This video of Congressperson Jackie Speier popped back into my head after I saw an upsetting picture on my facebook newsfeed...
Here's the picture...
I immediately thought of two things I wanted to post in response: the first was a sort of definition of Fox News that I feel really applies to many more spheres...
Here's the picture...
And then this video of Rep. Speier that I initially mentioned.
In this video, Rep. Speier explains how other congresspeople who were trying to cut food stamps spend so much government money on their extravagant business trips. It's like Ananya says, "the rich have state help and the poor have self help".
I feel like conservatism thrives on the middle class hating the poor. I feel like the American Dream somehow excuses rich people for getting to benefit so much from the state—like oh, they've earned it.
Well on a more uplifting note, Rep. Speier really breaks inequality down publicly in Congress, so good for her. And she's from California, so holllllaaa
This is nuts! I totally agree, the political agenda of Fox news and many Republicans has been to show the outliers of poor and not the main portion of people who receive welfare! Its super sad that people can post stuff like this without really knowing the greater picture. If all you watch is Fox news, all you will know is one side of an argument. If people are really interested in these issues they need to dig much deeper. Unfortunately many people just see a thing posted online and believe it if it matches what they think. Challenging people to think differently about these issues is crazy important. Thank you for the post its fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post and use of images/video to counter a probably widespread image stupidly joking about welfare vs. real work in America.
ReplyDeleteYour post reminds me of the book 'The Working Class Majority' by Michael Zweig, in which he argues that the working class, not the middle class is the majority in the US despite popular beliefs/expressions.
In relation to your post, Zweig points out that the “long decline in the standard of living of the working class coincides with the gradual and now total avoidance of the working class as a subject of public discussion.” Not only do workers lose a sense of who they are as the term “working class” publicly disappears, they also lose a sense of who their enemy is as the term “capitalist” has been replaced with “rich.” And to fight the “rich” would seem trivial and contradictory since the “rich” are who Americans aspire to be. Rather, “others,” the “un-Americans,” and the "poor" are now seen as the enemies - as the causes of the lower standard of living, low wages, and lack of power experienced in the workplace and in politics by the majority of Americans; simultaneously, the real causes of poverty--the social and economic systems that benefit capitalists--are missed.