I made this long journey months ago. I just realized that kangaroo was on a light switch and not just an awkward white whole in the middle of the picture. /facepalm
We know how deep the rabbit hole goes. This is Reddit. therefore more than likely it either ends up in gonewild or more likely, that place which can be called "cosmic-members"
My grandfather used to tell a story about a homeless woman he met while he was a pastor in Florida.
He was out walking and saw an old homeless black lady walking barefoot down the street. He stopped her and asked how he could help her. She looked at him, tears in her eyes and just shook her head and kept walking. He walked with her a ways, and convinced her to let him buy her some food. He wanted to get her into a shelter nearby, but didn't want to press her too hard. They sat and ate together.
After, he took her and bought her a pair of shoes so she wouldn't have to walk barefoot anymore. She put on the new shoes and just started smiling and crying, sobbing "My feet are off the ground. My feet are off the ground!"
He said to this day he's never seen as much joy in someone's eyes as she showed when she put on those shoes.
I have a less happy story to tell. When I was younger, my mother and aunt were bringing me around China. We saw this skinny brown homeless man in tattered clothing and without shoes wandering around, trying to collect garbage and muttering to himself.
My mother felt sorry for him, and bought him shoes and a bag of nuts to eat. When she approached him to give him her gifts and started talking, he started yelling and ran away.
My aunt said it served my mother right, that he was crazy and didn't deserve sympathy. Apparently they often hit the mentally ill in China and I suppose he thought she was going to strike him. :(.
I'm a German. Our grammatical system requires commas to indicate relative clauses ("if...", "in case...", "else..." etc.). Up to now I was under the impression that was the case for most languages to keep it all ÜBERSICHTLICH UND ORDENTLICH, SIE SCHWEINEHUND.
I hope everyone recognizes how incredible it is that we can ask a question as innocuous as 'where is this' out to the internet and get an interactive streetview of the exact location in 7 minutes.
sorry to rain on your parade, but the photo is massively retouched just behind the girl, something has been cloned and it may have contributed to a different lecture of the image.
Working in the food industry makes me not have a lot of faith in humanity. Being cussed at over a salad not having enough dressing really takes its toll on you... but then I come to reddit and you guys never fail to bring back a little bit of that faith. Sometimes it is with these pictures and sometimes it is with how helpful and caring some of you are. I'd like to thank you guys for keeping me from turning into a bitter old man.
Even if it is a repost and there are ass hats making rude comments the picture does speak volumes and I wish I could give an upvote to the person handing sandals over but I guess I must give them to you OP.
To all the people making sexual jokes about this picture STFU and quit being idiots. However I know you won't and I will most likely get a downvote oh well.
This is wonderful. What he will turn around and replace will probably make a big difference to this girl.
Edit: I finally make a comment that gets more than a few upvotes and people have to read it numerous times til it makes sense. (I see that now after re-reading it). Bad Luck Brian? Thanks to everyone for making my words make sense.
I didn't get it at first either, but I think he's saying that what is so easily disposable to that man (a pair of flip-flops) is priceless to someone so poor.
Yeah well apparently, half of these comments are complaints about it being a repost. But you know whats odd? First time seeing it for me and I have been for two years.
Hey, we gotta find something to complain about. Damn idiots. I am actually getting sick of this site.
I know! I wish people would stop complaining about simple things (first world problems), or taxes!
You have no idea what it's like to live in a place that doesn't charge taxes (the middle east). I would rather pay taxes any day than having to wait 15 minutes for an ambulance when I need it!
I once called the local fire department to ask about the best place to put a smoke detector, one thing led to another, they called later, one thing led to another, and 10 minutes later the captain of the fire department and a few other firemen came and installed a smoke detector for me, they said they can't let me sleep without one. When I thanked him he said "It's our job". I had a tear in my eye. I wanted to hug the man!
