vote against Clinton because he wasn’t pro-life. The same occured in 2000 and 2004–vote against the Dems because of a single issue.

There was no dialogue. There was pressure from right to left. My typical response to this pressure was to 1) dialogue 2) argue 3) give up. I am guilty of giving up and saying there is no dialogue; however, the pressure is just as loud and rough right to left as it is left to right.

I keep trying to reach out and i know I always screw up. Bringing up the Republicans are Stupid is mostly a discussion of how my dad and I would talk and argue with each other. It is more a flash to how my dad and I bonded late at nigh than what I think about my friends to the right.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:50:36 +0000

Let’s hope the entitled cobag you are referring to doesn’t decide to move to Seattle. Although he’d fit right in.
oy.

By: Serena

Serena — Fri, 02 May 2008 01:10:49 +0000

Um, my experience with the homeless in Chicago, and the homeless in SanFran were pretty much on par. The one guy I remember most from being in Oakland was smart enough to stand next to the automatic ticket machines, and he’d ask for change from people who’d just gotten their change back from buying a ticket for BART. I know I couldn’t look him in the eye and bold-faced lie that I had no change, with the money I’d gotten back still in my hand. I don’t remember how much I gave him, but even as a broke college student there for a conference, I had more than he did.

Good post, Marty.