February 27, 2007

THE HOMELESS PETS OF HARVARD SQUARE -- by Steve Nadis

I stopped off at CVS on the way back from my daughter's preschool this morning to buy some cat food. "Is that for the homeless guy in front with the cat and dog?" the cashier asked. "People have been buying pet food for him all day."

"No," I replied. "I didn't see the guy. I was selfishly thinking of my own cat."

But upon reflection, the whole thing strikes me as a bit odd. All day long, people have been buying food for the homeless guy's cat and dog, but they're not buying food for the homeless guy himself. Why is it we can't bear the sight of hungry animals, yet we have hardened ourselves to the sight of hungry, homeless people?

Posted by Snake at 10:10:24 | Permanent Link | Comments (8) |
Comments
1 - I re-read the 2 quotes of the CVS clerk...why are you assuming all the pet food was to feed the cat & dog?
Are we to assume you would only feel it was for the man if it was a doughnut, beef jerky or candybar? Seems petfood if a HECK of a lot more healthy nutrition-wise than most any 'people-food' you get in a convenience store.
(I like the Figaro tuna best, myself...;) (Comment this)

Written by: Marco Polo at 2007/02/27 - 13:43:00
profile
2 - Wow, gee, MP, you got me there. I'm suffering from a temporary loss of words, which is almost incapacitating for a blogger... (Comment this)

Written by: Snake at 2007/02/27 - 14:25:59
3 - whoops...Sorry 'bout that.
I've always called it like I see it.
(I've found it makes for "dramatic"
Internet relations ;)

Go get the poor guy a juicy, hot #9 @ D'Angelo's & see how the public reacts.
Then, notice if he shares it w/ his 'friends'... (Comment this)

Written by: Marco Polo at 2007/02/27 - 15:29:37
profile
4 - After a momentary lapse, I seem to have recovered my unique literary voice. Thanks MP, that's an excellent suggestion! (Comment this)

Written by: Snake at 2007/02/27 - 15:32:35
5 - Of course people are feeding the hungry animals. They (the hungry animals)can't help themselves. Hungry people can. They can go to a soup kitchen, a shelter, go on welfare, get a job. Animals exist solely on our charity. I am currently feeding a stray cat in my backyard. Every time he comes around, I put out food for him. Without it, I know he will die. If I don't feed a homeless person, will s/he die? Most likely not. (Comment this)

Written by: Oldroses at 2007/02/27 - 20:46:15
profile
6 - Well put, OR. I posed a question, and you surely answered it. (Comment this)

Written by: Snake at 2007/02/27 - 22:01:46
7 - Point well taken, OR, but let us not forget there's a flip side to this- animals have always scavenged, most quite successfully (though I agree these were domesticated pets), whereas humans rely more & more on the trucks that roll into the supermarket docks...
Say, there's a new daily phenomena up here in Dover NH (& towns all along the coasts) that's quietly become the norm: Seagulls- thousands of 'em, stream up to the landfills at daybreak & stream back to their seacoast nesting areas as dusk approaches. (If only the oceans were transparent, we might see what we've done to the marine environment) (Comment this)

Written by: Marco Polo at 2007/02/28 - 13:52:35
profile
8 - Well put, MP. So there's the other side of the coin... (Comment this)

Written by: Snake at 2007/02/28 - 14:09:59
Write a comment