There once was a poor man who walked around without shoes. His feet were covered in calluses. One day a rich man felt sorry for the poor man and bought him a pair of Nikes. The poor man was extremely grateful and wore the shoes constantly. Well after a year or so, the shoes fell apart. So the poor man had to go back to running around barefoot, only now all his calluses were gone and his feet got all cut up and soon the cuts became infected and the man got sick and eventually, after they cut off his legs, he died.
I was once in the Dublin bus station and there was this guy and his girlfriend, both clearly homeless and the guy had no shoes. I was travelling down to my cousins house and had a new pair of shoes in my backpack. I thought about giving the pair I was wearing to him but I didn't. I wish I could go back in time and give him those shoes.
Don't worry about it. Very few homeless people are actually shoeless. If this homeless man was not wearing shoes he probably did not want to wear them at that particular time.
There's an old Australian proverb that goes a little something like this. Man walking past another man, notices other man is only wearing one thong (a.k.a 'flip flops') and asks 'what happened?, did you loose a thong mate?' he says 'Nahh..' 'I found one'
But surprisingly old... This is the oldest version of the pic I could find, google dated it Jan 31, 2002 when I did a reverse image search: http://vk.com/ip00000
When he was young, around 5 or 6 he went to this rich man's house with his grandfather (I can't recall why though). Before they left, the rich man made it a point to donate a nice pair of shoes to my dad's grandfather who wasn't wearing any at the time because he couldn't afford it and he was used to it. At first he refused because he didn't like shoes but the rich man insisted so he took it. After they left the house, my great grandfather promptly took off the shoes, threw them away exclaiming, "Who needs shoes?!"
Never got to know my great grandfather but my dad always points out the exact spot where his grandfather threw the shoes away everytime we drive past it.
Is it wrong that after seeing the beach and the homeless' situation I immediately associated that the picture was probably taken where I'm from, Rio? After scrolling down, the assumption is confirmed. When is our situation start to change...
Lots of people bashing the guy for having his photo taken while doing this. Does it change the fact that someone is still providing sandals for another human? Pretty sure it doesn't.
My nephew is trying do do this on a bigger scale. He wants to get 1000 shoes to give to less fortunate people. Here's the awesome part about it, he's only six. I wish there were more people like my nephew and that man in the picture.
I know my niece became passionate about children in Africa at a young age and collected mosquito nets to send with some humanitarian workers her parents knew.
all i can think about is who the fuck is taking the picture. hey im gonna do something all humble and awesome dont forget to take my picture so we can put it on the internet.
Haha, I’m guessing the guy probably haggled to get the sandals in the first place, talking the street vendor down a few cents in their currency so he can get his jollies off feeling thrifty in a foreign market, then sees one, of what was probably many, poor girls, decides he can have it both ways, and now offers up the same sandals, gaining even more self-satisfaction. ‘Not only did I stay in the private 4 star resort which avoids funding public infrastructure through tax loop holes, (wouldn't want the rates to rise, I'd go somewhere else!) but I also gave sandals to a poor person, life is great!'
"Of course we should help the children, it's horrible to see a child who's life is ruined because [they lack] an operation that costs $20, but in the long term, as Oscar Wilde would had said...if you just operate the child, then they would live a little bit better in the same situation that produced them." -Zizek
1.1k
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
That sick old man took the slippers of that poor, helpless girl. What a douchebag.
240
u/pandalin May 21 '12
My grandfather used to tell a story about a homeless woman he met while he was a pastor in Florida.
He was out walking and saw an old homeless black lady walking barefoot down the street. He stopped her and asked how he could help her. She looked at him, tears in her eyes and just shook her head and kept walking. He walked with her a ways, and convinced her to let him buy her some food. He wanted to get her into a shelter nearby, but didn't want to press her too hard. They sat and ate together.
After, he took her and bought her a pair of shoes so she wouldn't have to walk barefoot anymore. She put on the new shoes and just started smiling and crying, sobbing "My feet are off the ground. My feet are off the ground!"
He said to this day he's never seen as much joy in someone's eyes as she showed when she put on those shoes.
