2 nights ago I was alerted to a Facebook thread about Nashville Electric Service cutting off 200+ customers' electricity for non-payment. The thread started off civil enough, with a few debating whether the company violated their own policy of not cutting off power when the high temperature for the day is below freezing.
News flash, they violated it:
Regardless, that's not the point of this post.
The thread quickly deteriorated to people accusing the non-paying customers of entitlement, expecting a handout and spending their money on alcohol and drugs. In other words, complete horseshit. Eventually Obama (everyone's favorite target) was blamed for making these people feel like they should get their electricity for free. That's ludicrous to even type.
No one involved in this thread actually knew a single person who this affected. While the majority of these 200 customers were likely single mothers, elderly people and honest hardworking folks who may have fallen on hard times - they were immediately villainized as freeloading alcoholics who expect their bills to be paid by the rest of us.
What the fuck happened to our country?
When did it become ok to immediately assume the worst in our fellow man? When did it become fashionable to consider yourself superior to those with less money who can't afford the bare essentials?
My first reaction to this story was sadness and sincerely hoping these people can stay warm and get their debt in order. Not to malign them as a leech on society.
I'm still as disgusted 48 hours later as I was when I first read the posts.
It's funny how being an asshole doesn't make you attractive, funny or intelligent. It just makes you an asshole.