Is being a homeless, drug addicted prostitute in America less tragic?

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This is what I want to say all the time, but don't, so I thank you for saying it.........because everyone is like "have you seen the slums of Brazil, have you seen the poverty in Africa...etc.....

And I want to answer...I HAVE SEEN the slums of NYC as a homeless ex-foster kid....I have begged and "spanged" to get some money for food. I went hungry and froze and had NO WHERE TO GO. I barely graduated high school and compared to other people my age, I am barely making it.

And my one bio-sibling....he too saw the homeless streets of the city but found himself involved with illegal activities TRYING TO SURVIVE and wound his *** in prison for felony burgerly. At least he is warm and fed there.....
He aged-out too.

I get tired of reading this here that it is worse in X, Y, and Z....because don't tell me that and don't tell the hundreds of "young people" who aged-out of foster care who are looking for a safe spot in central park tonight that it is worse in some foreign country and that is why they did NOT get adopted.....

ETA:
And don't bring up programs...HAVE YOU SPENT THE NIGHT IN A HOMELESS SHELTER as a young person in the US?
Safe? hahahahaha.........
The streets are safer when you hook up with a group.......At a shelter, it is easy to get your *** kicked in an instance or your belongings stolen in a heartbeat. When you are on the streets with your group, someone's got your back. My chance of being raped on the streets with my group was alot less than sleeping in a homeless shelter as a young single girl.

Oh. not to mention the fact that the shelters fill up pretty quickly. So, even if you wanted, they are NOT always available.

ETA2:
Thumbs down. LOL You fools...........you are thumbs downing my experiences? Exactly......I should not have had to have the experiences.......but that's aging-out of US foster care. Screw you...continue to live in your denial.

ETA3:
Indian-vision: Did you really just infer that women who are raped should be able to defend themselves? I suggest you stay far away from any rape crisis centers or working with rape victims if you honestly believe that women who are raped "after the age of 18" did not defend themselves.
And FYI ~ if you know anything about victimatization, if a women has been abused as a child, if she was in a situation where an attack could occur, she might "freeze" and not be able to do anything...this is called Learned Helplessness and it is a very real condition.
You just made a clear "blame the victim" statement......Many rape victims are used to this, but not necessarily from a female....Show more

In a word, yes.

There is absolutely no comparison between poverty in the United States (or any other First World nation) and poverty in Third World countries like Haiti and most of Africa.

In the US, there are government social programs, state and federal assistance, charity groups, housing assistance, every citizen and resident gets free education through the 12th grade, basic healthcare (no hospital will turn anyone away based upon the ability to pay), a police force, etc.

In Third World countries, there is none of that. If you can't manage to feed yourself, you starve. If you get sick and can't afford a doctor, you either get better or you die. If you can't afford an education or even a school uniform, you stay illiterate and uneducated. If you happen to get attacked, assaulted and killed by a group of bandits, nobody is there to protect you.

So yes, in your situation, it's less tragic to be a drug addicted prostitute in the US than a drug addicted prostitute in a third world country. The former has options and opportunities that the latter never will have.

ETA: LT: I'm not belittling your experiences. I'm sure it sucked and I'll admit, though I've been poor in my life, I was never homeless. But my point is, even in the slums of NYC there are more opportunities than in the slums of Monrovia.

I also recall one of the regulars saying something to the effect that orphanages in Africa should have running water, because running water isn't unheard of in Africa.

It's just another example of not having any real comprehension of Third World Country poverty. There really is no comparasion....Show more

I am not opposed to someone adopting internationally however I have found it sad that so many older children in American are left un-adopted. It is not because it is worse conditions in my opinion...it is because most people who plan to adopt want a baby and that is easier in other countries. I don't understand why adopters demand a baby. To be a parent is to want to love a child...the age shouldn't matter...but it does!...Show more

Rush contributes to society by all the charities he helps. He also got treatment for his drug addiction and pay for it himself rather wait for a government come along and bail him out. The main reason why his is better because he make liberals mad daily which in my book is a good thing....Show more

Dear Robin,

Being a homeless, drug addicted prostitute ANYWHERE is a tragedy.

I think that people should make efforts to be careful not to confuse treating "symptoms" with finding a "cure". I wish more people would be more conscious about utilizing their resources to help others in the best and most efficient way and to realize that true charity is not supposed to come with tangible benefits to the "donor".

As I have said before, I realize that IA is the answer for some situations but I dislike people using it as an example of "charity" or "saving a child" which is what it sounds like when people talk about the level of poverty they took the child from. I do not see it as a "charitable act". (Charity does not come with tangible rewards for the donor, IMO.)

To me, a child in need is a child in need. The question is not which child is the neediest. The question should be, what can I do to help in the most effective and beneficial way FOR THE CHILD. I submit that most often, adoption, especially out of the child's culture is not the answer. (AGAIN, I agree that there are times that it is, but believe them to be far more rare than as it currently occurs.) JMHO....Show more