The Stinking Lousewife’s Leg Humpers Can’t Even Volunteer...

[GolightlyGrrl]

...Without being Judgy McJudgerson’s

http://www.thinkinghousewife.com/wp/201 ... s-shelter/

[theologygeek]

I volunteer at a homeless shelter and all I have to say is...Can I bitch slap whomever wrote that?

[Doomed Harlottt]

I am SO glad you posted this. My main reaction was: THIS is Exhibit A as to why we need a government-sponsored safety net.

If we as a society rely solely or primarily on private groups to provide charity, we open the poor up to all sorts of abuses. There will be some individuals and churches that will expect, as the price of their charity, the right to lord it over the poor whom they are ostensibly helping.

I know it sounds a little melodramatic but I mean this: I would sooner prostitute myself in the streets to survive than to live on the charity of those who would attempt to monitor and control my eating and television watching habits as if I were a child. Can you imagine having to answer to Laura Wood or her fans as to your television watching choices?

Man, these people just absolutely suck. Grrrrrr.

[Defrauding Errday]

What a horrible person to look down on those who are in a less than ideal position in life. And to impose your standards on them because of the position is very patronizing.

[Rosa]

if a Hispanic family showed up, don't you supposed Stinky would be asking to see their papers?

(Also, I rarely go over there but JESUS is her page Big Brother scary in design. ALL SEEING EYE SEES YOU SINNER)

[theologygeek]

I am SO glad you posted this. My main reaction was: THIS is Exhibit A as to why we need a government-sponsored safety net.

If we as a society rely solely or primarily on private groups to provide charity, we open the poor up to all sorts of abuses. There will be some individuals and churches that will expect, as the price of their charity, the right to lord it over the poor whom they are ostensibly helping.

I know it sounds a little melodramatic but I mean this: I would sooner prostitute myself in the streets to survive than to live on the charity of those who would attempt to monitor and control my eating and television watching habits as if I were a child. Can you imagine having to answer to Laura Wood or her fans as to your television watching choices?

Man, these people just absolutely suck. Grrrrrr.

Sadly, this is also the attitude with some people who work in government run programs too. The stories I could tell you. I could write a book. Just last week, a woman went to the food bank and the door was locked. She was there five minutes after it closed. Where was the woman who locked up? In her car. Eating a sandwich. She refused to open the door. People suck. It's not limited to fundies.

[SpeakNow]

Some of them have an inkling of goodness, truth, and beauty

Judgmental much?

[Doomed Harlottt]

Theology Geek,

You're absolutely right! My thought is that at least government sponsored programs are, at least in theory, administered in an even-handed manner. Recipients aren't pressured to convert to a religion, for example. And, again at least in theory, recipients can organize and push back when they are treated badly because government programs are entitlements and they are voters. Recipients aren't entirely at the mercy of private good will.

That said, yeah, people suck all around and government administration can be sucky too.

[Austin]

I think most of what she wrote is a huge lie.

And so what if they projected some Apprentice or whatever onto the wall. What's so terrible about these homeless women having a diversion for an hour or two? And they sat around discussing their favorite iPad apps? I'm sure just by posting this, someone who believes that anecdata = evidence will respond to correct me and tell me that homeless people typically have iPads, but I don't believe it.

[GolightlyGrrl]

Theology Geek,

You're absolutely right! My thought is that at least government sponsored programs are, at least in theory, administered in an even-handed manner. Recipients aren't pressured to convert to a religion, for example. And, again at least in theory, recipients can organize and push back when they are treated badly because government programs are entitlements and they are voters. Recipients aren't entirely at the mercy of private good will.

That said, yeah, people suck all around and government administration can be sucky too.

This!

What scares me about private only hand-outs is that they become a popularity contest and a measure of one's worth, not need. I'm afraid if our country completely dismantled a public safety net, only white, Christian, conservative families (i.e. Kelly Crawford and family) would get help, and if you're a minority, gay, a non-Christian, more liberal, or childless you would end up dying in the streets.

[2xx1xy1JD]

OMG! What a bitch!

