Do you really care?

Depraved

How much do we really care about other people?
If you seen a homeless teenager on the street, would you just walk by and pretend not to see them? Would you throw them some loose change? Would you actually stop, talk to them and see if you could help them?

Now what about all the homeless kids in other countries? 5 or 6 year olds wandering streets with no parents to take care of them. Just because you can't see them on your way to work in this rich country, it doesn't mean that they don't exist. And trust me, they do exist. I see them every day (I live in SE Asia).

The truth is, that unless something personally affects our lives, we are content to ignore it. Perhaps it is because there is so much suffering in the world and we feel overwhelmed if we even try to comprehend it? Perhaps we feel that we cannot help and so to avoid a guilty conscience, we keep ourselves inside our own little happy bubble of existence? Or perhaps we just can't admit that our species at its core is just selfish?

What do you think?

A_Sober_Paddy

Depraved wrote: »

How much do we really care about other people?
If you seen a homeless teenager on the street, would you just walk by and pretend not to see them? Would you throw them some loose change? Would you actually stop, talk to them and see if you could help them?

Now what about all the homeless kids in other countries? 5 or 6 year olds wandering streets with no parents to take care of them. Just because you can't see them on your way to work in this rich country, it doesn't mean that they don't exist. And trust me, they do exist. I see them every day (I live in SE Asia).

The truth is, that unless something personally affects our lives, we are content to ignore it. Perhaps it is because there is so much suffering in the world and we feel overwhelmed if we even try to comprehend it? Perhaps we feel that we cannot help and so to avoid a guilty conscience, we keep ourselves inside our own little happy bubble of existence? Or perhaps we just can't admit that our species at its core is just selfish?

What do you think?

Well in most cases the "homeless man/lady" are either just beggers thus not homeless, or junkies and in both cases can feck right off

A_Sober_Paddy

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

Well in most cases the "homeless man/lady" are either just beggers thus not homeless, or junkies and in both cases can feck right off

Best not to give to any of them in case they are not, in fact, homeless.

Time is money and neither is worth wasting on these layabouts. Although, a smart quip about them getting some gainful employment is never a waste of time.

Maybe if they'd just worked harder in school or weren't so lazy they wouldn't be in that position.

Hard to feel sorry for any of them really.

anncoates

Of course you care but the sheer scale of it means that you just end up prioritizing, for want of a better word, your own life on the whole.

To be honest, even things like the OP - or other impassioned calls to deal with poverty and injustice - are usually no less ineffectual than doing what most people do, that is, getting on with their lives and supporting their loved ones and kin.

Potential-Monke

I'll go the opposite route to what most people are probably going to post.

Unless it's someone i know, i couldn't care less. Especially so if it's outside my county, let alone my country. What's happening with ISIS and the other wars? Couldn't care. The poor in 'Merica? Doesn't bother me. The starving children in Africa and other places? Sucks to be them.

And at home, the homeless, there are places willing to help, but the person has to be willing to accept the help first. And why should i care when our own Government is sending hundreds of millions to oversea aids when that money could be spent on those living in their own country first?

Call me selfish, call me inconsiderate, i don't care. I've enough to be worrying about without having to worry about all these problems. Yes, i'm typing this on my fancy PC hooked up to my fancy TV in my moderate house using Fibre powered broadband, but i've worked for this, i've scrounged for this at times (and i'm still paying back the tv and house!).

And i know millions of others feel the same way, but won't say it for fear of what society may think of them. And why is it left to the average Joe to try and help these people? The top 10 richest people in the world could probably sort out the entire world hunger problem, and if they have bank balances into the billions if not trillions, and i have -€180 in my balance, well then that justifies my reasoning. If i was super rich, i'd probably do something. But i'm not. I'm just about managing. So until that day, i don't care about something that i really cannot make a significant difference to.

syklops

You can't help everyone. If I gave 1 euro to every homeless person I saw in the course of my day, id be down 20-30 euro per day, possibly more. Then I go home and I pay "just £2 pounds a month", to save little Julio in darkest Peru. Then another £2 to save little Sanjay in India, and then another £2 to help save the white Rhino.

I feel sorry for anyone homeless or anyone forced to beg for money, but both my time and money is limited.

Potential-Monke

Potential-Monke wrote: »

I'll go the opposite route to what most people are probably going to post.

Unless it's someone i know, i couldn't care less. Especially so if it's outside my county, let alone my country. What's happening with ISIS and the other wars? Couldn't care. The poor in 'Merica? Doesn't bother me. The starving children in Africa and other places? Sucks to be them.

