The Lack of Shame
The Lack of Shame
121107 jn
This is a true story. It happened exactly as described.
It was around noon on election day, November 6, 2012. I was sitting in McDonalds. A group of old retired men were enthusiastically talking about the election... saying nothing of note, but with much ignorance and stupidity. I stayed out of it. An employee of McDonalds was clearing a nearby table and quietly said to me, "This has been going on all day... I can't wait for this election to be over."
A couple was waiting in line. They were a typical, mid-forties, white, middle class couple. They were listening to the old guys discussing the election and the state of the union in general.
One of the retired guys said something negative about "Obama-Care" and the middle-class white guy in line turned to him suddenly and said, "Oh yeah, well I'll have you know that if it wasn't for Obama's healthcare plan, I wouldn't have any health insurance right now."
This silenced the old guys. He continued, appearing to speak to the room in general, "Obama made it possible for me to cut the cost of my insurance by over 80%, so I voted for him again."
The entire room was silent. Nobody said a word. Before I knew what I was doing, I heard myself addressing him.
"You actually sound like you're proud of that", I said.
"You're damn right I am," he replied indignantly.
"In other words, you're proud of the fact that instead of paying for your health insurance yourself, you and Obama have ganged up on ME and have forced me, at the point of a gun, to pay for part of your health insurance. You're actually PROUD of the fact that you are mooching off of me and all those people working behind the counter in McDonald's... that you're part of a gang that is using the power of the government to FORCE us to pay for your healthcare. Instead of feeling ashamed... instead of bowing your head and cowering in front of all the people you are depending on to pay for your healthcare insurance... instead of meekly thanking them for the sacrifices they are being forced to make in order to benefit YOU... instead, you stand there claiming that you're PROUD! What do you have to be PROUD of? Are you proud of the fact that you're unable or unwilling to take care of yourself? Are you proud of the fact that you're stealing part of their wages for your own personal greed? No... shame is what you should feel. Disgrace... embarassment... and gratitude... along with a strong dose of remorse... because YOU can't or won't take care of yourself and so you joined a mob of others who can't or won't take care of themselves... and together you've figured out how to force US to take care of you. Shame on you."
Nobody said a word. The guy was stunned and his wife stood there mortified. The room was absolutely silent for a moment, then one of the retired guys started clapping... and within a few seconds, he was joined by another... then by someone across the restaurant... and pretty soon it sounded like the entire restaurant was applauding.
I had delivered my little sermon while still seated at my table. I remained seated and looked down at my meal... angry at myself for having lost my temper and butting in rather than minding my own damn business.
Within a minute or so, the room quieted down again and everyone went about their business, pretending nothing had happenned.
Then I heard the guy quietly say to the McDonald's counter person, "Can I change my order... I'd like that, to-go please."
121107 jn
This is a true story. It happened exactly as described.
It was around noon on election day, November 6, 2012. I was sitting in McDonalds. A group of old retired men were enthusiastically talking about the election... saying nothing of note, but with much ignorance and stupidity. I stayed out of it. An employee of McDonalds was clearing a nearby table and quietly said to me, "This has been going on all day... I can't wait for this election to be over."
A couple was waiting in line. They were a typical, mid-forties, white, middle class couple. They were listening to the old guys discussing the election and the state of the union in general.
One of the retired guys said something negative about "Obama-Care" and the middle-class white guy in line turned to him suddenly and said, "Oh yeah, well I'll have you know that if it wasn't for Obama's healthcare plan, I wouldn't have any health insurance right now."
This silenced the old guys. He continued, appearing to speak to the room in general, "Obama made it possible for me to cut the cost of my insurance by over 80%, so I voted for him again."
The entire room was silent. Nobody said a word. Before I knew what I was doing, I heard myself addressing him.
"You actually sound like you're proud of that", I said.
"You're damn right I am," he replied indignantly.
