Welcome, Ven a gozar!

Life here in the America is pretty good all the time for ninety-nine percent of us. If it is not, it is because of a serious problem in the family unit, not because food and clothing money are missing to start with. Moving to other countries the story changes as they lives are much different. Life is tough in some places, people starve to death every day, and people die young of many diseases, some suffering greatly before they die due to lack of medical care. In other areas of the world, people struggle every day to find enough to eat.

The distinction is pretty large. I read on Yahoo (I think), that among preteens in America, kids think other kids are poor if they do not have a cell phone! Come on, what does a ten year old child need with their own cell phone? And who is putting these thoughts into children’s heads to start with?

The great divide when I was a preteen was color television. After that it moved to cable television, then play stations, computers, and until recently ipods. Now it appears to be cell phones that determine a child’s self worth? Does anyone else see something missing in this picture?

In the American ghettos not to long ago people started showing their underwear off as their pants hung down below their underwear. Much of America thought it was disgusting. I thought it was very clever. The first people to do this, I am sure had their underwear showing for a couple of reasons. First they were wearing pants that belong to an older brother, or maybe father. Secondly, they had achieved a new level of success in their neighborhood. They actually had money to buy underwear with! Talk about social climbing for a few dollars. Young women are spending how much on thongs these days? Back to reality…

Since when did a thing or a couple of things determine a child’s, and more likely some adults self worth? Do parents from poor families show up at their case workers office, and complain that their child can not feel equal because they do not have a cell phone to flash in front of their friends? Do they feel as inadequate because many poor kids in America can not read or write at their grade level? Are the more important problems of poverty left unsaid because it would cost more to fix than buying a kid a cell phone to use?

I have a couple of cats. I imagine these cats cost between forty and fifty dollars a month to keep alive and to feed. I find it so sad that I need to spend the amount for the care and feeding of two or more of the poorest children somewhere on earth for a month, on two cats. Some days it shames me when I am standing in line waiting to buy a plastic bucket of ground, treated clay for sixteen or more dollars, just so two cats have a place to crap.

Those cats aren’t even the status symbols of animals. You have to be up in the very large dog breeds, or own horses to have your pets be status symbols. Which reminds me, there is a very prominent property here in town where they keep horses. There horses are kept in a five thousand foot air conditioned temperature controlled stable. Maybe cell phones are required gear for kids after all, and I am a lot closer to poor than I realize.

Comments (1) Jan 07 2008