These poor kids. I can’t even imagine

Some are very strong and really wonder what the fuss is, some very weak and unable to cope, some not inclined to self pity, some pits of, and most somewhere across the broad range between.

A big no to insulting those who are okay by portraying them all as bitter, cheated and broken. None of them need that. Some of them even effectively became the default heads of their little families and have been too busy parenting siblings, and even parents, to whine about how unfair life is.

And as someone who's been there, it's one thing to compare to other kids and understand objectively that life's handed you the short end of the stick, something very different to be bitter and angry about it. The one does not inevitably lead to the other. A lot of times it just leads to acceptance and the wisdom to understand that in the real world everything cannot be the same for everyone.

I used to think that universal health care meant a useful dental plan.

NOW I know, it means having a federal drug rehabilitation program, and suing the ever living fuck out of the legal opiate manufacturers.