And at home, the homeless, there are places willing to help, but the person has to be willing to accept the help first. And why should i care when our own Government is sending hundreds of millions to oversea aids when that money could be spent on those living in their own country first?

Call me selfish, call me inconsiderate, i don't care. I've enough to be worrying about without having to worry about all these problems. Yes, i'm typing this on my fancy PC hooked up to my fancy TV in my moderate house using Fibre powered broadband, but i've worked for this, i've scrounged for this at times (and i'm still paying back the tv and house!).

And i know millions of others feel the same way, but won't say it for fear of what society may think of them. And why is it left to the average Joe to try and help these people? The top 10 richest people in the world could probably sort out the entire world hunger problem, and if they have bank balances into the billions if not trillions, and i have -€180 in my balance, well then that justifies my reasoning. If i was super rich, i'd probably do something. But i'm not. I'm just about managing. So until that day, i don't care about something that i really cannot make a significant difference to.

Why do people who are just getting by support charities so? ineffectual or not.

I do give them sometimes but I've seen enough of them getting into or dropped off by vans, it's hard to know? I support the charities directly

King George VI

Potential-Monke wrote: »

I'll go the opposite route to what most people are probably going to post.

Unless it's someone i know, i couldn't care less. Especially so if it's outside my county, let alone my country. What's happening with ISIS and the other wars? Couldn't care. The poor in 'Merica? Doesn't bother me. The starving children in Africa and other places? Sucks to be them.

And at home, the homeless, there are places willing to help, but the person has to be willing to accept the help first. And why should i care when our own Government is sending hundreds of millions to oversea aids when that money could be spent on those living in their own country first?

Call me selfish, call me inconsiderate, i don't care. I've enough to be worrying about without having to worry about all these problems. Yes, i'm typing this on my fancy PC hooked up to my fancy TV in my moderate house using Fibre powered broadband, but i've worked for this, i've scrounged for this at times (and i'm still paying back the tv and house!).

And i know millions of others feel the same way, but won't say it for fear of what society may think of them. And why is it left to the average Joe to try and help these people? The top 10 richest people in the world could probably sort out the entire world hunger problem, and if they have bank balances into the billions if not trillions, and i have -€180 in my balance, well then that justifies my reasoning. If i was super rich, i'd probably do something. But i'm not. I'm just about managing. So until that day, i don't care about something that i really cannot make a significant difference to.

This pretty much sums up my feelings. If it doesn't affect me in any way I don't care about it or don't pay any attention to it whatsoever because I have enough to worry about. If I got sad over every school shooting, every war, every disease epidemic in Africa, every hungry child, every homeless person then I'd be a miserable oul ****er with a perpetual frown and nothing to live for.

I don't want to feel bad that I have advantages that other people don't have.

cheekypup

As far as I'm aware the goverment gives a certain amount to foreign aid from taxes and i'm sure they also give to charities at home eg Homeless, Poverty etc. Therfore through my taxes, i have paid for the privelage of not having to care.

TheBeardedLady

Depraved wrote: »

The truth is, that unless something personally affects our lives, we are content to ignore it.

You ask all these questions then come out with "the truth". I think you're here to get one answer (nobody gives a **** about anyone else outside of their circle), so without sounding snotty, why bother? I'd say speak for yourself on that one - plenty of people do. If they didn't, people wouldn't beg (as no one would give them money), charities wouldn't exist, a social system wouldn't exist in many countries, people wouldn't volunteer etc.

Do I care more about my family and friends than I do about a stranger? Yes, but that doesn't mean I feel nothing when I see someone begging on the streets.

ColeTrain

Conor Mortimor summed it up best on people starving in Africa:

"The 3rd world doesn’t exist. It’s just an excuse for people over there who aren’t successful. If they got the head down and trained for it like I trained for the County team; every man, woman and child in the place would be rolling in cash. In life you either win or you lose. Here I am launching my own book, while they’re living in squalor. It goes to show that hard work will get you places.

I’ll tell you what, I’ve managed to stay humble, grounded and empathetic through it all. Hell of an achievement and let me tell you this, like a fine ****ing wine, I’m only getting better while these people will be annoying me for years to come when I’m just trying to watch some ****ing TV."

BeerWolf

Here in Ireland there's many options to get people off the streets, people just seem to choose to beg instead...

I don't hand money out to beggars, reason being that Romas have becoming a plague and have actually made it a job to con people out through begging where they pool the money at the end of the day to their 'pimp'... for the genuine people out there there's options available to get them off the streets, and there's places opening to feed and shelter them.

