What is it with the attitude of people on welfare?

[crisi]

lets all relax a little, she didn't say they had an attitude because they wer black. And further its not racist to say someones black, actually its implying that being black is a bad thing if you can't use it as a descriptive term. I think it was a poor choice of words based on cultural differences.. its understandable to question her motives for needing to add thr race, but no more questionable thn someones motives for adding someones sex.

I have as much of an issue with her classist comments as her racist ones. So digging herself out of the race hole really isn't going to bring her up much in my opinion.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Maybe they were having a bad day, maybe they are embarrassed about using food stamps, maybe they are just not social people.

It's not likely - but not impossible - that all three members of a single party were having a good enough day to go food shopping as a group but a bad enough day that they're entitled to order around another human being by pointing.
Ditto for being embarassed about using food stamps (all of them? really? on a single shopping trip?). It's also highly unlikely that all three are unsociable to the point of grunting and pointing to communicate.
Is it possible all three have the same actual communication issue, for example not speaking English or not speaking at all? Yeah, okay. The OP doesn't indicate whether the group conversed among themselves while in line. It's possible all three are hearing-impaired and this IS how they communicate with the hearing world. Unlikely, but possible.

 

[msmayor]

It's not likely - but not impossible - that all three members of a single party were having a good enough day to go food shopping as a group but a bad enough day that they're entitled to order around another human being by pointing.
Ditto for being embarassed about using food stamps (all of them? really? on a single shopping trip?). It's also highly unlikely that all three are unsociable to the point of grunting and pointing to communicate.
Is it possible all three have the same actual communication issue, for example not speaking English or not speaking at all? Yeah, okay. The OP doesn't indicate whether the group conversed among themselves while in line. It's possible all three are hearing-impaired and this IS how they communicate with the hearing world. Unlikely, but possible.

Points taken, and I'm not going to defend ANYONE'S actions in this situation. The 'group' ahead of the OP acted poorly, but the OP basically reflects the same poor behavior by making value judgements about people she probably doesn't know.

 

[Princess April]

I'm with ya Think I'll just keep my mouth shut and watch the sparks fly

May I join you?

 

[DisneyMissy318]

My DH is the manager of a meat department. His department does 50% of the entire months' sales on one day - the 1st of the month! Cuts of meat that we NEVER get because they are too expensive - are loaded in the carts until overflowing - and paid for at the register by a little blue card. Of course - I cannot generalize with an "all" or "always" - because I know times are tough, and there are lots of folks who need a hand-up - but the system needs more checks and balances. DH said he knows for a fact that some of these packages of meat are traded for "goods and substances not covered by food stamps". He said he has actually seen people come in with a "shopper" who is picking out the meat that he wants - and the exchange is made in the parking lot. Anything can be "currency"!

By the way - at my house tonight - it's hotdog night - not T-bones!

 

[Allison]

OP here. You know it was not just this one time I have witnessed this type of attitude with career welfare recipents. Any where you go Wal Mart, the grocery store even the bank they all have the superior attitude. If there is a line they are the first to start complaning about they don't have the time to stand in this line their story getting ready to come on.
My husband is a plumbing contractor and when all that was going on about Joe the Plumber, my husband actually had a welfare recieptant to tell him "Go ahead and work all you can I am going to be the first in line to share your wealth." My husband told him "You are going to be the first in line for a butt kicking"

How can you tell a career welfare recipient by looking at someone standing in a line? Or are you referring to people you actually know?

Can you explain what the bolded sentence means? Are words missing or something?

 

[AlternateEgo]

It's not likely - but not impossible - that all three members of a single party were having a good enough day to go food shopping as a group but a bad enough day that they're entitled to order around another human being by pointing.
Ditto for being embarassed about using food stamps (all of them? really? on a single shopping trip?). It's also highly unlikely that all three are unsociable to the point of grunting and pointing to communicate.
Is it possible all three have the same actual communication issue, for example not speaking English or not speaking at all? Yeah, okay. The OP doesn't indicate whether the group conversed among themselves while in line. It's possible all three are hearing-impaired and this IS how they communicate with the hearing world. Unlikely, but possible.

Maybe their mother just died and they were going to the grocery store to get food to console their family members...

Or just maybe they had just watched Micheal jackson's funeral... it doesn't matter.


The problem is when OP stated the first line, the title, "What is it with the attitude of people on welfare? "

She opened the can of worms by making it sound like anyone on welfare has an attitude. I have been on food stamps alot when my children were first born. Never have I felt I was entitled to anything. I didn't work the entire time I was on them either. Not due to layoffs, but the fact that daycare and gas was costing me the same amount as I was making. The only income was coming from my daughters' father.

