Stop Shaming People for Receiving Welfare — Show Some Humility
Everyone struggles at some point in life
A few days ago, I read the story Elle Silver published, and it broke my heart a little bit. One of the things people should never be ashamed of is asking for help when they need it. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about getting a ride to the doctor, or asking a neighbor to watch the dog for an hour, or seeking help with mental health — or anything else for that matter.
Social support exists for the sole purpose of helping people in need. There is also no social group or type, which identifies welfare recipients. We can point out the injustices in society, such as inequality, racism, socioeconomic disparity, racial segregation, and many others. But by the end of the day, every single one of us can easily end up in a position of needing help. We should never be ashamed because we need support, nor should we feel like second class citizens. Everyone deserves equal treatment and an equal amount of respect.
So, stop feeling bad immediately. If you are visiting a food bank or receive food stamps, you are not different from individuals buying groceries at a store. The only difference is before your paycheck used to help people with their basic expenses, and right now, those individuals are helping you.
The Truth About Hidden Hypocrisy
The society is hypocritical. The same people who complain about the welfare recipients and take a strong social stand against those on benefits are the same exact people who might apply for social support several years from now.
The reality is, unless you are an exceptionally financially educated person with a decent salary and ability to save more than a half of your income, while investing it properly in medium-risk investment instruments, all while maintaining a two-year emergency fund; you will need help at some point. Unless you are someone who has no liabilities, who diversifies income streams, as well as the investment portfolio, and you have Plan B, plan C and plan D in case s**t hits the fan — you will become a welfare recipient. Unless you have a strong social and financial support, i.e. numerous financially secure friends and family, who will be willing to assist you money-wise, you will apply for social programs. Unless you have multiple properties all over the country, and preferably all around the world, so you can jump on a plane when a tornado or a tsunami destroys your house, you will probably end up at a shelter and a food bank. Unless you are a brilliant individual who has a ton of cash and backup plans for everything in anything — let’s not forget, we are in the middle of a global pandemic, which no one ever predicted! — YOU WILL BE A WELFARE RECIPIENT.
Ignorance is a horrific quality to possess. Only people who have no compassion and no regard for others’ feelings are capable of attacking a single mother who receives food stamps. Only those who have not experienced hardships before, and are oblivious to the fact that anyone can end up in a vulnerable situation, judge others for applying for social support. Fun fact: those exact people are going to line up to receive free food at a food bank at some point in their lives, and regret they ever judged someone.
We should never be ashamed because we need support, nor should we feel like second class citizens. Everyone deserves equal treatment and an equal amount of respect.
Nah, They Won’t Express Any Regret
I lied in my previous sentence: not everyone is strong enough morally to admit they were wrong. The more probable scenario is they will pretend they never did such a thing or said such a word, and act as if it never happened. Moreover, they will see the act of receiving food at the food bank as their right, not a privilege.
My intention is not to be hostile towards people. But everyone needs to understand that learning a lesson and recognizing your mistakes doesn’t change the fact that you were humiliating others at some point. You feel sorry? That’s wonderful, but how does it help those you hurt in the past? How will it change the fact of you voicing your judgmental opinion about welfare recipients? It won’t, because you made them feel miserable at some point, possibly at the lowest time of their lives when all they wanted is to buy some basic food not to go hungry. Or, when a single mother of two chooses not to let her children starve, and decides to apply for social benefits. Your actions have consequences, and they resulted in deep shame for someone who should have received nothing but compassion and support.
Only people who have no compassion and no regard for others’ feelings are capable of attacking a single mother who receives food stamps.
Politicians Think You’re Stupid
I absolutely love listening to public figures and politicians expressing their unhappiness with welfare recipients. I’m Canadian, and while there are a couple of differences between The United States, the principle is about the same. We have our version of the Republican Party, and two Democratic parties — yes, Canada is so democratic, there are two! Anyway, moving on.
Do you know how politicians loudly proclaim that everyone should have equal opportunities to make it in this world and achieve the American — or Canadian — a dream? Here’s a kicker: they only preach those morals to gain the attention of citizens, who are currently financially secure and think it’s unfair for others to receive “free money” while they work and pay taxes. But the moment everything changes, such as when a pandemic brings the entire planet to its knees, those same politicians suddenly stop preaching about equal opportunities. They know, if they make even a beep about 15% of the recently unemployed workforce having equal opportunities, no one is going to vote for them anymore. The tables have turned, and now the same political leaders need to urgently change their tune and start offering social support to their constituents.
If you are listening to the grand idea of “everyone should have an equal opportunity,” you should remember: it’s only ever said to gain more political support, aka more votes. Your political leader thinks you’re an idiot with no humility.
