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#Poor
zoomar · 7 months
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Poverty
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chronicallycouchbound · 8 months
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Let People On Food Stamps Eat Hot Meals
Particularly on cold, rainy days (like today), while unhoused, sometimes all I want is a hot meal but it’s so difficult (if not impossible) to cook outside in the rain.
On top of this, I’m physically disabled and chronically ill. Medically, I’m supposed to have assistance with making meals as part of in home care. But I can’t get in home care without a home.
I just finished making dinner for my partner and I, it took 2 hours (3 if you include clean up). My knees are burning, my back is aching in it’s core, I feel like I’m about to faint, and all my joints are screaming. But it’s the only way we could have a hot meal today and get some protein, which is vital for our health conditions.
People judge us for using what little funds we have on McDonald’s some days. Because sometimes, it’s the only hot meal we’ve had in days. And sometimes I’m physically unable to stand, move, and do all the actions needed to cook. Or I faint while cooking. Or the rain doesn’t let up. Or we don’t have access to a kitchen for the day. Or the fire danger outside is too high. The list goes on.
Without my own kitchen to use, I don’t get to sit down while I cook (right now, everything is wet from the rain), I can’t meal prep, I can’t stock up on freezer meals, I can’t use an oven or a microwave to reheat leftovers, I can’t just reach across the kitchen for a fridge item (we have a small amount of fridge space friends let us use), everything about cooking is exponentially harder.
And even if I had 24/7 access to an accessible, full kitchen, it’s not even physically safe to cook my own meals. Even then, having a pre-made, hot, ready-to-eat meal could keep me safe and give me independance.
And all the safety needs for hot meals aside, emotionally, hot meals are also life saving and comfort. Meals are a part of community, culture, love and art.
So many gatherings we have as communities center around food. Most people in the United States would think of ones that often hold great value to Western culture. Mother’s Day breakfast. Spaghetti fundraisers. Wedding cakes. Birthday dinners. Bake sales. Carnival treats. BBQs on weekends. Holiday roasts. Lunches with friends. Casseroles brought to grieving neighbors.
Our world revolves around food.
I firmly believe that no poor person could ever “take advantage” of a system designed to feed us by using food stamps on hot food. This restrictive rule serves no purpose but to punish the most vulnerable of poor people— unhoused, disabled, and those of us living in unsafe conditions.
It also serves to restrict our access to joy and comfort. The joy can sometimes come from the food itself, but also the joy from having shared experiences solidified by the sounds of laughter and forks clinking on plates. The comfort can sometimes also be from the food itself, but also the experience of being loved and cared for while your close friend brings you pizza from your favorite restaurant because you lost your drive to eat three weeks ago and they worry about you. They know you. Those slices of pizza bring color back into your world.
Poor people deserve to be able to have the comfort, joy, and care that goes into a hot meal. We deserve the autonomy to choose foods that are best for us ourselves. We deserve to be able to eat in ways that are accessible to us.
Above all, we deserve access to hot meals.
Originally posted to my blog on 6.3.22
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yesterdaysprint · 10 months
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A man selling art, Paris, 1949
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dk-thrive · 8 months
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It’s not that I’m unaware of the suffering and soon-to-be-more suffering in the world...it’s that I know the suffering exists beside wet grass and a bright blue sky recently scrubbed by rain. The beauty and the suffering are equally true... (I need to) see it all and hold it for as long as I can.
— Ann Patchett, Tom Lake: A Novel (Harper, August 1, 2023) (via Book Review in Wall Street Journal, ‘Tom Lake’ Review: Ann Patchett’s Spotlight on the Past by Heller McAlpin, July 28, 2023)
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aseaofquotes · 2 months
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Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
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dumblr · 7 months
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There is no shame in admitting that you can't afford something. Anyone who judges you for your financial standing doesn't deserve you.
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smilesrobotlover · 10 months
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@nancyheart11 @skyloftian-nutcase I can’t stop thinking about this
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ilovehowyoufeel · 2 months
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macrolit · 1 year
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“A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation.” — Gustavo Petro
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pratchettquotes · 1 year
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"Mam says would you ladies like some breakfast?"
"Oh, no, we couldn't possibly take what little you have--" Annagramma began.
"Yes, please, we will be grateful," said Tiffany, louder and quicker. The man nodded, and shut the door.
"Oh, how could you say that?" said Annagramma as his footsteps creaked down. "These are poor people! I thought you would--"
"Shut up, will you?" snapped Tiffany. "Just shut up and wake up! These are real people! They're not some kind of, of, of idea! We will go down there and we will eat breakfast and we'll say how good it is and then we will thank them and they will thank us and we will go! And that will mean everyone has done the right thing by custom, and that will be what's important to them. Besides, they don't think they're poor, because everyone around here is poor! But they're not so poor that they can't afford to do the right things! That would be poor!"
Annagramma was staring at her with her mouth open.
"Be careful what you say next," said Tiffany, breathing heavily. "In fact, don't say anything."
Terry Pratchett, Wintersmith
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sentimental-apathy · 4 days
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If anyone could spare anything, I'd really appreciate it. I was sick for over a week with a bad respiratory infection and missed work a bit. And then when I did get some money together it went to bills and helping out a close family member feed their kids. Now I'm on my last $1 til I get paid a measly wage on Saturday and I've got gas, food, and another bill to pay.