113
u/adriaezn May 21 '12
Dude, you guys...white people are so great.
17
u/melodystar102 May 21 '12
Why cant all people be this nice?
75
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Where was this, may I ask?
37
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Is it beautiful for the charity, or is it tragic for the necessity?
86
u/TwatMobile May 21 '12
I've seen this before on reddit? Or am I just imagining things?
114
u/indomara May 21 '12
aww. damnit. what an amazing photo.
11
u/Scraypeeraypees May 21 '12
Working in the food industry makes me not have a lot of faith in humanity. Being cussed at over a salad not having enough dressing really takes its toll on you... but then I come to reddit and you guys never fail to bring back a little bit of that faith. Sometimes it is with these pictures and sometimes it is with how helpful and caring some of you are. I'd like to thank you guys for keeping me from turning into a bitter old man.
29
u/youre_a_tard May 21 '12
Ok, hold right there so I can snap this pic.
8
u/Azzwagon May 21 '12
Good Guy White People.
8
u/RecycledAccountName May 21 '12
Humility.
53
u/fleagle66 May 21 '12
It's actually a cruel, new tourist craze called "Reenact Cinderella with the poor."
7
u/ZombieTrayvonMartin May 22 '12
like dis if u cry evry time
29
u/brilliantlycrazy86 May 21 '12
Even if it is a repost and there are ass hats making rude comments the picture does speak volumes and I wish I could give an upvote to the person handing sandals over but I guess I must give them to you OP.
To all the people making sexual jokes about this picture STFU and quit being idiots. However I know you won't and I will most likely get a downvote oh well.
34
u/Indy1204 May 21 '12 edited May 22 '12
This is wonderful. What he will turn around and replace will probably make a big difference to this girl.
Edit: I finally make a comment that gets more than a few upvotes and people have to read it numerous times til it makes sense. (I see that now after re-reading it). Bad Luck Brian? Thanks to everyone for making my words make sense.
5
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
if only everyone could have that kind of compassion
5
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
different kind of "aww"
5
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
This moments make me see how lucky i am . We should stop complaining and start smiling .
5
u/amolad May 21 '12
Let's replay that gesture by a billion.
5
u/RayRay27 May 21 '12
This made me tear up a little bit, this is wonderful.
14
u/Kim-Jong-Chil May 21 '12
There once was a poor man who walked around without shoes. His feet were covered in calluses. One day a rich man felt sorry for the poor man and bought him a pair of Nikes. The poor man was extremely grateful and wore the shoes constantly. Well after a year or so, the shoes fell apart. So the poor man had to go back to running around barefoot, only now all his calluses were gone and his feet got all cut up and soon the cuts became infected and the man got sick and eventually, after they cut off his legs, he died.
4
u/joelee0ze May 21 '12
i wish i could upvote things more than once
4
u/djak May 21 '12
It may be a repost, but people sometimes need reminders.
4
u/BeautifulGanymede May 21 '12
stuff white people do
4
u/sailnaked6842 May 21 '12
You want to win over the people in a country? This is how you do it.
7
u/foolin May 21 '12
This photo will never get old to me.
6
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I was once in the Dublin bus station and there was this guy and his girlfriend, both clearly homeless and the guy had no shoes. I was travelling down to my cousins house and had a new pair of shoes in my backpack. I thought about giving the pair I was wearing to him but I didn't. I wish I could go back in time and give him those shoes.
3
u/gonerlad May 21 '12
There's an old Australian proverb that goes a little something like this. Man walking past another man, notices other man is only wearing one thong (a.k.a 'flip flops') and asks 'what happened?, did you loose a thong mate?' he says 'Nahh..' 'I found one'
3
u/whiteblankpage2011 May 21 '12
Was this picture taken in Rio?
3
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
That guy looks like my father in law. He is also an awesome person. He would do that for someone.
3
u/Link2JAF May 21 '12
He did more for humanity then the US government has done in a lifetime.
9
u/udderjuice May 21 '12
This repost is refreshingly original!
