Flame — HabitableZone

Flame » in reply to Juvenile cracks

You just described a decade of my life
McFly — (archived)

I would like to see them ... in the low-paying dead-end jobs ... buy their good clothes at K-Mart ... pay rent on a third-floor walk-up with no air conditioning, and take the bus everywhere.

That was me for a long time. I lived in Canada at the time and was thankful for a healthcare system that gave me better care than I could afford (a system that is sadly now in an advanced state of collapse), but never for one second would I have expected the state to find me a better place to live, or give me a car. I didn't feel that a crappy apartment and low-paying job was the result of an oppressive system, they were the result of my stage of life. I had every opportunity to change my life and that's what I did. It's just a natural growth process, and I'd suggest a very valuable learning experience.

If people want to get out of their dark little apartment or buy themselves a car or get a better job, they've got to work at it. I know that's a tired little cliche but it's also a great big truth. I agree that the government has a role in addressing racist and sexist inequalities, but the state doesn't owe anyone a car, or a house, or a better-paying job.

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