From "An electrician saw his client’s house was in disrepair. So he called friends and they fixed her house for free" (WaPo).
Photo by John Kinney.October 7, 2020
"Gloria Scott decided it was time to call an electrician in early August after she flipped on a light switch in her kitchen and sparks flew out of an overhead fixture, tripping her circuit breaker..."
"Electrician John Kinney fixed the problem... But.... he couldn’t stop thinking about Scott, 72, living with her dog in her dilapidated house in Woburn, Mass., a suburban working-class community about 12 miles outside of Boston.
'She reminded me of my nana, who passed away 10 years ago,' said Kinney, 37, who runs Kinney Electric... The following Monday, Kinney returned to Scott’s home with an offer:
'I have a lot of friends — how about if I put together a group to come over and help you fix things up around here,' he recalled telling her. 'There will be no cost to you whatsoever.'... 'This has been a heartwarming experience for the whole town.'
Victor Oliveira, owner of VCO Landscaping, said he was excited to redesign Scott’s front and back yards after he read about her on Facebook.... 'Gloria’s in seventh heaven and seems at a loss for words about what we’re doing,' he said. 'She’s gone from living alone to having a bunch of new friends.... I can’t believe that all of these volunteers keep showing up day after day to help me.... I wish that I could think of something to do for them. They’re an incredible band of brothers.... Now, I hope we can do the same for all of the other Glorias out there. Nobody should have to go through life alone.'"
Photo by John Kinney.
Photo by John Kinney.
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111 comments:
Who showed up? Trump voters, that's who.
isn't THIS, THE DEFINITION of White Privilege???
i mean, assuming that Gloria was white
Look at all the toxically masculine misogynists in that photo.
That's no who we are...
One of my favorite things about good men is how they look for things to be fixed. They are in their element when they do that. I love that this has your “masculinity” tag.
I worked pouring and finishing concrete flatwork, and did some light masonry, for a few years. My boss would occasionally see people in the neighborhood who needed repairs and recruit a few of us to surprise them with a new walkway or driveway or pool deck, no charge to the recipient. Only cost him a few hundred bucks for materials because we all worked for free and the Concrete supplier would charge us at a cut rate. I loved those jobs. We would show up a day or two before the pour to build forms, take measurements, grade, etc., and 90% of the time the "client" would sit outside and watch us the whole time, saying "Thank You" every 5 minutes. Far more gratifying than a few bucks. Good for these guys, doing what decent people should always be doing, looking for an opportunity to help.
I'm not crying, you're crying.
Well done, Mr. Kinney and friends, well done.
TOXIC WHITE MASCULINITY ALERT.
No masks?
Charity, charitable, happens every day. Good for them.
That’s the real America, Althouse, not the perpetual grievance-mongers who burn down cities when they don’t get their way.
How long until the government steps in and shuts these people down?
NO MASKS REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
That's some serious white supremacy right there. Surprised the WaPoo published it.
sparks flew out of an overhead fixture
...Men & Shorts not so bad now, eh?
These people are awesome.
I'm trying to understand this story? It's wonderful that a set of complete strangers helped this woman out. However, the story states she's "...72 and is completely alone...?" She has no family? No kids? We as a society should start to think what kind of culture we want to live in. We've denigrated from a family oriented theme to everyone is on their own. The 'Homeless Issue' is a perfect end product of this narcissisms. If we don't care for our family - how do we care for our friends, neighbors, city, county, state, country and the world?
OMG! Where are their masks?
Those guys were Republicans. Dems would demonstrate out in the street and burn the neighbors houses down.
A glimpse of a future society I am confident that we are going to build. When? When we decide to do it. We lack nothing except the will and some self discipline.
Sadly, the supply of Glorias is much greater than the supply of Kinnys.
What a great guy.
If 10% of those lecturing us about "saving the planet" would instead roll up their sleeves and follow his example, our country would be a much better place to live.
It sure is easy to be cynical these days, but it’s nice to see confirmation that it’s perhaps wiser not to be.
FYI Woburn is the town where A Civil Action took place.
Had to read quite a few comments before coming across one explicitly slamming Trump. WaPo readers are slipping.
I sure hope John hasn’t made any insufficiently woke comments on social media. The cancellation would be swift and brutal. WaPo readers undoubtedly researching him now.
Thank you. Not your usual but I like it.
