Header Image (book)

aowheader.3.2.gif

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Consider This

With a hat tip to Leticia of My Daily Trek:


What makes people act in such a cruel manner?

Does such cruel treatment of others make a statement about our society?

25 comments:

  1. Many of the grocers in our area hire such individuals because they receive a tax break for employing them. The downside of this is that I have had a bag of apples unceremoniously dumped on top of a loaf of sliced bread, bunches of bananas tossed on top of tomatoes, etc.

    Smiling.

    Overall, I have not seen the type of behavior which is stagecrafted to elicit a response, in this video. But as for myself, I have grimaced, watching these individuals bag my groceries.

    Because the grocers receive a tax break, I have also wondered about the employment of area high school boys, still in high school, who desperately need a first job; but are not hired because their wage is not subsidized by the government. Every government subsidy, is in fact, discriminatory against another demographic in society.

    As for me, I might not have entered the fray for fear of being punched!!

    Signed,

    I am not a robot!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tammy,
    Such individuals do not bag groceries here -- not that I've seen, anyway.

    However, such individuals do bring in the grocery carts and tidy up the outside area of the store.

    Years ago, we used to have a retarded man (Think Lenny from Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, but without the destructive streak) who maintained the local cemetery and could be hired for heavy work outside or inside one's home (digging ditches and the like). Some might refer to him as "the village idiot."

    He was the only child of a doctor and a Latin teacher and quite wealthy via a trust fund, which took effect after his parents died. He also must have had a legal guardian of some type.

    I'm not sure exactly where he lived, but I do know that the Brethren Church supervised his living arrangements. We children were strongly admonished against being cruel to this man; any child who was cruel to him was punished -- and severely.

    I haven't seen him in over 15 years. I last saw him at a grocery store, where he was doing his own shopping without any assistance.

    ReplyDelete
  3. People need to stand up for civility.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I believe I know why people behave cruelly and inconsiderately toward one another:

    1. Most of us have doubts about ourselves we don't like to admit, so we project those doubts and fears (that we might be inferior or inadequate) onto others. It's easier than facing our own shortcomings, and trying to deal constructively realistically with unpleasant realities.

    2. Virtually everyone instinctively feels uncomfortable -- or annoyed -- with others who seem "different" in ay noticeable way. This is the root of what-we-call "racism" today, but it goes far beyond the depressing white v. black conflict we are all too familiar with. Beautiful people feel uncomfortable (or superior) in the presence of homely ones, tall-short, fat-thin, awkward-graceful, smart- dull, athletic-sedentary, gentle-aggressive, arrogant-humble, sensitive-callous, foreign-native, highbrow-lowbrow, heterosexual-homosexual, single-married, family-childless, religious-atheist, spiritual-materialistic, altruistic-hedonistic, etc., etc., etc.

    I'm not immune to these feelings, -- none of is if we are honest with ourselves --, but since I like to think of myself as both educated and civilized I have trained myself to suppress unkind, anti-social feelings, and try always to act polite and considerate no matter how I may really feel.

    I don't see this suppression of "natural" inclinations as hypocritical or dishonest, as the literalists who habitually mistake "facts" for "truth," would surely have it. Instead I believe it to be enlightened.

    We may not be able to help how we FEEL, but we CAN make a conscious decision as to how we allow ourselves to REACT. The degree of altruism and gentle consideration w exercise in that choice determines how "civilized" we are.

    Remember "LOVE" is not a "FEELING," it is an ACT of WILL an often an act of COURAGE.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Special children demand that special adults take care of them. There was a time when these people received specialized care, but since the liberals tossed all “special needs” people out on to the streets to fend for themselves, it is up to the average man on the street to deal with them. Not everyone is capable of doing that in an appropriate way. Downs Syndrome children can be a real challenge, and no one wants to see their groceries destroyed after having just paid top dollar in their purchase.

    Remember, the word for the leftists is despicable. They haven’t hesitated to discriminate against blacks, or the insane, so why should discriminating against retarded children matter? And by the way, ever wonder where all the “Special Ed” kids end up in adult life?

    ReplyDelete
  6. People simply don't believe in consequences... unless you're the one with the job.

    And nobody else will speak up because they are afraid they'll be shot or something.

    ReplyDelete
  7. ...

    Personally, I find it deplorable the way those people acted. Yes the groceries may get hurt, that does NOT give ANYONE the right to attack that person, whoever they may be.

    Of course, people will never stand up. They care more about themselves. If it were me, I would have chewed out anyone I saw doing that, punched or not. But maybe, hey, they agree and won't stand up.

    I agree with FT. We hate the other. General rule of thumb. We fear what we do not know or understand, and hate what we fear. Learning to not do that takes time and experience. Myself, I try to never say whatever I'm thinking, because I've been the other. I may not be anymore, but I remember the hurt.

    But it takes something else. An honest care about something outside yourself. In this egocentric society, that is rarer than it should be. So many are of the opinion, if it doesn't affect me directly, I won't do anything. Which of course just leads to more abuse, more harm, less solutions and less help.

    Will it ever change? Nope. Human nature is human nature. Repressing nature is now taboo.

