Goodness what a thread
I can't help it and have to chime in with a few random comments from all I have taken in in the last few minutes
:
*I don't recall having ever seen Lynn--but it is quite possible we could have been near her at some point and not noticed her. There is generally a lot going on in the GF lobby and we are not in the habit of looking for people who "do not belong" or measure up to our expectations in some way (what a sad way that would be to go through life).
*If being happy, not hurting others at all, taking care of yourself and wanting to be kind and speak to others who are interested in talking to you (and yes, even giving a stuffed bear to others if they want it) is considered a mental illness that needs treatment then I think our society has lost its way entirely. Yes, it sounds like Lynn is not typical. She moves to the beat of a different drummer. She can take care of herself, she is not a burden on society. She is not dangerous or unhappy. Being different should not, in and of itself, be a crime or an illness. I can see nothing about this lady that needs "fixed" based on these posts at all
*I often strike up conversations with strangers while "gallivanting" around. I never knew this made me mentally ill or creepy--I thought it meant I am outgoing and friendly. My kids talk to strangers too. They have been given candy, basketballs, hand made tops, beaded necklaces, magazines, books and all manner of other little trinkets. They know how to accept a gift graciously and then check with me about keeping it (or eating it) once we are away from the giver. It never occurred to any of us to see anything creepy, or malicious in being offered a gift by a nice person. It truly think that is anyone has a mental issue needing treatment on this thread it is more likely the overly paranoid and critical ones or else the "fans" who seek this lady out in a stalker like way (just enjoy bumping into her if you do and not if you don't seems more normal to me) rather than the friendly and outgoing lady with bears (though I do not actually think anyone sounds like they need treatment to me). I certainly know which person I would rather interact with or live near (hint: paranoid, nosy, critical people do not make good neighbors in my experience, lol).
*Personally, I don't care for the GF. I like Wilderness Lodge and Kidani Village best. I even love Port Orleans French Quarter. I like to stay nicer sometimes and spend less time in the parks and I like to stay cheap sometimes and spend lots of hours in the parks. I know others like different hotels, tour differently, etc. Others also have different incomes, different responsibilities and different priorities. As long as the person is not living off of the system in someway (declaring bankruptcy while still keeping their DVC, or taking welfare while still taking trips to WDW, etc)--ways in which I AM paying for it via taxes, then it is NOT my business how someone vacations and I would never dream of criticizing where they stay, where they eat or how they choose to spend their money. Calling Disney to ask about something the person was told (unless you actually need that information for your own trip and want to confirm it), is really very odd
*Tax rate here in Germany: I can believe the 60% number. Income tax alone can be as high as 45% depending on the income (and there do not seem to be a bunch of write offs available to bring that number down as there are in the US--the figure is what it is pretty much). Then figure that everything you buy (including services like hair cuts and the like as well as goods) has a 19% VAT tax, add in taxes on a car, etc and you get there pretty quick. I have noticed that individual charitable giving is less here than in the US--but it is also true that people generally count on the government to handle much of it via these higher taxes and the churches to handle much of what is left (the 10% to Catholic or Protestant churches comes out before you ever see your paycheck for most people so they ARE giving there--though if you asked my neighbors who do this if they donate to charity it wouldn't cross their minds to list this as a donation). I do not see a less caring society at all--simply a completely different structure. In a semi realted thing, here is the abstract of an article that turned up top on the list when I googled homelessness in Germany vs. the USA (now I am curious as to how it compares
):
"Abstract
A public opinion survey was administered by telephone to nationally representative samples in the US and Germany to assess prevalence of homelessness as well as attitudes, opinions and knowledge regarding homelessness. Lower prevalence rates were found in Germany as compared with the US. German respondents demonstrated higher levels of general compassion, greater support for the public rights of the homeless, a greater tendency to view the homeless as trustworthy, and were more likely to view economic factors and less likely to view personal failings as integral to the problem of homelessness. Respondent age, gender, and political affiliation predicted many public opinion variables. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd."
Here is the link:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/casp.724/abstract
It's a simple pleasure of life, and obviously one you have no knowledge of. It makes me a better writer.
