Shocked, awed, or appalled?

Question

Get ouside you 5 beedroom mcmantion, gas guzzling SUV, and over priced double mocha latte. Imagine you were born and raised in an impoverished nation or Sub Saharan Africa. Temps got up to 115 deg and you had no A/C or running water. And every single ounce of food you got your hands on was horded more than gold, as a life sustaining nugget. For you, a sibling, your parents. Then by fate, you have the opportunity to come to America to study as a student. And you see all these fat people walking about. Many lids and babaies. They are certainly not skipping any means or eating once every couple of days. And when you also see how much food is wasted, tossed out, at parties, BBQ, funerals, weddings, resturants, get together. Enough to feed or at least keep your whole small villege alive for another 3 days at least. Would you be shocked, awed, appalled? And why do you think you would think that way had you come from that situation?

Why? Why is it too many people can not see past themselves? Maybe they are too busy with the spell check while they are tossing out that half platter of spare ribs no one wanted to eat because they got FULL. And everyone was too lazy to wrap up and take home, even if to give to the dog in order not to waste it. I help out at a volunteer breakfast stand on weekends when I can. At the end of the day. we attempt to give away to the homeless in the neighborhood the food we can not preserve. Better SOMEONE eat it than it go to waste. Enabling the homeless to not work? MAYBE, but this is not the age of Star Trek, if so, I'd beam it to Africa where it would do some good. Yeah, in a small way I am doing something, not just nothing. What about you? Put that in your spell check and smoke it. Thank goodness for those of you who are thankful.

Once you got pass the peanut gallery some people really had something to say, emily, Annie, nswblue, and bdancer. The world can sure use more of you and less of the others.

Answer 1

discounting the catch phrase 'shock and awe', i'd be at first shocked by a concept so foreign to me as wasting. coming from a world where every last scrap and morsel of anything is used and reused again until there's absolutely nothing left, i'd be amazed at our disposable society. not just the food, but the waste in packaging that accompanies it. my first tendency would be to go and grab some of that for myself. in other respects, i'd be awed by the abundance of things that i had taken for granted in my homeland. unlimited water for bathing, and it's hot in addition? you're kidding, right?

finally once the wonderment had subsided, i WOULD be apalled by the amount of waste that occurs. yet i'd also be curious, as to how i could help bring some of these resources to those i had left behind in my homeland. it would seem rude to write or contact them and let them know about all these niceties i am now surrounded with, while they suffer cruel conditions, as a trick of time and place.

to sum, i'd be first shocked and awed, then later appalled. but my last thought would be: how could i help be a solution?

Answer 2

You know what, its just like maybe when you were a little kid your parents NEVER walked around the house naked, but at Uncle Bernie's house, Uncle Bernie and his kids walk around naked as a jay bird and they think its normal. I would be shocked, awed and appalled, but there is nothing I can do about it.

hey, I agree with you.the western part of the world are a VERY wasteful bunch.. but honestly, what can we do??? We are always going to be bombarded by the media. We are always going to see that big, beautiful Big Mac, hot, steamy cripsy golden fries and that cool, cold refreshing coke on TV and we're always going to want to run right down to McDix and grab that meal. Its unfortunate. But all this stuff that we are taking for granted and constantly made available to us and there is nothing we can do about it. One can only hope that something happens in North America where we are forced to live the way people have to in third-world-countries.
I would feel all of those feelings (shocked, awed and appalled) and if I felt as strongly as you, I wouldn't give into the media, I wouldnt buy an air conditioner, or a huge SUV, I wouldn't be wasting any food either, thats fo damn sho!!
Im sure if all those people in the "undeveloped" countries as wed like to call them had a million bucks they would buy a 5 bedroom home, 12 cars and they would have a large room in their house filled with food. Its all about availablility

Answer 3

No doubt they'd be shocked and awed. And, if they had any common sense at all they'd have to ask, Why? Why don't we have something like that here in Africa? What have our forebears been doing since the advent of humankind here on earth. Why are we so far behind? Why so backward? Why are we so stupid that we starve and let our children starve? What is wrong with us? Now, the questioner has to ask. Why did the documentary crew not feed these people immediately? The thrust of your question is that these people have been used, manipulated and exploited by humankind and are now in dire straits. So why weren't they fed by the film-makers who obviously had enough resources to purchase cameras? I guess a little more exploitation for the "greater good" is okay, huh? Don't get bent all out of shape over the starving in Africa. Their condition is caused by their ignorance and often, stupidity, and failure to insist on a properly functioning government, failure to plan ahead, failure to work hard, failure to practice proper family planning, failure, failure, failure after failure. The U.S. and other western nations have "invested" billions of dollars and euros in Africa to no avail. The current thinking, by educated Africans is, that all foreign aid should stop since it only serves to prop up criminal regimes who care nothing for the country's citizens. The contend that all foreign aid, whether money or food or tools or other, has been used and minipulated by rogue "governments" to feather their governmental insider's nests and the people for whom such aid was intended received nothing. I tend to agree.

Answer 4

I'm appalled that so many people are guilted into thinking that America is the worst thing to hit the planet earth since the idea of free will.

The greatness of a nation is dictated by how many people wish to be a part of it. Have you any idea how many people are trying to get into this country, even if it means deportation and/or incarceration? They're putting EVERYTHING on the line for the hope of living a better life in America because their old country just couldn't do it for them. If you don't like America so much, why don't you try living in some impoverished African nation? I can garuntee you that if you aren't eaten alive since you're so fat for living in your homeland that LET you get fat, you'll want to swim across the Atlantic just to get home.

Either appreciate all that you as a spoiled American have, or get out.

Answer 5

I have to say that it is true that we as Americans have and do take for granted many of the wonderful pleasures, such as Food, and Showers etc... My heart does go out to any family hungry any where in the world, that misses a meal, and or can't bathe or even have a sip of clean running water. I try to be grateful for all that I have, and trust me if I have to throw any type of food, away I am asking God's forgiveness, cause I know that at anytime, day or night, all this could be taken away from us i.e. the victims og hurricane Katrina!

Answer 6

You know, I was born under the poverty line and, when my parents were divorced, my father stopped the mortgage payments and my mom, sisters and I were 48 hours away from being homeless. I got a hole in one of my three pairs of underwear and was devastated because there was no more money for clothing that month. I worked VERY hard in school, got a few scholarships, did well in college, got two jobs after I graduated, saved my money, married, bought a fixer-upper house, used car, used furniture, used clothes, and had two children, who are learning the same thriftiness by choice that I learned the hard way. You not only need to learn to spell, but also you need to learn that all Americans are not greedy rich wasters.

Answer 7

I live in a 3 bedroom tract house, drive a small car, don't buy mocha latte or any other kind of coffee, and I'm still shocked & appalled by the waste that goes on in this country. It makes me a little nauseous to see a 350 pound person wolfing down a triple ice cream scoop chocolate coated waffle cone. Sure they can buy anything they can want and/or can afford - but it's still gross. And one of my neighbors has five cars, one for each of the kids, and two each for himself and his wife. More power to him for being able to afford the insurance! But it's still an example of conspicuous consumption.

Answer 8

You don't have to be from another country to see how much waste goes on here.I have worked in the restaurant business and even I was shock at what went to waste.

Answer 9

I have lived here all of my life and I am shock and apalled by the waste and greed. I try to be very thankful everyday for everything that I have.

Answer 10

Well take your passion and make it a project. Put your money, wisdom, ideas, and resources to work to help solve the problem. You see the need there, meet the need!