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Stranger Knocked on Door Begging for Money
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cuzimawesome
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Yes. T'was sarcasm. |
Anonymous
That's cuz you're awesome. 
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Anonymous
Ha thanks! No I recognize your sarcasm and we are on a lot of the same threads and at first I was not sure (its hard to tell with some of your posts) but you seem like a fun open person! Do I detect a bit of "earth child" from you? Please dont take offense, you just seem very relaxed and natural. I love how I can "pick this up" through an internet forum. HA! |
Anonymous
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To 13:48. Ah, the old debate about whether we've become more or less civilized. I'm in the camp of "human nature is what it has always been." People have always been willing to murder to get what they want.
In this case, "granny" lived in a large southern city. Her own mother saw a man lynched in broad daylight. It is not the kinder, gentler time you imagine. And if you want to reference Steinbeck's stories as populated by "simple rural folk," you ought to read him. Do you really not know that the slow-moving life in his books is punctuated by terrible acts of violence? As I said, human nature hasn't changed. But people were hungrier and more desparate in the 1930s. The police were less abundant and more corrupt. My grandparents opened their hearts to people less fortunate than they, and lived to tell the tale. I will follow their example whenever I get the chance. Which means that I won't cower behind my locked door. |
Anonymous
| We got a dog (not for this reason) and problem solved. I WAH pt & SAH full-time so am home a lot. I like to keep my front door open for the light, etc. It is a full glass door and I keep it locked. We have a lot of people trying to sell firewood, windows, tree service, meat! I never opened door but would say "no thanks" through the glass (but have to say even if door was closed they would still knock as they see car in driveway.) Anyway, we got a dog a few years ago. He HATES strangers and barks like mad - also sounds ferocious. Now they just walk away! It's great. |
Anonymous
I agree with you in some respects. But for instance, you found it necessary to try to insult me in your response above by inferring that I missed the message and even the substance of Steinbeck's writing. You are rude. Especially by the standards of our grandmother's time. Today's society is ruder, more cowardly and less chivalrous, etc. Of course, there are aspects of human nature that haven't changed. But certainly there are more actual murderers in terms of sheer numbers than there were in the 30's? Also, particularly in America, the ability to kill large numbers of people to get what you want has become swifter and more efficient. And really, I don't cower behind my door, but I am reasonably cautious. Bullies love to beat their chests about how brave they are when there are no consequences; that aspect of human nature will never change. |
Anonymous
| Remember the little boy who cried "Wolf." Don't invite them in, give them something to eat and a few dollars. He/she/ they may be an angel. You never know but it NEVER hurts to be kind and empathetic because someday you or someone you love will also need help. Pay it forward. |
Anonymous
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"Well. This isn't "The Grapes of Wrath" no matter what our grandmothers told us. There is a murderous, apocalyptic element in society today that didn't exist in such large numbers in granny's day. Also depression era folks were mostly rural simple folks who you be relatively certain only wanted to work for food. Henry Fonda and the Joads didn't have the internet...Today's predators are MUCH more sophisticated."
NP here responding to above. If you really think that the "apocalyptic element" is going to come knocking on your door, you might want to talk to someone. I mean that kindly. |
Anonymous
No you don't. And you are twisting my words. |
Anonymous
And I'm sure with your snarky response here that you're just a really open-your-heart-sweet-peach of a person irl. |
Anonymous
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My wonky side got the better of me reading this debate, so I decided to see if it is really true that the murder rate in the Depression was low and we didn't have such murderous people around then. I found the following in my quick Google search, which indicates that the murder rate was actually quite high in 1933 at the height of the Great Depression and higher than it is now. (the data on murder rates here do not go through the present but stop in the late 1990s, but we know that murder rates are down since then. The rate of murder was 9.7 per 100K in population in 1933 and was 6.9 per 100K in population in 1998.
here is a link: http://www.jrsa.org/programs/Historical.pdf So while we might feel that things are worse now, etc. it does not seem historically accurate to say that murder is more common now than during the Great Depression. |
Anonymous
Interesting. I myself, not being a policy wonk, get my info from HBO! Boardwalk Empire tells me that people were hardly kinder, less violent, or more chivalrous 100 years ago. 
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Anonymous
| I'm the poster who felt certain there were more murders now than during the Depression and I'll admit it was just my perception. I have NO idea about the validity of your source--Google SEO's being what they are. But without doing any further research I concede the point to you sir/madam. MIND=BLOWN |
Anonymous
This is excellent. Nice work. On an anecdotal note, my immediate thought when I read how peaceful it was many years ago was the 1959 murders described in "In Cold Blood." And don't get me started on Ed Gein from the 1940s and 1950s. BTW, don't trust those Girl Scouts -- they'll cut you as soon as look at you. The cookie thing is all a front. |
Anonymous
| And a-HA. My feverish paranoia has driven DOWN the murder rate because they cannot get to me inside of my locked saferoo- |