My 33yo son on the subway fr Manhattan

[Duppers]

Back to his apartment in Brooklyn. We were texting about our crazy dog when he suddenly changed the subject:

"There's a homeless person on the train next to me, and the woman across from me is giving him dirty looks. I want to chew her out. I'm going to make it a point to give him some money while she's looking. They're not bad people.they usually have a mental health issue they can't afford to treat that precludes work. I feel awful for homeless people....
Want to be disgusted? Be disgusted that our country makes it impossible for the lower class to get meds for schizophrenia...
When bezos could buy a third world country by himself. He could personally pull every homeless person in NYC out of the streets...
Fucking hate late stage capitalist bullshit...
That's what this bitch should be disgusted by."

- proud mama who has raised a good guy.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

1. economic catastrophe hangs over each of us

Good on your son for seeing and acting.

[Duppers]

14. The very first thing..

..when I read or hear "economic catastrophe" is catastrophic medical bills.

Thank you, Hermit.

[Duppers]

2. He continued...

"A homeless woman asked for money the other week. Someone told her to get a job. Some college punk who bragged about getting an education to get a job himself. A banker, he said. I laid him low. Banker started. I chimed in with "I got a PhD. I'm more educated than you'll ever be, and I feel for this woman" then gave her the 5 I had in my pocket. He got off at the next stop."

💕 my kid

[malaise]

15. You did something right

[KY_EnviroGuy]

3. Thanks for sharing, Duppers. Good fellow, your son.

People come up in life with varying amounts of compassion, empathy, love of fellow-man and nature. I think components of that are inherited genetically and other parts come from upbringing and living experiences.

Conservative groups around the globe want to suck every single drop of those good qualities out of all people, but we ain't gonna let them do it.

People without those qualities will tend to hate, isolate, be filled with fear and refuse to help others.

Those having a good dose of those qualities tend to be like your son and the result is the world is far more at peace and emotionally prosperous.

[Duppers]

7. Thank you!

Yes, "far more at peace and emotionally prosperous." Well stated. 🙏

And I think you are correct regarding components being both genetic and conditioning. My hubby and I both came from very rightwing families but thankfully, that lack of empathy did not "infect" us. Our son was born with a strong personality, keen perception, and a kind and tender heart. We are most fortunate.

[pnwmom]

4. You raised a wonderful son.

And no one should ever mistreat a homeless person, especially someone who's mentally ill.

But I know someone whose job it is to try to work with seriously mentally ill people. Some of them are strongly opposed to any medication, and it can't be forced on them. And they don't always want govt. housing, either, even when they'd qualify. So the solutions aren't always as simple as they might seem.

Here's another story that was reported last year.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/06/health/nakesha-williams-involuntary-commitment.html

On Sunday, The Times published a heartbreaking story about a standout student at Williams College who later developed mental problems and ended up homeless, a fixture on a grate at 46th Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan.

The woman, Nakesha Williams, died in 2016 at age 46 after turning down many offers of help over the years and despite extraordinary efforts made by outreach workers and friends.

Many readers wondered: What can be done for someone like Ms. Williams, who is plainly mentally disabled but rejects help?

We asked Sam Tsemberis, founder of Pathways to Housing, a nonprofit that helps homeless people secure housing and supports for daily living. Mr. Tsemberis previously worked for Project Help, Mayor Edward I. Koch’s involuntary commitment program for homeless people with mental illness.

SNIP

[Doreen]

5. You have a wonderful son we should all be proud of him.

I volunteer most Saturdays feeding the homeless lunch and it is interesting to learn their stories about how they got there. It is sad and frustrating to hear what they are up against be it a mental disorder, down on their luck, the system screwing them over, or all of the above. When you want to talk to someone about your problems they are the most understanding people you will find while also seeing that your problems almost mean nothing. For some you have to work around their mental illness but I have seen that they can be some of the nicest people. I live in a small town so I see a lot of them around and know if I see someone harassing them I would be standing up for them.

[Duppers]

8. Doreen, you are a wonderful person.

The world needs more folks like you.

Thank you! 🙏

[Doreen]

10. Thank you for your kind words.

😊

[RelativelyJones]

6. How the hell can he be sure where her "dirty looks" come from? Maybe she had a shitty day. But she

is a "bitch". That came fast based on very little information. Not sure this guy is a good guy.

[Duppers]

9. Attitude right out of the gate!

Wow. You're challenging my son's perceptions. I think irony is lost on you.

Welcome to my ignore list.

[Atticus]

13. Someone put a mouse in your Bosco this morning? nt

[LAS14]

12. "Late stage" capitalism. Great phrase!!! Did he invent it? Or am I just out of touch? nt

[SharonClark]

18. It's a Marxist economist description and not new

[link:https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/05/late-capitalism/524943/|

[MadDAsHell]

16. I agree with your son about homeless people. Not sure I agree w/ his casual "bitch" label for women.

Seems more like a MAGAT thing.

[SharonClark]

17. Yep.

[Duppers]

20. What do you call a female that has made you extremely furious?

Yes, he was casting dispersions at this woman because she kept staring at the homeless guy with a judgemental look of disgust. It was one of the few times I've heard him use it.

I assume by your judgemental attitude that you've never used an inappropriate word.

I should find one of his excellent feminist rants and post it. But I don't think that'd change your mind. You'd rather ignore his defense of homeless people and his act of charity and criticize him for one angry inappropriate word. With his overall sentiments you're accusing him of being a tRump supporter! Good f'n grief.

[Tipperary]

23. Casting "dispersions"..

Huh?

[TwilightZone]

27. "What do you call a female that has made you extremely furious?"

I'm not the person you were responding to, but personally, I avoid gender-specific terms that have a history of being a bit loaded as a slur.

Pretty sure that was the point. Your question was curiously gender-specific itself, so I suspect you might not see that. I don't think the poster was being judgemental. Many people share the view that gender-specific slurs should probably be avoided.

I agree with you that the reference to being a Trump supporter was unnecessary. Unfortunately, plenty of people who aren't Trump supporters do it all the time.

[Tipperary]

33. Please check your dictionary for dispersions.

Perhaps you were looking for another word? Your son calling a woman a “bitch” is nothing to brag about imo.

[demmiblue]

21. I'm not fond of gendered slurs either.

Those types of pejoratives are probably some of the last words an abused woman hears before getting the shit beat out of her.

[Tipperary]

24. Yep.

And why did he not simply speak to her? Not that she did anything wrong other than “giving a look.” Sure would hate to be judged by a “look” I might inadvertently give to someone on a train.

[oldsoftie]

34. She might have been thinking about Trump. That gives people a shitty look all the time!

[Tipperary]

22. Cool story.

[liberalnarb]

25. You've got one bright kid on your hands.

Kudos for raising him.

[MLAA]

26. You raised a real man!!!!! Well done to you both!

[Duppers]

29. 🙏 thank you!

[PatrickforO]

30. Late stage capitalist bullshit.

Yes.

If we are lucky we'll move beyond the bullshit.

If we are stupid we will allow the capitalists to make the planet uninhabitable.

[Duppers]

31. Thank you! 😊

My son is persuasive and cares so much about underdogs.

[George II]

32. Even into her 70s my mother took the subway to work in Manhattan. Anytime she saw a homeless...

...person she'd give him/her a few dollars. One time when she tucked some money into the hand of a woman sleeping on a bench, she got yelled at by a cop! She yelled right back at him, saying "what if that was YOUR mother?"

He sheepishly turned and walked away. BTW, my mother was 4'-11" and weighed about 105 pounds, but the feistiest woman you could ever run across!