I am scared of the kind of society we are becoming?

[brasty]

More and more as a society we seem to be losing empathy for people who are struggling. From those on benefits, to those in overcrowded houses, to disabled and ill people. If individuals think they would not find themselves in that situation, then any empathy seems to disappear.

Not everyone has the same personal resources. Some people are struggling just to get through every day and so eating healthily is not a priority. It is not accident that those with severe mental health problems tend to have worse physical health and higher levels of harmful behavior such as smoking.

Being chronically disabled is shit and makes life much much harder than those who have never experienced it realise. And yes someone may be "lucky" to have social housing, but how about having some empathy if they are struggling in an overcrowded house.

It scares me. This lack of empathy has real affects, Cuts are being made to benefits for disabled people, only because most people simply don't care enough.

Also years ago people only knew what was king on in thier little pocket of the world. There was not the internet and constant news and updates. I think people have now become hardened to bad news. We hear about stuff so often it isn't shocking anymore.
E.G. Years ago a homeless person in your town may have been given lots of food and compassion but we are now confronted with stories about the millions of homeless that it feels like it doesn't matter what we do it won't make a difference as well as being filled with stories about scams and cons artists so people are too afraid to help.

^Pink* any statistics to back up your huge numbers of refugees ?

Maybe it is because of the people I know that I feel differently? I know so many people with horrendous life stories. Who have been trafficked by their own parents as teenagers into prostitution. Who have been sexually abused as children, then attacked and gang raped as adults and left with multiple physical health injuries. Women who still bleed every day from their injuries. And lots lots more difficulties.

It breaks my heart that some stranger can decide they are not deserving of health care as they ate junk food for many years, or drank too much alcohol. Or that they are now on benefits and can't hold down a job.

My friend counsels refugees, many of whom have been tortured and seen their family members killed. They suffer horrendous nightmares, flashbacks, and physical health problems. And yet they get abuse from strangers who think that we should not be helping them.

I judge. I judge all those out there who don't really give a damn about other people.

Brieandchilli is spot on. I've given it a lot of thought as a history fanatic who also falls into the benefit cuts demographic and yes, there is this little slice of time when the value of all human life was generally recognised and agreed (well, all Allied and preferably white human life anyway...). Then love of money and the need to feel more important than other people reasserted itself, not surprising after thousands of years of that being standard behaviour.

On the up side, we have had those thousands of years of treating each other like shit and humanity is still here, so maybe we will just keep ticking on for thousands more. I don't think people have changed at all really over this time- it's just our circumstances and technologies that make things appear different on the surface.

Anyway, happy Wednesday!

Look back over history op. When exactly were we better as a society than we are now? Fact is human beings (and all living things for that matter) tend to look after themselves and their families first. It's just nature.

YANBU.

I think we're seeing the world in increasingly black and white terms. We're not seeing the shades of grey any longer because it's scary to do so. People are battening down the hatches and closing their eyes. It's the last thing we should be doing.

YANBU.

Brieandchill Yes you may be right. I know there was an old man who slept rough near where my gran used to live. She would be 115 if still alive. All the old people who lived there used to regularly give him food, including my gran.

Lately I have been shocked when visiting big cities at the amount of people obviously sleeping on the streets. The numbers seem to have increased.

I don't think individual giving is the solution. The solution is a welfare state which means that nobody has to be in this position. Instead our Government has just decided to cut housing benefit to under 25s making a new claim.

Just your thread title confuses me tbh. It seems to be a statement but ends with a question mark. I've noticed this happening a lot. Maybe the question mark at the end of statements is supposed to represent 'upspeak'.

frumpet - Just google it

The fact is, we have too many people for our infrastructure.

The thing about looking after families first, is that those without families or with abusive families or families unable to help, are left to fend for themselves.

I am long term ill, unable to work, have days where I can't function (both physical conditions and PTSD from abusive childhood)...I am terrified at the moment...I have no family, unable to maintain friendships as I am unable to leave the house a lot and have a lot of pain (and lately I am so ashamed of being on welfare that I don't want to have to admit it)...if they cut my benefits when they change DLA to PIP I may well lose the flat I rent and there being no social housing I would be disabled and homeless...I live in constant fear....

Doyouwantabrew actually there has been a lot of research linking addictions to the brain damage caused by abuse in childhood...such abuse shows up in scans as underdeveloped areas of the brain that mean such people are more susceptible to medicating this damage with alcohol etc...I always give to the homeless, even the obvious drug addicts because I know the despair that such terrible beginnings can cause.....

