Two Americas - a slice of life

[LibDemAlways]

On the campaign trail in 2004 John Edwards often spoke of two Americas - one prosperous, the other destitute - existing side by side. This was brought home to me in a very personal way the other afternoon as I waited in line in LA with my 13 year-old and her friend to see a concert at the Wiltern on Wilshire and Western in a working class area of the city not far from downtown. We arrived at 3PM and settled in for a long wait as the girls were anxious to get into the "pit" when the doors opened.

My daughter's friend lives in the lap of luxury in a gated community. Her family also owns a vacation home in the mountains, and another income property. Mom and dad each drive a Mercedes Benz, which comes in handy for mom who takes the girl to four different ice skating coaches for lessons as a "hobby." One of the coaches also works with Michelle Kwan. Imagine what that costs. In addition to the multiple homes, expensive cars, and skating lessons, there's private school with the kids of movie stars, and yearly vacations in exclusive resorts. Not typical certainly, but not unheard of in LA.

As we stood in line waiting for the theatre doors to open, we were approached by several homeless people asking for change. My daughter's friend seemed a bit startled and literally turned her back - which seems like an apt metaphor. The girl's father once proudly told me he's a contributor to the Republican party. Looks like his daughter is picking up repuke values. Many others in line simply looked the other way, too.

At one point something happened, however, that made both girls stop and take a hard, if brief, look. A woman came down the sidewalk pushing a small shopping cart. She was with her son who looked to be 8 or 9. As the pair approached a trash can the mother handed the boy an oversized pair of yellow rubber gloves. He knew what to do. He put them on and began sifting through the trash for cans and bottles which he put in the shopping cart to be recycled for a few cents each. Then it was off to the next can. Imagine publically sifting trash for money? I can't.

There on the street in LA on a midsummer afternoon in front of a bunch of teens, some of whom had paid scalpers big money to spend a couple of hours watching a rock band, stood a stark personification of poverty and desperation in the persons of a young boy and his mother. It's certainly an American cliche that this is the "greatest country on earth." But if the measure of the greatness of a country is how its government and those blessed with the most choose to help - or ignore - those with the least, we are far from great and, in fact, ought to be ashamed.

[NMDemDist2]

1. K&N for a real world tale of two Americas n/t

[SoCalDem]

2. When we lived in New Mexico, our local paper did a FRONT PAGE

story about an elderly couple who scavenged the town dump for recyclables.. They did mention that is was to supplement their meager income, and also about how they had actually found some valuables that were accidentally thrown out...and had RETURNED them to the legal owners..

It was doone as a feel-good story, but it made me incredibly sad to know that two people in their 70's were so strapped for cash, that they would spend hours in the blazing sun, rummaging through god-knows-what...just to recycle neswpapers, cans & bottles for the money they needed...probably for rent and medicine.

[LibDemAlways]

4. No one could possibly enjoy going through

trash that way. God knows what you'd come across. And shame on that paper for trying to create a positive spin off of someone's desperate situation.

[misanthrope]

7. How do we know the editor's intent?...

...Couldn't someone just as easily say the paper was making more folks aware of the plight of some good citizens? Without reading the actual story, it's hard to tell.

[SoCalDem]

8. It was YEARS ago.. and I think they did the article to highlight

their honesty for returning the property (It was a wedding ring in a box, IIRC)... but in fleshing out the story, the underlying story was their poverty.:(

[Phrogman]

13. There's lots of methheads that would disagree with that statement

Dumpster diving is the #1 sport of the tweakers.

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. I have done lots of dumpster diving!

At end of semester in a college town you can find some great stuff.

[nam78_two]

16. That truly brings a lump to my throat :(( , nt

[partylessinOhio]

3. John Edwards would have been a billion times better president than the

imposter.

Imagine what President Edwards would have done not needing to be convinced that there are two Americas.

Imagine ... there's no war...

[me b zola]

5. "But if the measure of the greatness of a country ..."

Your last line is perfect:

But if the measure of the greatness of a country is how its government and those blessed with the most choose to help - or ignore - those with the least, we are far from great and, in fact, ought to be ashamed.

I have often said that the measure of a society/nation is how wide is the disparity between the have & have-nots, and how the have-nots are treated. Indeed, we should be ashamed.

[bronxiteforever]

6. Bless your daughter-that should make you proud

It is amazing how some people forget that life is mere happenstance. Where we start is generally into what economic class our family is part of.
In the "way back machine" I remember a beautiful sad song by Gordon Lightfoot called Circle of Steel which said that our lives are almost always governed by chance. Your daughter looked beyond HER circumstance and empathized with another. That trait may very well save our earth and is people. Plus it gives me hope in dark times. tell her:thumbsup:

[LibDemAlways]

9. Well, I think she and her friend were startled to see

a child having to scrounge that way. She has a good heart. Her favorite member of the band's father passed away last weekend in some apparently tragic circumstances and she found the obit on line and insisted we send a small bouquet to the funeral home. I try to emphasize that it's important to treat others as we'd like to be treated, and though she's a little spoiled, too, she's a good kid.

[bronxiteforever]

10. well she sounds great and your are so right about this country.

I wonder what only one billion dollars from Iraq used here would have done for those children. Like Don Henly said "beating plowshares into swords"

[femmedem]

11. Thank you for this story.

It reminds me of a time I was walking downtown in a Northeastern city. I saw a middle-aged man finish a soda, then toss the can to the curb.

"How can you do that?" I asked him. "How can you just throw your trash on the ground?"

He looked at me like I was the craziest, most privileged white person he'd ever met. "That's not trash," he said. "That's five cents for somebody."

[ananda]

12. These two Americas do not exist..

.. side by side. They exist separate and apart.

The affluent live in their gated or wealthy communities,
and the rest live in decaying projects, impoverished
areas, or declining suburbs... or on the streets.

Sue

[Cleita]

14. I was always aware of this in South America but I never thought

I would see it in America. Yet, there are adults today that have never seen America as it was before homelessness and beggars became an acceptable part of the landscape.

A few good social programs could take those people off the streets, but we can't seem to get the right leadership to make it happen.

[nam78_two]

15. Awesome post...truly awesome

Thank you SO much for sharing that. Kicked and recommended for sure...

[nam78_two]

17. kick

[porphyrian]

18. Sifting through garbage is how some people eat.

Caring companies like McDonalds have a policy of throwing out food regularly, but not allowing people to eat their "garbage" because they see it as a financial loss.

It's time for these gated-community xenophobes to get a big, harsh dose of the reality of poverty in their face, if not in their home.