"In other words, you're proud of the fact that instead of paying for your health insurance yourself, you and Obama have ganged up on ME and have forced me, at the point of a gun, to pay for part of your health insurance. You're actually PROUD of the fact that you are mooching off of me and all those people working behind the counter in McDonald's... that you're part of a gang that is using the power of the government to FORCE us to pay for your healthcare. Instead of feeling ashamed... instead of bowing your head and cowering in front of all the people you are depending on to pay for your healthcare insurance... instead of meekly thanking them for the sacrifices they are being forced to make in order to benefit YOU... instead, you stand there claiming that you're PROUD! What do you have to be PROUD of? Are you proud of the fact that you're unable or unwilling to take care of yourself? Are you proud of the fact that you're stealing part of their wages for your own personal greed? No... shame is what you should feel. Disgrace... embarassment... and gratitude... along with a strong dose of remorse... because YOU can't or won't take care of yourself and so you joined a mob of others who can't or won't take care of themselves... and together you've figured out how to force US to take care of you. Shame on you."
Nobody said a word. The guy was stunned and his wife stood there mortified. The room was absolutely silent for a moment, then one of the retired guys started clapping... and within a few seconds, he was joined by another... then by someone across the restaurant... and pretty soon it sounded like the entire restaurant was applauding.
I had delivered my little sermon while still seated at my table. I remained seated and looked down at my meal... angry at myself for having lost my temper and butting in rather than minding my own damn business.
Within a minute or so, the room quieted down again and everyone went about their business, pretending nothing had happenned.
Then I heard the guy quietly say to the McDonald's counter person, "Can I change my order... I'd like that, to-go please."
Previous comments...
Ayn Rand lays it out really well just how and why the two are no different from each other.
And yes, there is a huge collectivist theme running through Christianity, which they inherited from their parent religion. I presume that Islam does as well but I don't actually know.
*I* think it's all a natural outgrowth of the tribalism that was, once upon a time, necessary for the survival of the Jewish race -- but I'm not an anthropologist and you shouldn't listen to me.
Note that we're not including the "Eastern" religions in this discussion.
Anyway, a read through the New Testament shows rampant collectivism in the Early Church -- along with its well-known problems, to the point in which Paul had to admonish one church "that if any would not work, neither should he eat."
There is also, of course, the well-known, well-misunderstood (and mis-translated) scripture about the Root Of All Evil.
So, yeah, the "western" religions are full of Collectivism. The "eastern" religions -- I have no idea.
Some of the provisions including non-denial for pre-existing conditions have been implemented. Perhaps this is what allowed the guy to have insurance… Many of the “good” parts have been implemented apparently to soften the blow for what is to come, namely the costs.
http://www.healthcare.gov/law/timeline/f...
Respectfully,
O.A.
You are the second person who has suggested that I read http://armstrongeconomics.com/. I have started and so far it makes perfect sense. I may be making the switch here shortly. Your confirmation and second recommendation has pushed me over the top.
Thanks bud.....
I'm going to print out your statement and place it in front of my computer so I can look at it when ever I'm sitting there and commit it to memory and next time I hear someone make a statement like that, I can promise you personally that I will unload on him, her or them and give them both barrels. Maybe they will think twice about making statements like that and maybe ever realize it what they want "hurts" others who are hard work people.
Again. Thank you for your story.
I'm going to print out your statement and place it in front of my computer so I can look at it when ever I'm sitting there and commit it to memory and next time I hear someone make a statement like that, I can promise you personally that I will unload on him, her or them and give them both barrels. Maybe they will think twice about making statements like that and maybe ever realize it what they want "hurts" others who are hard work people.
Again. Thank you for your story.
We the people have forgot what the law of nature is to man. It was in our Declaration of Independence. The law of nature is basically this. Animals are set to a few laws of nature and so is man. When you take that and religion out of the education, then what do we look up to... chaos and disorder. If it is not in the schools, it must not exist...is that right? We, as humans, think we know so much...we revel in our own nature. We think "We" are the answer to everything. I think we are so far from the point, we could not find our own way back.
