November 2, 2012
Just Published….Stepping Out of Plutocracy’s Closet of Shame
This is the second part of my previous piece addressing the myths surrounding poverty. It’s a fairly personal account, and it’s also meant as a call to action. Please give it a read and share with others. I really do believe that much can be accomplished if we worked to a) stop shaming others for their economic circumstances, and b) spoke openly and honestly about our own economic situations. Doing so would probably lead to a lot of “soul searching” for people of all political stripes.
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About sabletide
There’s a terrible rumor being circulated that feminism is fundamentally anti-men. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Feminist thinking rejects the notion that men are biologically determined to become the violent, detached, tough-guy stereotype so many men are trained to become. One of the main purposes of this blog is to provide a feminist criticism of patriarchal violence against women and children while also pointing out how patriarchy is limiting and harming men’s lives.
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November 3rd, 2012 at 3:52 am
Thank you! I needed that. I also have lost teeth to poverty. I went to grad school in Stanford, I worked since before I was old enough for a work permit! The shame was profound, but I try. every day. to let it go. I smile, big, at anyone who needs a smile. My son says it’s still beautiful. My only regret in taking lower paying righteous jobs instead of corporate jobs for twice the pay is that now, I’m disabled, my Social Security is half of what it could have been, and I can’t help my kids and grandkids like I want. Only one problem with your comparison to other movements: We will always be LGBT or people of color or women, but we always hope/believe we can leave poverty behind, with luck and skill. We can’t bear to imagine this condition lasting a lifetime. I don’t imagine someday I’ll be white and straight and male, but I can’t help but imagine that someday, that dollar I spare for a lottery ticket once a month will someday let me buy my kids a home, and let me hire someone to drive my gimpy butt around in a very cool electric car. There, I admitted it!
November 3rd, 2012 at 4:44 am
Thanks so much for sharing. I appreciate your thoughtful critique. I think you’re absolutely right for the most part. Though I think there might come a time when we all are forced to accept that, in order for all to be treated justly, we must all prepare for a kind of decent poverty. So long as I hold onto white, male, heterosexual privilege, I am at the same time depriving others of the equality that comes from the disavowal of these unearned privileges. Perhaps we need to conceptualize decent poverty as something we no longer wish to evade, but something, together, we make doable; so that we can all experience basic joys in life.
November 3rd, 2012 at 5:29 am
That would be best, if we can stop lusting for things we don’t need and that just add to the injustice and to climate destruction. Outside of concerns for my kids and the struggles with transportation, I’m poor, but at peace and have what I need, if not what I want. It’s amazing to discover all the things you can do without, and be content. It’s a daily relief, to be able to slow down, to appreciate the beauty in this world with my two dog rescues, after decades of running as fast as I could, a single mom on top of all else.
November 3rd, 2012 at 4:18 am
wonderful articulation of truth and reality
there is little investment in our human infrastructure
and that’s foolish and self-destructive
Sandy is changing the discussion.
TOM
November 3rd, 2012 at 5:45 am
Jeff:
Your intentions are good and a well thought starting place. Anger and outrage goes even further to solidify the notion. Not paying the elite bastards is better still.
Capitalism is by its very nature a class war, not a symbiotic relationship because the fruits accrue only to those on top.
Its not the time to make nice its the time to forward the struggle against those who would kill us.
Your choice to opt for less expensive tooth extraction well illustrates the idea of them killing us.
Their wallets are the most vulnerable target at which to take shots.
November 3rd, 2012 at 5:30 pm
This almost made me cry with relief that others feel this as deeply as I do and always have…..thank you for this article and others for your comments. I am sharing this with others
December 3rd, 2012 at 5:55 pm
Thanks so much for sharing your feelings on my work. And I’m glad that we share these ideas. Best wishes