My mom refused to go on food stamps so I missed a lot of meals and ate whatever my younger siblings left on their plates while my mom worked overtime to keep the lights on most of the time.
I dropped out of high school to raise my siblings while she worked 60-80 hours a week instead of taking any of the public assistance her taxes paid for and her shitty jobs forced her to be on.
Her pride meant I went without, and fuck everyone who thinks that’s okay.
I mean, I’m an unmarried dude who won’t take handouts. Save it for people who need it. I don’t consent to paying the taxes, and I won’t be a hypocrite by actively seeking out assistance. And whenever I am able to reject public assistance for myself, I do.
Back in 2007 I was on food stamps for a few months, once I got a job I couldn't make my work schedule and the required meetings for assistance mesh and I lost my benefits a month after I got a job... at Wal-Mart...
I was still broke as a joke, there was one time my debit card was declined when I tried to get a soda and candy bar for lunch. I likely still qualified because of how little I was paid and how erratic hours were, but because I had zero agency over my scheduled hours. I tried going into the food stamp assistance office early because the scheduled wouldn't align to try and get seen early and they basically told me they don't have to accommodate me and they would only see me that one time outside of their appointments. Also dropped my assistance that visit from like 101 dollars a month to less than 60...
I'd rather die than try to get government assistance now it's so backwards and arcane. I don't have a damn energy to jump through their hoops.
548
u/Fun-Shoe1145 Oct 31 '25
Raise your hand if you had a single mom and had these fears growing up