It is so much more than Shame!
The ONLY people who take him seriously are lit-crit majors who are so wrapped up in their mutual-masturbation society that they have lost all contact with reality.
Foucault was a radical (and I mean REALLY radical) Left-winger who, among other things, was a big supporter of Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini. I don't think we need to spend any more time on him.
http://www.healthcare.gov/law/timeline/f...
Ever seen an Obama supporter who isn't lying?
5
Posted by kyates3 4 days, 6 hours ago
I'm currently a college student studying engineering. Yes, I got scholarships for school tuition, but I still work as much as I can to make it. During the summer I worked two jobs and literally never took a day off except a few days where I was ill. My dad died when I was young, and my mom worked three jobs to support her three children; my sister, my brother, and I. To moochers like that guy, I would like to give them a swift kick in the ass.
Reply | Permalink now its very sad /evil that education is set by a mindless green /political agenda than facts ..which shows the dumbing down the whole of a nation to knuckle dragging cavemen aka dark age in the making !
When governments discovered debt it was a dream solution, it enabled handouts, but there seemed to be no downside as taxes did not have to rise (in the short term). There is no pleasure greater than spending other people's money. The handouts and debt just go on and up. At some point a government finds it cannot roll-over loans when they become due.
This is happening in Europe for some southern countries. The German government imposed a few conditions then lent even more, tho' their public is critical.
Should this happen to the US, there is only China that can come up with cash of the amount needed.
There would be a 'price' to pay.
Side note- what did China do to their economy to grow so fast and have spare cash? They brought in capitalism, tho' not democracy.
And just what would these "favors" be?
"Among the forms of knowledge dismissed by them, especially in the case of the Deconstructionist philosopher Michel Foucault, is medicine, because medical science is merely an elite knowledge system that confers power on rich doctors. I have long believed that one of the funniest things in life must be a Deconstructionist professor of comparative literature in need of an emergency root canal, being treated by a deconstructionist dentist. ('Your pain is not real, it is subjective, let me narrate about it to you, there is no pain in reality, Novocain will just interfere with your narrative.')"
Capitalism is an economic system only (not a social system), which provides goods and services. It has the advantage that it allows the freedom to consistantly inprove the goods and services available, by providing rewards for the efforts. However it also creates a burden on society - it requires infrastructure and resources (human, manmade and natural). If it doesn't address this burden with a sense of responsibility and accountability, that burden is magnified.
We must stop being selfish and interpreting the Constitution in selfish ways - read the Preamble it defines the Constitution as the social compass of the American Society and the Social Consciousness of American Capitalism.
And then you state that we must "stop being selfish"...???!!!
You First...!!!
It's not an issue of whether "every person [must] have healthcare." To say it this way is to fall victim to the way the looters have framed the issue.
The whole topic of "framing" is something I should probably expand upon, but not in this thread. It's an old Leftie tactic that guarantees they win an argument by (improperly) defining the terms of the argument.
We MUST stand against that.
I would prefer that you would have said, "why MUST every person have health insurance?" -- which is the real issue.
Again, what is your point? Do you have one?
The old Socialist criticism that Capitalism "creates a burden on society" (sometimes also expressed in terms of "externalities") was disproved decades ago by the Austrian school.
We would all do well to do enough reading (the literature is voluminous) to understand this lie thoroughly so we don't get caught in its trap.
And as far as saying "We must stop being selfish" in THIS forum -- words fail me. Wow. Just wow. You might as well just stand up in church and start using the "F" word.
More importantly... you MUST believe that the feeling of entitlement that many of our fellow citizens now have is, at least in part, the fault of all who continue to support a system that fosters that mentality.
You can not compromise with irrationality.
She... uh... lives in Canada. Yeah, Canada.