    -Wildstar

    ReplyDelete
  8. We have restaurants near us that hire developmentally delayed individuals to greet people at the door. They are kind, polite, are well-liked by the patrons of the restaurants, and as far as I know treated very good. I cannot imagine anyone treating these individuals with anything but kindness and respect.

    Debbie
    Right Truth
    http://www.righttruth.typepad.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. People can be such worms. Don't want to get involved? Wait till it happens to you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. There is a guy who works at my neighborhood Safeway; he has Downs Syndrome. His duties include grocery cart organization and bagging. He is very dedicated and has the amazing ability to remember and address all regular customers by name. Although he's not always perfect (who is?) everybody likes and respects him. I'm glad that this isn't Brooklyn; YET!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Tammy,
    Our grocery store employed special needs adults (had to let go of most of them once county passed the law banning plastic bags). I had no complains about the way my groceries were bagged.
    I have no issue with the store getting a tax break for hiring special needs individuals either. Some individuals do need extra protection.
    I don't like the way 60 minutes (6o minutes?) set up shoppers next to aggressive plants. Some people were reactant to step in. I don't think it necessarily makes them heartless.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you, Wildstar. Despite the vast difference in our ages, we seem to have something in common.

    The Answer to all our problems is so simple as to seem ridiculous, but -- IF WE STOP TO THINK -- strict adherence to The Golden Rule gives us our best shot at happiness and fulfillment.

    Just treat others the way you WISH they would treat you, and you can't go wrong.

    This means GIVING UP any desire or expectation of being treated with "fairness." The concept of "fairness" is tremendously misleading, and has been the mother of much injustice and stupidity.

    It doesn't MATTER whether OTHERS treat US "fairly" or not. Our DUTY is to treat THEM "fairly" no matter WHAT they do or fail to do.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you for sharing this. And I would hope that someone would stand up for these precious people.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Down's victims make most people uncomfortable to be around, because we don't know what they might do. No one will like this comparison, but it's pretty much the same as having a big, strange dog run up to you.

    I don't think this scenario of a couple of people's reactions proves much of anything. It's not exactly a scientific sample. People generally don't want to get involved regardless of what the reason is.

    ReplyDelete
  15. It certainly does.

    A child of my neighbor has Downs. He is in his 30s -- a challenge to the life line.

    There isn't a malicious bone in his body.

    BZ

    ReplyDelete
  16. Leticia,

    Thanks again, for you being you! I always see a good, clean analysis and commentary with every thing that you post, here and elswhere. Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Growing up as an only child in an isolated area, my first friend was the housekeeper's daughter, who was mentally retarded.

    Of course, as a child of about four years of age, I didn't recognize that Frances, six years older than I but very interested in playing the same games that I played, was all that different.

    As a result of my friendship with Frances, at an early age I developed a heart for such people.

    ReplyDelete
  18. FT,
    Yes, according to the Golden Rule is the way to live our lives. I have found that people who live according to the Golden Rule are usually much happier than those who do not.

    ReplyDelete
  19. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous, your post is childish.

    Own up to it using your username or I'm deleting it. Of course, if you're librulcrapp (as I suspect) I'll delete it anyway.

    Many people are very uneasy around Downs and other special needs people because they haven't any experience around them and 'don't' know what to expect.

    I've found people with Downs syndrome to be child-like and wanting to please and be liked

    ReplyDelete
  21. The Human race is as "retarded" as it gets, so NOBODY has an inherent right to treat anyone else this way.
    "groceries destroyed after having just paid top dollar in their purchase. "...SO? RETURN IT FOR REFUND TO THE MANAGER. They will get the message & give better training or an appropriate position for their tax break.
    Good Lord, it's not like they MUST hire someone- maybe they feel it is the right thing to do.AND I DON'T see many teenage boys or girls filling these positions, and NOT because the PERSON with Downs is working it.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thank you, Lady Liberty. Exactly right you are.

    We must all strive to remember what Jesus said:

    "In so much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

    AMEN!

    ReplyDelete
  23. By the way, I think the little parody of a well-known nursery rhyme posted by Anonymous was a clever, humorous - and not unkind -- way of telling a certain poster who has been persistently churlish, ill-tempered, insulting, and unsympathetic that his sourness is not only unpleasant to be around, but also out of line.

    Much better than saying something just plain nasty like "Shut up, you stupid moron." ;-)

    WIth the world we are forced to live in being what it is, I think we ALL need to lighten up, -- if we want to keep our sanity, that is.

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  24. PS: Liberalmann doesn't have enough intelligence to make up rhymes. He's just a plain unvarnished leftist troll. Too bad he can't simply be blocked. This software lacks many features we bloggers really ought have at our fingertips. A BAN button would be very much in order.

    ReplyDelete
  25. FT, your right about the liberalloserr.

    But unfortunately he can cut and paste.

    If I can get the time, I'll write a script that bans him specifically by IP address. That will keep him from posting under another username or anonymously. If he keeps annoying me I'll offer it, gratis, to everyone else he annoys.

    ReplyDelete

We welcome civil dialogue at Always on Watch. Comments that include any of the following are subject to deletion:
1. Any use of profanity or abusive language
2. Off topic comments and spam
3. Use of personal invective

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

!--BLOCKING--