Brett Robson wrote:

> On Fri, 21 Nov 2003 23:19:08 +0900, Eric Takabayashi  ...
> >
>
> Shame Kevin Gowen II isn't here to point out whatever it would be that he would
> point. Something about everyone has choices in life.

I meet people like that all the time. They think that a crippled old woman and her
male living mate who spends his days sitting in his futon in a daze - I've only
seen him upright when the workers were clearing the area out - choose to live in a
sand playground smelling of human waste (it is also an illegal dumping ground)
under the leaking train tracks collecting cans out of the trash for 60 yen per
kilogram, instead of working full time for one of the companies in the classifieds
which claim that gender, educational background, and age don't matter when
applying. They miss the point that even younger, university educated people with
years of relevant experience and even local references like my wife don't get
decent jobs.

But only the poor get criticized. Young people overly selective about what they
want to do or how much money they think they need, people with real opportunities
who have no desire to work, people who quit or lose jobs and prefer to live off
welfare a while to enjoy a break, and housewives who may not have children or do
much housework, all of whom have the opportunity to live comfortably off other
people without any particular effort of their own, are not criticized.