I left my home town 20 years ago. I still have family there and like to keep up to date with local news by reading the local newspaper online.
Recently there was a story of a man who had numerous health problems and was having problems getting authorisation for life saving heart surgery. The man has diabetes and had become an amputee do to health complications.
The comments section of the article were disgusting, people were assuming that his illness was self inflicted and saying that people like him were a burden to the tax payer.
Today I was reading the news online and there was an article about his sister she had been nominated and received a makeover. Her friend had nominated her because she had helped take care of her brother and elderly mother as well as recently overcoming ovarian cancer.
The comments were upsetting to read, people were saying she hadn't done anything to deserve it and there were unkind remarks about her appearance. How can people lack empathy to such a degree and have no compassion for a family that have obviously been through such a lot?
I'm noticing this more and more of late. The Times reported yesterday that people are becoming less supportive of the welfare state. Its a sad state of affairs.