the sarko bashing has little to do with his apparent generosity in inviting the homeless for a free meal and a place to kip, and more to do with the social conditions that permit such poverty, and the rightist tendencies of sarko, whose plans for europe tend towards 'neolib' anglo-diseased reforms, thus making his antics for his tame press ridiculous and hypocritical.
eminently bashworthy, in between socking it to ideologues!
perhaps you disagree... have fun! The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it. Chinese Proverb.
Sarkozy has often spoken for more regulation of international finance, bankers pay, against investment funds' short-term activism, for more democracy and more politics in EU's decisions, so that people stop seeing it as a technocratic bureaucracy. Sarko supports environmental policies, he supports regulation of EU imports with social, health, and quality standards. Sarko was often opposed to tax or social dumping from eastern european countries. I warmly encourage you to look through all this and find the neolib' policies. I don't even think you can label them as rightist. And then when you finally managed to find something more factual, we can discuss the term bashworthy, if you will see fit.
By the way dignity is not given by someone, or given by someone else. Either you have it, or you don't. Neither the state, nor the society threw people out of their houses. Each of those homeless are there as a result of a personal situation which cannot be just thrown in the face of the society and culpabilize it wiht that. The homeless must be helped, but more than quick fixes, they need help to reintegrate the society (if they want to), find a sense to life (if they miss one), find a job.
Oh well. I guess just the notion of "giving" matters. If we don't just "give", no questions asked, no condition at all, no effort implied, now or in the future, the vulnerable will feel they're treated like rags. Anything less than unconditional giving, is just heartless and inhumane. You're in an emergency situation, but you don't accept mere "charity". People care about your vulnerable situation, what an insult. A taxi for Monsieur?
have you ever been is dire straits and dependent on others for the very basics of life?
i hope it never happens to you, though it might change your attitude.
some people would rather freeze to death than be made to feel 'less-than'. your sneering at that is sad and not helpful on any level.
honour is a strange concept, suffice it to say that for some it's more important than life, whether you sneer at those who feel that way for not being pragmatic or not.
personally i would take the handout, but i understand and do not feel it's ok to judge those who would rather check out. some things are more important than another band-aid over a broken life.
bon voyage, monsieur
a toi la parole The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it. Chinese Proverb.
And when you don't take the handout or choose to remain outside when you've been treated well and with the normal respect, I don't see anything bashworthy towards anyone in charge (be that from the shelter, the ministry or the president). I really think that just like with discriminations, all this should be nuanced well beyond what is obvious. Why people become homeless, how does that change them, what are their own attitudes, how justified, how reproachable (no one is beyond fault, poor or rich), how correct-able, is a dense and deep topic.
Charity and pity are good feelings that come from sympathy and empathy. It makes one jump to the help of some one else.
charity is that and more.
does the word 'vibration' resonate with you?
have you never been given something by someone in such a way that you felt poorer afterwards?
as you often do, you weave truths in with opinion is such a way that comes off as sophistic, to me.
ValentinD:
honour or other big and empty words.
no need for reply! we seem to be talking past one another. we both tried, and that's respectable. The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it. Chinese Proverb.
(honour was meant in that precise context, compared to gratitude and assumming respect in the said handout)