It's unfortunate for people elsewhere having it worse off, like in Africa... but I'm not going to dedicate my life to being a good Humanitarian, going there to help them. I make the odd donation to a SELECT few charities [I don't just give to any, because MANY are corrupt and pocket most of the money...], and that's as far as it'll go.

cloud493

Sure if you worried about every homeless person and junkie you saw on the street, or every charity on the tv, you couldn't function. I give money to two charities every month.

BeerWolf

ColeTrain wrote: »

Conor Mortimor summed it up best on people starving in Africa:

"The 3rd world doesn’t exist. It’s just an excuse for people over there who aren’t successful. If they got the head down and trained for it like I trained for the County team; every man, woman and child in the place would be rolling in cash. In life you either win or you lose. Here I am launching my own book, while they’re living in squalor. It goes to show that hard work will get you places.

I’ll tell you what, I’ve managed to stay humble, grounded and empathetic through it all. Hell of an achievement and let me tell you this, like a fine ****ing wine, I’m only getting better while these people will be annoying me for years to come when I’m just trying to watch some ****ing TV."

Load of bollox, people can't train when such facilities don't exist for them...

Great jackass though, relatively young person having been raised in a country with a lot to offer for 'free' to criticise 3rd world people that lack all that and never had such privileges.

Try quoting someone that actually raised from the slums and became successful next time...

Potential-Monke

BeerWolf wrote: »

Try quoting someone that actually raised from the slums and became successful next time...

Does Slumdog Millionaire count?

todders

"Surly only looks out for one guy....surly"

ColeTrain

BeerWolf wrote: »

Load of bollox, people can't train when such facilities don't exist for them...

Great jackass though, relatively young person having been raised in a country with a lot to offer for 'free' to criticise 3rd world people that lack all that and never had such privileges.

Try quoting someone that actually raised from the slums and became successful next time...

I'd consider Shrule to be a slum but you're entitled to your opinion.
Also, the man has his own book. He is also Mayo's all time top scorer and started in two All-Ireland finals. What have you done?

BeerWolf

ColeTrain wrote: »

I'd consider Shrule to be a slum but you're entitled to your opinion.
Also, the man has his own book. He is also Mayo's all time top scorer and started in two All-Ireland finals. What have you done?

Nothing to do with opinion, fact is he had the option to go to a school... a lot of people in 3rd world countries don't.

You can get off your damn high horse, people get a better chance of becoming successful when they're given the choice... many of which in 3rd world don't.

TheBeardedLady

TheBeardedLady wrote: »

You ask all these questions then come out with "the truth". I think you're here to get one answer (nobody gives a **** about anyone else outside of their circle), so without sounding snotty, why bother? I'd say speak for yourself on that one - plenty of people do. If they didn't, people wouldn't beg (as no one would give them money), charities wouldn't exist, a social system wouldn't exist in many countries, people wouldn't volunteer etc.

Do I care more about my family and friends than I do about a stranger? Yes, but that doesn't mean I feel nothing when I see someone begging on the streets.

What she said.

It's also worth noting that considerable numbers of people head out to places on earth where they won't only be discomfited but at risk of illness or injury, with the sole aim of using their skills to make the lives of other people - total strangers - better.

Your version of the truth is in fact just your truth, OP, don't extend it to everyone.

ComfortKid

Any homeless person in this country is there either because there addicts or dont want help! Give one of em a few quid and straight in the offy he'd go. Plenty free money available to everyone on this island, even non irish. I throws a few quid to St Vincent de Paul because they sorted me out with food vouchers one time when I was in a bit of a whole!

ComfortKid

Any homeless person in this country is there either because there addicts or dont want help! Give one of em a few quid and straight in the offy he'd go. Plenty free money available to everyone on this island, even non irish. I throws a few quid to St Vincent de Paul because they sorted me out with food vouchers one time when I was in a bit of a whole!

lazybones32

Depraved wrote: »

How much do we really care about other people?
If you seen a homeless teenager on the street, would you just walk by and pretend not to see them? Would you throw them some loose change? Would you actually stop, talk to them and see if you could help them?

What do you think?

Sometimes I give them change, sometimes not.

While waiting for a bus in Limerick, a homeless man came and sat in the shelter. People moved away as if they'd catch something. I gave him a pound coin (that's how long ago it was) and he proceeded to add it to his significant collection of pound coins he'd amassed. He had more than me. Looking back, I should have asked him how he was and maybe his name but...

I walk past lots of people every day, pretending not to see them. Some are hurting and need help but unless they ask I won't proffer. Homeless people might need help; might want to be acknowledged; or they might want to be left alone. Just because they are homeless, doesn't mean I'm going to treat them any different than anyone else. I don't walk up to 'strangers' and offer to listen to their life-story or help them with their problems.

