Is there a morality specific to accepting public assistance?

[Harlem resident]

Originally Posted by bg7

Giving up coffee is crazy. Scientific fact.

I can only say that giving up sugar is crazy, because I did this.
One would never have thought.

I will not give up coffee.

[humboldt]

Originally Posted by humboldt
Wow. Stories from the trenches...

It goes to show that human nature is ingenious at figuring ways to survive & prosper on the least possible amount of work. But this kind of mischief ultimately saps the whole system, because anyone exposed to it loses faith in the integrity of the government and its citizens.

I know that sounds corny and naive, but I believe it. This cynical behavior indicates a society in decline.
The culture of Goldman Sachs does as well, but at least people take discussions of reform seriously no matter how much they get watered down in legislation.

By not cracking down on people who abuse the system, we infantilize them and encourage dependency and failure of morals.

Originally Posted by SeventhFloor

Fixed.

I don't think so, 7F. Failure of morals, yes. But infantilizing and encouraging dependency is relevant to the long-term poor on public assistance, not the white collar educated criminals who will always find creative paths to mischief, but could usually do fine in a legal occupation as well.

When you have people, black or white, who are uneducated, who don't feel they have any personal stake in the system, in fact, who regard the societal order as the "man" to be feared and distrusted, this results in confusion, lassitude and helplessness.
If the incentive to find a contributing place in society is removed then generational poverty becomes self-fulfilling, and the group has become ward to the state's 'parent'.

[humboldt]

There's a hilarious video on youtube about a toddler's relationship to the world that every parent can identify with:


toddler throwing a funny tantrum - YouTube

The above, I think, is a pretty accurate description of human nature generally. How we act is incredibly dependent on context, much more than we're usually conscious of.

If someone is encouraged to feel victimized - guess what? - he will. And he will feel justified in taking any compensation offered. Indeed, he will quickly become indignant when said compensation is lessened or withdrawn.

But if someone says, Hey, no more money! Get a frickin' job, already,
then he will probably prove to be much more resilient than the society ever gave him credit for.