Seriously, you volunteer for a Feed the Hungry program...and then get upset that homeless women are actually hungry? Again, WTF?

As for obesity - is there a functioning brain cell in her head that could possibly understand that people living in poverty tend to eat cheap carbs because they are, well, cheap? That most people living in that sort of poverty don't have the luxury of knowing that they will have a consistent source of fresh fruits and veggies and lean protein and some whole grains? It's not gluttony - it's an attempt at survival.

Another WTF to the suggestion of replacing the TV playing American Idol with picture of the Last Supper. Is she watching the same American Idol that I do? Because I dont' recall anything remotely violent or offensive - it's a show where people sing. Period. It's possibly the least offensive show out there. If someone is struggling and a bit of TV helps to distract them and maybe keep the shelter a bit more calm, great.

I was also wondering what is wrong with the entire social structure in the affluent suburb that some women could be working hard and still require a shelter in order to house themselves. Apparently, that's not what bothers this reader.

[Doomed Harlottt]

There are some real gems in this post:

Two of the shows were American Idol and The Apprentice, in which all of the people looked artificial, even inhuman, and spoke to one another in impolite tones. Surely, viewing such sewage hurts the women who watch it; they come for shelter, yet, they cannot get away from hearing and seeing bad and ugly characters moving jarringly on the wall.

Her examples of "sewage" are American Idol and The Apprentice?!? I am not terribly familiar with either, but they seem like fairly clean shows even if Simon Cowell and Donald Trump are kind of assholish. I guess all TV is either EWTN or the gutter.

Could we persuade those who run the shelter to turn off the TV (perhaps replacing it with a large poster of Da Vinci’s Last Supper) and give but one serving of food to each woman (perhaps praying before and after the meal and reading a worthy text aloud during the meal, or having a roving violinist play music during the meal), then such service would fit the Biblical exhortation to “Love thy neighbor.â€

Ha ha ha! This makes me think "A Grateful Reader" is yanking Laura Wood's chain. I mean, come on, this can't be serious.

Maybe we can have some fun with the idea that those who give charity should ensure the moral edification of the recipients of their good will. In the Free Jinger homeless shelter, we should force everyone to listen to readings of Mary Wollstonecraft, Simone deBeauvoir, Mary Daly, Andrea Dworkin and other well-known feminist writers. I happen to like '80s new wave, so we will play Depeche Mode and New Wave at all hours, regardless of the kind of music the residents actually like. Hey, if I am the one with the resources and money, it's my taste and philosophy that should prevail, right?

[Jezebel]

What a horrible person to look down on those who are in a less than ideal position in life. And to impose your standards on them because of the position is very patronizing.

She may be too privileged and sheltered to understand how these women ended up in a homeless shelter, or why they do the things they do. A lot of well-intentioned n00bs to volunteering are. But the horrible thing is that she's not really interested in their experiences. She's looked at them, found them wanting, and knows exactly what ought to be done in order to save them. That cheesy, stupid entertainment such as American Idol may come as a welcome relief in itself has never crossed her mind. That some of these women may have been so badly hurt by attempts to make "good Christians" of them that they ended up on the street hasn't, either. Nor has the idea that some of them may indeed be devout Christians, but would still resist her attempts to "reform" them.

"Charity" dished up with a lot of rules and heavy-handed attempts at converting and reforming the unfortunate (who were unfortunate because they were rotten sinners, and needed to be set straight) is nothing new. There have always been "Gospel Mission" soup kitchens that followed the ideals expressed in that post. And among the people I've known over the years who relied on charity to simply get fed, they were a last resort, places they turned to only when there was no other option that day. And their heavy-handed approach tended to foster far more cynicism and distrust of "Bible beaters" than conversions.

[Doomed Harlottt]

Er, we will play Depeche Mode and New Order at all hours!

[starfish]

Ha ha ha! This makes me think "A Grateful Reader" is yanking Laura Wood's chain. I mean, come on, this can't be serious.

It's like those Yale students who used to try to trick "Dear Abby" by writing in fake letters....back in the day.

[valsa]

Fuck that lady.