King George VI

ComfortKid wrote: »

Any homeless person in this country is there either because there addicts or dont want help! Give one of em a few quid and straight in the offy he'd go. Plenty free money available to everyone on this island, even non irish. I throws a few quid to St Vincent de Paul because they sorted me out with food vouchers one time when I was in a bit of a whole!

ComfortKid wrote: »

Any homeless person in this country is there either because there addicts or dont want help! Give one of em a few quid and straight in the offy he'd go. Plenty free money available to everyone on this island, even non irish. I throws a few quid to St Vincent de Paul because they sorted me out with food vouchers one time when I was in a bit of a whole!

Two sweeping generalizations of homeless people right there :pac:

coffeeaddict

ComfortKid wrote: »

Any homeless person in this country is there either because there addicts or dont want help! Give one of em a few quid and straight in the offy he'd go. Plenty free money available to everyone on this island, even non irish. I throws a few quid to St Vincent de Paul because they sorted me out with food vouchers one time when I was in a bit of a whole!

So all homeless people are alcoholics.....

Great summarisation.......

seamus

Depraved wrote: »

The truth is, that unless something personally affects our lives, we are content to ignore it.

Content is a bit of a loaded word there. It implies a lack of caring.

Simple fact is that if one didn't ignore it, your entire life would be consumed by it. As someone else said, as human beings we have to prioritise, and we prioritise ourselves and our families above all else. There's nothing wrong with that, it's human nature.

Do I give people on the street money? Nope. I don't believe it'll be of any help. If it was I wouldn't be walking past the same guy sitting in the same place at the same Luas stop at the same time with the same sign every single day.

ComfortKid

coffeeaddict wrote:

So all homeless people are alcoholics.....

I said either addicts or dont want help. We get a good dole here. Rent allowance. SVP are always there to help. I can't understand how someone can be homeless unless they're not trying or looking for help!

porsche959

" You know what I like about people? Their dogs. "

KomradeBishop

A handful of stunningly ignorant judgements of homeless people in general, in this thread - so much so, that it's hard to tell whether some of the posts are meant to be satirical rather than serious.

There are two ways to help homeless people: By providing support to help homeless people directly (charities, handing out money/food etc.), and by learning about the wider societal/political/economic problems that cause and maintain homelessness/addiction/etc., and supporting change in that direction, to provide a proper solution to the overall problem.

The latter is the way to properly solve these problems long-term, and actually minimize homelessness, but most people just aren't going to be that interested in learning about the (often complex) political/social/economic problems that contribute to it.

Normally, all problems like this - and their solutions - go back to politics in one form or another; don't waste your time worrying about every individual conflict or instance of poverty in the world, learn about the wider political causes behind that, so you can educate yourself on what needs to change politically, to solve the problem properly - and then inform others (that alone is doing something to help), and if you want to, try to push for that change politically.

I think it's actually dangerous, for people to think that stuff like charity is the sole way to go, and if they give a donation or two, that's their civic/moral duty done - charity obviously helps and is definitely necessary in the present, but if people don't learn about and tackle the bigger issues politically, nothing really changes.
In that sense, charity and providing direct support (money/food) to the homeless, isn't actually doing anything about homelessness, just treating the symptoms rather than the causes.

Venus In Furs

I do care, but I don't have the power to help them all - I do realise I'm lucky to be born into the circumstances that I'm born into though, life is a lottery and all that, so I do give to charity and to people begging... but at the same time, as others have said, my own life and loved ones are more important to me. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate what I have though.

ColeTrain wrote: »

Conor Mortimor summed it up best on people starving in Africa:

"The 3rd world doesn’t exist. It’s just an excuse for people over there who aren’t successful. If they got the head down and trained for it like I trained for the County team; every man, woman and child in the place would be rolling in cash. In life you either win or you lose.

Because people in the slums of Africa, Asia and Latin America are born into the same opportunity as he is?

Here I am launching my own book, while they’re living in squalor. It goes to show that hard work will get you places. I’ll tell you what, I’ve managed to stay humble, grounded and empathetic through it all. Hell of an achievement and let me tell you this, like a fine ****ing wine, I’m only getting better while these people will be annoying me for years to come when I’m just trying to watch some ****ing TV."

Surely satire?

Robsweezie

**** you jack, I'm alright

diomed

ColeTrain wrote: »

Conor Mortimor summed it up best on people starving in Africa:

"The 3rd world doesn’t exist. It’s just an excuse for people over there who aren’t successful. If they got the head down and trained for it like I trained for the County team; every man, woman and child in the place would be rolling in cash. In life you either win or you lose. Here I am launching my own book, while they’re living in squalor. It goes to show that hard work will get you places.

