Article placement

The Sunday Post-Gazette contained a juxtaposition of articles that made me think of literature set around the time of the French Revolution.

On Page A-11, there was a story about people shoplifting food, diapers and other household goods in order to feed and clothe their families (Dec. 13, “More Americans Are Shoplifting Food as Aid Runs Out”). It was reminiscent of “Les Miserables’” Jean Valjean stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister’s starving family. Granted “Les Miserables” was set years after the French Revolution, but to read about similar actions becoming common in 21st- century America is a startling comment about our own society and our perceived greatness as a nation.

On the very next page was an article about the numerous holiday parties taking place in our nation’s capital (Dec. 13, “White House Holds Holiday Parties Despite Virus”). The government glitterati gallivanting from party to party while the governed resort to shoplifting called to mind the “Let them eat cake” quote arguably attributed to French Queen MarieAntoinette.

Immediately below the article about the White House parties was a list of donors to the PG Goodfellows charity. I don’t know the people who contributed, but the varied amounts of the contributions made me believe a lot of them didn’t have much disposable income. Yet, in spite of their own economic concerns, they contributed to help others. They’re evidence that there’s still a lot of good in America.

Another quote summarizes the three paragraphs above: “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times,” the opening to Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities.” Today, the number of people experiencing the best of times is steadily decreasing while the number experiencing the worst of times is increasing. Numerous times in history, increasing inequality has led to disastrous results for uncaring governments. Hopefully, we as a nation are better than that. As Winston Churchill said to Britain’s House of Commons, “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.”

BUZZ MILLER Oakmont