Unless she's a black woman or, more ideally, an undocumented immigrant, you can file this under white privilege.....So typical and uncaring of white people to take care of impoverished old white people when so many people of color live in poverty and extremity. Perhaps some racial sensitivity training is needed here. The trainers can perhaps accept reduced fees in order to show the true spirit of generosity and tolerance that should be the ultimate aim of all citizens of good will, or maybe a George Soros type can undertake to subsidize their fees. It does seem unfair that these trainers should have to suffer any economic loss for bringing enlightenment to these closet racists.
See now that’s the America we all love. God bless these people and their generous hearts!
'Merica!
Actually, people all over the world, in every corner of the world do this for each other. Only in America do we celebrate this as a noble feat because, as was stated earlier in something I had read, we let our enemies teach our children to hate us, and us each other-
So, this seems extraordinary.
I have liberal friends who cannot understand this. They always think only the government should do this; and of course the government never does and never will. In the small towns of flyover country where I have lived for the past 45 years this kind of charity is not unknown though it doesn't often get this kind of publicity.
Toxic masculinity!
Now- how much is Massachusetts going to tax her for accepting all that volunteer labor?
very deplorable of them - I am sure and bless their hearts.
Wonderful story.
Burly men showing their true selves.
You know, I'd read this feel-good story about people volunteering to help out a person in need - but it's behind the WaPo pay wall, so I guess I'll just have to go on thinking the story might be true, but even if it is, the WaPo is still a bunch of greedy, lying, low-life, scum-sucking vultures.
After doing a little reading: Fact Check: True (both)
So when is CNN going to be reporting on their Tweets?
It's usually the Massholes that get all the attention. The rest of Massachusetts is like these heroes...
Volunteerism is the nanny state's and it's supporters worst nightmare.
Not seeing any masks on faces.
Just two pulled down.
According to Ken B and tim in V these are murderous assholes trying to kill everyone with Covid.
I'll leave my views of the Washington Post out of this comment. But this helping hand here is what the deplorables do in many communities around the countryside. You get out of life what you give to it--and helping a 72 year old widow is part of that giving.
My BIL church has been doing this for years. No charge to the people who's house they're fixing up.
Don’t these people know Americans are all selfish assholes? They are hurting the media’s finely crafted message
All I see are a bunch of privileged white cismales exhibiting toxic masculinity.
Deplorables.
Probably just a bunch of racist deplorables. They should have had the government take care of it, the proper way.
Love the shirt in the background "Why should only one hour be happy?"
Stupid comment by someone who goes by an appropriate handle who can't resist injecting a partisan take on the story:
UI Vandalfan
2 hours ago
She pays more taxes than Trump.
The laborers all pay more taxes than Trump.
The people who donate food pay more taxes than Trump.
All I can say is: WONDERFUL! People at their best!
Looks like a boatload of toxic masculinity!
This kind of thing happens every day in America. Our church does this sort of thing twice a year, as do many others.
It's just that burning down small businesses gets more attention in the WAPO.
Looks like a bunch of old white males. Aren't they the enemy of the people?
Nice feelgood story. I wish I had more of what Kinney has in me.
I made a silent bet with my self as to how many of this articles comments I would need to read before someone mentioned Trump disparagingly. I lost. TDS is real, and it's heartbreaking.
I was told this was impossible without a multi-billion dollar government program.
WHAT?
Grassroots charity and community service is happening without government sanction or graft???
I must be stopped immediately!
White people: It's what's for dinner!
A perfect example of Toxic Masculinity.
The ladies and gentlemen of WaPo would promptly wash their mitts after shaking hands with these Deplorable, semi educated, mugs huddled around the table of eats. Question: with all the attention to Black Lives Matter, #Me Too, Antifa, and All Things Soros Financed, does the fake media and our fabulous celebrities have the time and patience to appreciate the simple, heartfelt acts by common Americans. The divide is real yet I identify with middle class that worries about taking care of their loved ones. These real guys care about a lonely lady neighbor the way wealthy New Yorker Donald Trump cares America; a strong man acting as a protector for the weak.
People are the best.
Surprise, surprise, Men love their mothers and love to do things for them. Somebody spread the word, especially to young pregnant women contemplating aborting their loving sons.
UI Vandalfan
2 hours ago
She pays more taxes than Trump.
The laborers all pay more taxes than Trump.
The people who donate food pay more taxes than Trump."
They also pay more in taxes than UI Vandalfan.
Look at that basketful of deplorables
AllenS said...
Who showed up? Trump voters, that's who.
Wait! You mean this isn't a joint BLM/Antifa project?
