WHETHER one admits it or not, there is a certain level of discomfort when seeing beggars in the street.
There’s a mix of feelings among people: empathy for some and pity for others. Then there’s also the evocation of social commentaries, like “What’s the government or the city doing about this?” and so on… and then, there, too, is apathy.
Put plainly, some people do not “see” them. Sure, one may pass them by, sleeping on sidewalks and shopping mall steps while we hurry on our way, but such encounters are as fleeting as some thoughts.
Not so in the case of some politicians. Establishing contact with the “poorest of the poor (a favorite catchphrase by solons)” appears to be a necessary compromise, especially during election time, even though the customary handshake all-around will merit an equivalent dose of sanitizer afterwards, as often witnessed by onlookers.
So, who’s to say the ordinary man-on-the-street isn’t privy to this continuing sham?
Who knows, that on their end, had it not been for their state, seeing the “beautiful” people, the catch-all for those above them, with lifestyles beyond reach, a disguised contempt lingers?
Who among us had not yet personally witnessed in the faces of both blue-collars, the unemployed and the indigent, mixed feelings of scorn and contempt for those whom they not only perceive, but know, are the causes of their misfortune?
True, panhandlers see them for alms. But the working class generally scorns the entitlement and loftiness this few exude without shame.
Subjective as this may be, in more advanced societies, I’ve observed workers having an unspoken language, a sneer or a spit, whenever an affluent passer-by crosses their path.
It’s either that or the usual cold shoulder from both I’ve seen first-hand. Frequency often rules out such behaviors as exceptions, but observing such as common occurrences, means it may be norm.
That level of discomfort, disdain perhaps, might as well be as thick as the invisible lines that divide one class to another.
The factors may appear endless, a sociologist’s dream, but the end results are the same: a natural disdain exists among classes, and admit it or not, inside everyone, the mental branding irons are firmly set: for racist, anti-LGBT, religious and intellectual biases, anti-poor, cultural, etc.
Transpose these and trickle it down until you reach purok level. There, one will notice that these biases exist in their littlest version. Surely.
Where is all this going? Is there even a truth in all these? Subjective or not again, it merits a reflection or two, especially during the present time.
And for those who hate to be sermonized, honestly admit where you see yourself on the board and set up your pieces accordingly.
