I've been thinking about this a lot. We spend an obscene amount of money on food, and throw a lot of stuff away. Of course, I feel that liberal guilt. So I want to try to live on the SNAP amount for a week to see how I can better meal plan, and try to have a better appreciation for all I have.
Well, if you read the first post it's not about seeing how people under the poverty line live. It's about, you know, what cosmos said.
Others may have their rationale for doing it, but if it brings awareness to the problem, what difference does it make?
So what if doing a little challenge with some people on the internet isn't the most meaningful thing ever? I think people can evaluate for themselves if they have it easier than a hypothetical poor person by having better access to grocery stores, buying in bulk or other things like that. I doubt that someone is going to eat out of their pantry all week and go, "wow that was SO easy, I guess poor people need to STFU."
Seriously. I mean, if it isn't going to give us a 100% perfect representation of the plight of the poor, then it's not worth bothering with?
Reminds me of the whole not bothering to vote because 'one vote doesn't make a difference anyway' attitude.
I think some level of increased awareness around these issues counts for something...even when it's not total immersion-level awareness.
It's a one week challenge on an internet forum. Let's not let the perfect be the enemy of the good here.