Comments on: Should Yuppies Take Food Stamps?

By: Sara Clemence

Sara Clemence — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:33:33 +0000

Hi readers- Thanks so much for all of your comments, which were definitely personal and strongly felt. I’m sorry if you feel the essay is mean in any way–the point is that ALL have biases. Why the hell should I feel special? I’m not. And I was ashamed to realize that I thought I was. We all think we “belong” in a certain place, to a certain group. Look at some of the comments here about yuppies. Does having more money make someone a bad or greedy person? Does having less make them a bad or undeserving person? Anyone who thinks they don’t have some sort of prejudices, no matter where they came from or where they put themselves on the political spectrum, is being dishonest.

By: miss s

miss s — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 05:24:20 +0000

Lady you are one mean thing. People are people and I’m sorry you feel darn entitled and look down on others. I have degrees too if not more than you. Guess what I kind find a job I’m on state help yes i minority and a business owner. Walk in someone else s shoes first since you feel that you are too good starve then we lower people dont give a care anyways.

By: Felicity

Felicity — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:07:01 +0000

do you have any idea how painful it is to read about the idea that some of you think you are “too good” to get on food stamps? A year ago I hada good job . Then I got pregnant and my boss didn’t want to pay me so she got rid of me. I was supporting my family and had a decent income. Guess where I turned for help? You got it. The state.I am glad that a lot of yuppies turned into “Those People” as you so kindly called us. Stick your pride where the sun don’t shine.

By: carmine

carmine — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:03:23 +0000

do me a favor dont even go on welfare many yuppies buy all this crap have nothing left then complain cause they have no gas and no cloths for you 40 dollar shoes isnt enough take trains instead of yellow taxis in manhattan
. you degrade non yuppies cause they try to get buy not even giving them a chance of opportunity

By: carmine

carmine — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:58:08 +0000

yuppies you know what i dont see any of them giving money to the poor rather drive stinking taxicabs and waste there lives looking for boyfriends in bars boo hoo pride you developed it too much . with all your boastings now you degrade food stamps maybe if you stop eating organic foods eating sushi buy cloths from armani drive cars that you dont use pay rent 1000 a month maybe contribute to society then would be better you dont thats for sure

By: Sara Clemence

Sara Clemence — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:10:42 +0000

Wow, that is tough and scary. I hope she’s keeping her chin up.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:59:56 +0000

When I was a kid, my family was either on food stamps or went to the food bank, I don’t remember which. My mother made me promise not to tell my grandmother. Now my sister and her fiance are on food stamps. They have worked hard and are just finishing their educations, he’s almost done with a computer programming degree and she just finished a Masters in Social Work. They are expecting their first child. All the social agencies in our city have hiring freezes and the few jobs that are available are going to people with no degree because it is cheaper to train them rather than pay someone already qualified. My sister is in the position of applying for benefits at the same placed she did internships and helped others file at a few months ago.

By: brokeivyleaguer

brokeivyleaguer — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:36:00 +0000

Well, my husband and I signed up b/c looking for work makes us hungry! We were both laid off from the same company a few months ago and have run through our savings. Funny thing is, you only qualify for actual money aka TANF–temporary aid for needy families if you have children. Same goes for health insurance. I don’t think that’s widely known. Anyway, I think it’s sweet that your parents are still giving you money. Otherwise, you would have had to click \enter\ on that eligibility form.

By: Imee

Imee — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:41:42 +0000

I don’t think there should be any shame in accepting help from the government (i.e. food stamps, etc). After all, you’re a taxpayer and you have all the right to take it if you’re eligible. However, I still think people who NEED it should be given priority.

By: kelli r. parker

kelli r. parker — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:27:27 +0000

this article made me smile in that i-know-exactly-what-she’s-talking-about kind of way. i, too, have considered “state assistance” and cringed. is that pride? snobbery? too-goodishness? i’m not sure but thanks for making me feel less like a bad person.

By: Alejandro Vargas

Alejandro Vargas — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:31:52 +0000

You are no longer a yuppie. You may still be Young, but since you became involuntarily unemployed, you have ceased to be either Upwardly-mobile or Professional.

Also, your article reeks of condescension. Those People are still people, and Americans, just like you. A lot of Those People work damn hard trying to keep themselves and their families together and off the street, and are treated like crap 24-7 for their trouble. I’d bet you couldn’t handle being in their shoes for a week.

Go turn in your Liberal card. The nice lady at the desk will be happy to issue you a nice Classist Snob card in its place.

By: Bernadette Gunn

Bernadette Gunn — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:16:03 +0000

Sara, you bring up an excellent discussion. I do SNAP outreach in Montana, and the top two reasons that people are reluctant to apply for SNAP is #1) pride and #2) concern over taking benefits away from people who “need it more.” Your article reflects these two concerns and I’m sure a lot of readers who could potentially qualify for SNAP share those feelings.

However, I hope that no one considering SNAP gets discouraged from applying after reading this article. After all, #1) your mom’s right, we all pay taxes so that we can benefit from these programs when we need them. There is absolutely no shame in seeking help when we are faced with a difficult situation. In fact, participants can be proud that they have taken the initiative to provide for themselves and their families while they look a job, etc. If nothing else, this downturn has proven that there is NO difference between “Those People” and “Us”…a sudden job loss, illness, divorce, or accident can send ANYBODY, especially middle-income earners, into a situation where they face food insecurity, foreclosure, and all those things we’ve being hearing about in the news.

As for the #2) concern, using SNAP benefits does not take money away from other people – there is enough funding provided in the Farm Bill to ensure that every single SNAP participant receives exactly the amount of benefits they are eligible for. It doesn’t matter if you’ve worked minimum-wage jobs all your life or used to earn six figures…SNAP is meant to help people when they need it, which, for many participants, is just for a couple of months.

SNAP also helps the economy. This is why the President included so much money for SNAP in the stimulus package. SNAP serves as a direct infusion of federal funds into local businesses, and every $5 spent with SNAP generates $9.20 in economic activity. So don’t think of SNAP as a hand-out, think of it as a way to do your part in stimulating your city’s economy! It may seem far-fetched, but really, it works.

Thank you for bringing up your concerns about SNAP in such a great forum. I would love to see you become as much of an advocate for SNAP as you’ve become for unemployment insurance. You have the chance to set a great example for your fellow recession-hit yuppies.

Follow-up to Melinda’s comment: Barely any states (if any) still have a picture on their SNAP EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) cards, and the cards work just like a debit card in the store, which is very discreet. As of October 2008, tax-deferred retirement and college savings accounts are not counted as savings or resources, and several states have done away with the resource limit altogether. I’d encourage people to check with their local office to see what their policies are. Thanks for your feedback!