No, Poor People Don't Spend All Their SNAP on Sodas
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Speaking of fake news, most of what you read that shames poor people for the food they choose to buy with their benefits is as fake as a Russian political troll. For example, a piece in the National Review characterized SNAP recipients as people who spend all of their benefits of sugary soda and then turn around and sell the soda for guns and drugs.
This is outrageous, and if you don't believe me, will you believe the U.S. Department of Agriculture? Their study of one major retailer found no significant differences between patterns of expenses between SNAP and non-Snap recipients. Another study by the USDA found that people with SNAP were no more likely to buy sugary sodas than anybody else was. Actually, a newer USDA study even found that Snap recipients spent a greater percentage on milk than soda than the non-SNAP people.
Sources for these studies are at the end of the article.
Let's Keep Poor Shaming Out of School
Poor shaming is wrong in any context, but it's really wrong to do it to children. Some schools have actually been caught taking a young child's food away for a negative balance, and many will only offer a cold sandwich instead of the hot meal the other children get. These are not typically good or healthy sandwiches either - but cheap processed meat on white bread.
The schools ADMIT that they have this policy to embarrass the child to get them to go home and collect lunch money from their parents. A few states have made the "cheese sandwich shame" illegal, and the federal government has discussed it. In this current political climate, poor shaming kids isn't likely to vanish soon.
Why Poor Shaming Will Never Help End Poverty
Everybody has to know that poor shaming is wrong. People end up on the wrong sides of their budgets for a variety of reasons, including an unexpected job loss, physical and mental illnesses, or an underprivileged upbringing. Are poor people lazy? Many probably work harder than you do, but they don't make as much money as you or are responsible for other people.
Here are some interesting figures about SNAP recipients from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
- Almost 70 percent come from families that include children.
- Over 25 percent include disabled or seniors in the family.
- Illegal immigrants, people on strike, and the majority of college students don't qualify.
- The average recipient of SNAP got a little over $4.00 USD a day.
- The efficient SNAP program actually spends over 90 percent of the budget on food.
- The MAJORITY of SNAP families have a wage earner.
Poor People Aren't "Other" People; They are People
Actually, poor shaming makes the problem worse. Current talk about freeloaders who live it up on cheap sodas because of your tax money increases the chance these people will stay poor. Shame decreases self-esteem, so people who need help the most will be less likely to seek it out.
If you think shaming people out of poverty works, it doesn't. However, you can bet that poor people do feel the shame. Remember that a rising tide will lift all boats.
Sources and Further Reading
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/food-stamps-snap-soda-nyt/
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/u-s-schools-rethink-lunch-shaming-policies-humiliate-children-meal-debts
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/aug/24/research-poverty-shame-links
https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/10/29/proven-way-reduce-poverty/KSMVN9DUaOILiA2I7TTOXO/story.html
https://www.cbpp.org/research/policy-basics-introduction-to-the-supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap
Photos: Pixabay
Do You Know How to Reduce Poverty?
I'll do my share here in the next few days by voting upon and commenting on RELEVANT comments. You don't necessarily have to agree with me.
You know a good way to end poverty? It's by developing an economic system that works for everybody, and in some cases, that means that some people pay taxes to help other people eat.