ETA: I would like to add that I also went back to college and finished my degree while being on welfare. I was able to get into a program that assisted me for childcare.

Alot of things have changed since then, but generalizing and stereotyping just isn't a friendly thing to do and rubs me wrong.

I agree that there are people who abuse the system. But, everyone has a story.

Oh and I was always an extreme coupon user. Never did I fail to take a family member or friend, that was hurting to feed their family, shopping and get them a couple of packages of meat. I didn't expect something in return either... I believe it is just an assumption that people are "transferring" their benefits, when they have someone shopping with them.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

lets all relax a little, she didn't say they had an attitude because they wer black. And further its not racist to say someones black, actually its implying that being black is a bad thing if you can't use it as a descriptive term. I think it was a poor choice of words based on cultural differences.. its understandable to question her motives for needing to add thr race, but no more questionable thn someones motives for adding someones sex.

The color of their skin was no more pertinent to the story than the color of the shirts they were wearing.

Which wasn't mentioned.

By including their race she's biasing a story deliberately to link blacks with welfare and bad attitudes.

If I started every story I told about the Disboards with "there was this fat chick who was posting about the DVC", then inevitably people would link obesity with the disboards, when in fact no real link exists.

Think before you write, people.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

Wow, OP -- racist, much? After I read that I knew where this was going to go. Other posters said it much more eloquently, but posts like this are what give us "northerners" an impression of the South as a scary place...If it truly wasn't part of your point, you should have left the racial characteristics out of your post.

I agree that the racial descriptives should have been left out of the OP's post. (although after many quotes and the fact that she still has a racial descriptive in her last sentence will not erase this) Being from Detroit for more than half of my life I can assure you that the south does not corner the market on racism. I think it's much worse up north than down here-I have lived in the bible belt for 24 years now..much worse up north.

 

[rockundergirl]

i can see how people who are getting something for free should be nicer about things... i can't say it has ever cross my mind before, but I can see how the staff of someplace would get annoyed at someone not being nice... and on top of that they are not a paying customer.. Think about being a clerk at a grocery store... someone is nasty to you , and then you see the food stamps and realize that part of your taxes are going to pay for thr food. Its like adding insult to injury... in a way... but that clerk should not have talk to OP about it,, how unprofessional !

 

[deanainnc]

OP here. When they say their story is getting ready to come. Means they have to get home to sit in front of the TV because their favorite Soap Opera is coming on. While I am in line going over what is on my list for work that I have got to get done next.

I think that the ones of you on here that act like there is something wrong with me because I feel like the ones that are on the system just because they are to sorry to work needs to be booted off, needs to recheck why you go to work every day. Are you working for you and your family, or are you working for you and your family and the single woman down the street that keeps having babies just so here food stamps and asst. will keep coming?

 

[amandamims1]

Along the lines of welfare, my mom has a neighbor who refuses to get a job, even though my stepdad has offered him countless times (he's the district manager of a pretty big company). Why? "Because he can make more money on unemployment than if he got a job, and no one will pay him what he deserves". 0.o I was sooo unimpressed with this guy.

I agree with a previous poster that said the system needs a major overhaul. I know tons of people that don't look for jobs and don't try to get out of the system.

 

[sk!mom]

I've seen that same behavior from well manicured women carrying expensive designer purses. They believe they are entitled to treat people poorly because they are "paying them." They say things like "I pay your salary" and expect the world to move.

No one is entitled to treat others poorly.

My DS24 would agree with you. He and his coworkers have a name for the well to do women who come in during the day- can't be bothered to get off the phone while they are being checked out- complain about crazy things and are just generally rude.

 

[AlternateEgo]

i can see how people who are getting something for free should be nicer about things... i can't say it has ever cross my mind before, but I can see how the staff of someplace would get annoyed at someone not being nice... and on top of that they are not a paying customer.. Think about being a clerk at a grocery store... someone is nasty to you , and then you see the food stamps and realize that part of your taxes are going to pay for thr food. Its like adding insult to injury... in a way... but that clerk should not have talk to OP about it,, how unprofessional !

Well... they are a paying customer. They are purchasing groceries at that particular store. They could be purchasing them at ANOTHER store, in which the other store will not get revenue for... and if that store participates in profit sharing... that employee would be losing out.

Now... I suppose that people can look at it as they are paying taxes for others to receive welfare... and I can see how those on welfare should worship those... ok so thats being sarcastic. But what I am saying is that EVERYONE has bad days... welfare or not.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

I agree that the racial descriptives should have been left out of the OP's post. (although after many quotes and the fact that she still has a racial descriptive in her last sentence will not erase this) Being from Detroit for more than half of my life I can assure you that the south does not corner the market on racism. I think it's much worse up north than down here-I have lived in the bible belt for 24 years now..much worse up north.

