Pic by Balazs Toth
Today we live in a culture saturated with self-serving,
self-indulging, and self-gratifying people. It doesn’t take much to see how
true this really is. We could point to the level of violent
crime in the US, which indicates on some level a selfish desire to
inflict pain on others in order to gain some demented level of gratification.
Don’t believe that statement? Consider this comment from one Memphis
teenager regarding a teen mob attack at a Kroger grocery store, “It’s
fun…That’s just what kids do.”
Violence, though, is just one of many behaviors that reflect
the reality of a selfish culture. What about a city that votes unanimously
about criminalizing homelessness? Yes, it’s true. The city council in Columbia,
SC voted to criminalize homelessness. Why? The motive isn’t completely
clear as one council member said it was a temporary measure toward “a more
sound resolution.” But like most decisions similar to these, it usually
revolves around money. Apparently some businesses are voicing concerns on how
the homeless crisis is affecting the city. (Read: Affecting sales and the
bottom line.) Instead of addressing the issues in a more humanitarian way, it’s
apparent that incarcerating, or moving the homeless to “a remote emergency
shelter” on the outskirts of the city limits and where they’re out of sight, is
a more acceptable alternative.
Another example of a selfish society can be found in Daytona
Beach, CA and Ft.
Lauderdale, FL. The law enforcement in these cities are told to enforce
ordinances that make it illegal to feed the homeless. According to the laws of
these cities, it’s up to the government to use taxpayer money to meet these
needs in the community. The penalty to feed the homeless on your own? Large
fines and even jail time. These laws seemingly run contrary in showing
compassion to those less fortunate.
(Read more...)
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