A while ago, a bunch of graduates (and not-so-graduated) from my former high school friended each other on Facebook. It was like the reunion only worse (no alcohol or pool tables to distract) and better (got to experience and/or watch some real friendships emerge among people who didn't even speak to one another when we were teens). One of the most fascinating aspects has been watching how this group reflected the political macrocosm.
By and large, there's nothing to see; for the majority, politics seem to be something that the rest of us inflict upon them and the most involved they get is posting "Voted" on election day. In the right corner, there were three particularly outspoken conservatives and their less outspoken "dittoers". On the left, we had--and still have--a spectrum ending in the most curmudgeonly progressive I can imagine. Note that there *were* three on the right because one spewed such hateful contempt that I "defriended" him. Oh, and let's not forget two libertarians: one very politically active and one just wanting to be left alone with his right to bare arms.
I told you that so I could tell you this: One of the right wing buddies from childhood recently posted, "Kid walks out of the welfare office and hops into a 42,000 dollar charger srt8 with rims that have to be around 4 grand. What a joke the system is." Seriously? Oh, and the lovely comments from the dittoers like "probably sells crack, too."
Really, I had intended to let it go. I don't live in this man's head...maybe he DID see it. Maybe, but probably not. So it could have been the bullshit factor that kept this in the back of my mind as I otherwise went on with my life. There was undoubtedly a touch "but he's otherwise such a good guy" weighing in. Either way, his (probably fake) observation was met by a conversation in class yesterday...
'America in Global Context' is a 400 level American Studies class, so it's populated by a small handful of American studies majors (and that one Criminal Justice guy) with graduation in sight and classes that can't help but overlap. When I settled in yesterday, two students were talking about their shared period before where a young woman announced that she doesn't "believe in welfare and these people should stop having kids if they're too poor to take care of them."
Wow.
I listened quietly while one of them shared how, when his father left them, he and his mom were on welfare for a little while. Going through the process was demoralizing as the caseworker treated them like unwanted beggars. There was the constant return to the office before being accepted into the system since they always had to bring some other piece of information without getting a simple list of everything needed. His mom didn't use the money to buy him a new car with super rims, though. They splurged on luxuries such as food and electricity for the months until she found work.
Another student joined in on the conversation, describing how she needed assistance for a time and both her struggle to get on it and the struggle to get off with road blocks on either end.
It's funny how the conservative narrative is all about those (imaginary) people (of color) who live high on the hog from welfare. The story they tell themselves never seems to include the little facts like how the money provided by transitional assistance is never enough to live on so you can pay for your heat OR for your lights. There's no mention of how, if you're not on section 8, which covers only the smallest fraction of those who need it, you come off assistance owing months of back rent on top of the mess made by paying one utility one month and another the next, so for a long time (or forever) you owe more than you make. Oh, and no more "food stamps" so welcome to life on ramen noodles and the dollar menu at the local fast food joint.
I can't quite figure out how that translates into $42,000 cars with 4 grand in rims. Maybe the "kid" he saw leaving the welfare office works there. Or maybe my buddy just made him up. I mean, the last time I heard of a brand new Cadillac parked in front of a housing project, it was from the same guy. How is that this middle-class white dude who works full time and lives in a suburb that has a median income (according to Wiki) $52K plus....how does this dude end up spending so much time in front of welfare offices and housing projects?
Is the new conservative pastime trolling for welfare fraud? Who wants to stop for a beer after work with friends or unwind in from a game when you can spy for brown people behaving badly?
More likely, this is one of a handful of lies passed around so certain people can feel self righteous about treating certain other people like crap. I mean, if it were true each time I heard someone's cousin's best friend's white dad didn't get a job he was the most qualified for because of affirmative action, the unemployment rate among people of color would be 0%.
I don't have all the answers, but I know I'm smelling bullshit.
