5 ms·

I don't see how food stamps are in any way demeaning, compared to, say, visiting an NHS hospital or living in council housing or any other social program?

steveplace 13y ago
I believe that parent assumes that food stamps are physical stamps instead of EBT cards.
laurencerowe 13y ago
Visiting an NHS hospital is no different than sending your kids to a public (state) school - the NHS is used by almost everyone, it's not Medicaid. Food stamps are demeaning because they send the message that those receiving them cannot be trusted to choose how to spend that money wisely. They deny any flexibility to recipients, what if you need to buy new shoes for your kid one week?
- jpadkins 13y ago
  can't give cash because of drugs. Addicts will spend money on meth instead of their kids shoes. If you have a better solution, fire away.
  - lmm 13y ago
    At the moment drug addicts buy groceries and then sell them for drug money. Experiment suggests that on average the poor do better when given cash than more complex/restricted handouts like food stamps.
- pbhjpbhj 13y ago
  >Food stamps are demeaning because they send the message that those receiving them cannot be trusted to choose how to spend that money wisely. // So your starving and need food, the community has a whip-round [an impromptu collection] someone takes you to the supermarket and buys your shopping. Your response is what, gratitude or "that's so demeaning". If one feels embarrassed that one is getting more out of society than they're providing in benefit - I assume that's the source of feeling demeaned by charity - then one can work to improve that position. I don't think I need to start listing things you can do for free that are public goods, do I.
  - laurencerowe 13y ago
    No, benefits should be paid in cash as they are in other developed countries.
- rdouble 13y ago
  Food stamps were meant to be demeaning. Being poor is considered a moral failing in the USA.
dragonwriter 13y ago
> I don't see how food stamps are in any way demeaning Then you probably haven't seen the condescending manner in which people using them are treated by cashiers in many of the places that accept them. (Now, admittedly, the places where this is an issue tend to have generally crappy service for everyone, but the people using food stamps tend to have less choice of where to go.)
lmm 13y ago
There certainly is a stigma attached to living in council housing.

steveplace 13y ago

I believe that parent assumes that food stamps are physical stamps instead of EBT cards.

laurencerowe 13y ago

Visiting an NHS hospital is no different than sending your kids to a public (state) school - the NHS is used by almost everyone, it's not Medicaid. Food stamps are demeaning because they send the message that those receiving them cannot be trusted to choose how to spend that money wisely. They deny any flexibility to recipients, what if you need to buy new shoes for your kid one week?

jpadkins 13y ago
can't give cash because of drugs. Addicts will spend money on meth instead of their kids shoes. If you have a better solution, fire away.
- lmm 13y ago
  At the moment drug addicts buy groceries and then sell them for drug money. Experiment suggests that on average the poor do better when given cash than more complex/restricted handouts like food stamps.
pbhjpbhj 13y ago
>Food stamps are demeaning because they send the message that those receiving them cannot be trusted to choose how to spend that money wisely. // So your starving and need food, the community has a whip-round [an impromptu collection] someone takes you to the supermarket and buys your shopping. Your response is what, gratitude or "that's so demeaning". If one feels embarrassed that one is getting more out of society than they're providing in benefit - I assume that's the source of feeling demeaned by charity - then one can work to improve that position. I don't think I need to start listing things you can do for free that are public goods, do I.
- laurencerowe 13y ago
  No, benefits should be paid in cash as they are in other developed countries.
rdouble 13y ago
Food stamps were meant to be demeaning. Being poor is considered a moral failing in the USA.

dragonwriter 13y ago

> I don't see how food stamps are in any way demeaning Then you probably haven't seen the condescending manner in which people using them are treated by cashiers in many of the places that accept them. (Now, admittedly, the places where this is an issue tend to have generally crappy service for everyone, but the people using food stamps tend to have less choice of where to go.)

lmm 13y ago

There certainly is a stigma attached to living in council housing.