Angry? At you? Sure.

I have "played" in the third world. I felt like I learned quite a bit not just about work, but about empathy for others. Working in bad environments taught me perspective about how the world operates, and it humbled me regarding what resources are available to many of us that others do not have.

Perhaps I am high and mighty. Okay, I'm good with that. I'm delighted to hear how happy you are (look at your response to /u/therespectablejc above: "I don't feel that way at all!") and I hope that you continue to achieve that level.

It seems odd to me that a person like you, who so purports to be a huge help to all around him, would instruct me to "live in depression." Aren't you the kind of person who helps others? Why so immediately dismissive of me?

Maybe it's because you are incredible detached from the real world. Look, the reason you infuriated me so much is because you are a paramedic by trade and you say something like "the majority [of people in need] have some family / friends, etc., to turn to."

Are you nuts? You're a paramedic, someone who sees really awful stuff, and you can say this? You honestly, genuinely believe that the majority of people in need have someone to rely on? What in the actual fuck is wrong with you?

You may think that I'm angry - it's more than I just cannot believe that a life-saving professional would say something so fucking stupid, so immature, and so disrespectful to everyone else who has dedicated their lives to helping others. I'm not angry, I'm incredulous.

Come to south Milwaukee. Come see the social issues that we are trying to solve, and you will learn very quickly that there just aren't any friends or family for most people in need. Not just most - I'm going to say damn near every single one of them. I hate people like you because by saying stupid shit like that, maybe others will believe you. Maybe others will think that we're just lying about all of the social issues that exist, and WORST OF ALL: maybe people will listen to you, vote in the wrong people, and then my budget gets cut even more than it's already been cut.

Don't you get it? By saying dumb shit like that, you are making my job more difficult. You are telling me that I should just tell a sobbing 10-year-old boy to call a friend when his dad won't stop hitting him, right?

So. Back to my first point: fuck you.