…And I think It’s Going to Rain Today…

Matthew, Politics, San Francisco, Social Commentary, Video

I saw my first homeless person in December 1981,  35 years ago.

I shot this video on Thursday, December 15, 2016.

View at full screen, if you can.

Most people consider a sight an elderly man shoving a cart of wet
belongings in a drenching rain normal.

They want to live like this, we say.

The State Hospitals were so much worse, we say.

It’s too expensive to fix, we say.

Think of all the lies we have to tell ourselves
to make the daily sight of human suffering
seem normal.

Then remember that all of it is the result of our vote.

Tin can at my feet
Think I’ll kick it down the street
That’s the way to treat a friend

The video is made from photographs of San Francisco’s mentally ill
homeless between 2012 and 2015.

“I Think it’s Going to Rain Today”
Song by Judy Collins
Lyrics by Randy Newman

31 thoughts on “…And I think It’s Going to Rain Today…”

    1. There is no escaping the fact that we are witness to the consequences of unchecked capitalism.

      Everywhere I go in San Francisco there are people huddled in doorways, sleeping on wet mattresses or bundles of rags, digging through garbage for something to eat in front of a Whole Foods store, or waling past blocks of streets lined with tents that are a pathetic attempt to deal with a problem that is a direct result of the refusal of our elite to pay their taxes.

      How much low income housing would Trump’s two decades of unpaid taxes buy?

      I’m reminded of something I heard somewhere: You are my other me. When I take care of you I take care of myself.

      Like

  3. Oh the irony…and the sarcasm. We have people who could live in the same huge house and never speak to each other, and then you have this. It really is pathetic. What a beautiful song and beautiful pictures that I wish you didnt have to take.

    Liked by 1 person

      3. Thank you. That was fun. The undertow is in the lyrics. Bob Marley was great.

        It squelched a rant..against how the establishment works…for now 😉

        Like

  5. I was going to vote Democratic anyway. Did you see you were on my post of Champions today? I don’t expect you to accept the award, just was checking in to see if any of my Peeps stopped by. Smiles, Robin

    Liked by 1 person

  6. A sad comment on society where our Governments allow this to happen and keep on happening. We need to invest in people again, treat them, move them into suitable housing and have care in the community to ensure they remain well.
    Hugs

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I find it so confusing.

      Deinstitutionalization is a failed public policy…But we continue to treat the result as if we don’t know why it’s happening. I mean, I know that as creatures we are not perfect…but is it really possible that we can deny what we can see with our own eyes, because if that’s true we’re not going to make it to the next
      stage–I don’t see how we can…

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Erika…the photos are all mine, taken between 2011 and December
      2015.

      Of all of the different singers who’ve covered this song I like the Collin’s cover the best.

      She taps into what I sense as a longing in the lyric for evidence of God’s grace as it is expressed through acts of compassion…

      It’s similar in that way to the Sound of Silence, which also apt for our times:

      And the people bowed and prayed
      To the neon god they made
      And the sign flashed out its warning
      In the words that it was forming
      And the sign said:
      “The words of the prophets are
      Written on the subway walls
      And tenement halls

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Wow, when you quoted the lyrics and I heard the melody playing in my head it gave me chills. And I can only agree. Although I don’t know the other versions of “I think it’s going to rain” this one went along so well with your photos in its expression. You did a very poignant video, Robert and I hope it affects something.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Thank you for leaving a comment, Erika…I enjoyed making it…it popped into my head and the pictures just fell into place. If it causes just one person to question the justice of doing this to people it will have done its job…:)

        Liked by 1 person

    1. You can….Vote Democratic, even if you have to hold your nose…and vote for propositions designed to fund housing and mental health programs. We need treatment if we are to get well and be productive. Let me put it this way…you probably know and like dozens of people with mental health problems-use your vote to give them a chance to heal…

      I appreciate your comment.

      Liked by 1 person

      2. I would vote for Eisenhower in a Second….The people we call Republicans are Dixiecrat’s…these were the guys that supported George Wallace–the segregationist.

        In a race between a real Republican and a Democrat I would vote for the most qualified person

        …but in a race between a Dixiecrat and a Democrat, the Democrat is always the most qualified, because they don’t hate our system of government…they actually want to govern.

        Liked by 1 person

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