This was going to be a Pit thread about GDers who mount arguments along the lines of “Well, I know I’ll never benefit from welfare / contract AIDS / be on death row, so why should I care about those other people who screw up?” Then I caught myself doing some actual soul-searching – something one should never do – and decided it would be better phrased as a non-judgmental sort of poll.
So. Assuming that you were born into whatever circumstances you were born into, and barring fluke scenarios, do you think there’s any chance you’ll ever be:
- an alcoholic or drug addict
- HIV-positive
- dependent on welfare or public assistance
- homeless
- in prison for a crime you actually committed
- on death row
My own answers:
- Yes, given the right pressures, I could see it happening.
- Yes.
- Possibly, if I were disabled or had young children to support. Under present circumstances, I can’t imagine being unable to find enough work to support myself – but then, I have never lived through a major depression, and I honestly don’t know what it would be like.
- No. I have relatives who would take me in, if nothing else.
- Possibly, if it were a civil-disobedience type of crime. I’m having a really hard time imagining a plausible set of circumstances that would drive me to theft or murder.
- No, because I’m a college-educated white female from a middle-class background. It just doesn’t happen.