i'm not often frightened of people. even scary people. and maybe this still doesn't count because i wasn't really frightened of the individuals themselves, but rather felt generally uneasy at the surroundings i found myself in today. a yale van full of my colleagues, driving slowly through the roughest parts of new haven, peering out of windows and pointing at tree canopy, or more commonly a lack thereof. toddlers teeter along behind teenage mothers. 13- and 14-year old gang members cross the street just at the light turns green, daring drivers to edge toward them. homeless middle-aged men lean on broken chain-link fences. obese family members yell obscenities at each other across the street. motorcycles rip ear drums. a shopping cart full of computer parts rests abandoned against the curb strip. we still call it the free world.
this is not the poverty i recognize from home. but i can't describe how it is different, why it is scarier. am i doing the best i can?
2 comments:
The poverty in SC pales in comparison to the larger cities. If you have the time and interest, find a community program to volunteer and work with them.
Your fears will change to a better understanding. I've done this back in RIC quite a bit. Note that one still needs to be careful in rough communities.
Pray and reflect upon your observations.
I've often wondered the same thing. The only answers I came up with were population (the ghetto areas are a lot larger in bigger cities as well as more densely populated) and economics (minimum wage in SC stretches a lot farther than minimum wage elsewhere).
On a lighter note, the man is dying to visit New Haven for the filming if Indiana Jones 4. We're hoping if we dress up like Indy and the ditzy blonde from Temple of Doom we'll be hired on as extras (or perhaps mocked for our geekiness).
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