I remember when Kramer went to the Mom & Pop Shoe Repair, noticed an overhead light fixture was not quite right, leading to Mom & Pop being no more.
Lovely.
'Merica.
Great story out of Woobs (that's what my daughter called the city when she lived there). I don't know those people but them, their attitude, and their commitment to community and others is way more common these days than the all the partisan acrimony we see and hear daily on the news. Compare these guys and what they've done to the Antifa & BLM reign of destruction.
Those guys look pretty deplorable to me. Seeing as there is no mention of it in the article I assume they are Trump supporters.
The photo doesn't show a lot of diversity. Their white privilege and the patriarchy kept women and POC from learning those trades and that's why diversity is lacking.
I miss my grandmother too.
I wonder who in my neighborhood could benefit from something like this.
Looks like the same people working all of the construction jobs around Madison.
This is the America I think is worth fighting for. Thanks for sharing, Professor.
Those guys were Republicans. Dems would demonstrate out in the street and burn the neighbors houses down.
Nope. They'd red-tag the house and condemn it.
Great story. In California they would have been shut down till they paid thousands in permits and fees.
We had a small tornado damage part of a neighboring neighborhood. Upon seeing the locals swarm in to help the next morning, my Italian exchange daughter's visiting brother in law simply couldn't believe it. He said back home the residents would simply sit tight, wait for the authorities to fix things, and then three years later complain that nothing had been done.
They show a concrete way of truly serving their community. Puts a real spark of happiness in the world when we see that kind of thing. Glad they piped up when they had a chance.
Hillary Clinton sees a Basket of Deplorables.
Browndog said...
'Merica!
Actually, people all over the world, in every corner of the world do this for each other.
***************
Baloney. Just ask yourself what other country routinely sends its military, its planes and ships and its medical people to help people in other countries recover from natural catastrophes like earthquakes, floods and tsunamis.
China? Russia?
What other country routinely gives billions of dollars to charity?
China? Russia?
Check out this list:
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2019-12-20/the-worlds-most-generous-countries
Citizens in the United States are among the most generous in the world, according to an evaluation of global survey data. But depending on how that data is interpreted, countries in the Asia-Pacific are as charitable as the U.S., with two ranking ahead of America.
Earlier this fall, the World Giving Index ranked the U.S. as the world’s most generous country. The index, annually released by the U.K.-based nonprofit Charities Aid Foundation, based its ranking on 10 years of data from annual World Poll surveys by Gallup, the U.S. analytics and advisory firm. The surveys were conducted in 128 countries from 2009 to 2018, with responses evaluated from about 1.3 million people.
I love white men
Barack Hussein Obama would call these people -- folks that get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant.
Neither Crooked Hillary Clinton or the Affirmative Action President would even think of donating a $1 for something like this.
"Those guys were Republicans."
In Woburn, Mass? Registered Democrats. Guaranteed. And so are their wives.
Half of them will vote for Trump though.
Bless their hearts.
Heartwarming story.
I love stories like this showing how people help people.
The alternative would be relying on govt help. We know what that would be. Your house is in pretty bad shape so we're gonna condemn it. We'll pay you 20% of what it's worth (and the mayor's brother will flip it making a bundle)
Then we'll put you in a home sharing a room with 3 other women.
We're from the govt and are here to fuck you.
Thanks to all those entrepreneurs who bust their ass and risk all to create jobs. Thanks for helping this lady.
American heros is what you are.
John Henry
Half of them will vote for Trump though.
Like their dads voted for Reagan.
"...Men & Shorts not so bad now, eh?"
Winner : )
I remember reading about Barack Obama's history of community activism which included organizing a rent strike and protesting because some low income apartment building was in disrepair. I couldn't figure out why he didn't try to organize repair of the building instead of organizing demonstrations.
Beats "This Old House"
"Like their dads voted for Reagan."
And their moms too. If Trump can close his gender gap the way Reagan did his from 1980 to 1984, Trump will win in a landslide.
Anecdotally, I know more women who voted for Hillary in 2016 who will now vote for Trump in 2020 than I do women who voted for Trump in 2016 who will now vote for Biden in 2020.
The Gloria Scott - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Anecdotally, I know more women who voted for Hillary in 2016 who will now vote for Trump in 2020 than I do women who voted for Trump in 2016 who will now vote for Biden in 2020.
In the first case it's Althouse, and in the second case it's nobody. That's my guess.
We as a society should start to think what kind of culture we want to live in.
