History PlayingWith / AppealToWorseProblems

** Sharon lives in a crummy apartment with cracked walls, no heating and electricity that goes out a few times each week, that she must pay the rather high rent for with her minimum-wage job. When Sharon complains about her living conditions, she is told that her apartment and job are [[MundaneLuxury luxurious]] because children in Africa have it worse.

** Sharon complains about the abnormally hot and dry weather that has been happening over this season and the ensuing water restrictions in their city. Her mother Shannon agrees that this is a big problem, but also speculates how much even worse the situation is for:
*** their relatives struggling in the farm with outright droughts and crop failures from the same weather,
*** the homeless who don't have the luxury of air conditioning and clean water to drink to stay hydrated,
*** or the essential workers who has to keep working no matter what unlike Sharon and Shannon.

** Shannon comes from a less-privileged background. Unlike her daughter, she might not have the privilege of picking her prom dress, let alone attending prom when she was Sharon's age.
** Shannon is passionate about helping the destitute and homeless. Or she works/volunteers with the destitute and homeless, and is thus familiar with what they have to endure on a daily basis.

** It turns out that Shannon does not have the money, because she donated it to a charity intending to help Africa.

* '''Discussed''': "Isn't it weird how Mom keeps going on about those starving kids in some country I've never heard of, about a problem I have no idea how to tackle, and accuses me of not doing enough when I haven't seen her so much as send a quarter to charity? Meh."

** [[Main/ForeignExchangeStudent Jamal]] overhears the conversation, and is offended by his home continent being stereotyped as being poor and desolate while America is free of those problems.
* '''Implied''': Sharon is packing her unused possessions and emptying her wallet into a box labelled "[[AC:For People Who Need It More Than Me]]" while frowning and muttering, "Thanks, Mom," to herself.

* '''Lampshaded''': You know, just because I have problems and I mention them, it doesn't mean I'm not aware of others' problems."

* '''Implied''': Sharon is packing her unused possessions and emptying her wallet into a box labelled "[[AC:For People Who Need It More Than I]]" while frowning and muttering, "Thanks, Mom," to herself.

* '''Lampshaded''': Sharon: "Isn't it weird how Mom keeps going on about those starving kids in some country I've never heard of, about a problem I have no idea how to tackle, and accuses me of not doing enough when I haven't seen her so much as send a quarter to charity? Meh."

* '''Discussed''': Sharon: "You know, just because I have problems and I mention them, it doesn't mean I'm not aware of others' problems."

* '''Averted''': Sharon complains about the inability to find a perfect prom dress. Shannon focuses on that issue without bringing anything up.
* '''Enforced''': Writers: "We can have Sharon get over her own self-centeredness by having someone else point out the plight of others."

** Shannon then gets on Sharon's case for not making sure the charity is honest and effective. She takes that criticism UpToEleven if it turns out the charity is corrupt and/or ineffective.

*** the homeless who don't have the luxury of air conditioning and water to drink to stay hydrated,

* '''Straight''':
** When Sharon complains about not being able to find the perfect prom dress, her mother Shannon asks why she isn't more interested in helping to clothe homeless and destitute people instead.

** Sharon complains about the abnormally hot and dry weather that has been happening over this season and the ensuing water restrictions in their city. Her mother Shannon agrees that this is a big problem, but also goes on speculate how much even worse is it for their relatives struggling in the farm with outright droughts and crop failures from the same weather, or the homeless who don't have the luxury of air conditioning and water to drink to stay hydrated, or the essential workers who has to keep working no matter what unlike Sharon and Shannon.