I’ll tell you what, I’ve managed to stay humble, grounded and empathetic through it all. Hell of an achievement and let me tell you this, like a fine ****ing wine, I’m only getting better while these people will be annoying me for years to come when I’m just trying to watch some ****ing TV."

Yes. Life is what you make it. Anyone could become President of The United States. You hear this from lucky people - lucky to be born in the West, lucky to win the womb lotto.

Conor Mortimor (never heard of him before this thread) is not an undersized, undernourished, uneducated waif working all daylight hours to get enough to eat.

My father was from Mayo. I am embarrassed that selfish Conor Mortimor wears the Mayo jersey.
"humble, grounded and empathetic - Conor Mortimor's words". He is the opposite of what he says.

Earthhorse

People care, of course they do, but I do find it interesting how much they rationalise and prioritise too. Certain issues will flare up and gain attention for a time; for example Gaza and that homeless man dying near the Dail last year produced a huge number of articles and Facebook status updates. So people care but they also care to let you know they care.

I find that really interesting; why were these particular issues more worthy of comment than other, equally horrifying things? I do get that there are proximity and relevance issues at play but I still wonder about it.

KomradeBishop

Venus In Furs wrote: »

Surely satire?

Hope so.

AlekSmart

Depraved wrote: »

How much do we really care about other people?
If you seen a homeless teenager on the street, would you just walk by and pretend not to see them? Would you throw them some loose change? Would you actually stop, talk to them and see if you could help them?

Now what about all the homeless kids in other countries? 5 or 6 year olds wandering streets with no parents to take care of them. Just because you can't see them on your way to work in this rich country, it doesn't mean that they don't exist. And trust me, they do exist. I see them every day (I live in SE Asia).

The truth is, that unless something personally affects our lives, we are content to ignore it. Perhaps it is because there is so much suffering in the world and we feel overwhelmed if we even try to comprehend it? Perhaps we feel that we cannot help and so to avoid a guilty conscience, we keep ourselves inside our own little happy bubble of existence? Or perhaps we just can't admit that our species at its core is just selfish?

What do you think?

Ah C'mon,you ask a direct question,then without a pause for breath you launch off into a tour-de-force in fingerwagging,tut-tutting moralising...before seeking another opinion..?

WTF is that all about ??

Are you actually surprised to learn that the Human is,at the core,a self-preservationist...Self-Preservation is what drives us all on...it's the basic tenet of our genetic make-up.

Overwhelmed with suffering...? avoiding a guilty-conscience...? Gimme a break here....I can only speak for myself,when I say that as long as I don't set about inflicting pain,suffering or abuse on anybody else,I'm happy...otherwise I'll just do my best to look after myself and those who directly depend upon me for their wellbeing....

To suggest anything else would be,for myself at any rate,depraved in the extreme !

TheBeardedLady

Earthhorse wrote: »

People care, of course they do, but I do find it interesting how much they rationalise and prioritise too. Certain issues will flare up and gain attention for a time; for example Gaza and that homeless man dying near the Dail last year produced a huge number of articles and Facebook status updates. So people care but they also care to let you know they care.

I find that really interesting; why were these particular issues more worthy of comment than other, equally horrifying things? I do get that there are proximity and relevance issues at play but I still wonder about it.

Wanting to be seen to care is partly why we care much of the time and then the whole "can humans act 100% altruistically" debate comes in.

I know when I'm on the metro which is packed full of beggers and buskers you often give money because others have done and you don't want to look a certain way. Sometimes you simply feel sorry for them. Sometimes you do it to ease your own guilt.

And often we don't care at all but just want others to think we care.

The Facebook phenomenon is a funny one - there's some pressure there to jump on the bandwagon for fear of looking heartless and selfish to others.

Why are certain causes more popular than others? Proximity and relevance and also getting swept up by a mania and wanting to belong...and I suppose being human and therefore fickle. Who knows.

Forest Demon

Depraved wrote: »

Or perhaps we just can't admit that our species at its core is just selfish?

What do you think?

What if selfish is the norm and nothing to feel bad about? A trait that has served us well in evolution?

What other species is not selfish? Imagine an ape in a tree eating a banana but not being able to enjoy it because another ape on the other side of the world had none.

We don't care about things that do not effect us directly. As a matter of fact we can enjoy other people's suffering. Why did we have colosseums, public executions etc? Why do we laugh when other people fall?

We actually have more empathy then all other creatures despite being selfish. Guilt, good and evil are constructs of religion. We should compare our species to other species and not too an imaginary perfect God.