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Cookie said:
If that was the point he was trying to make with his original post, he failed.
+1
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion » Q&A
I heard Big Mama died. Is this true?
[37 posts] [23 contributors]
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HopperFan
SoHu
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"never attempting to help her when she was alive?"
I'm willing to bet that there are many people posting on the CU that have been involved in some way with helping the homeless here in Columbus.
If you didn't know her and don't care that she's gone, why post anything?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Chris Sherman
East Franklinton
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last time i saw big mama she was looking rough. on crutches.
Posted 1 year ago # -
ChrisSunami
King-Lincoln District
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rus said:
He's got a point, though. If people actually cared, why not help her when she was alive? If no one cared enough to do that, why the outpouring of grief when she's dead?It sounds like the people who originally posted in this thread recognized this person as a real human being, and felt they had some sort of relationship with her, even if it wasn't a very close one. Given that it's a perfectly natural reaction to feel sad that she passed away.
I'd also venture that it's natural for someone, such as myself, who had no connection with this woman at all, to feel sorry that people are dying in our city because of lack of housing.
What doesn't strike me as the natural reaction of a decent person is to mock someone's life and death simply because that person was too poor to afford a home.
If you want to accuse us all of not doing enough to enough to fight homelessness in Columbus, that's a fair accusation. I doubt any one of us posting in this thread can deny that one. But I don't see why that means that people can't express sadness over the death of someone they were genuinely fond of.
Posted 1 year ago # -
TomOver
lovecause.org
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ChrisSunami said:
It sounds like the people who originally posted in this thread recognized this person as a real human being, and felt they had some sort of relationship with her, even if it wasn't a very close one. Given that it's a perfectly natural reaction to feel sad that she passed away.I'd also venture that it's natural for someone, such as myself, who had no connection with this woman at all, to feel sorry that people are dying in our city because of lack of housing.
What doesn't strike me as the natural reaction of a decent person is to mock someone's life and death simply because that person was too poor to afford a home.
If you want to accuse us all of not doing enough to enough to fight homelessness in Columbus, that's a fair accusation. I doubt any one of us posting in this thread can deny that one. But I don't see why that means that people can't express sadness over the death of someone they were genuinely fond of.
I've found there to be some satisfaction in valuing another living being, even if it's not readily apparent how she does or does not contribute to my own welfare or that of the broader community. A quote from Malcolm Forbes comes to mind : a good measure of character is how we treat someone who can do nothing to us or for us.
A few weeks ago, I had a better perspective on the rest of my night/early morning after two big guys and myself ( I was just a little bird fluttering my wings compared to them) lifted Big Mamma onto the pedicab I was renting. She couldn't put weight on one of her feet without grunting in pain.
From Skully's to where she was apparently staying on 8th and Summit, she maybe said "thank you, baby" 30 times. Sometime after we arrived, two different men from the neighborhood zig zagged toward us. They might have noticed me trying to flag down the occasional late night motorist. Or maybe they just heard Big Mamma grunting in pain as she tried to get out of the pedicab.
When we got her to the steps of a porch, one of them said to me " we got it, guy." Then the 3 of them fell on the floor of the porch as one mass, staying that way for a long moment before resuming what was perhaps a labor of brotherly and sisterly love.
Big Mamma's last couple of years in the Short North might point to our society's lack of abundant resources for people with substance abuse and mental health issues more so than our society's lack of jobs that pay a living wage. This, of course, is not to say the lack of jobs paying a living wage is not also a problem.
But I couldn't imagine Big Momma having any sort of job. Homelessness and poverty involve a variety of causes, including but not limited to macroeconomics, public policy, or the general values of the communities in which it occurs.
But the individual plays some role in it too. Some liberals may tend to over-focus on society. Some conservatives may over-focus on the individual. However, reality is more complex than we can depict it with our respective ideologies. But perhaps Big Mamma's vulnerability can be a useful reminder to at least some of us.
Posted 1 year ago # -
groundrules
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i was gonna guess five paragraphs...