@hstad, we already have. We've chosen to be the sort of culture where elderly women can choose to live -- and probably eventually die -- in the house she loves while her family and neighbors look after her.
"In Woburn, Mass? Registered Democrats. Guaranteed. And so are their wives.
Half of them will vote for Trump though."
100% true. But it won't matter, Mass is in the bag for Biden.
Most people are good!
Local chapters of NOW, Planned Parenthood, BLM, and The Middlesex County Democratic Organization were also intending to help Ms Scott. They weren't able to agree on a t-shirt design before the white supremacist male patriarchal fascists showed up.
White Privilege? All white construction crew. Must be down voted.
" Barack Obama's history ... I couldn't figure out why he didn't try to organize repair of the building instead of organizing"
Because a feel good story lasts a day. A story of organizing for lifting the burden from POC can make for a lifetime of graft, even if the house falls down.
And now for the rest of the story.......
Gloria Scott caught COVID from all those unmasked bandits and died.
Not going to read it, but I wonder if it was a guy who improperly installed that light fixture in the first place. That’s another aspect of masculinity, we dive into projects we only partly understand and sometimes do dangerous stuff.
"I remember when Kramer went to the Mom & Pop Shoe Repair, noticed an overhead light fixture was not quite right, leading to Mom & Pop being no more."
As it turned out, they werent even a Mom & Pop and they absconded with all of Jerry's sneakers.
@Joe Smith @4:56
U da man !
Average price of a house in Woburn, MA has got to be $500,000. Nice charity work, boys
Toxic masculinity and white privilege.
I was wrong. Median home price in Woburn, MA is $543,957.
@tim in florida, if the house is old enough it may have had knob and tube wiring.
Reminds me of a Mark Helprin short-story, "Monday" that I recently reread. It's in his collection, "The Pacific and Other Stories". Shortly after 9/11, a contractor organizes a crew of tradesmen to renovate the flat of a young woman who lost her husband in the North Tower. That story almost choked me up as much as this real life article you shared.
"@tim in florida, if the house is old enough it may have had knob and tube wiring."
Based on the picture in the article, the house is old enough.
I was wrong. Median home price in Woburn, MA is $543,957.
Do you think she will deed it to them in her will?
Spoon,
No need to apologize. It is perfectly possible for the average price to be $500m AND the median price to be $543m.
I'd be much more surprised if they were close to the same. In Woburn or anywhere else.
Housing prices are seldom normally distributed.
Median and average are two very different things.
John Henry
One of my renters, an undocumented illegal migrant alien (as he calls himself) from Honduras, couldn't pay rent in May. No work for the previous month. So he offered me labor in exchange for rent payment. I got a bathroom repaired in another rental by three plumber "cousins" of my renter. They did the installation labor for a new vanity & sink, new toilet, new tub that I bought. He is now my favorite renter. And his "cousins" have done more paid work for me since then. He was fierce about not accepting any charity from me.
Why is it that we as a society have become so cynical that everything is seen through a political fog?
"In the first case it's Althouse"
Althouse to you maybe. To me she's "Annabellwether Althouse."
Reportedly, 2 other women in my extended family will be voting for Trump for the first time. It seems to have something to do with law and order. Also, no First Female POTUS candidate this time around (unless you count Kamala. Does anyone at all like Kamala?) Additionally, Trump not sending their sons, boyfriends and husbands into unnecessary unwinnable wars appeals to many of the women who will secretly vote for Trump next month.
"Additionally, Trump not sending their sons, boyfriends and husbands into unnecessary unwinnable wars appeals to many of the women who will secretly vote for Trump next month."
This is an important point, as womansplained by Hillary Clinton:
"Women have always been the primary victims of war. Women lose their husbands, their fathers, their sons in combat."
Leora said...
"I remember reading about Barack Obama's history of community activism which included organizing a rent strike and protesting because some low income apartment building was in disrepair. I couldn't figure out why he didn't try to organize repair of the building instead of organizing demonstrations."
That was the scam. Obama worked for the law firm that that represented the bad apartment buildings owners and the let's fix these hell holes up organizers at the same time. Meanwhile Michelle Obama and Valerie Jarrett worked in the Mayor's office doling out funds to friends who were going to fix said buildings. Everyone make a shit load of cash, but the buildings were never fixed. See how that works?
Sunny Skyz has an article on this, along with some more details.
https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/3960/Electrician-Arrives-To-Fix-Elderly-Woman-039-s-Ceiling-Light-Then-Helps-Fix-Her-Entire-Home-For-Free
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