Six kids died in a fire in Chicago over the weekend. Have you heard about this? It made national news.
The family – two parents and a total of eight kids – were living in an apartment with no power since it was shut off by ComEd back in May. They were using candles, which fire officials believe caused the blaze. No smoke detectors were found in the apartment.
First of all, if you can’t afford to pay your electric bill, I don’t know, maybe you should STOP HAVING KIDS.
Second, smoke detectors are free from your local fire department. Even if your apartment didn’t come with them as is required (and more on that later) there’s no excuse for not having a smoke detector in your home.
Third, there was at least one social worker in that neighborhood who could’ve helped the family get the power back on if only the parents had told someone about it.
There’s no reason those kids, ages 3 to 14, had to die.
But given their living conditions, I’d say they’re probably better off at this point.
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Then we have silly Steve Irwin, that crikey crocodile dude who died yesterday because he got too close to a stingray.
He was 44 years old. His two children get to grow up without a father.
Maybe no father at all is better than a stupid reckless one, eh?
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No smoke alarms in that apartment. I’m sure the lawyers are swarming.
Of course, we wouldn’t want to hold the parents responsible for this tragedy – that would be tactless and crass given their immense grief.
It’s much easier to blame the landlord who swears there were smoke detectors in the apartment when those tenants signed the lease.
Or we could blame the building inspectors as has happened before with tragedies like this in Chicago. But according to the Chicago Tribune, an Alderman in that district said the building was cited during an inspection May 12 for only "minor violations" such as a broken screen door, broken locks and pigeons roosting.
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But Heather, where’s your compassion? With eight kids, I’m sure these parents were stressed to the max and worried about other things besides smoke detectors.
Um, no.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the father was at band practice when the fire started. If he can’t pay his fucking electric bill, he’s got no business being in a band. He should be working.
And apparently other apartments in the building had functioning, hard-wired smoke detectors but investigators found only a brace where a smoke detector should have been mounted in the family’s apartment.
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We’ve got all these great social programs and laws and regulations to protect people, but we can’t seem to outlaw stupidity.
Darwin was right about Nature having a way of weeding out the weak.
But goddammit, Nature really needs to step it up and start catching these folks before they breed.
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I am listening to: Eminem – Lose Yourself
I am reading: Nothing
And I am: Tired of stupid people
3 weeks ago
4 comments:
Eminem Sucks!!...he can stick 8 mile up his ass!
This is an incredible load of crap. I will quote you, and reply:
"First of all, if you can’t afford to pay your electric bill, I don’t know, maybe you should STOP HAVING KIDS."
-If you know so much about social workers in Chicago, then you should understand that the cycle of poverty does indeed prevent families from getting access to family planning, employment assistance, and help with living costs. It is the same problem with HIV in Africa. Are you really going to tell poor people to not have children? How would you feel if someone said that your ridiculous statements on your weblog deemed you unfit for raising children?
"There’s no reason those kids, ages 3 to 14, had to die.
But given their living conditions, I’d say they’re probably better off at this point."
-You are in no position to make a judgement like this. Those children certainly had many joys in their lives too, regardless of their living conditions. Again, how does it make you feel for me to say that given your intellectual disposition, you would be better off dead? Do you know anything of people who bring themselves up out of poverty to become great leaders? Or are you just another well-to-do American who things homeless people have no right begging for food?
"According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the father was at band practice when the fire started. If he can’t pay his fucking electric bill, he’s got no business being in a band. He should be working."
-In case you didn't know, being a musician is a form of employment. Despite what you think about street musicians and probably music in general, playing music in a band can lead to good, positive things.
The fact that the building had hard-wired smoke detectors is a moot point, because the power to the apartment was shut off. Perhaps you might do yourself a service by questioning the value systems in American society that for poor, black families to live in shitholes with no power.
"Darwin was right about Nature having a way of weeding out the weak.
But goddammit, Nature really needs to step it up and start catching these folks before they breed."
I don't even think you really know what Darwin said. Natural selection is exactly that- a process of nature. American society contradicts just about every aspect of natural law there is. A poor family living in Chicago is not exemplary of nature or Darwin for that matter. You make yourself sound really stupid by saying nature needs to step it up and start catching these folks before they breed. Do you mean that the government should ban reprodution for people who make less than $50,000 a year? That's not nature at all, that's fascism. Or did you mean that society should hide poverty in urban cracks even more, and just ignore the tragedy of our American lifestyle? I think that you should be prevented from breeding. You are doing no service to anyone by writing this crap, nor do you have any business saying that children that died in a tragic fire are now better off. The more Americans like you who breed and spread their ideas, the more our country diverges from its original purpose. The world hates America not because of "our freedom," but because of our ignorance.
In response to Mr. Barrett:
There are programs designed for families like this in Chicago. A, social worker was quoted as being angry and frustrated that the family didn't seek help with their bills. Comparing this to HIV in Africa is apples/oranges. The drug companies are to blame for the situation over there.
I'm not telling poor people they shouldn't have children, just suggesting that maybe they use common sense and ONLY HAVE AS MANY AS THEY CAN AFFORD along with their electric bills. Big difference. Can we agree that eight kids is a lot to manage for any family, regardless of social status?
You're right. My comment about the kids being better off was way harsh. It's not fair for me to take out my anger and frustration with the parents on the dead children. Point taken.
ALL of the homeless folks I see on a daily basis in Chicago are not begging for food. They're begging for money to buy drugs. Again, there are plenty of social programs (including clinics offering free birth control) in this great city to help out those in genuine need, IF THEY WOULD ONLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT.
Re: band practice. Obviously he's not making enough money to pay his electric bill. Can we agree that he needs to find another job? Maybe one that doesn't require practicing for no money at all?
This wasn't a poor black family by the way, but you're the one who assumed this (?) and brought up race as if that really matters at all. The fact is, again, there are social programs for people who have young children and can't manage their bills. These people were irresponsible in not taking advantage of that and now their children have suffered and died for it.
As for why the world hates America, don't even get me started.
But it's ignorance that killed those kids for sure. Like I said, we can't outlaw stupidity, so I guess those parents are off the hook.
Furthermore, why doesn't anyone want the parents to be responsible for this situation? My beef isn't with poor people. Or with minorities. It's with parents who don't do everything possible to protect their children from pain and suffering.
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