Reply #47: You sound as though you've been there, Two Americas.

[Raksha]

Re When you slip, or much more often when you are shoved, you become poor. When you are poor everything is harder, you become exhausted, confused, and in general less able to fend for yourself. You slip farther, and are shoved again and again, and a cycle starts. Yet those around you insist that you take on the additional burden of shame, guilt and blame, that you see yourself and submit to being seen as sub-human. They have more, therefore they count for more. They have "more to lose" so their well being, their happiness, their feelings and thoughts are more important. You do not count, may as well not exist. You are presumed to be lazy, irresponsible, mentally defective, stupid. The ones shoving you are not to be questioned, only those who are being shoved are to be questioned, and not only questioned but undermined, opposed, dismissed, and abused.

I've been there too, and in many ways I'm still there. I've often wanted to write about it, and yet something blocks me...I don't know if it's the shame, the anger or a combination of things. It's hard even to post on a thread like this, beyond superficial and inadequate expressions of empathy and solidarity. Yet I could (and should) say so much more.

I guess even saying that much means I'm getting a little closer to actually doing it.