Posted 1 year ago # -
bman
New Albany
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TomOver said:
I've found there to be some satisfaction in valuing another living being, even if it's not readily apparent how she does or does not contribute to my own welfare or that of the broader community. A quote from Malcolm Forbes comes to mind : a good measure of character is how we treat someone who can do nothing to us or for us.A few weeks ago, I had a better perspective on the rest of my night/early morning after two big guys and myself ( I was just a little bird fluttering my wings compared to them) lifted Big Mamma onto the pedicab I was renting. She couldn't put weight on one of her feet without grunting in pain.
From Skully's to where she was apparently staying on 8th and Summit, she maybe said "thank you, baby" 30 times. Sometime after we arrived, two different men from the neighborhood zig zagged toward us. They might have noticed me trying to flag down the occasional late night motorist. Or maybe they just heard Big Mamma grunting in pain as she tried to get out of the pedicab.
When we got her to the steps of a porch, one of them said to me " we got it, guy." Then the 3 of them fell on the floor of the porch as one mass, staying that way for a long moment before resuming what was perhaps a labor of brotherly and sisterly love.
Big Mamma's last couple of years in the Short North might point to our society's lack of abundant resources for people with substance abuse and mental health issues more so than our society's lack of jobs that pay a living wage. This, of course, is not to say the lack of jobs paying a living wage is not also a problem.
But I couldn't imagine Big Momma having any sort of job. Homelessness and poverty involve a variety of causes, including but not limited to macroeconomics, public policy, or the general values of the communities in which it occurs.
But the individual plays some role in it too. Some liberals may tend to over-focus on society. Some conservatives may over-focus on the individual. However, reality is more complex than we can depict it with our respective ideologies. But perhaps Big Mamma's vulnerability can be a useful reminder to at least some of us.
I thought this was an excellent post. Thanks for helping her Tom.
Posted 1 year ago # -
TomOver
lovecause.org
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groundrules said:
i was gonna guess five paragraphs...rus said:
So close...bman said:
I thought this was an excellent post. Thanks for helping her Tom.Thanks Bman. As for helping Big Mamma, it seems to have been a matter of helping my 'self', in a broader, maybe less commonly used, sense of the word.
Moral development seems a matter of moving from less enlightened to more enlightened self-interest. So, it's still self interest, however we may approach it.
This also calls to mind that empathic and compassionate striving is fulfilling, whereas acting out of guilt is not. The latter seems retrospective in a powerless and perhaps even conceited way.
Posted 1 year ago # -
howatzer
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TomOver
lovecause.org
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ChrisSunami said:
Obituaries are actually paid announcements, except in the case of celebrities, so it's doubtful she had one.I didn't know the lady in question, but there are more homeless in Columbus than people realize. It's luck it's been a mild winter so far, or there would probably have been more deaths, unfortunately.
Posted 1 year ago # -
TomOver
lovecause.org
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llamaglama said:
I once asked Big Mama what her real name was. She told me it was Edwina Robinson. I tried going online to check if the Columbus Dispatch obituaries had any info on Edwina. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything. This might be a dumb question, but are homeless people listed in the obituaries? If not, does anyone know where to find written confirmation of Mrs. Robinson a.k.a Big Mama? This is tragic. I have so many pictures of Edwina and I chillin' in my phone. Good times.Contact Mary Loritz the editor of Street Speech if you want her to publish a photo or two of Big Mama in memoriam.
Posted 1 year ago # -
TomOver
lovecause.org
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According to Street Speech and Columbus Coalition for the Homeless, Edwina Robinson -"Big Momma"--is alive and safe.
To respect her privacy, I've been asked to not give more info, other than to say, as was the case for Mark Twain, reports of her death have been "greatly exaggerated."
Posted 1 year ago # -
ColumbusTime
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Article in the Dispatch today:
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/02/08/friends-worried-about-womans-disappearance.htmlPosted 1 year ago # -
lizless
Columbus/Hocking Hills
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She's alive: : )
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/02/10/big-mama-alive-well-pastor-says.html
Posted 1 year ago #
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