I have had that argument with people who have never done without, so many times. They DO NOT GET the kind of financial pressures that genuine poverty brings -- "The poor make bad choices and just spend their money on junk food!" *snarl*
I'm in great shape now, on disability benefits (which don't pay much!), than I was as a working single parent in the 90's -- at one point, I was bringing home $800/mo, spending $400 on daycare, and $500 on rent, after my roommate fucked off and left me holding the bag. That doesn't count food, gas, electric, water, healthcare, or transportation.
When I went to the welfare office and said, "Look, I'm not asking for cash benefits, I just need help with food stamps and to try and get my child into subsidized daycare," and they told me, "You make too much money."
People who talk shit about poor people's "food choices" have never had their gas (heat, water heater, & stove) turned off for 4 days because there was a gas leak and the landlord didn't want to pay for a repairman over the weekend -- the gas company turned it off because it was dangerous. So, it was microwave, McDonald's, or not feeding my toddler.
They have never cooked a pork chop in a pan, fed the meat to their child, and then stirred rice into the pan drippings so that the parent could at least get some calories and the *taste* of meat for themselves.
They don't get the concept that it costs money to take a bus to the food bank (and if you're fortunate enough to have a car, you'd better be able to afford to keep the insurance and registration up to date), or how hard it is to carry home a bag of canned goods on a bus, with transfers, with a small child. They've never heard of "food deserts," and how many poor people don't live within a mile or two of an actual grocery store, rather than a "corner store" that sells booze, cigarettes, soda, and convenience foods.
They forget that "cooking from scratch" takes cooking skills, a recipe, power/gas, refrigeration, cookware, utensils, space (try cooking while homeless or squatting), and *time and energy*, not always available to people working irregular hours, more than one job, living with illness or disability, chronically hungry, exhausted, and stressed from lack of economic, housing, and food security.
People like that make me see fucking red, when they go on about how poor people bring poverty on themselves, or how poor people are to blame for the "obesity epidemic," diabetes, rising health costs, alcoholism and drug abuse, etc.
They don't get the concept that it costs money to take a bus to the food bank (and if you're fortunate enough to have a car, you'd better be able to afford to keep the insurance and registration up to date), or how hard it is to carry home a bag of canned goods on a bus, with transfers, with a small child. They've never heard of "food deserts," and how many poor people don't live within a mile or two of an actual grocery store, rather than a "corner store" that sells booze, cigarettes, soda, and convenience foods.
They forget that "cooking from scratch" takes cooking skills, a recipe, power/gas, refrigeration, cookware, utensils, space (try cooking while homeless or squatting), and *time and energy*, not always available to people working irregular hours, more than one job, living with illness or disability, chronically hungry, exhausted, and stressed from lack of economic, housing, and food security.
This this this this, sing it out.
(I still remember the libertarian who insisted that healthy eating was more affordable, and failed to get back to me when I asked for the address of the grocery store where milk and juice were cheaper than soft drinks, and the lean cuts of meat were cheaper than the fatty ones. Curse and spit.)
I've been annoyed at some of the responses on what Baroness Whatsit said. It's a question I've thought long and hard about, because I've been that broke. I also now live in Britain and am volunteering in a charity that centers on food poverty.
Baroness Whatsit speaks of Britain, a country where the Welfare State still has a lot of clout. It ain't what it used to be, but it's still there. Relatively speaking, people who are homeless or have no electricity and gas at all are rare. Many people in food poverty are "working poor", welfare recipients (unemployed or disabled) in welfare housing or pensioners. Once they've paid rent and utilities, it's been calculated, they have a bit more than £2 a day per person to eat. These are people who have a kitchen or at least the possibility to cook some.
And yes, if you can boil some water, porridge is cheaper than Sugar Pops. And I swear, one small packet of couscous (another "just add boiling water" staple, even though it's relatively expensive in this country) feeds many more people than one frigging pack of custard creams.
Meat proteins? Mostly, forget them. Eggs, milk. Treat yourself to some fruits and veg. Crockpot for beans and pulses. And if you cook for yourself only, be ready to be bored.
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(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-19 05:27 am (UTC)I'm in great shape now, on disability benefits (which don't pay much!), than I was as a working single parent in the 90's -- at one point, I was bringing home $800/mo, spending $400 on daycare, and $500 on rent, after my roommate fucked off and left me holding the bag. That doesn't count food, gas, electric, water, healthcare, or transportation.
When I went to the welfare office and said, "Look, I'm not asking for cash benefits, I just need help with food stamps and to try and get my child into subsidized daycare," and they told me, "You make too much money."
People who talk shit about poor people's "food choices" have never had their gas (heat, water heater, & stove) turned off for 4 days because there was a gas leak and the landlord didn't want to pay for a repairman over the weekend -- the gas company turned it off because it was dangerous. So, it was microwave, McDonald's, or not feeding my toddler.
They have never cooked a pork chop in a pan, fed the meat to their child, and then stirred rice into the pan drippings so that the parent could at least get some calories and the *taste* of meat for themselves.
They don't get the concept that it costs money to take a bus to the food bank (and if you're fortunate enough to have a car, you'd better be able to afford to keep the insurance and registration up to date), or how hard it is to carry home a bag of canned goods on a bus, with transfers, with a small child. They've never heard of "food deserts," and how many poor people don't live within a mile or two of an actual grocery store, rather than a "corner store" that sells booze, cigarettes, soda, and convenience foods.
They forget that "cooking from scratch" takes cooking skills, a recipe, power/gas, refrigeration, cookware, utensils, space (try cooking while homeless or squatting), and *time and energy*, not always available to people working irregular hours, more than one job, living with illness or disability, chronically hungry, exhausted, and stressed from lack of economic, housing, and food security.
People like that make me see fucking red, when they go on about how poor people bring poverty on themselves, or how poor people are to blame for the "obesity epidemic," diabetes, rising health costs, alcoholism and drug abuse, etc.
-- A >:(
(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-19 05:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-20 02:36 am (UTC)This this this this, sing it out.
(I still remember the libertarian who insisted that healthy eating was more affordable, and failed to get back to me when I asked for the address of the grocery store where milk and juice were cheaper than soft drinks, and the lean cuts of meat were cheaper than the fatty ones. Curse and spit.)
(no subject)
Date: 2014-12-29 08:59 pm (UTC)Baroness Whatsit speaks of Britain, a country where the Welfare State still has a lot of clout. It ain't what it used to be, but it's still there. Relatively speaking, people who are homeless or have no electricity and gas at all are rare. Many people in food poverty are "working poor", welfare recipients (unemployed or disabled) in welfare housing or pensioners. Once they've paid rent and utilities, it's been calculated, they have a bit more than £2 a day per person to eat. These are people who have a kitchen or at least the possibility to cook some.
And yes, if you can boil some water, porridge is cheaper than Sugar Pops. And I swear, one small packet of couscous (another "just add boiling water" staple, even though it's relatively expensive in this country) feeds many more people than one frigging pack of custard creams.
Meat proteins? Mostly, forget them. Eggs, milk. Treat yourself to some fruits and veg. Crockpot for beans and pulses. And if you cook for yourself only, be ready to be bored.
Oh, and custard creams suck.