These Headlines Were Supposed To Make Us See There's Still Good In The World, But They Ended Up Doing The Opposite

Watching the news these days can feel like just receiving wave upon wave of bad news. But every once in a while, they give us a brief reprieve with a nice, cute little human interest story.

CBS

But...is it just me, or have these stories more and more often been kind of messed-up??? Like, I'm glad there's good people in the world helping out their fellow citizens, but...why do we live in a world where individual citizens have to step in because the government and healthcare systems have failed them?

iOne Digital / Giphy / Via giphy.com

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If you're wondering what I'm talking about, here are 27 "heartwarming" stories that are honesty just very, very messed up and prove that we need to make some serious systematic changes.

1. Like...it's really sweet of people to donate vacation time to new moms. But why is the company not giving parents adequate maternity leave in the first place?

 

Sam

@MoggyBee

@GMA This is a horrifying story...co-workers making up for what employers aren’t providing IS NOT A FEEL-GOOD STORY. Damn is the US ever broken. 😡

01:46 AM - 19 Jul 2018

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Twitter: @MoggyBee

2. These coworkers were also great, but again, why did this teacher with cancer not get unlimited sick days?

 

Sharyn O.

@sharynesque

This is not a “feel good” story (though kudos to his colleagues!). It’s a story about the ways in which America sucks. https://t.co/cNodmQV6WW

04:12 PM - 15 Aug 2018

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Twitter: @sharynesque

3. Same goes for this nurse with leukemia.

 

Public Citizen

@Public_Citizen

This is not a heartwarming story, it's a dystopian nightmare.

11:22 PM - 15 Dec 2020

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Twitter: @Public_Citizen

4. This seven-year-old's family wasn't going to be able to afford the $10,000 expense for her first brain surgery (after insurance), so she started selling lemonade to raise money. But, uh...why is our healthcare system so bad that a seven-year-old can't get life-saving medical care?

 

Yashar Ali 🐘

@yashar

Not a feel good story...an absolute disgrace... ‘I hope I make it’: 7-year-old Alabama girl selling lemonade to fund her own brain surgeries https://t.co/ySLNSG9qWC

04:34 PM - 27 Feb 2021

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Twitter: @yashar

Luckily, the article did post the family's donation page, which is now at almost $400K.

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5. It's very sweet that this five-year-old wanted to pay off the school lunch debt of her classmates. But why are we giving five-year-olds "lunch debts" anyways?? Kids should not be in debt because they can't afford to eat.

 

Michael G. Bazemore

@deepwatermike

This is NOT a feel-good story and we should all be deeply ashamed. https://t.co/ggZm7muQqd

07:25 PM - 16 Dec 2019

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Twitter: @deepwatermike

6. Similarly, it's cool this high school set up a store for its students to purchase necessities through good deeds — but also, toilet paper is not a luxury that teenagers should have to earn for their families through good deeds?

 

WhatIfBarackOrHillarySaidIt - Gun Reform NOW

@IfBarack

@CNN You probably think this is some kind of feel-good story @CNN, but not being able to afford food and getting to eat something because you are hungry should be table stakes as a society.

02:12 AM - 14 Dec 2020

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Twitter: @IfBarack

7. It was really kind of this nurse to watch a sick man's dog until he was better. But why is there no system in place for situations like this?

 

Lauren

@LifeLivedWildly

I'm glad he didn't lose his dog. AND This is not a feel-good story. It's further evidence of systemic failures that refuse to offer support when individuals/communities are in need. https://t.co/IBFZa9bPje

07:05 AM - 24 Jan 2022

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Twitter: @LifeLivedWildly

8. I've got a lotttt of issues with the way workers are currently being treated, but I think they can all be summed up in how this worker getting a "goodie bag" for 27 years of loyal service was supposed to be a good thing.

 

Read Wobblies and Zapatistas

@JoshuaPotash

Getting just a "goodie bag" after 27 whole years of perfect attendance is just not a feel good story

02:33 PM - 22 Jun 2022

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Twitter: @JoshuaPotash

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9. This man's town raised $12,000 to tip this pizza delivery man, which was super nice and generous!! But also...no 89-year-old should have to work.