It's great saying that people should look after themselves first. I was watching The Day After Tomorrow - a film where the USA and Europe suffer dramatic climate change - and USA refugees need to go to Mexico.

Kind of ironic given the rhetoric coming from Trump at the moment.

Sometimes you can't look after yourself and you need help from the people who you have refused help to.

The Good Samaritan?

That sounds an awful situation to be in muffinbluffer

There is no shame on being on welfare, seriously.

I think these bloody programmes on tv have a lot to answer for, you know the 'benefits street' type thing, which show dossers. Which clearly you aren't, but these programmes seem to have the aim of bringing about a stigma

I love the bit in that film where the USA Government are begging Mexico to help them.

YANBU.

The labour government after the second world war basically did hugh amount and set up the welfare state - I remember some politician saying every government since has tried to reign it back.

No one wants to lose their entitlements - so only way to do this is to whip up idea that it's not you losing something it's someone less deserving.

It's been a theme for a long while - in media, politician speeches it's sort of around in zeitgeists now.

Another theme being we have less resources/money so people fight for their bit of them - thus having even less compassion for others and to justify that finding fault with others.

I think we need to start looking after our own first, as many have said - putting more money into necessary UK services and stop sending money abroad, we CANNOT solve the worlds problems. some of the shit that goes on is heartbreaking, but as per comic relief we have been giving money MILLIONS each year but nothing changes ..we cannot solve the worlds problems, but we can solve our own and take responsibility for our own

I agree with much of this OP. It's hard to imagine eg the NHS being created today.

Haha at this being the result of "left wing" policy. The UK saw the biggest fundamental shift in policy and social thinking under Thatcher. People have short memories.

reign it back. - wrong rein there .

I think we need to start looking after our own first

Who do you think are 'our own?"

Where does 'us' stop and 'others' start?

Comic Relief is individuals giving their own money. If you don't agree with where it gives money, don't give. The vast majority of aid the Government sends abroad is spent trying to ensure our security here. It is not really about aid, but about helping us. That is why the Government refuses to cut the international aid budget.

We spend so little on healthcare in Britain in comparison to other countries. Most countries spend way way more. No wonder our healthcare is not as good as some countries. It is like buying xmas dinner in Iceland, and then blaming Iceland because the food is not as good as your neighbour who have bought xmas dinner from Waitrose.

Thank you Pink...yes, I do think the way people on benefits are portrayed in the press is very damaging and allows all these cuts to pass because people think all those on welfare are 'the same' and need 'incentivising'.

I would love to work, the one thing I am able to do is a weekly evening class (though am not always able to do a lot and by the end of term my hair is falling out with exhaustion)...I had an idea of, if I ever got a bit better, using the skill to do a little work at least...ironically, if they cut my benefits I wouldn't be able to afford this class and so meaningful employment would be further from my reach....there are times when I feel completely hopeless if I am honest as the system does not seem there to help anymore, just to punish.

The departments are so big and don't communicate either...I remember once getting a letter from the council telling me they were cutting my housing benefit to such a low amount that I would be homeless...it turns out they didn't check what other qualifying benefits I was on and sent this letter out by mistake...It made for a terrifying few days....

i was going to say the response to the East Africa crisis has been impressive in terms of aid donated - most people aren't compassion fatigued, do understand that we in the UK on the whole are some of the luckiest people on the planet. In some ways social media has made it easier for charities to get their word out and get people to donate.

It's difficult to expect empathy from people who are struggling too.

People slightly better off are being ridiculed all the time if they dare complaining (see the amount of threads on here). They might have a slightly better income, but they get no help whatsoever and are made to think that they are only good to subsidies others.
People who are worst off don't receive anywhere near what they need. Is it normal that we expect people to risk their lives or save ours but to barely afford a home?
The ones who don't work believe that they should get more, because others have more.

Unless you can afford private, there's no space in schools, no space in hospitals, no dentists. It's hard to expect empathy when things are pretty grim for many people, and the super rich (and there are so many more than we realise) don't give a monkey.

People do get together to try to save a child, raise huge amounts for specific charities but still get ridiculed for doing it! (again, read some of the threads on here!): race too short, meaningless, always asked for money...

We don't let people dying in the street, we are not that bad. It's just difficult for everybody - until you are a Rothschild, or a member of the Royal Family.