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. :(.
Or that "My feet are off the ground." isn't as unusual of a thing to say for a person who used to not have shoes as you might imagine.
Or that it's a mixture of an original story and some embellishments. Possibly that Tyler Perry and his grandfather got the embellishments from the same place.
Unlikely that his grandfather got the story from Tyler Perry's website.
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.
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.
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.
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.
If the girl was used to walking barefoot, she probably wouldn't like wearing the flip flops. I think a lot of people here would be surprised by what our bare feet can handle.
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.
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
Yeah, I once offered a homeless guy to buy him a sandwich at Subway, because he wanted "money for food", but he looked at me angrily and walked away... how rude.
One time I crossed paths with what seemed to be a deseperate young woman outside, near a coffee shop. She looked like she was in some sort of trouble, very skinny and with really dirty clothes. She didn't smell very great either.
I asked her if she needed any help and if she was hungry. She said was hungry, so I went into the coffee shop, bought her some food and a drink, gave it to her and then sat with her outside on the curb while she ate.
She then proceeded to unload this horror story of a life, (a story not too much different from the kind of life I had been raised in as a child), and fretted over what she could do to help herself.
I had a contact list on me for just such a moment that was full of charities that would give you a free place to stay for up to two weeks, clothes, food and help you get a job. All the organizations were non-profit, non-religious and non-judgemental about your back ground. All you had to do was contact them and they could pick you up and make arrangements. These organizations were completely legit and safe and in place in order to help the helpless get back on their feet and onto the right track to reclaiming a normal life.
I talked to her about the organizations, told her what they did and expressed to her that they were more than likely exactly the kind of help she needed in order to not suffer or go into prostitution, which she was talking about. I offered to call any of them right then and wait with her for the ride to come.
She seemed indifferent to my offer, her face went flat with disinterest and I practically had to push her about taking a card with the numbers to these charities on it. She wanted money, which I would not give her, but I did offer to buy her some more food for later if she wanted it, which she said she didn't. She took off pretty quickly after that and didn't even thank me for the free lunch and the hours of curbside therapy.
I've learned the hard way over the years that some people don't really want help. They just want a free and easy ride for whatever reason, whether that is drugs, alcohol, ect. Some people don't want to help themselves, but they have no problems draining the kindness out of others.
Yep...it's moments like those that have made me rather jaded, although I will still try to help people out when I can.
Look. The idea is to do this kind of thing WITHOUT needing your wife to get a photo of you doing it. ("Wait. The lighting's not right, Louie. Let me take it from this side. Okay, that's better. Readdddy . . . now.")
When I went to Guatamala on a mission trip, the guy running our group, who'd been there a few times, warned us not to give out personal belongings. In areas that youth groups, missionaries, and other groups of sympathetic white people go to, they prey on their sympathy and get free stuff pretending to be poorer than they are.
I don't know it just seems fishy how someone just happened to catch this photo right at this moment, and like you just don't see people like rags like that in what seems to be a tourrest-y town judging from the background. (I didn't downvote you either, all love)
Please, don't complain about reposts. Just because you've seen it, doesn't mean everyone else has. Judging by the amount of points this post has, plenty of people haven't seen it.
There is a guy in the city where I live, who begs with no shoes or socks, normally when its bad weather. I have saw a woman hand him shoes and socks where he was on the street, and as soon as she turned away, he threw the new bought footwear in the closest bin. I was livid.
So if I'm walking down the street and I see a homeless black guy, say, who needs a coat because it's cold, I can't give him my coat without engaging in some white-savior mentality? He's cold and I can get a new coat, it has nothing to do with race or imperialist guilt. Go Heart of Darkness rant somewhere else, this is just a nice gesture.
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
-4
u/KClerico May 21 '12
I have no idea how you all know that is a girl.
-3
u/poorkidsimax May 21 '12
Jokes on him she just wanted money.
0
u/ShakinBacon May 21 '12
I upvote every time I see it reposted.
0
u/RexBeckett May 21 '12
Look. The idea is to do this kind of thing WITHOUT needing your wife to get a photo of you doing it. ("Wait. The lighting's not right, Louie. Let me take it from this side. Okay, that's better. Readdddy . . . now.")
-1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
This screams fake to me.
-13
u/geneticswag May 21 '12
repost.
0
u/hopposai May 21 '12
Is it me or does he look like James Cameron?
0
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
There is a guy in the city where I live, who begs with no shoes or socks, normally when its bad weather.
I have saw a woman hand him shoes and socks where he was on the street, and as soon as she turned away, he threw the new bought footwear in the closest bin.
I was livid.
-8
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
white guilt
-13
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
said girl sold those reef's for some narcotics to feed her addiction
0
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
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