Cash app, venmo, & paypal are all SentimentalApathy.
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wiirocku · 13 days
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Luke 3:11 (NLT) - John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”
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chronicallycouchbound · 8 months
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I refuse to call government assistance programs “welfare” or “benefits”.
I’ve been on government assistance programs my whole life. I have never lived above the poverty line.
It’s a system that doesn’t care about my wellbeing, they care about doing the bare minimum to keep people alive enough to function and work, and if you’re disabled and cannot work, they give significantly less of a fuck.
And benefits?? What benefits?
Food stamps that run out within two weeks because I am budgeting with 8$ a day with literally dozens of dietary restrictions? Or do you mean the housing voucher that I have to never even have a gift card, penny to my name, Sams club membership, phone bill, literally anything that could be “income” in order to qualify? That same housing voucher system that if I mess up even once with I not only lose all government aid for at least 5 years, it’s also mandatory PRISON time for 1 year?? “Oh but they would never do that, right?” Nope! I have several friends who are now felons for minor lease violations and unhoused as a result! Oh maybe you mean the state health insurance that doesn’t cover most treatments, specialists, and testing I need and if I tried to make a gofundme to cover, I would lose aforementioned housing? Oh and we can’t forget all the money I get for being disabled, which is exactly 0$. I’m still fighting for SSI and have been for 6 years! That’s over 6 years with absolutely zero income. ZERO. And guess what, whenever I *do* get on SSI, I will lose my housing voucher. And I won’t be able to afford my current apartment because even in subsidized low income housing it’s too expensive for the maximum SSI “benefit” amount. And on SSI you can’t have savings over 2000$. Oh and they do make housing for people who are low income where you pay 30% of your income but I can’t even be on the waitlist since I don’t have any income. And on top of all this, I can never get married because I’ll lose all of the programs.
I could keep going. That’s not even half of the programs I’m a part of.
• None of them give me cash in hand. Even for vouchers I have to provide receipts for everything.
• Food stamps just straight up won’t even cover ineligible items. Which includes hot foods.
• I genuinely don’t believe that there’s a way to “game the system” and why would you? You would gain literally nothing.
• It’s designed to keep people poor. Once you make over a certain amount, you lose all or almost all benefits. There’s no way to slowly transition out of the programs, if you’re someone who’s able to. It’s all in or all out.
• All of these barriers are made significantly worse while unhoused/homeless. I’ve been homeless for over half of my life and there’s so many fucked up rules. If I missed one night staying in the shelter, I lost my housing voucher because I no longer was “verified as homeless” even if I was sleeping outside still.
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mai-333 · 6 months
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The Poverty Aesthetic;
Why do people want to look poor?
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N.hoolywood Fall/Winter 2017 men’s collection
Not wanting to look polished and elegant isn’t something new. Messier aesthetics have been popular styles since the 1950s. The hippies of the 60s wore a beat up, vintage carnival look. Punk rock trended in the 80s where people wore shredded, torn, or bleached jeans. The 90s had grunge where tattered and even dirty clothes were worn, with distressed denims and flannels. But while these trends were primarily influenced by music and political movements, the current phenomenon of wanting to look homeless or poor is not.
The poverty trend really started with shoes. Taking inspiration from grunge fashion trends which included well worn Doc Martens and Converse. Many people took to manufacturing this look by purposefully making their shoes look dirty, and old. So while these may look similar, the 90s grunge style was created through thrifting and repurposing clothes. This new trend is a mockery to 90s grunge, faking a used look is pathetic, many people who are forced to wear tattered shoes would love your brand new ones. If you really want the distressed shoe aesthetic then buy them second hand, or just wear your shoes until they look worn. This has escalated severely, to the point where luxury brands such as Gucci and Balenciaga, are now selling new used looking shoes.
N.hoolywood and Magnolia Pearl have both been criticised for glamorising the poverty aesthetic. Even John Galliano, who’s 2000s homeless inspired collection later influenced the parody Zoolander film. Celebrities such as Johnny Depp have been seen wearing ‘distressed chic’ outfits which could have been seen on a homeless person, except that he’s actually wearing Magnolia Pearl.
It is no surprise that people have taken issue with the poverty aesthetic, because this is only an aesthetic for those who have the choice. It is the ultimate luxury to be able to choose to dress poor. What a poor person will be judged for wearing is now a trend for richer people. Rich people view poor people through their lens of privilege. This style is not just controversial, it is ignorant, out of touch, and overall just privileged.
Choosing to wear second hand clothing, oversized and layered outfits, is not the issue. I understand that many people choose to dress in a more alternative and grungy style which may look similar to what is worn by poor or homeless people. It is not problematic to wear distressed or tattered clothing when you can afford otherwise. Dressing in worn and second hand clothing is one of the best ways to tackle fast fashion and over consumption. The issue lies where rich people want to masquerade as poor, when luxury brands sell and promote ‘homeless chic’ fashion.
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soapdispensersalesman · 6 months
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Same
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sub-par-yakuza-memes · 7 months
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