I'm not here to get political, but I'm not staying quiet, either. I'm sick of my social media feed and its endless stream of unknown Americans posting videos castigating those on public assistance. These would-be sages-of-the-ages proclaim that those who can afford fancy nails and hair extensions don't need 'my tax dollars' (note: the mental images they use to bolster their arguments usually feature public domain caricatures of black women). 'I lived for ten years on rice and beans. If it was good enough for me, it's good enough you and your handicapped child and your elderly parent. . . And don't forget to click the like button.'
I've always been a right-wing guy, and I still prefer self-sufficiency to government dependency. However, the passing of the years and the pitfalls of life have taught me that public policy is a little too complicated to be explained in video snippets (note how they are usually filmed in the person's car - never in a library!). While I agree with points on both sides of the argument, I'm here to lament the needless rage many Americans vent at their neighbors and others not far removed from them socio-economically.
It is easier to attack such soft, easy targets as poor and brown people than it is to ponder why working Americans can't always afford nutritious meals, health insurance and housing. We like to think that poverty can never happen to us - after all, I work - but one medical emergency, job loss or car accident can change your life dramatically. Trust me.
The intellectually lazy will always use the most extreme stereotypes to drive their points home. It's just as easy to throw out the predictable adjectives against the 'corrupt, bloated' welfare system and accept the most ludicrous claims of fraud and abuse without any question (yes, greedy, ungrateful poor people use food stamps to buy steak and lobster - the myth has been debunked, but many still believe it). How soon we forget that public assistance programs, despite numerous flaws, were enacted to feed poor and hungry people. Yes, within the last hundred years, Americans stood in food lines and children quit school to work in fields and factories. Do we want a return to that?
Sadly, for some, the answer is yes. 'Nobody held the ladder up for me, so I'm kicking down on YOU.' That, beyond the death of reason, is what I mourn, the loss of any common empathy and humanity. Let's blame - without any benefit of the doubt - high taxes and the demise of the middle class on our 'fat and lazy' neighbors and those who look different. Forget the dry, tedious work of discussing institutional roadblocks to survival, I have to go and show my self-righteousness on Tik Tok. 'I seen people using EBT cards to buy Oreos for their kids.' Yes, there are those who will argue to the death that poor kids should not have birthday cakes bought with public assistance. The horror!
Politicians and pundits fan the flames for power and profit. At the moment, social discourse is just schoolyard bullies and their one-line taunts, but in desperate times, things could get ugly. It doesn't have to be this way. One can promote self-sufficiency and discourage generational reliance on federal aid without sowing hatred and division. Loving your neighbor is not merely some feel-good notion - it holds untold power and potency, if we, as a nation, would only tap into it. People who are poor often look down on themselves, thus public snark and stereotyping only reinforces their negative thoughts and habits. We can do better.
Just my two cents. And I come to you from the comfort of my humble home and not the front seat of my car.
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Thank you for reading. Comments welcome
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