Thursday, September 15, 2011

~Needing .vs. Wanting~

Yesterday, I waited on a very kind man. When I say kind, I mean very kind in his manners, in the way that he spoke, in his words, and in his eyes. He was extremely polite, even asking me if it was alright to call me by my name, not using my "Sir name". I was taken back by this, because all day, most days, it is pretty usual to be given the "adios" wave, or barked at like a servant, rushed, fussed at. No one speaks to me like this. It was slower than usual, and he was sitting with his computer in front of him, working. He explained that he was an Analyst, economics, mostly to do with World Economics, Hunger, resources, finances, etc. I didn't understand any of this. I simply nodded, and listened. He politely asked if I would mind answering a few questions. He stated that in his field, it was customary to travel, extensively, and to observe, to watch, and to then document and record. He was watching what people were eating, how they ordered their food, how much they ordered. He was interested in how many people ordered water, and did they always drink the water. This caught my attention immediately. Well, this is the desert.

What we take for granted is unbelievable. What we expect to just be there on a constant, without even considering that most don't have access to on a daily basis is not only arrogant, but rude. Here is a very simple example. How many times do you go out to eat and request a glass of water with your meal? Along with that glass of water, do you also get another drink? A glass of tea, or maybe a soft drink, or coffee? How many times do you have wine, or a beer, maybe at that one dinner, request up to 3 beverages? Did you drink all of the water? Did you consume every....single....drop...that....you...so...gluttonously....requested? Because I do this for a living, and I will tell you that 99% of people, don't. I have had countless tables that have maybe 3 or 4 people sitting at them, and I need to go to the back and fill my tray with up to 12 drinks. I always make a sarcastic comment, because it truly annoys the hell out of me. "Do you drink water, coffee, juice, and a Bloody Mary with breakfast at home?" or "I'm sorry your highness, I didn't realize the time. I thought High Tea was at 4;30". It's foul....and I know I am going off the subject a little right here, but here's this little thought.

For all of the girls out there who have this sudden obsession with playing with your hair, and pulling on your hair while you are talking, and believing it is in some way, cute, and adoring, and makes you look like a Kardashian, NO, it doesn't. It is fucking stupid. And think of this. Pulling on your hair, and then dropping all the hairs on the floor, ".....uhh, Hiiiya, I ammmmm going to hhaaaaavvve aaaaaaa......" shut the hell up! Have you WATCHED the movie "Contagion"? I think it should be required for everyone. Just to show how quickly bacteria spreads. You and your fucking hair pulling is not only annoying, but you are sitting in a RESTAURANT...where people are EATING, and nobody wants to eat your stupid hair!! Stop it!!! What the hell is wrong with you???

Okay, sorry, back on track...those damn botox zombies are out to get us all, I swear.

There are countries that have such huge, vast amounts of poverty, that the scale is almost too hard to process. That glass of water that you ordered, but then wasted, is now sinful. There are children who don't see water. Some, who walk miles to gain access to a simple bucket of dirty, foul water, that carries who knows what, and then must walk back, to share that water. It's for the cooking, the washing, the consuming. In our country, it has no meaning. You hear about it, and you get annoyed when the commercials are on, or you hear someone spouting off about conserving, and you don't even pay attention. I felt truly guilty and pathetic as this man started telling me the statistics that he knew. I remember when Carl and I were on our Honeymoon, how much we ourselves were complaining about missing our bottles of Smartwater. Now, I am ashamed.

Bread. What is it with people and bread? Geez us. "Bring bread!!" Like the dancing girls should follow. What the hell? People are so gluttonous. It is obnoxious. If they think it is free, they want it in front of them. They aren't going to eat it, they just want it there. It's like the grand feast, and they are King Henry, for all to admire. "Look at me! Look at all of this foooooood." Carrying away plates from tables, and looking at what people waste is just sickening. It is really sinful. People waste so much food. They should be punished. "I don't want it, I am fighting with my boyfriend." "Take it away, I am on my cell phone." "Uh, I ordered too much, LOL, just take it." and this is the worst of all....."Just throw it away."

What if you had no food? What if you lived in the middle of nowhere with no grocery stores, no water, no electricity. How would you feel if you saw images of people like yourself? Just wasting, throwing away things that you would cherish, just dream of being able to have a small bite of? How pompous and arrogant of a country we have become. How did we get here? When exactly did everyone loose their humanity?

The Wall Street Bailouts in turn were then given away as bonuses to top CEO's of companies, for their "hard work", and as a country, we should have not only retaliated, protested and demanded justice, but we all should have united and done something. The money that was used in the bonuses was enough to feed the population of the World's current poverty stricken hungry, right now. Just think about that for one moment. With that simple little piece of paper, that one check that was passed along to them, there could have been a solution, and end to the world hunger crisis....right now.

Last night, I was reading, again, and here it all was, right in front of me. I am baffled at the people that I have met recently. I don't know what is going on with me lately....but this is pretty cool that I actually talked to this man. Here's the article, below.

How Banks Cause World Hunger [GRAPHIC]

The Huffington Post First Posted: 9/14/11 03:33 PM ET   Updated: 9/14/11 03:33 PM ET
Banks are among some of the most hated companies in America, largely for their role in causing a global financial crisis. That reputation could only get worse thanks to one of their more controversial practices: Food Speculation.
Banks and other financial speculators are increasingly "betting on food prices in financial markets," according to this infographic from the World Development Movement. Food prices now account for 70 percent of total expenses in some of the world's poorer households, hitting a record high in February. Looking forward, the OECD estimates that over the next decade cereal prices will rise 20 percent. That's still less than meet prices, which are expected to jump by nearly a third.
Here is the infographic from the World Development Movement:


Educate yourself. Stop taking things for granted. :-)

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