FB crazy!

[deanlicker78]

A former neighbor of mine posted today about how she was at the eye doctor and met a teenage boy in the waiting room. He was hanging out waiting for his sister and apparently launched into quite a conversation. He was telling her that they are on Medicaid and he gets a new pair of glasses every year whether he needs them or not so he treats his glasses very badly because he just doesn't care. He throws them against walls when he gets mad. He doesn't care because Medicaid will buy him new ones!

Former neighbor gave him an ear blistering on how it's her tax dollars that are paying for his glasses so he should have more respect for the things that other people are buying him. She said the staff at the clinic started glaring at her and whispering. But she didn't care! Someone needed to teach that boy a lesson!  Then followed several people applauding her for standing up to those that abuse the welfare system. Cue responses about no nice things for poor people! Someone thanked her for saying out loud what all people were really thinking. So I stepped in to say that I felt that boy sounded a little off. Perhaps he had some type of behavioral/mental health issues? Maybe he was just a crappy teenager. Either way getting a public shaming about being poor and on welfare and needing to be grateful for this stranger's tax dollars was not the appropriate way to handle it. The OP's cousin also stepped in and had some great responses.

I just got an extremely long private message from former neighbor. She asked me not to make her out to be the villain. She listed aaaaaaalll of her charitable work and all the stuff she gives to the less fortunate. She then said her issue was not that he was on welfare but that he was so disrespectful of his property and she felt she had to say something because he was such an entitled teenager. I then asked her why she felt she needed to even mention what his insurance status was if the issue was really his attitude. His attitude and insurance status have nothing to do with each other. I also asked why it was this particular boy she felt she needed to lecture since there are entitled teenagers everywhere in this world? (Her own daughter is one, she's Vivian's friend and kind of a brat.) She had no response other than to say she deleted the post and we all have things we feel strongly about. LOL 

[elleblue]

Aug 21, 2013 12:40:36 GMT -5 sequins said:

Its a new thing - feeling entitled about how much you do for charity. Blech.

This feels like the hating on poor people equivalent of "I can't be racist, I've got black friends" line of thinking.

[deanlicker78]

Aug 21, 2013 12:43:09 GMT -5 elleblue said:

Aug 21, 2013 12:40:36 GMT -5 sequins said:

Its a new thing - feeling entitled about how much you do for charity. Blech.

This feels like the hating on poor people equivalent of "I can't be racist, I've got black friends" line of thinking.

This was very much the feeling I got from her.

[tulip]

She sounds special.

[pixelpassion]

I HATE this bullshit. I think she makes herself look like a jackass for shaming a kid in public.

[sergey]

The story sounds like bullshit anyway. God I hate these stupid welfare queen stories.

[Stingyshark]

Similarly related, this was posted on my FB yesterday

"While at Walmart I got behind this couple. They had 3 (YES 3) carts FULL of groceries. Since I always talk to strangers we got into a conversation and she mentioned they have 4 children and she doesn't work. Because of the nature of my business I offered my services pro bono to see about educating them and getting them in a better financial track. Their response... "No we don't need help, the government pays for everything"

accompanied by this pic


sorry the pic is huge.


I'm sure you can imagine the comments that followed this post.

[elleblue]

This also begs the question - would she have felt it was her place if the teen was bragging that his parents buy him new glasses each year and would easily replace them if they got damaged? I'm guessing not.

Because here's the thing: teens often act like entitled assholes. Hopefully they grow up and stop that attitude, but it's not like it's new or surprising for teens to act/feel that way, kwim?

[deanlicker78]

Aug 21, 2013 12:48:33 GMT -5 Stingyshark said:

Similarly related, this was posted on my FB yesterday

"While at Walmart I got behind this couple. They had 3 (YES 3) carts FULL of groceries. Since I always talk to strangers we got into a conversation and she mentioned they have 4 children and she doesn't work. Because of the nature of my business I offered my services pro bono to see about educating them and getting them in a better financial track. Their response... "No we don't need help, the government pays for everything"



I'm sure you can imagine the comments that followed this post.

Poor people don't need Fudge Rounds!!!

[Deleted]

God I used to love a good fudge round.