Be Humble: It Can Happen to You Too
According to Forbes, 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. It means that not only they don’t have an emergency fund worth 9 to 12 months, which is what financial planners advise us to have, but they may not even be able to afford food for the next few months. It’s easy to judge others for their misfortunes while being totally oblivious to your own shaky situation and lack of financial security.
This is not an attack on those criticizing others — after all, you’re entitled to your own opinion. But you should consider feeling humility towards people whose lives have been turned upside down, and who had a rug pulled out from under them. Judging those who are trying to feed themselves and their families is a shallow and morally ugly thing to do.
No one is safe from a tragedy. You might be exceptionally fortunate and breathtakingly prosperous today, and lose everything tomorrow. Accidents happen, houses burned down, natural disasters hit, people get sick — the list is endless. Thinking you’re invincible is the stupidest thing anyone can do.
People sometimes need help. Accept it and stop being an a**hole.
Consider feeling humility towards people whose lives have been turned upside down, and who had a rug pulled out from under them.
You Need Help? Take My Money
I am in my mid-20s, and I’ve been working full time since I was 18. Up to this point, I have not received welfare. There were a few months when I asked the government to help me cover my medication, but shortly after that, I got income coming in. The closest I’ve gotten was receiving grants and financial aid in school — does it count as social support?
Either way, I don’t give a flying hoot about the government distributing my money from the taxes I pay to support others. I don’t care if some of those recipients drive Porsches. If you look at the recent videos of people lining up at a food bank amid coronavirus, some of them have quite expensive cars. Why? Because if you don’t live under your means, even when making a ton of money, once your paycheck stops coming — you don’t have any food in the fridge. I, personally, have never even owned the car — I never had a reason to. But I have zero problems with the Porsche owner driving his fancy vehicle to a food bank, while I’m working and paying my taxes. Because, the truth is, HE PAID FOR THAT SUPPORT. He has been paying taxes for many years, possibly even half of his life. He’s merely cashing in on him supporting society earlier.
The Societal Hypocrisy About “Free Money” — Which Doesn’t Even Exist
We enter the society, get a job, start paying taxes — and we do it for many years on end. At some point, maybe in a few years, or perhaps even in a few decades, we will essentially end up asking for help. If you think about it from this point of view, you are contributing to society and helping others. And when you need assistance, others are helping you. This is the way our community set up, and this is how the cycle of the economy works. You are not asking for “free money “- you are requiring something you’ve been contributing to for a long time. I wouldn’t say you are entitled to “free money,” but it’s your human and social right to expect reasonable help in the moment of need.
People sometimes need help. Accept it and stop being an a**hole.
Fun fact: paying your dues doesn’t always come in the form of taxes. Receiving education means investing in your knowledge, in order to get a better paying job in the future, hence paying more taxes and contributing to society on a larger scale. Staying at home and taking care of children is another major way to contribute to the society. Those exact kids will grow to be adults, and each of them will be paying taxes and taking part in their societal scheme. Therefore, if you hear someone saying, “she’s just a mother, she’s staying home and does nothing,” — slap them across the face (figuratively). Tell them that “just a mother” might be making a more considerable contribution to the nation than they do. Shout out to stay at home fathers too, who also contribute to society in a significant way, and should be acknowledged.
Lazy People Can Take My Money Too
Do you know the argument about lazy citizens who don’t want to work, wish to receive welfare and stay home doing drugs? Or lazy kids living in their parents’ basement while collecting social benefits and playing video games all day? They can take my money too.
If you hear someone saying, “she’s just a mother, she’s staying home and does nothing,” — slap them across the face (figuratively).
The truth is, while politicians are pushing this as a reason not to increase social support, those people are a minority. While there are a certain number of individuals who would prefer staying home, drinking beer and smoking weed, you should think about all the other ones. All the single parents, the disabled people, caretakers, people with medical issues, and others requiring financial support. If there is a chance my taxes pay for those individuals’ welfare and offer them an opportunity to feed themselves and live with dignity — take my money. I will get over those who are truly lazy to look for jobs and opt-in to stay in their basement and play games all day. Side note: gamers can potentially make a ton of money now, thanks to Twitch and other websites.
If some of the people lining up for food at a food pantry are financially secure or even millionaires — still take my money. Most people won’t go to a food bank if they can afford to eat properly and have a financial cushion at the bank. So, if a selected few decides to compromise there conscience and values — it’s on them, not on others who genuinely require support. We need to fight hunger, not worry about someone cheating the system. Forget the stupid lobster video and start seeing welfare recipients as human beings. They are people, just like us.
Humility. Human attitude. Compassion and Understanding.
Just be kind. It’s not that difficult.