A delightful concept to entertain--compassion. I won't doubt it gives nearly everyone a "warm fuzzy feeling in their tummies," but those who know me fairly well would know I object to Ascher's portrayal of the business men on the subway as heartless and of the shopkeepers as cruel when they shun/shoo the homeless beggars. This, however, much to any reader's delight, is not a rant that references Ayn Rand a few too many times. In a scholastic scenario such as this, nobody cares, quite frankly, about the ways I disagree with Ascher. I will comment, however, on the careful and successful ways she prefaces her thesis, developing her ideas with examples before introducing the true meaning of the story. The businessmen averting their eyes may go unnoticed initially, and the mayor's policy may not seem to be one of such magnitude, but Ascher gives plenty of wake-up slaps in the penultimate paragraph of this work. It is at this point that the reader fully addresses the underlying motivations of these hypothetical characters--these rat-racers and selectively oblivious commoners. One by one these realizations are processed to their full extent, and most readers are left feeling guilty for the ways they, too, have brushed the less-fortunate under the rug or into the gutter. I don't necessarily believe Ascher intends for everyone to begin handing out money to beggars left and right, but she certainly believes in not ignoring the homeless, especially those who have suffered unavoidable tragedy that strikes them into such a state.
Manhattan is a highly impersonal city. With a population exceeding 1.5 million people and a culture heavily rooted in economic pursuit and advancing up the socioeconomic ladder, it's no wonder people feel uncomfortable around the numerous homeless inhabitants.
Regarding the illiterate, I'm not sure how to react. I understand I'm supposed to feel the aforementioned compassion that Ascher advocates for, but I don't for a moment. Furthermore, I have a difficult time believing that 23% of Americans can't read at a basic, functioning level. Well, let me rephrase that--I think the study was conducted in a pointed manner, surveying many non-English-speaking people, citizens or not. That statistic is alarmingly high to me, to a degree that I don't buy into. I could easily be wrong, and if that's the case, shame on me for growing up in Napa and not being exposed to this phenomenon. Still, if that is the case, I don't feel tremendously sorry for illiterate people. I imagine it's a difficult life to lead, but not a difficult problem to solve. Even pattern recognition can allow someone to lead a content, granted routine, but functioning nonetheless, lifestyle. The moments when my heart-strings were supposed to be plucked and tugged only made me think they might be a bit out of tune.
If you disagree with the statistics he cited (remember that his book was published a while ago), provide some to counter his argument if you like. Furthermore, I would also disagree strongly with your comment that illiteracy is "not a difficult problem to solve." It is far more complicated than you can imagine, especially for people who must hold several jobs and care for families, which necessarily interfere with the time and energy available to learn (among the other institutional barriers that interfere with adult literacy).
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