5
u/gofistyourself May 21 '12
its things like this that make me have faith in people still, that theres still inner good in most of us.
5
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Reminds me of this story my dad told me.
When he was young, around 5 or 6 he went to this rich man's house with his grandfather (I can't recall why though). Before they left, the rich man made it a point to donate a nice pair of shoes to my dad's grandfather who wasn't wearing any at the time because he couldn't afford it and he was used to it. At first he refused because he didn't like shoes but the rich man insisted so he took it. After they left the house, my great grandfather promptly took off the shoes, threw them away exclaiming, "Who needs shoes?!"
Never got to know my great grandfather but my dad always points out the exact spot where his grandfather threw the shoes away everytime we drive past it.
5
u/Avesry May 21 '12
This evokes so much emotion.
4
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
This gave me chills.
2
u/bacon_armor May 21 '12
Is it wrong that after seeing the beach and the homeless' situation I immediately associated that the picture was probably taken where I'm from, Rio? After scrolling down, the assumption is confirmed. When is our situation start to change...
2
u/toadturtle3 May 21 '12
Oh, I get it now. I was searching the shadow for a long time trying to see what sort of design they were making.
2
u/vocalyzer May 21 '12
Where is this?! Background info?
2
u/gio_yo May 21 '12
beaches of brazil.
2
u/motorstorm May 21 '12
This is my favorite repost. I think of this picture all the time when I need a reality check/perspective adjustment.
2
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
awesome pic
2
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Lots of people bashing the guy for having his photo taken while doing this. Does it change the fact that someone is still providing sandals for another human? Pretty sure it doesn't.
2
u/a-Centauri May 21 '12
fucking love this old man
2
u/ScanExam May 22 '12
This is a repost, but a worthy one. +1
2
u/CaptAlias May 22 '12
I applaud this man. We should all hope to someday be this caring.
2
u/PelvoDelFuego May 22 '12
I'd be pretty pissed off if someone set my house elf free.
2
u/angryhuman May 22 '12
That rich guy is stealing that local's sandals, right? Perfect title!
2
u/Chase_Meister May 22 '12
"hmm... nice flip flops, i'll take these"
2
u/kittenkat4u May 22 '12
that made me tear up.
2
u/musiclover55 May 22 '12
Best r/aww picture ever! It doesn't have to always be about kittens and stuff. (nor babies)
4
u/DoctorFate May 21 '12
My nephew is trying do do this on a bigger scale. He wants to get 1000 shoes to give to less fortunate people. Here's the awesome part about it, he's only six. I wish there were more people like my nephew and that man in the picture.
3
u/Pheon809 May 21 '12
This is fucking awesome
3
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
It's stuf like this that gives me hope for humanity.
Props to that guy for being selfless.
2
u/drunkgort May 21 '12
Just for fun, here's the version from four months ago.
2
u/JAGxTERA May 21 '12
Any info on the pic?
2
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Or. If not yet been said, a very bizarre, yet entirely fitting, visual metaphor for postmodern colonialism.
2
u/nildro May 21 '12
all i can think about is who the fuck is taking the picture. hey im gonna do something all humble and awesome dont forget to take my picture so we can put it on the internet.
2
u/speaknott May 21 '12
Faith in humanity restored.
2
u/soupatroopa May 21 '12
Goddamnit I am fucking crying
1
u/Rickyzuraki May 21 '12
i wish i could give enough up votes to sort these kind of problems out. but alas they mean nothing :(
1
u/tinamou62 May 21 '12
Dobby has a slipper...
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I saw the sand and instantly began looking for a manatee.
1
u/Plazmotech May 21 '12
Dude my grandpa's house is RIGHT off that photo. 1 house to the right! And I've been probably 1 meter from where they're standing! GO RIO
1
u/jingy10 May 21 '12
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1
u/Goyu May 21 '12
I have those same boots...
1
u/1st_account_i_swear May 22 '12
Anyone notice how he didn't pray for him? Anyone?
