No One Should Have to Rely on Good Samaritans
The internet loves heartwarming tales about Good Samaritans helping people in need. But they're also horrifying warning signs of a society unwilling to provide social support for the vulnerable. Meeting people's basic needs shouldn't depend on individuals' altruism.
A young girl receives a backpack during a backpack giveaway for needy children at St Anthony Foundation August 27, 2009 in San Francisco, California.Justin Sullivan / Getty
We all love the inspiring story about that person who went way out of her way to help her fellow humans. The internet especially loves such stories — almost as much as it loves touching tales of unlikely friendship between mismatched animals, like cats and hedgehogs.
As socialists, they leave us with mixed feelings. We’re fighting for a more collective and caring society, one in which we all feel a sense of responsibility to one another — just like these good people. But as heartwarming as they are, such stories often symbolize the inner rot of our current economic system under austerity.
Heroics are inspiring — but the system shouldn’t demand such extraordinary measures from us.
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