I do see differences now. Some good, some not so much. As a kid my dad taught in the 'ghetto' schools of inner Cinci. He was a shop teacher then so his students were what would now be called 'gang bangers' back before today's gang kids even were a twinkle in their parents' middle school minds. He took guns away THEN, which is scary enough. My mother volunteered at a Girl's Club in downtown Cinci's worst area, and took gfgbro and I with her. My cousin sometimes too. I used to ask people for change to get chicken at the restaurant by the farmers market. I was 4-6yo, and got enough from the winos to get chicken for myself, bro and often my cousin too if he was there. On days when I had allowance, I would offer some of it to those people, the 'winos', and I never ever felt unsafe. Our neighbors were flat terrified to even drive through that neighborhood but NO ONE ever even attempted to mess with me or gfgbro or my cousin. My mom never treated any of her sewing students like they were less worthy, not even the transexual guy in the class a few times and that was something she did not even have an inkling of before then, but he was just another of the girls with a figure challenge to adjust a pattern for. The community knew it, and we were NEVER unsafe.
Years later, after my first neck surgery, I had to take the bus to work because I was not able to drive. One day some obvious gang members started to harrass me and an enormous black man gave them the stink eye and kept them away. He rode all the way to my stop, then told me not to worry, that they would leave me alone and to tell my husband hi for him. He meant my daddy, and when I said that the person he mentioned by name was my dad, he was amazed and remembered me from when I was very little. He dated a girl who babysat for us sometimes. I had been hassled before, but never was again even in the worst areas. I had more than a few people at various times call me by my maiden name and think I was my mom. (We DO look like clones to many people, as does Jess and one cousin I haven't met who is older than I am by the aunt who died before I was born). Every time they had a good memory of my dad to share, and said he was the only teacher who believed they could be someone good, could learn, would allow their kids to be around the 'bad kids' that they taught, and did not treat them like they would attack my mom or us kids at any moment.
When I worked in the middle of downtown Cincy, I walked through some rough areas to my car. husband's company had an office where I could park for free but it was almost a mile away. I would share a sandwich or leftovers with some of the homeless that I saw, and one day a man came up to take my purse from me by force. He didnt' see the Vietnam Vet who lived on the corner, this thief had shoes worth at least $200, an expensive coat and jewelry, and he wanted my little bit of money or whatever. I didn't even have jewelry on except my wedding ring and he tried to get that. That Vet who was homeless ran him off after taking my purse from him, and even offered to go call the police to come if I was afraid of him (of the Vet, the Vet OFFERED this to me), all of it shocked me. Esp the man who helped me offering to help me call the cops on himself. This man helped me NOT because I gave him food or whatever, but because he saw me give food to others living on the streets. It cost me nothing. What he told me was that he had noticed that I didn't treat the homeless as furniture or sidewalk, but as humans, bothering to make eye contact, tell them to have a nice day, and to give them a bit of humanity that no one else working on my street seemed to. It was interesting to me because it never occurred to me to do anything differently to those less able to care for themselves. Not even with our tight budget.
I think too many people are caught up in "me" and forget about "my world". I think the one word many describe me with is frugal, but in my opinion it is a lovely word. NOT because I stretch a dime, or because I save money or make my own whatever. To me the essence of frugality is sharing what you have or can share so that everyone benefits. If that is knowledge, or a book, or a ride or food or items or a hug, to me that is valuable and wonderful. So many of our kids are taught to earn to buy or have what they want. I have found it fun to teach mind to share, make do, and see what they can work together and with others to earn or have or create. It is 'frugal', character building, and to them? FUN!
Many people don't see others as people. Very few people my age that I have known now or growing up, ever saw their grandparents as people. I spent real TIME with my grands, esp my gmas. Weeks at a time where I went along on what they did, not when they only did what I wanted. Few people learn to see anyone not in their 'circle' as actual human beings. It scares me and in my opinion is why we have so much violence,at least as a major causative factor. If we felt more that everyone was a person just like us, we would be a vastly happier society and likely species.