Have you no compassion?

The utter lack of compassion in some people astounds me sometimes.

I was at dinner tonight and sitting near me was an old woman who had clearly had a pretty debilitating stroke. She was with her husband, her daughter and her granddaughter. Her family virtually ignored her; her husband was the only one who had any appreciable contact with her, and he would only interact with her when he fed her.

Now, I know very little about strokes, but it seemed like the woman was in pain or was maybe having facial spasms, judging by her expression. The fact that her family seemed perfectly content to pretend she wasn't there was bad enough. The real kicker, though, was when the husband got up to get something and the daughter zipped over to her and hissed at her, "Will you stop it?! Everyone is staring at you!" I wanted to punch the b!tch.

It's just appalling, isn't it?

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I can't eat around disfigured people. I know it is not nice, but they make me very nervous and sick feeling.

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iflitifloat is that a flag cake in your avatar? It looks yummy.

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I baked it myself.

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*compassionates*

iflitifloat and Jane2 always have great icons.

edited out. Why am I arguing with this.

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Updated On: 8/2/07 at 11:53 PM

I can't help the way I feel Rose. It sounds like everyone in that family would be happier if the lady was in a home.

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Ivan, so do you act like an A-H*** on these boards just to be obnoxious, or can't you help it?

And yes, I am putting you on ignore because I'd rather not be subjected to the stupidity of your posts.

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No, I did not. Her eating did not bother me at all.

Now let me ask you this: If a member of your family suffered a debilitating illness, would you stick them in a home so you didn't have to look at them?

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That is truly awful. I work in hospice, and far too often, older, sick and possibly dying people are put into homes or hospitals because their families are too busy or don't want to deal with them.

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I don't think it's a matter of any of that.

If you're a person who's disgusted by the sight of disfigurement and has no compassion for the disabled, then YOU are disabled and should be ashamed of yourself rather than talk about it under the guise of "honesty."

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Can be sometimes, Jane.

But there is also a fear that people have when they see someone with bad injuries that they could be injured in that way and it scares them and they don't want to think about it so they avoid the person. Which is isolating for the injured person, like adding an additional injury.

RoackabyeHamlet, I admire you for working in a hospice. It's so helpful for the dying to have someone to help them transition into the idea of death. Hospices were wonderful to various of my relatives that have passed.