
Why are the poor blamed and shamed for their deaths? - mathgenius
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/mar/31/why-poor-blamed-shamed-their-deaths-barbara-ehrenreich?CMP=share_btn_fb
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ggm
I think the (Ayn)Randian world view which is being very solidly espoused these
days may have something to do with this. I find a lot of my US resident
friends, working in the ICT sector are very self-actualized and their
resentment against poverty interventions, health or otherwise vocalize as
'they made bad decisions, they have to learn from them' which of course, in
the case of dying, is a lesson hard (to) learn.

I don't think quite so many people in the northern european high tax welfare
state economies do this but I certainly have heard it there too. I think
grumbles about 'why them: why do they deserve more compassion (than me)' are
timeless

There is a _lot_ of this vibe in Australia. It's been bred into us by
successive rounds of government, handing back tax which re-inforces a believe
needing tax spend to equalize society is inherently bad.

A friend says to me quite often that the generation which invented the
functional welfare state, the one which fought in the WWII is dying out, and
with it, the compassion which arose from that fight. Maybe he's right? Maybe
it took a giant war about rights and responsibilities, to drive people into
cohesive, socially just models, which are now on the long tail.

'we can't afford it' feels like the background story to this. resentment about
'my tax dollars' being spent to prop up somebody else's bad lifestyle.

I think. Anyway.