I grew up in Missouri, I've been a transplant for 13 years -- I found it much worse there -- and it is the expectation I hear from real Northerners, they expect people from the South to be racist in their comments and actions. I'm not making a blanket judgement on where it is worse, but rather stating that comments like that post do reinforce the image of confederate flags on every corner.

 

[CarolA]

I was in the grocery store last week and this group of 2 women and 1 man was in line in front of me. The young man that was checking them out was really nice to them and all they would do was grunt at him. When all their groceries was bagged up the other young man that pushes your groceries to your car was waiting on them to go in front of him so he could push their groceries out to the car, well they stopped and pointed at him like he was a dog and grunted at him to move.

Well anyway these folks payed with food stamps and the guy that was checking them out told me while he was ringing up my order that he can always tell the ones that their careers are working the system and the ones that are on the system because of job losses. The ones that are on the system as a career have a attitude that somehow they are owed all the benefits that they are handed and that if you work you are benenth them.

What is wrong with people.

And your "judging" others is.........


Seriously, this is amazing. It's not an "attitude" to judge others and make judgements? It's not attitude to come on here and talk nasty about people! What makes that acceptable? I don't get it.

What is it about the Budget board that brings this out?

 

[blanq]

OP here. You know it was not just this one time I have witnessed this type of attitude with career welfare recipents. Any where you go Wal Mart, the grocery store even the bank they all have the superior attitude. If there is a line they are the first to start complaning about they don't have the time to stand in this line their story getting ready to come on.

My husband is a plumbing contractor and when all that was going on about Joe the Plumber, my husband actually had a welfare recieptant to tell him "Go ahead and work all you can I am going to be the first in line to share your wealth." My husband told him "You are going to be the first in line for a butt kicking"

I am truly amazed that you are able to tell when someone is a "career welfare recipient". Wow...you were given some amazing genes to have that kind of radar. Honestly, as other's have already said, this thread is not going to go well for you. I work with parents who receive public assistance with those who do not, in my job as a manager of a county child support office. I can tell you based on my significant experience (20 years) of working with both that people can be rude no matter their income level and whether or not they receive public assistance.

 

[MinnieFlute]

Well, I am mostly a lurker around here (as you can tell by my incredibly high post count) but I just HAD to jump on this before it gets shut down.

First of all, I think that the OP's original post wasn't worded too well, but I get the frustration. I don't think the race mention was necessary, although I am not sure it was necessarily malicious.

I am grateful for government programs. I received a lot of help through Pell Grants and Texas Grants to get me through college. I would have finished college anyway, but would have done so with a lot of debt. I was just in a situation where my family didn't really save money for college and then some other things happened that basically brought my mom's income to nothing. I am truly grateful that there are programs there to help people when they need it.

Welfare is there for that reason - to help people when it is needed. There are some people who will always need government assistance due to disabilities or other circumstances. But then there are people like the OP mentioned (assuming that her account is correct). I do question how appropriate it was for the cashier to comment on the situation, but I do see what he was saying. There are people who simply feel they are entitled to handouts. And when those people are rude, they sure give everyone on welfare a bad name, right or wrong. Then the whole program is called into question. I do think a massive overhaul of the system is necessary, but I would have no idea where to begin.

I hope I don't get flamed for this, but I can understand the OP being miffed. People who pay taxes are supporting those on welfare, and I do get annoyed when I see or hear of people who abuse the system. You know, it's funny - there is another thread going about a moocher nephew (see, I told you I lurk) and everyone jumped in saying "kick him out, don't get taken advantage of!" Well, the people who are abusing the welfare system are doing the same thing, except it is to ALL of us. It's easier to think of taking advantage of the government as no big deal, since it is a nameless, faceless entity.

The whole "spread the wealth" idea makes me cringe, because I would prefer to help those who need it - not those who just don't want to help themselves.

 

[rockundergirl]

Well... they are a paying customer. They are purchasing groceries at that particular store. They could be purchasing them at ANOTHER store, in which the other store will not get revenue for... and if that store participates in profit sharing... that employee would be losing out.

Now... I suppose that people can look at it as they are paying taxes for others to receive welfare... and I can see how those on welfare should worship those... ok so thats being sarcastic. But what I am saying is that EVERYONE has bad days... welfare or not.

well regardless of what store they got groceries from, the clerk would still be paying part of thr groceries. I believe in being thankful, I would never disrespect my boss, or my co-workers and that's how I pay for my groceries. I like to believe if my fellow citizen was paying for my groceries i would give them the same respect...

Everyone does have bad days.. but .. and this is for everyone.. its not acceptable to make someone else s day bad by having an attitude..

 

[Missy1961]

Oh yeah, THIS is going to go well...

Without a doubt.