As you guys may remember, I was having difficulty in my job - http://forums.anandtech.com/me...290635&highlight_key=y
Well the shit's really hit the fan this time, I lost my job a week back
DOn't want to go into too much detail about it, but my suspicisions in the earlier thread were pretty much confirmed. Heck, I ain't feeling too bad - who'd want to work in such a place eh? I still need the money though...I've got one weeks worth of rent paid and I have no savings so I'll be out on the street if I don't find anything soon.
I've been living off ramen noodles, they are so cheap Tonight I was going to go buy some, but had no cash. THere's about $100 or so back in my apartment but I had nothng on me. I'm standing on the corner of 5th, next to the supermarket and I see there's a restaurant across the street. Nice asian food, I used to go there once in a while but its pretty pricey. It would be chump change for all the ATOT millionaires though amirite
Now understand what state of mind I was in: I hadn't eaten all day, and I knew I wouldn't get any sleep on an empty stomach. A well-to-do group walk out of the restaurant across the street and they seemed a nice group. I'm thinking they are good samaritarians who would help a fellow American out. I ask them if they have a couple of dollars to spare so I can buy some dinner. It was nerveracking, I've never begged for money before.
To be honest, its a terrible feeling. As a man, I always wanted to provide for myself and my family, using my own bare hands - I'm sure you guys would feel the same way. By the way, my wife and kids are living with her sister at the moment - I refused to tag along because I didn't want to burden them. God bless them for helping us out, it hurt my ego as as the "man" of the house, but I wasn't going to put my own emotions in the way of my family.
Begging for money, it's hard to describe. You instantantneously give up all self-respect - and the worst part is the whole crowd around you sees what you are doing. Those judgmental looks are very hard to bear
I approach the group and ask one of them (who seemed slightly disengaged in their internal conversations and was consequently most approachable) if she had a couple of bucks to spare. She politely declined. By now, I had caught the attention of the group, in particular, the judgmental look of one scrawny young man. Tall bloke, European by complexion, much like his friends and relatives (I couldn't precisely tell if it were the former or the latter, some old and some young).
Having what little self-respect I had for myself, after losing my job and failing to provide for my family, torn away from me as I begged the polite lady for me, I so no harm in asking the other members of the group for some change. Hunger can indeed make us bold in our actions; I felt the very desperation FuzzyBabyBunny must have felt in posting his loveless adventures here on these forums; although my hunger was merely food-related.
One by one, I asked each member of the group if they had any change to spare me, and with each failed attempt, the scorn of that tall scrawnish lad, who stood directly opposite the lady I first asked, grew more apparent. I asked him if he had any change to spare.
He is irritated, "no one has anything for you, we already gave some to other guys asking for money". This is understandable, I was scared that I may ruin their evening - albeit momentarily before they presume their moods before my scene - but I was taken back by his tone, it was condescending. Coupled with the dirty looks he glanced at me, I became irritated as well, replying sarcastically, "Oh wow! There is 6 and you guys have no money." After a pause, I added, perhaps inflammatorily, "- and you eat at a place like this".
He starts abusing me. I'd leave out the details of our little scuffle, but I can tell you he left me feeling quite down about myself and mad at his selfishness. I'm sorry to have ruined 10 seconds of your life mister but there's no need to disrepect a fellow human being, let alone a fellow American. Now I'm here at the local library posting this, don't mind me - I thought I'd rant a little and get it off my chest. Have we really come to a point where we do not show compassion to our fellow brothers and sisters? I don't remember it like this, or maybe I was sheltered from the harsh realities of the jobless and homeless.
Question for you guys, how would you treat this situation (not as me, but as a member of the group)? I'd be interested to see the responses and to see if I expected too much from my fellow citizens.
Sincerely,
A. Bum
Well the shit's really hit the fan this time, I lost my job a week back
DOn't want to go into too much detail about it, but my suspicisions in the earlier thread were pretty much confirmed. Heck, I ain't feeling too bad - who'd want to work in such a place eh? I still need the money though...I've got one weeks worth of rent paid and I have no savings so I'll be out on the street if I don't find anything soon. I've been living off ramen noodles, they are so cheap
Tonight I was going to go buy some, but had no cash. THere's about $100 or so back in my apartment but I had nothng on me. I'm standing on the corner of 5th, next to the supermarket and I see there's a restaurant across the street. Nice asian food, I used to go there once in a while but its pretty pricey. It would be chump change for all the ATOT millionaires though amirite Now understand what state of mind I was in: I hadn't eaten all day, and I knew I wouldn't get any sleep on an empty stomach. A well-to-do group walk out of the restaurant across the street and they seemed a nice group. I'm thinking they are good samaritarians who would help a fellow American out. I ask them if they have a couple of dollars to spare so I can buy some dinner. It was nerveracking, I've never begged for money before.
To be honest, its a terrible feeling. As a man, I always wanted to provide for myself and my family, using my own bare hands - I'm sure you guys would feel the same way. By the way, my wife and kids are living with her sister at the moment - I refused to tag along because I didn't want to burden them. God bless them for helping us out, it hurt my ego as as the "man" of the house, but I wasn't going to put my own emotions in the way of my family.
Begging for money, it's hard to describe. You instantantneously give up all self-respect - and the worst part is the whole crowd around you sees what you are doing. Those judgmental looks are very hard to bear
I approach the group and ask one of them (who seemed slightly disengaged in their internal conversations and was consequently most approachable) if she had a couple of bucks to spare. She politely declined. By now, I had caught the attention of the group, in particular, the judgmental look of one scrawny young man. Tall bloke, European by complexion, much like his friends and relatives (I couldn't precisely tell if it were the former or the latter, some old and some young).
Having what little self-respect I had for myself, after losing my job and failing to provide for my family, torn away from me as I begged the polite lady for me, I so no harm in asking the other members of the group for some change. Hunger can indeed make us bold in our actions; I felt the very desperation FuzzyBabyBunny must have felt in posting his loveless adventures here on these forums; although my hunger was merely food-related.
One by one, I asked each member of the group if they had any change to spare me, and with each failed attempt, the scorn of that tall scrawnish lad, who stood directly opposite the lady I first asked, grew more apparent. I asked him if he had any change to spare.
He is irritated, "no one has anything for you, we already gave some to other guys asking for money". This is understandable, I was scared that I may ruin their evening - albeit momentarily before they presume their moods before my scene - but I was taken back by his tone, it was condescending. Coupled with the dirty looks he glanced at me, I became irritated as well, replying sarcastically, "Oh wow! There is 6 and you guys have no money." After a pause, I added, perhaps inflammatorily, "- and you eat at a place like this".
He starts abusing me. I'd leave out the details of our little scuffle, but I can tell you he left me feeling quite down about myself and mad at his selfishness. I'm sorry to have ruined 10 seconds of your life mister but there's no need to disrepect a fellow human being, let alone a fellow American. Now I'm here at the local library posting this, don't mind me - I thought I'd rant a little and get it off my chest. Have we really come to a point where we do not show compassion to our fellow brothers and sisters? I don't remember it like this, or maybe I was sheltered from the harsh realities of the jobless and homeless.
Question for you guys, how would you treat this situation (not as me, but as a member of the group)? I'd be interested to see the responses and to see if I expected too much from my fellow citizens.
Sincerely,
A. Bum
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