I’m disappointed in my fellow humans that after everything we’ve seen over the past few decades — and all the history that came before — that what I’m writing about here still needs to be explained to some people … I cannot fathom how anyone could actually genuinely be stupid enough not to get it, without actually suffering from some kind of serious brain damage, birth defect of mental retardation — or perhaps brainwashing … and that’s it, isn’t it … people are indeed brainwashed.
If you’ve never heard all the vilification and persecution of the poor that still goes on, including the passive aggressive assault on the character of poor people, then you haven’t been paying attention. How illogical is it to place someone in the most stressful possible circumstances, which completely and utterly economically entraps them, and then to blame them for not behaving as a far better off person does — it is arguably insane, yet people do it all the time.
So I sincerely hope this article will reach at least 1 person whom currently engages in any of these forms of persecution, vilification, or any other victimisation of these people living in poverty — and it changes their mind. Here’s what I want you to think about …
what is poverty?
If you want to claim a valid definition of poverty, it must be unbiased and non-hypocritical, such that you would think it a fair description NOT according to your present values as someone whom hasn’t suffered it, or as someone brainwashed into not caring, but as someone living within its sphere of influence.
I suggest that such a definition under the present property/trade/currency-based economic paradigm should be based on the capacity for the economic fulfilment of all articles of the charter of human rights — therefore:
- IF you cannot adequately fulfil all your human rights;
- THEN you’re within the poverty spectrum.
Remember, these aren’t additional luxuries we’re talking about, this is just basic human rights — the lack of any of which is immediately a cause of some degree of stress — making it extremely likely ( if not actually certain ) that some amount of your life may be spent working on ways to attempt to access any unfulfilled human rights, unless you’re forced to abandon such pursuit entirely.
poverty is not a holiday, it’s a full-time job:
Anyone living in poverty has probably at some stage had an argument with a working person ( perhaps a relative ), whom has attacked the person in poverty using an argument based on the false assumption, that their own situation as a working person is harder — which may involve words something like the following:
“I haven’t had a holiday in 10 years” ( or similar ).
What I want to say about that, is as follows:
- The poor person most likely wasn’t attacking you with anything they said, merely defending themselves from your attacks, so you probably had no reason to say this to them in the first place;
- The poor person probably wasn’t saying you had such a holiday, probably wasn’t saying you didn’t deserve one, probably wasn’t saying you didn’t have issues to deal with, probably wasn’t suggesting you had it easy — most likely they were just saying you didn’t have things as hard as they do, or that you didn’t understand their circumstances … and if you’re attacking them as being lazy bums, I’ll bet money they’re right ( no matter what you’ve been through ) that you really have no idea and don’t understand ( or you’re just brainwashed );
- Are you suggesting the poor person HAS just been on holiday all this time? You just proved that you don’t understand.
When you live in poverty, you live in pain and fear, because nothing in your life has much if any certainty, and every moment of every day is spent trying desperately to find a way out of poverty, using almost no resources, and while constantly distracted by the ongoing task of trying to stop things from getting progressively worse and spiraling ever downward out of control — or worse, where you’ve already given up, and you just spend every moment of every day trying to numb yourself to the depression and frustration.
Why do you think the suicide rate is so high … you think this is a fucking holiday?
homelessness is wider spread than you think:
Similarly to poverty, many people see homelessness as defined where people simply have no stable shelter, but I would argue the spectrum of homelessness extends from people living in cardboard boxes etc. at one end, all the way up to wage slave renters at the other end, whom will never own their own home.
What exactly is a home? Doesn’t this imply some kind of control, ownership, and permanency? Shelter is not necessarily a home. If you’re renting a really nice place, and you’re choosing to do that even though you could arguably own a home, then I’d say you’re outside the spectrum — but for anyone whom couldn’t buy a home if they wanted to, they’re definitely within that spectrum.
Where then does your time go when you’re a renter? Well you’re spending it working to keep that roof over your head, and you’re also spending it house hunting and moving every time your lease runs out or circumstances change, forcing you to move yet again. So this too contributes to your full time job.
At the bottom end of the spectrum, you can’t afford gardeners, cleaners, house repairs etc., you’re either relying on a good landlord, or you’re doing it all yourself — which for some reason conveniently fails to factor in to how you’re assessed by the wealthy whom have all such things.
conclusion:
So with all due respect — which is none whatsoever — if you think the poor are just lazy, because you’ve cherry picked your views to match the narrative you want ( which is the only way to justify such a narrative ), then nobody should ever listen to your opinion.
The reason society owes a welfare payment or UBI to people in poverty, is because our existing economic paradigm manufactures this poverty in the first place, and it has become intergenerational poverty in so many areas … so the only criticisms you can ever have of poor people, are the consequences of that poverty, taken out of the context that they are indeed consequences not choices.
- They don’t have your options, so stop treating them like they do;
- They have problems you don’t have, but unlike you, they have no resources with which to solve them;
- Thus also unlike you, their problems when unhandled mount up over time, triggering new problems;
— don’t pretend you know what they’re going through.