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I have a friend who is wealthy, well off, and a retired school teacher ..... who still argues that we shouldn't subsidize free food in schools for children.
She argues that it's the parents responsibility to feed their children.
I asked her as a teacher what she would rather prefer .. a classroom where you know every child is not thinking about their hunger ... or a class where you know several kids don't want to be there because they're hungry
She still insisted it's the parents responsibility
Fuck I hate conservatives
Conservitism is the mindset of the selfish
Worse than that, it's the mindset of the short-sighted. These fucking morons wouldn't acknowledge the concept of government spending with a positive ROI even if you waterboarded them with Tang.
They'd rather create a shithole country where they have to cower inside gated communities to protect themselves from the impoverished masses instead of one where everybody is educated and prosperous, even though they themselves would be wealthier in the second case, just because they think everything is a zero-sum game and they can't win unless everybody else loses.
The worst part of their mentality is that their wealth is based on taking advantage of others around them. They and their wealth wouldn't exist if not for the work and effort or coercion or abuse of others around them. They believe that they deserve their wealth because it came to them through their own personal effort alone. It's bad enough that they took advantage of others .... it's far worse to never acknowledge your role in having taken advantage of others.
It's just myopic emotions. "Does this feel good for me right now?" If it's actually good, if it's good long term, if it contradicts a past stance - none of that matters.
It’s the failure of ‘me vs us’
And what was their genius solution to if the child's parents are shit? Remove even more of their support systems and leave them to die?
Sure love when innocent children are forced to pay the consequences of their parent's choices. Very ethical
In my experience, these personal responsibility types just don't care. The children die, the parents go to jail, and this is justice because the slothful get their just desserts or something.
I just don't get how someone can reconcile the belief that "children should suffer"
Oh, that's easy. They think those children deserve it, because they'll be like their parents.
She still insisted it’s the parents responsibility
Ok... and when the parents fail in that responsibility, we punish the children?
They fail understand the importance. It is sad. And you're spot on. We shouldn't punish children for their parents shortcomings.
I know I don't have to tell you this. But for those that haven't experienced it from childhood.
I'm from a country with free school lunch. And I can assure anyone that it's so much more, than just the food. In the lunch room, everyone is an equal. Our teacher also ate with us. Same place. Same food. Same tables.
Everyone is an equal. It matters. That way you don't get people who grow up thinking they're above the rest.
It transcends into adulthood and your work life. Bosses, CEOs, managers, employees, engineers, sales, janitors, IT, etc. It's not uncommon at all that they all share a table at lunch. As equals.
Your teacher, your boss, they're not Mr. Andersson, Professor Lundqvist, Doctor Hansen. They're just Robin, Emma, Karl, Billy. And I sincerely believe, that all starts in school.
They fail at empathy as well
That's a great image and example
It all goes back to our ancient prehistoric ancestral roots .... if we all share the same food together around the same fire, the stronger our bonds become to one another. The more we share with each other the more connected we become to everyone in our community.
That is a great lesson for any child to learn and understand.
Next time just tell her nope actually Jesus said it’s YOUR responsibility.
It's cause she doesn't have the slightest notion of what it's actually like being poor.
That is the strange part .... she grew up in the 50/60s in northern Ontario from an immigrant Italian family. They had enough to get by in their childhood but they were on edge of being poor ... like everyone else in northern mining/forestry towns back then.
They were part of the post war boom years where everyone had a chance and the rich were held down with enough taxes to fund everything the government did to build a more equitable country.
They got theirs because they thought that it was all done just through their effort and goodness alone and never acknowledging that it was more social government that made it all possible. Now that all those government supports and checks and balances on the rich are removed, no one has a chance and these old boomers still believe that it's all up to individual effort to get by in life.
They had enough to get by in their childhood but they were on edge of being poor
Honestly, sometimes people in that situation can come out of it with the most infuriating "well, we made it, other people must just be lazy" understanding.
Frightening to think of a teacher with such a callus attitude towards children
My mom married a rich guy when I was 11. That got us kicked off the free lunch programs, and the clothing closet.
So I didn’t eat breakfast or lunch from about 7th grade on. I’d get dizzy by the end of the day. It was the worst on days where I already felt a little sick.
I still have severely disordered eating.
Like, it is the parents responsibility. It's something that must happen and it's their job.
If they're not fulfilling their responsibilities you don't just let it not happen though, that's not how a functional society works. You make sure what needs to get done gets done, and then you act like a member of a society and figure out why they're having trouble and what you can do to help.
You might, if you're feeling extra civic minded, offer food to any kid who wants it and leave the concern and extra assistance to people having trouble with home nutrition.
Exactly ... you can judge a little but not to the point of punishing everyone including the children who have no choice in the matter.
And in the long run of civilization, if you help this generation from the failings of the previous generation, then you will have a better chance for a healthier future generation ... who will go on to make a more healthier generation after them.
As an Indigenous Canadian this is what my Elders taught me a long time ago ... we don't just live for the benefit of our current life but for the lives of those who are to come.
We either help the people alive today take a step forward or make them to take steps back and make life worse for those who aren't born yet.