[UMaineTeach]

Aug 21, 2013 13:17:19 GMT -5 deanlicker78 said:

Aug 21, 2013 12:48:33 GMT -5 Stingyshark said:

Similarly related, this was posted on my FB yesterday

"While at Walmart I got behind this couple. They had 3 (YES 3) carts FULL of groceries. Since I always talk to strangers we got into a conversation and she mentioned they have 4 children and she doesn't work. Because of the nature of my business I offered my services pro bono to see about educating them and getting them in a better financial track. Their response... "No we don't need help, the government pays for everything"



I'm sure you can imagine the comments that followed this post.

Poor people don't need Fudge Rounds!!!

I can't imagine these people didn't snap up a chance to get help installing their bootstraps from a random woman at wal-mart.

[UMaineTeach]

Aug 21, 2013 13:21:08 GMT -5 hungrycaterpillar said:

God I used to love a good fudge round.

I haven't bought any LD stuff for years. I buy so much other crap, but I have been telling myself  'at least I don't buy those' It was so hard to walk past the $1 a box special my grocery store was running last week. But I know if I start in buying them again, it won't stop and I won't cut back on other snacks.

[UMaineTeach]

Aug 21, 2013 12:38:26 GMT -5 deanlicker78 said:

Former neighbor gave him an ear blistering on how it's her tax dollars that are paying for his glasses so he should have more respect for the things that other people are buying him. She said the staff at the clinic started glaring at her and whispering. But she didn't care! Someone needed to teach that boy a lesson!  Then followed several people applauding her for standing up to those that abuse the welfare system. Cue responses about no nice things for poor people! Someone thanked her for saying out loud what all people were really thinking. So I stepped in to say that I felt that boy sounded a little off. Perhaps he had some type of behavioral/mental health issues? Maybe he was just a crappy teenager. Either way getting a public shaming about being poor and on welfare and needing to be grateful for this stranger's tax dollars was not the appropriate way to handle it. The OP's cousin also stepped in and had some great responses.

Her tax dollars, and likely the tax dollars of his mom and dad, and maybe his own.

[bcv513]

Wait, you mean poor teenagers act like regular teenagers and don't take care of their stuff?? Shocking

[deanlicker78]

Aug 21, 2013 13:34:53 GMT -5 @scottydeux said:

I get where she's coming from, because he's totally thankless, but she handled it wrong. She could have said, 'You should take care of them, they make you look so handsome.' Or something.

I really don't think there is anything she could have said as a random stranger that would make a teenage boy stop and really evaluate his attitude and choices in life.

[kirra]

Aug 21, 2013 12:46:27 GMT -5 sergey said:

The story sounds like bullshit anyway. God I hate these stupid welfare queen stories.

The only reason I believe it is because I knew several teens who did the same thing with their glasses because their parents would just buy them new ones. Some would destroy them on purpose because they wanted a different pair. 

So I think it's asshole teen behavior, and has absolutely nothing to do with welfare. 

I think that the lady who lectured him was also an asshole. She not only stepped in when she had no reason to, she posted it online and had the audacity to blame his behavior on being a welfare recipient instead of being a stupid teenager. 

[Wrath0fKuus]

I'll bet some of her best friends are on Medicaid.

[sergey]

Aug 21, 2013 15:59:34 GMT -5 kirra said:

Aug 21, 2013 12:46:27 GMT -5 sergey said:

The story sounds like bullshit anyway. God I hate these stupid welfare queen stories.

The only reason I believe it is because I knew several teens who did the same thing with their glasses because their parents would just buy them new ones. Some would destroy them on purpose because they wanted a different pair. 

So I think it's asshole teen behavior, and has absolutely nothing to do with welfare. 

I think that the lady who lectured him was also an asshole. She not only stepped in when she had no reason to, she posted it online and had the audacity to blame his behavior on being a welfare recipient instead of being a stupid teenager. 

Yeah, I don't doubt that some teenagers do that because new glasses keep on coming but I doubt he went off about how it's because they're free via the tax payers and that's really the crux of this stupid story.

[kirra]

Aug 21, 2013 16:30:36 GMT -5 sergey said:

Eh. I dunno. It's like me saying that my insurance will pay for a new pair of braces once a year. If he said his insurance paid for a new pair every year, and she was visibly angry and he was bored, I can see a teenager pushing her buttons on purpose. 

I get your point, though. It very well may be fabricated. Maybe I know too many teenagers and college students who get a rise out of making people angry. I'm in the Bible Belt, and odds are decent the person you're talking to is conservative, so it's easy to push their buttons. Although it happens more often with gay rights and tattoos and putting down the church than welfare.