The Privileged & The Whinging

 I am the first to admit that many if not all of my problems are of the first world nature. I'll complain about a slow internet connection, the temperature of my latte and strop and grump around the airport if I don't get that free upgrade I was promised. 

However, yesterday, when thousands of Britons were complaining and whinging and bitching about how the snow was making them cold, or slowing down public transport, or generally acting as if the snow was a personal attack on their tight, daily schedule, I wanted to pull my hair out. Or maybe their hair out.

I'm not exactly a big humanitarian and I'll admit I don't even turn off the water when I'm brushing my teeth - but complaining about SNOW when there was a devastating, deadly  earthquake in Haiti with thousands of people dead or injured or missing... blood soaked rubble and people who are scared out of their mind as there are STILL aftershocks happening...sorry, but STFU about your fucking bus being late.

Yeah, I'm lucky that I work from home and don't have to fuck about with walking uphill, barefoot, in the snow, BOTH WAYS like y'all with proper jobs - but seriously, listen to how you sound for two seconds. 

This morning on GMTV there was a whole segment on people in Coventry and in smaller villages around the UK that have - get this - NOT HAD THEIR RUBBISH COLLECTED IN WEEKS. WEEKS I TELL YOU.

I found it hard to sit here and give a shit about the poor people in Coventry who could't be bothered to toss their own rubbish in their car and drive it to the tip themselves when there are people dead in the streets somewhere else. 

Like, yeah, having rubbish sitting around isn't nice. Especially if you have kids that are still in diapers or cat litter or you've never heard of a compost bin and have tons of rotting food in your bins. Yes, rats and foxes love that shit, so it might become a hassle. And it probably smells.

But some sassy blond chick sitting in her Ikea-tastic kitchen wagging her tongue about how, "I can get in to work every day, so the council should stop making excuses and at least come over here and drag my rubbish up the top of the road. Sometimes you have to go above and beyond," made me want to pick her up and drop her off in Haiti as a volunteer and then see how much she cares about her council coming to pick up her trash. Pissed off with your recycling laying around? Just think how fun it will be when you're surrounded by bodies, instead.

Again, I hate to sound like some, I don't know, humanitarian vegetarian egalitarian or whatever - but seriously. Some people really need to bring themselves up and out of their angry commuter, privileged existence and get some perspective.

Image via TimesOnline

Comments

[Morag]

I very much agree with you. I try to make it a point to never (even when there isn't a natural disaster somewhere) to complain about petty things like this because I should be greatful to live in a country that literally never has natural disasters & has very little poverty.

[Elle]

Agreed. Granted, the weather has been a bit of an annoyance - we're not used to it. But there's a LOT more going on in the world than cold weather.