If there's one thing I simply cannot stand, it's poverty shaming.

[CC27]

Tommy_Carcetti (22,391 posts)

If there's one thing I simply cannot stand, it's poverty shaming.


Recently a person on my Facebook page indignantly posted her dismay that when driving by the local food bank, she saw a woman pick up food and put it in her late model car. The obvious insinuation there was that this individual had the money to spend on a new/newer car but couldn't be bothered to pay for her own groceries, and perhaps even that she was somehow gaming the system.

Of course, such a knee-jerk reaction (with emphasis on jerk) immediately discounts other logical possibilities:

1. The woman was picking up food not for herself, but for someone else who didn't have access to a car.
2. The woman didn't own the car herself but was borrowing it from a friend for need of transportation
3. The woman had recently been able to afford to buy a new car but due to a sudden change in circumstances (job loss, illness, etc.) was in need of financial assistance.

And there are other possibilities as well. People in poverty can still drive cars, even newer model ones. That doesn't make them poor, nor should it disqualify them from financial help.

The bottom line here is simple: If you don't know the circumstances behind what you are seeing, kindly shut up. It's none of your business and it's inappropriate to pass judgment on someone who very likely is struggling immensely and whose life may be a living hell. I'll freely admit that I sometimes give a dollar to the person on the street corner with a "Hungry, Please Help" sign. Yes, I know there's the possibility that person may use that dollar for alcohol or drugs instead of for food. Yes, it may be possible the person actually isn't homeless and is playing a scam. But you know what? It's a dollar. A dollar of mine that probably would go towards buying a candy bar that would go to my waistline. If the person is in fact scamming me, that's on their conscience, not mine. I won't miss that dollar, and if the person is in fact in need of help and would use that dollar wisely, I'd much rather give them that dollar than snidely pass judgment on them.

Now there's efforts afoot in numerous states to prohibit people on food stamps from buying certain items of food such as steak or seafood. Because God forbid they or the family eat the same food as the rest of us.

Some of these people, I swear, I think they think you aren't actually poor unless you are wearing a potato sack and eating nothing but bread and water. And if you are wearing a potato sack and eating only bread and water, they'd still knock you for being "lazy". It's a total lose-lose.

What makes some people feel the need to be so callous to pass such judgment, and to assume that if you're poor, you're either a fraud or lazy and unmotivated?

I see knee jerking DUmmies on a daily basis.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026479661

[67 Rover]

Tommy_Carcetti (22,391 posts)

If there's one thing I simply cannot stand, it's poverty shaming.


Recently a person on my Facebook page indignantly posted her dismay that when driving by the local food bank, she saw a woman pick up food and put it in her late model car. The obvious insinuation there was that this individual had the money to spend on a new/newer car but couldn't be bothered to pay for her own groceries, and perhaps even that she was somehow gaming the system.

Of course, such a knee-jerk reaction (with emphasis on jerk) immediately discounts other logical possibilities:

1. The woman was picking up food not for herself, but for someone else who didn't have access to a car.
2. The woman didn't own the car herself but was borrowing it from a friend for need of transportation
3. The woman had recently been able to afford to buy a new car but due to a sudden change in circumstances (job loss, illness, etc.) was in need of financial assistance.

And there are other possibilities as well. People in poverty can still drive cars, even newer model ones. That doesn't make them poor, nor should it disqualify them from financial help.

The bottom line here is simple: If you don't know the circumstances behind what you are seeing, kindly shut up. It's none of your business and it's inappropriate to pass judgment on someone who very likely is struggling immensely and whose life may be a living hell. I'll freely admit that I sometimes give a dollar to the person on the street corner with a "Hungry, Please Help" sign. Yes, I know there's the possibility that person may use that dollar for alcohol or drugs instead of for food. Yes, it may be possible the person actually isn't homeless and is playing a scam. But you know what? It's a dollar. A dollar of mine that probably would go towards buying a candy bar that would go to my waistline. If the person is in fact scamming me, that's on their conscience, not mine. I won't miss that dollar, and if the person is in fact in need of help and would use that dollar wisely, I'd much rather give them that dollar than snidely pass judgment on them.

Now there's efforts afoot in numerous states to prohibit people on food stamps from buying certain items of food such as steak or seafood. Because God forbid they or the family eat the same food as the rest of us.

Some of these people, I swear, I think they think you aren't actually poor unless you are wearing a potato sack and eating nothing but bread and water. And if you are wearing a potato sack and eating only bread and water, they'd still knock you for being "lazy". It's a total lose-lose.

What makes some people feel the need to be so callous to pass such judgment, and to assume that if you're poor, you're either a fraud or lazy and unmotivated?

Aunt Zitunni was unavailable for comment.

[Carl]

The bottom line here is simple: If you don't know the circumstances behind what you are seeing, kindly shut up.

George Zimmerman and Officer Wilson concur.

[I_B_Perky]

Poverty bouncie!!!!!

[MrsSmith]

George Zimmerman and Officer Wilson concur.

[landofconfusion80]

While leaving Lowes in my wife's old 97 suburban with a whopping 280K miles under it,  some poor lady had the nerve to drive up to me in her JAGUAR and ask for gas money.  Too stunned to say what I should've, a simple "no, don't carry cash, sorry." was all I could muster.  If you're too stupid to drive a jag and can't afford to keep it in gas, you're too stupid to live.

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

They can't stand poverty shaming but they base their entire worldview on self-sufficient-and-wanting-to-live-your-own-life shaming.

[Chris_]

Now there's efforts afoot in numerous states to prohibit people on food stamps from buying certain items of food such as steak or seafood. Because God forbid they or the family eat the same food as the rest of us.

"The rest of us" (probably not you) are paying for their food.  I think we should have a right to see that our money is spent wisely. 

[Ptarmigan]

George Zimmerman and Officer Wilson concur.

Or the OU SAE members who got kicked out.

[HawkHogan]

"Don't rush to judgment about Dummies scamming the system while driving nice cars!!"

[98ZJUSMC]

had the nerve to drive up to me in her JAGUAR and ask for gas money.

[Gina]

"The rest of us" (probably not you) are paying for their food.  I think we should have a right to see that our money is spent wisely.

That's exactly right.  You want to be dependant on the tax payers then just like a parent to a child I want to tell you what to do.

[landofconfusion80]

Hey! My facial expression exactly!!!

[docstew]

That's exactly right.  You want to be dependant on the tax payers then just like a parent to a child I want to tell you what to do.

And the flipside to that is if you don't want to be told what you can and can't eat, get a job and support yourself.

[Karin]

Now there's efforts afoot in numerous states to prohibit people on food stamps from buying certain items of food such as steak or seafood. Because God forbid they or the family eat the same food as the rest of us.

A lot of those taxpaying people paying for these food stamps can't afford steak and seafood.  These are about $10 per pound and simply do not fit into a middle class family's budget, DUmmie.  After 6 years of this shit, people are starting to get mighty resentful, tossing a package of hotdogs in their cart once again. 

Over at the ConsUnderground, there's a thread wondering how people got so ****ing mean that the poor people can't use their foodstamp cards for cruises.  Cruises!