annoyed1. I am a man.
2. I am advocating that authors, without support from publishers, agents, or the reading public, continue to slam ourselves against the brick wall of martyrdom in order to keep a dying medium alive.
3. I am swathed in moralistic superiority, rather than genuinely concerned.
4. I hate all technology, and it's a miracle I was willing to write my post on a devil machine, rather than committing it to beautiful calligraphy and pasting my broadsheets all over town.
5. Poor people don't want to read anyway, so why am I bothering?
6. Saying that some poor people won't be able to afford an ebook reader, or wouldn't waste the money on one if they could, is just stupid, and I'm totally wrong.
7. Also, no one in America goes to bed hungry. American poverty is actually pretty nice.
8. Did I mention that I was a man?
9. My view of poverty is romanticized. (This was actually the one that really made me go "WHAT THE FUCK?!" out loud. Once the word "cockroaches" enters a discussion, the romance is dead.)
10. I'm an idiot.
Well, yes, point #10: I am an idiot, and should not have looked at those links. Thank you. As to the above, wow. The range of interpretation possible on the internet is incredible. Also, before you quote any of those things out of context (please don't), they're not true. And no, I'm not saying "wah, some people didn't agree with me." Lots of people didn't agree with me, and some of their disagreements were fascinating and thought-provoking. I'm saying "I do not have a penis, children go to bed hungry, and if you think my view of poverty is romantic, I do not think we should continue this conversation."
I hereby declare comment amnesty on this post. I am too tired to play nicely with the other children, and think that I should just stay in my room.
Cranky blonde is cranky. And armed.
September 26 2011, 18:47:21 UTC 5 years ago
Because being poor isn't knowing how to stretch a can of tuna and a dusty weevil infested box of macaroni and cheese to feed a household of six for two days, or (if you're lucky just) nearly dying because you got sent home from a hospital with an antibiotic prescription that you can't afford to fill.
Because if those lazy folks would just pull themselves up by the bootstraps and get a job, and then live within their means (what's left after work clothes and increased transportation costs and child care is covered) then they wouldn't have to take *my* hard-earned money.
*beats head against wall of idiocy.*
I'm SO fed up with people who complain about the lazy poor who drive fancy cars and carry designer handbags on the taxpayer dime, when I knew a kid that died because mom made the wrong call when faced with the choice of "do we incur an ER debt that we can't afford for something that will get better on its own, or does this need a doctor?" and then it was too late.
It's a political thing. Believing that poor people are poor because they want to be is what lets the greedy assholes sleep at night.
Feel free to send anyone who doubts the validity of your perspective to come talk to me.
September 26 2011, 21:46:51 UTC 5 years ago
1) Failure to acknowledge their laziness?
2) Failure to believe that they're lazy? (IE: You're refusing to deny that evidence contradicting the myth exists, therefore failing to believe the lie.)
September 27 2011, 01:37:38 UTC 5 years ago