People of lower socioeconomic status have become “trailer trash” or worse. Anyone who is not in the country-club set doesn’t count as a “real” person. Homeless people are perceived by mainstream society as being something less than a person, to be avoided, or to be driven out of sight.

Animals are awesome. Animal rights groups believe “that every creature with a will to live has a right to live free from pain and suffering.” This is why we should help animals and give them a voice. I hope you agree. All we need to do is start.

When someone is homeless or down and out, they become a target for abuse, partly because people believe that there will be no retribution or punishment, and perhaps because the individual is often too helpless to fight back. Bullying in society often is directed at people who have suffered misfortune.

What if many people are buried deep under poverty? What if they cried but no one heard, and no one came to rescue them? Sometimes it feels like there is no way out, not enough money, not enough food, but plenty of despair, hurt, loneliness — and so little help.

The planet is speaking and too few are listening. The poor are weeping and too few are concerned. The despised and rejected of men are incarcerated and deported. The Guantanamo gulag still exists. Drone warfare continues unabated. The economic devastation caused by the uber-rich is paid for by the struggling poor.