I Raise Your Meme

This morning I scrolled past a Monopoly meme on Facebook making sport about those who take hand-outs. Posted by a person I’ve known for eons. I’m not going to lie, when I see memes that shame the poor, it kinda gets my goat. So on their feed, I respectfully posted about growing up on welfare, due to my mother being handicapped and in a wheelchair, unable to work. I pointed out that I’ve grown into a successful human being, who in the last two years paid the tax equivalent of the ten years my mother and myself were on the dole. Then a few hours later I read this…

“I GOT SCOLDED - because I re-posted the Monopoly gag. Please read this about the college professor who wound up failing his entire class after he conducted the following experiment.

After a major test, he took all of the test scores and averaged them out. The students that received As and A+s now received Ds but… the students who failed, received Ds as well. After doing this several times, the former A students quit trying because they knew that their efforts were just being divided among the entire classroom. So, "why bother”, is how they felt. The students who were failing from the start had really slacked off now because they were receiving points from the “smart ones”. Needless to say, their studying ceased entirely. This is what happens when you attack the people who work hard to achieve goals in their lives. Why bother!“

So here goes…The controlled atmosphere of an experiment on grades in a college classroom, has nothing to do with real families who are at wit’s end after tragedy strikes, both physically and financially. Should we just put those families outside during a blizzard and hope they quietly die off?

I also don’t understand their above analogy when talking about being “scolded” over the meme, because I had the nerve to raise my hand and politely explain my experience of being poor, and how welfare and specifically the CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act), gave me a hand up, which has been paid back in spades - is now considered attacking others who see themselves as smarter and or working harder.

Here’s the truth - I didn’t mean to scold this person. I really like this person. I merely wanted to point out that as a society, it’s important to lift each other up. As a child I was called names by both children and adults, who seemed to think that those who are society’s cast-offs, and or physically unable to take care of themselves, have no one to back them up. The truth is I’m completely thankful that the government had our back. This is why when I pay my taxes I try not to bitch about it, or cheat the system.

Btw - just the other day I was talking to a friend who also grew up in difficult circumstances. The conversation we had was how fortunate and blessed we feel about growing up that way, as it makes us look at every side of a story, conversation and meme - that is meant to shame those who have less than. We also commiserated over how it makes us feel when we share our story with people who haven’t had to truly struggle, who tend to say the same thing, “Wow, you’re so smart, polite and articulate. How did that happen?” Being poor doesn’t make one an ignorant mess. That can happen even if you are a candidate running for President, with money burning a hole in your pocket.

So to this specific person on Facebook this morning, I respectfully call out your meme, but am choosing to raise it with another meme.

Artwork by Terry Mosher