2005-09-07
being poor
Being Poor is... | A lot of people, comfortable, well fed, folks with cars full of petrol and real good credit ratings, are jumping on the bandwagon to posit blame on others for not leaving New Orleans soon enough |
In some cases, it's being done to deflect the blame-game foisted on the likes of FEMA, Politicians ...even the President of the United States.
Let's face it. No one wants to be held personally accountable for the destruction of an international city and probably tens of thousands of people.
But pointing the finger at those who could not afford a car much less a motel room is absurdist in the highest degree. There may also be some tinges of racism, since many of the folks left trapped in NO were African American, Creole, and other "minorities."
But the blame is miscast. The poor have always suffered the burden of blame unjustly. If there is blame to be held, it is amongst those of us ~ ALL of us, in my book ~ who could have done something to combat the roots of social injustice long ago and willingly have shared the wealth they were fortunate enough to have been given to live with.
Wealth is not a birthright. Poverty can happen to anyone. And, perhaps, anyone greedy enough to insist indignantly that all the riches they have in their possession are theirs and yet believe they are enttled to more, should be subjected to the whims and cruelties that Poverty provides.
This is the spiritual and cultural war that multi-millionaire charlatans like Pat Robertson need to be fighting. And they are not. In fact, I am intrigued by Mr. Robertson's relative silence on the matter. Check out his website. No metion of Hurricane Katrina's victims or the tragedy that befell us all, even more than a week after it occurred. Intrigued but not surprised.
Anyway: Some clips from "Being Poor"
In some cases, it's being done to deflect the blame-game foisted on the likes of FEMA, Politicians ...even the President of the United States.
Let's face it. No one wants to be held personally accountable for the destruction of an international city and probably tens of thousands of people.
But pointing the finger at those who could not afford a car much less a motel room is absurdist in the highest degree. There may also be some tinges of racism, since many of the folks left trapped in NO were African American, Creole, and other "minorities."
But the blame is miscast. The poor have always suffered the burden of blame unjustly. If there is blame to be held, it is amongst those of us ~ ALL of us, in my book ~ who could have done something to combat the roots of social injustice long ago and willingly have shared the wealth they were fortunate enough to have been given to live with.
Wealth is not a birthright. Poverty can happen to anyone. And, perhaps, anyone greedy enough to insist indignantly that all the riches they have in their possession are theirs and yet believe they are enttled to more, should be subjected to the whims and cruelties that Poverty provides.
This is the spiritual and cultural war that multi-millionaire charlatans like Pat Robertson need to be fighting. And they are not. In fact, I am intrigued by Mr. Robertson's relative silence on the matter. Check out his website. No metion of Hurricane Katrina's victims or the tragedy that befell us all, even more than a week after it occurred. Intrigued but not surprised.
Anyway: Some clips from "Being Poor"
• Being poor is six dollars short on the utility bill and no way to close the gap.
• Being poor is having to keep buying $800 cars because they're what you can afford, and then having the cars break down on you, because there's not an $800 car in America that's worth a damn.
• Being poor is crying when you drop the mac and cheese on the floor.
• Being poor is stealing meat from the store, frying it up before your mom gets home and then telling her she doesn't have make dinner tonight because you're not hungry anyway.
• Being poor is knowing you work as hard as anyone, anywhere.
• Being poor is thinking $8 an hour is a really good deal.
• Being poor is people surprised to discover you're not actually stupid.
• Being poor is your kid's teacher assuming you don't have any books in your home.
• Being poor is people surprised to discover you're not actually lazy.
• Being poor is people who have never been poor wondering why you choose to be so.
• Being poor is getting tired of people wanting you to be grateful.
• Being poor is relying on people who don't give a damn about you.
• Being poor is knowing you're always being judged.
THANKS TO: Kestrel's Nest for bringing the subject up and pointing to John Scalzi's Whatever |
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