Have you ever been perusing Facebook or Twitter and run across a meme that maybe seemed a little funny at first, but when you thought about it, you just thought “hey, isn’t that just making fun of people for being poor?” Maybe the meme wasn’t funny at all…. maybe it was just a forward from your racist old aunt about how “those people” are gaming the system and we need to put an end to it because everyone knows that “those people” are just lazy drug addict welfare queens gaming the system. And you know you just want to block that person but then it would make Thanksgiving dinner even more awkward than it already is. Yeah… those memes. Why do people make those? Why do they like them? On this weeks show, Hannah, Wayne and Mav are joined by a returning Les Kay to talk about the cultural effects of poverty shaming. Why do we do it, and how does it work? Give it a listen and let us know what you think.
Citations and Links:
- This episode’s Call for Comments
- “Charming Whale Thought to be Russian Spy” by CNN
- Democracy and Other Neoliberal Fantasies by Jodi Dean
- Capital by Karl Marx
- The Uses of Literacy by Richard Hoggart
- The Making of the English Working Class by E. P. Thompson
- Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme
- Find Les’s website at: http://www.leskay.com
- Follow Hannah on Twitter: @hannahleerogers
- Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick
- Follow Mav’s Personal Blog: http://chrismaverick.com
- Follow Wayne’s Personal Blog: http://wayne-wise.com
- Follow us on Twitter: @voxpopcast
- Follow us on Instagram: @voxpopcast
- Follow us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/voxpopcast
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drug addict
Not attic
Thank you! We fixed it.
Thank you! We fixed it.
Loving this episode, and to add a little to Les’s comment about understanding why people in certain situations might use heroin, I’ve made similar comments regarding both drug testing Welfare recipients and the idea of giving money to the homeless guy that’s “just going to spend it on booze”. We all have vices, its basic human nature that we use vices as a coping mechanism for stress, some more socially acceptable than others, some less addictive than others, but all vices just the same. Some people shop, some gamble, some knit, some binge watch TV, some drink alcohol, some smoke. Whatever it is though we all have that “something” that we need in order to decompress and relax and deal with the stresses in our lives. And guess what, the poorer you are, the fewer options you have. That homeless guy isn’t going to be chilling on the couch watching reality TV. The single mom of four living in Section 8 and working three jobs isn’t going to turn to retail therapy. If substance use or even abuse is what gets you through those rough times then hey, more power to you honestly.
Also, yes, love the idea of a show on class conscious TV. I’ll add Roseanne and Married with Children to the ones mentioned.
Also I think this episode is finally worth me reviewing later 😉