She says the women who are homeless at her shelter are fat, eat too much, and watch trash on T.V. So what?

I've been lucky enough in my life that I've never been homeless and I'm still overweight and watch garbage on T.V. sometimes. I can't imagine how stressful being homeless and having little-to-no security is, so I'm certainly not going to begrudge people living through it second helpings and crappy television.

[2xx1xy1JD]

I know grateful reader doesn't watch TV, but wonder if she read any Dickens?

[Jezebel]

And they sat around discussing their favorite iPad apps? I'm sure just by posting this, someone who believes that anecdata = evidence will respond to correct me and tell me that homeless people typically have iPads, but I don't believe it.

Given how fast people's fortunes can go to shit these days, I'm never surprised to see homeless people or folks in line at the food bank in my neighborhood with things like iPads, or who drive expensive cars. These are, very often, things they bought before everything went pear-shaped. Or maybe they were gifts. Or maybe they bought them used and saved the difference.

Or maybe the person who is homeless or close to it went ahead and bought an iPad because it's about the same price as a laptop, lighter, more durable, and easier to use on the fly. Having reliable Internet access is an incredibly valuable survival tool--it can be used to seek out shelters and other services, keep in touch with friends and family, and receive money (via PayPal). Plus, it's a necessity when applying for jobs, anymore. So if you're going to be homeless, and can get your hands on one, why not have an iPad? Being homeless is incredibly hard; why not have a tool that will make it just a little bit easier?

I don't have an iPad, but I do have an iPhone, and let me tell you--I love that thing, and if I ended up on the streets I'd hang onto it for dear life and do whatever it took to keep the bill (~$100/month) paid.

So I don't even blink when I see a homeless person with an iPhone or an iPad (which isn't often, but it happens). I don't question their poor cred. If I don't know their story, and I don't presume to.

[2xx1xy1JD]

I can't imagine anyone spending the night in a shelter if they had another choice. So, iPad or no iPad, I assume that their poverty is legit.

Unlike iPhones, there is no monthly bill, so it's not a bad thing to have. Go into a free Wifi area, and you have access to communication.

[Kelya]

Given how fast people's fortunes can go to shit these days, I'm never surprised to see homeless people or folks in line at the food bank in my neighborhood with things like iPads, or who drive expensive cars. These are, very often, things they bought before everything went pear-shaped. Or maybe they were gifts. Or maybe they bought them used and saved the difference.

Or maybe the person who is homeless or close to it went ahead and bought an iPad because it's about the same price as a laptop, lighter, more durable, and easier to use on the fly. Having reliable Internet access is an incredibly valuable survival tool--it can be used to seek out shelters and other services, keep in touch with friends and family, and receive money (via PayPal). Plus, it's a necessity when applying for jobs, anymore. So if you're going to be homeless, and can get your hands on one, why not have an iPad? Being homeless is incredibly hard; why not have a tool that will make it just a little bit easier?

I don't have an iPad, but I do have an iPhone, and let me tell you--I love that thing, and if I ended up on the streets I'd hang onto it for dear life and do whatever it took to keep the bill (~$100/month) paid.

So I don't even blink when I see a homeless person with an iPhone or an iPad (which isn't often, but it happens). I don't question their poor cred. If I don't know their story, and I don't presume to.

A lot of people who are against homeless people having technology seem to think that computers and phones still cost millions of dollars. I can go get a netbook now for 200 bucks, and it will pay for itself by how helpful it will be as I try to navigate and better my situation. I've seriously devised an emergency packing list in case I have to move out of where I am now quickly, and my laptop is TOP of the list- I've done so many skype interviews and applied to every position online!

[Defrauding Errday]

As for obesity - is there a functioning brain cell in her head that could possibly understand that people living in poverty tend to eat cheap carbs because they are, well, cheap? That most people living in that sort of poverty don't have the luxury of knowing that they will have a consistent source of fresh fruits and veggies and lean protein and some whole grains? It's not gluttony - it's an attempt at survival.

The obesity could stem from the possible lack of food security. You're less likely to have healthy eating habits if you don't know where your next meal is coming from or are dependent on others for your food.

