You see, I've heard of a man whose friend had been imprisoned and who slept on the floor of his room every night in order not to enjoy a comfort of which his friend had been deprived. Who, my friend, will sleep on the floor for us? Whether I am capable of it myself? Look, I'd like to be and I shall be. Yes, we shall all be capable of it one day, and that will be salvation.
"The Fall" - Albert Camus
Atrios highlights one of those doubly infuriating stories from the economic wreckage -- the first part being the fact that so many Americans, particularly children, find themselves in a position of needing food stamps to get by in the current environment. But the second aspect of this, and the one that makes me crazy, is the attitude embodied by one of the food stamp recipients in the article, whereby he basically declares himself worthy of receiving public assistance, while suggesting that others similarly situated are there due to their sloth. The recipient in question, Greg Dawson, is a 29-year old electrician who is married and has five children. Mr. Dawson implies that others are not deserving like he is -- a working, married, church going man -- and that unlike him, they "milk the system" and fill their grocery carts with steaks and other luxuries.
This is the economic equivalent of "it's okay if you're a Republican." It seems not to occur to Mr. Dawson that many people reading this story might wonder why he and his wife opted to have five children at such a young age and wonder why we should be responsible to feed them. No doubt the soulless fuck from the Heritage Foundation who denounces the food stamp program in the article would have such thoughts. Personally, I am not interested in casting aspersions on Mr. Dawson, merely noting that others of his ilk would be likely to do precisely what he is doing to his fellow food stamp recipients.
This is one of those phenomena that are cause for continual frustration for those of us on the left. We assume that this kind of experience with poverty and need will promote an attitude of solidarity towards our neighbors. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the case with all too many people -- the example of tea baggers on Medicare protesting universal health care leaps to mind.
It seems to me that if we are truly going to change politics in this country we have to get better at pushing a counter-narrative geared toward promoting the ethic of solidarity, of collective responsibility for one another, and the frank acknowledgment of our shared vulnerability. One of the first things I ever posted on the internet that drew any attention was a comment noting that in health care 80% of the money would likely be spent on 20% of the people and that those of us fortunate enough to be part of the 80% of the people with modest medical claims should be thankful every day for our fate. This is a sentiment I would like to see echoed over and over again. I am not sure how to overcome the "Galtian" nonsense at the heart of so much of the American political and economic culture, but I am convinced that it is the only way to create a truly progressive politics and an economy that serves the many rather than the few.