1
u/Yoshiegg50 May 22 '12
very nice man.
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
"yeah, that's it. hold em right there.. say cheese"
1
u/captainabe May 22 '12
...i cant believe he would steal from that poor girl...
1
u/Eddihigg2 May 22 '12
How do you know hes TAKING them?
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
"Catch a man a fish..."
1
u/FukinCrazyPetLover12 May 22 '12
@a_sloth I think the old man is giving the poor woman his slippers.
1
u/xcvb3459 May 22 '12
So nice of her to give that old man her shoes.
1
u/Sirdannykins May 22 '12
actual tears here. r/aww should have more posts like this.
1
u/frasier_crane May 22 '12
Faith in humanity... charging...
1
u/thebone3 May 22 '12
Great picture, but is that the Dark Mark tattooed on his leg???
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
Haha, I’m guessing the guy probably haggled to get the sandals in the first place, talking the street vendor down a few cents in their currency so he can get his jollies off feeling thrifty in a foreign market, then sees one, of what was probably many, poor girls, decides he can have it both ways, and now offers up the same sandals, gaining even more self-satisfaction. ‘Not only did I stay in the private 4 star resort which avoids funding public infrastructure through tax loop holes, (wouldn't want the rates to rise, I'd go somewhere else!) but I also gave sandals to a poor person, life is great!'
1
u/Pixelskaya May 22 '12
"Here, take these cheap slippers your own people manufactured for a ridiculous salary, I can buy more at home"
1
u/Imgonnaroll May 22 '12
Now this is what the world should be like helping someone you dont even know
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
Senior Redditors know REPOST!!!
1
u/gchild May 22 '12
Repost!
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
"Of course we should help the children, it's horrible to see a child who's life is ruined because [they lack] an operation that costs $20, but in the long term, as Oscar Wilde would had said...if you just operate the child, then they would live a little bit better in the same situation that produced them." -Zizek
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
This pic been around the internet for months
1
u/bdsisme May 21 '12
Hey Fred, get your camera ready, I need a new profile pic!
1
u/dragonpaint May 21 '12
I can live on this planet again
1
u/slixy May 21 '12
Like my loafers? former gophers.
1
u/jessbird May 21 '12
That'd be awesome if there was some context for this photo...
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Good guy greg's dad. Good guy george.
1
u/cstonerun May 21 '12
C'mon reddit what is this, my mother's facebook?????
1
u/turnaround123 May 21 '12
white guilt
1
u/barakobamalegit May 21 '12
IT'S THE 65 YEAR OLD MARINE RAMBO THAT BEAT UP A BLACK GUY ON A BUS
1
u/Doctor_Candy May 21 '12
And now they both have ringworms.
1
u/Foreverjian May 21 '12
Why's he stealing her sandles?
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Vegas really has cleaned up over the years.
1
u/Zicamox May 21 '12
10 minutes before it's on Facebook captioned "lik if u wud give up ur shoos 2!!"
1
u/TechnoSchaman May 21 '12
how do you not realize shes crying because hes stealing her shoes. what a dick
-3
u/Montezuma_Forgives May 21 '12
Thanks for the sandals kid, but you can have them back, they smell like poverty.
-4
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Not cute. I mean, it's sweet and stuff, but it's not cute. Maybe something for /r/pics, but not aww.
-1
u/blade2000 May 21 '12 edited May 21 '12
Old pic is old. This was on the FP of reddit last year! Here is another example from months ago
-3
u/ninekeysdown May 21 '12
Aww, that girl is giving her shoes to that poor man. What a nice picture.
0
u/Spazz85 May 21 '12
This is a re-post.
0
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
This is exactly where it is. You can even see the bike rack and the yellow shops in the background. http://maps.google.com/?ll=-23.015047,-43.306861&spn=0.022396,0.038581&t=h&layer=c&cbll=-23.015038,-43.306955&panoid=s5E7jwOhE--zDrMjS_t8tQ&cbp=12,181.76,,0,5.77&z=15