Ive had an epiphany. While sitting here, reflecting on my personal life and the changes taking place in it, I have realized something about living in a country that Ive been told my entire life, is the greatest in the world. Americans shame those who need help. Whether youre homeless, jobless, disabled, starving, sick, or in my case, pregnant, reaching out to get formal and sometimes even informal help is subject to the worst type of ridicule. Free loader, lazy, incompetent are a few o the words that circle around when one mentions obtaining government aid. I bet you anything, with me mentioning that I have signed up for government food assistance (WIC) in light of my new pregnancy, many of you, especially the older more conservative people on my friends list, will shame or judge me. Maybe not to my face, but Im sure thoughts and comments like, If she cant afford to buy ALL of her food, diapers, supplies, clothes, etc, why is she even having a baby?! Times are tough and this baby is on its way. Although I dont often struggle with my bills, I have been and do struggle with food insecurity. Other than being extremely sick and having gastro surgery earlier this year, my (relatively) willowy figure came also from not eating. Not because I didnt want to, but my debts seemed more important. The harassment from creditors was overbearing, so I decided to take care of it. I felt embarrassed to not be eating. Ashamed even. So instead of trying to reach out and get sustenance from a good bank or government assistance through SNAP, I starved. I starved so that I wouldnt have to listen to people tell me how much of a piece of crap I am for not being able to pull it together enough to put more than the occasional bowl of ramen, spaghetti, or rice on the table. America doesnt work the way that everyone says it does. Hard work and perseverance are good qualities, but it doesnt make you hirable. Neither does being a veteran, for that matter. The American economy and workplace isnt the same as it was 20 or even 10 years ago. As more and more jobs ship out to the lowest bidder overseas, businesses and corporations have left families stripped of everything but heir dignity. Their dignity is taken away by jealous, judgmental, pricks when they break down to get assistance, whether or not its approved. Ive been pregnant for a little over two months now. I filed for WIC so I dont have to chose between food or outstanding debts. Im proud of say I am only $4500 in TOTAL debt. It was at the cost of not eating very often, but maybe in a year and some change it will all be gone. Does that make me a lazy piece of crap for not finding a good enough job to keep food on the table and my debts in check? Give me a break. Foods are pretty expensive if you look at how long the average person has to work for a gallon of milk. If YOU have a good enough job for me to be able to pay my debts and buy food for myself and my growing family, Ill drop WIC right now and work for you. But you dont. No one does. Americans dont understand that there are only a finite amount of good jobs left. And the bad ones? Theyre everywhere, but still just as competitive. And the winner will almost always be that person who has the in with management. So you have people, HARD WORKING AND DESERVING PEOPLE get shafted out of jobs that arent even good enough to provide enough income for food AND shelter, so they fall to the bottom of the class ladder... Only to be shamed by the people who are barely hanging on to their respective rung on the ladder. Why is this? Why do we as Americans have SO MUCH resentment to those in need? Do we even REALIZE that every year the poverty gap is growing because wages across the board havent been matching inflation? Having a job or even multiple jobs doesnt amount to anything if you cant even LIVE off of your wages! Most people who are in the shrinking middle class are either in a panic, because poverty is all too close, or they scoff and tilt their noses up to the deviants who have been forced to swallow their prides to file for government aid that is mediocre, at best. America isnt the land of the free. Its the land of Greed. Despite being the richest country in the world, about 15% of our ENTIRE population, INCLUDING ONE IN FOUR CHILDREN is going hungry. That twice that of Canada and other comparable European countries. Why is that? Why is that gap so great? Why cant a single person live off of minimum wage? Minimum wage is SUPPOSED to be the minimum amount of wages earned to survive, not the lowest price a company will buy your labor for. But of course, Im a [pick one: commie, socialist, hippie, liberal, other politically derogative term] for thinking these sorts of things.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 13:35:34 +0000
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