“I’m on welfare and so ashamed …”

[unhappycamper]

http://www.salon.com/2015/09/11/im_on_welfare_and_so_ashamed/



“I’m on welfare and so ashamed …”
Salon staff and Whisper Staff
Friday, Sep 11, 2015 07:00 PM EST

Whisper is a social network where men and women can express their deepest feelings anonymously. Below, people talk about what it’s like to receive government assistance: the hard grind of poverty, the fear of being judged, the shame of having to rely on others. But there’s something else as well: resilience in the face of hardship, and a belief that things will get better.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. We need the true dignity of a universal stipend.

So that people who can't find better paying work aren't 'singled out' and made to feel less than human.

[Hydra]

5. Ya, past time we did this

If we aren't going to make 100% employment and fair wages a priority, we need to provide a minimum income to everyone and stop shaming the people who lose out on our version of musical chairs.

[orpupilofnature57]

2. In a country where it has become Unacceptable to be unexceptional I can't imagine the anguish. n/t

[yeoman6987]

3. Well that is because our society lives in a "in America,

you can be whatever you want to be if you work hard". That has been ingrained in our society since age 1. How many parents ask their kids what they want to be when they grow up and doctor lawyer and other occupations. Grocery store cashier and food server are rarely mentioned. Also colleges promote the "get an education and make a great life".... Never mentioning be careful on what major you chose. Society as a whole is responsible for our arrogance and negativity towards those who did not "make it". We would have to reprogram our outlook for it to change. And don't forget all the stories of immigrants who came to America with 5 dollars worked hard and now is "successful". All of this gets in our psyche.

[orpupilofnature57]

8. Well Put .

[KoKo]

4. Recommend....

[historylovr]

6. K & R

[jtuck004]

7. So it seems if you are getting any of these scraps, meager portions that keep one desperate, hungry,

kills most any sign of spirit or adventure, and becomes its own insurmountable barrier to escape...

...in other words, if you are getting government assistance, and you aren't a corporation, you are still in an abusive relationship.

[De Leonist]

9. oh fer fuck's sake

Can we please kill Capitalism now ?