[uncreative]

I had never read The Thinking Housewife until now. Zoikes!! She's insane, isn't she?!?

[ilovetchotchkes]

Oh WOW.

Maybe they you know ate a lot of food not because they were gluttons but because they didn't know where their next meal was coming from?

I volunteered to serve dinner for a PADS (rotating homeless shelter) dinner here in my state and the people who ate there? were HUNGRY. You could TELL. They'd ask for 2nds before their first plate was cleared. And the guy who routinely made the meals (awesome dude whose wife I'm friends with), said that if you don't have meat the patrons would get upset- probably because they'd feel hungry faster so he always did his hardest to get meat and as much protein otherwise into the food so they felt and stayed fuller longer.

A lot of them had cell phones but I know that in order to get a job, you need a freaking phone, most of them were the pay as you go cheap kind and I know in my area the agencies give them the phones/phone cards to put minutes on them so they can find a job. Like someone else said, in this economy, if you were all of a sudden kicked out on the street, hells yes I would keep my ipad/iphone! These idiots seem to think that maybe if the homeless person hadn't bought one, or pawned the one they have, they'd be living it up in Trump Tower. Moreover, i have a friend who basically sold everything she had and is for all intents and purposes "homeless" by choice right now. She's basically backpacking the globe, she didn't get an ipad but she got one of those tiny netbooks to keep in touch with everyone back home. Had she been able to afford one, she probably would have gotten an Ipad. Space in her backpack was tatamount. I actually watched her agonize in my living room over whether she needed one washcloth or two. So an ipad/iphone in comparison to a bigger laptop? leaves more space for other possessions!

What gets me is these people don't realize how close a lot of americans live on the edge. A lot of us are one paycheck, one major financial disaster away from homelessness (i'm not now,OMG thank G-d, but about 6 years ago, that was our financial situation!). It could happen to anyone so getting smug and evil about it is just ... beyond disgusting.

And it just occurred to my 3rd paragraph is Taryn like in stream of consciousness.... blame the cold meds. I'm going back to bed. <----- full of snot ugh.

[jenny_islander]

It reminds me of the old custom of charity to the deserving poor. The deserving poor already had access to hot water and soap and their clothes were clean and neat. They knew how to truckle--had been Americans long enough to know the correct social cues--and they had the right look, i.e., white or mostly white. Also the dad had a job and nobody was an alcoholic or in prison. Oh, and IIRC they were also from your denomination.

If you were the deserving poor, you got pots of jam, old clothes, and Christmas baskets. If you couldn't look deserving enough . . . :naughty:

[theologygeek]

Given how fast people's fortunes can go to shit these days, I'm never surprised to see homeless people or folks in line at the food bank in my neighborhood with things like iPads, or who drive expensive cars. These are, very often, things they bought before everything went pear-shaped. Or maybe they were gifts. Or maybe they bought them used and saved the difference.

Or maybe the person who is homeless or close to it went ahead and bought an iPad because it's about the same price as a laptop, lighter, more durable, and easier to use on the fly. Having reliable Internet access is an incredibly valuable survival tool--it can be used to seek out shelters and other services, keep in touch with friends and family, and receive money (via PayPal). Plus, it's a necessity when applying for jobs, anymore. So if you're going to be homeless, and can get your hands on one, why not have an iPad? Being homeless is incredibly hard; why not have a tool that will make it just a little bit easier?

I don't have an iPad, but I do have an iPhone, and let me tell you--I love that thing, and if I ended up on the streets I'd hang onto it for dear life and do whatever it took to keep the bill (~$100/month) paid.

So I don't even blink when I see a homeless person with an iPhone or an iPad (which isn't often, but it happens). I don't question their poor cred. If I don't know their story, and I don't presume to.

I agree with everything you said. Some have laptops too. It could have been obtained before the person became homeless and they chose to keep it because it's their only link to the outside world. Some have expensive cars that were bought on loans but are harder to repo because the cars are no longer parked at the addresses on file. Homelessness doesn't discriminate. It can happen to anyone.