Local news item... and no, I'm not fabricating the facts; these have been reported.
A father walks into the kitchen to see his daughter snacking on a biscuit - a biscuit marked for his consumption only. Granted, food rationing at its most extreme.
An altercation ensues. The father reportedly stabs the daughter ten times. Though injured, the daughter returns suit, killing the father, then is found later hiding outside. Yes, an assault over a single, solitary biscuit, when I'm sure there was more food in the refrigerator that they could have fairly split and eaten.
The "times two" occurred in the article's on-line reader feedback. People jokingly signing names such as "Pillsbury" commenting that the girl "is hot", "sat on a biscuit, never willing to risk it," and "So what? I've killed for less."
What a pathetic case of insensitivity, all the way around. It ranks among the top 5 I've ever witnessed all-time.
First, the incident: I might not totally understand the plight of the hungry, but there are soup kitchens in this area. Individual cities have surplus food drives. All they need to do is show proof of residency and they'll qualify. Pride of the ego may be sacrificed, but pride of survival ranks much higher.
I am not knocking the practice of labelling the food per se, since I've done it at our house, and for the most part it worked. If it didn't, though, the situation would never have come to simple blows, let alone what happened there.
Now, to call me an activist is not really accurate, since I'm hardly active enough as is. But for several weeks, I've left comments saying that the local newspaper in question is letting posters get away with murder on their commentaries. Any Joe or Jane Q. Public can leave comments on the site without having the true source of the comments being traced. Just be able to read a Captcha code, and you're in, regardless how lewd your comment is.
It's truly unbelievable what makes news these days. When I was raised in the 1970s & 80s, I don't think my parents could have foretold the extremes seen today. This, in addition to the gunman story of a few days back.
Where has the human chain of command gone so horribly wrong in recent years?
