Hipsters on food stamps

[RightinNYC]

http://www.salon.com/life/pinched/2010/03/15/hipsters_food_stamps_pinched/index.html

Mak, 31, grew up in Westchester, graduated from the University of Chicago and toiled in publishing in New York during his 20s before moving to Baltimore last year with a meager part-time blogging job and prospects for little else. About half of his friends in Baltimore have been getting food stamps since the economy toppled, so he decided to give it a try; to his delight, he qualified for $200 a month. "I'm sort of a foodie, and I'm not going to do the 'living off ramen' thing," he said, fondly remembering a recent meal he'd prepared of roasted rabbit with butter, tarragon and sweet potatoes. "I used to think that you could only get processed food and government cheese on food stamps, but it's great that you can get anything."

Think of it as the effect of a grinding recession crossed with the epicurean tastes of young people as obsessed with food as previous generations were with music and sex. Faced with lingering unemployment, 20- and 30-somethings with college degrees and foodie standards are shaking off old taboos about who should get government assistance and discovering that government benefits can indeed be used for just about anything edible, including wild-caught fish, organic asparagus and triple-crème cheese.

...

Food policy experts and human resource administrators are quick to point out that the overwhelming majority of the record 38 million Americans now using food stamps are their traditional recipients: the working poor, the elderly and single parents on welfare. But they also note that recent changes made to the program as part of last year's stimulus package, which relaxed the restrictions on able-bodied adults without dependents to collect food stamps, have made some young singles around the country eligible for the first time.

...

And in cities that are magnets for 20- and 30-something creatives and young professionals, the kinds of food markets that specialize in delectables like artisanal bread, heirloom tomatoes and grass-fed beef have seen significant upticks in food stamp payments among their typical shoppers. At the Wedge, a market in the stylish Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis; at New Seasons Market, a series of nine specialty stores in and around Portland, Ore.; and at Rainbow Grocery, a stalwart for food lovers in San Francisco's Mission District, food stamp purchases have doubled in the past year. "The use has gone way up in the last six months," said Eric Wilcox, a cashier who has worked at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco for 10 years. "We're seeing a lot more young people in their 20s purchasing organic food with food stamp cards. I wouldn't say it's limited to hipster people, but I'm certainly surprised to see them with cards."

I'm a huge fan of the general idea behind the food stamp program. I think it's a great way to help people who otherwise would be unable to eat properly get some food onto their table. That said, this **** is ridiculous. Not satisfied with being drains on society in all their usual ways, these hipsters have discovered that by getting the government to pay for some of their food, they can have more money to spend on fair-trade coffee, awesome new shoes, and that great weed that their friend picked up. There need to be some serious limitations placed on what can be purchased with EBT, both on the cheap/unhealthy and the overly expensive sides of things.

 

[justabubba]

how long can a public vote itself largesse from the public treasury and survive

There are severe limits to the good that the government can do for the economy, but there are almost no limits to the harm it can do.

Milton Friedman

 

[Arch Enemy]

I bet the smirk on his face whenever he redeems the food stamps is absolutely worth introducing him to a tire-iron.

 

[StandUpChuck]

Hipsters on food stamps - Pinched: Tales from an Economic Downturn - Salon.com



I'm a huge fan of the general idea behind the food stamp program. I think it's a great way to help people who otherwise would be unable to eat properly get some food onto their table. That said, this **** is ridiculous. Not satisfied with being drains on society in all their usual ways, these hipsters have discovered that by getting the government to pay for some of their food, they can have more money to spend on fair-trade coffee, awesome new shoes, and that great weed that their friend picked up. There need to be some serious limitations placed on what can be purchased with EBT, both on the cheap/unhealthy and the overly expensive sides of things.

You're just realizing this now? I saw this crap first hand 14 years ago when I, as a start up business owner, was buying cheap hamburger because after paying my employees, I only took $100 every 2 weeks for myself. I'd get in line behind people with the most delicious cuts of steak, cream pies ... etc, all decked out in gorgeous jewelry and $200 sneakers paying for overflowing carts with food stamps.

Jerks like that take money away from people who really need it. They should be ashamed if they had an ounce of decency.

 

[lizzie]

Jerks like that take money away from people who really need it. They should be ashamed if they had an ounce of decency.

Haven't you heard? Shame and decency are out of vogue.

 

[MyOwnDrum]

I received food stamps for awhile, way back when. It was one of the most humiliating experiences I've had that I hope to never repeat. Nowadays I think they have a charge card type system, but still the cashier would know. It's really embarrassing.

 

[StandUpChuck]

I received food stamps for awhile, way back when. It was one of the most humiliating experiences I've had that I hope to never repeat. Nowadays I think they have a charge card type system, but still the cashier would know. It's really embarrassing.

It's one thing if you need it, but that's not really what RINYC is talking about. Also, aren't there certain things you cannot buy on FS? I remember being behind people in line and watching the cashier put things aside that couldn't be paid for w/assistance. Then the patron would whip out a gold AMEX to pay for that stuff.

 

[1069]

I was sort of discussing this on another thread recently, where I registered my opinion about it already:

http://www.debatepolitics.com/polls...d-government-assistance-5.html#post1058619036


I approve of the WIC program, not just because it provides recipients with cheap food (although that's a benefit to taxpayers) but because it provides them with healthy food. Only.

I wouldn't mind if they extended the WIC program so that everybody in the US with a child under 18 was eligible (as of right now, you can only get it until your youngest child is five).

But this food stamp thing... feh. :?

 

[MyOwnDrum]

It's one thing if you need it, but that's not really what RINYC is talking about. Also, aren't there certain things you cannot buy on FS? I remember being behind people in line and watching the cashier put things aside that couldn't be paid for w/assistance. Then the patron would whip out a gold AMEX to pay for that stuff.

I think you can buy all food except for alcohol and probably deli sandwiches. I was on a strict budget during my stint, so couldn't afford luxury items.

 

[MyOwnDrum]

I was sort of discussing this on another thread recently, where I registered my opinion about it already:

http://www.debatepolitics.com/polls...d-government-assistance-5.html#post1058619036


I approve of the WIC program, not just because it provides recipients with cheap food (although that's a benefit to taxpayers) but because it provides them with healthy food. Only.

I wouldn't mind if they extended the WIC program so that everybody in the US with a child under 18 was eligible (as of right now, you can only get it until your youngest child is five).

But this food stamp thing... feh. :?

I agree. I mean, you can buy pop and potato chips on food stamps, how dumb is that. Most people buy junk, sadly.

 

[Partisan]

It's one thing if you need it, but that's not really what RINYC is talking about. Also, aren't there certain things you cannot buy on FS? I remember being behind people in line and watching the cashier put things aside that couldn't be paid for w/assistance. Then the patron would whip out a gold AMEX to pay for that stuff.

Were they driving Escalades wif spinner rims?......

 

[cpwill]

that and/or they can use it to subsidize the purchase of coslier luxury items. refunds have to be given in store credit or cash; so if they make purchases with the card and then return it, they are now free to purchase whatever they wish.

i like the idea of expanding WIC; but i'm not sure where to draw the line on who rates it. the last time i looked, my family qualified for WIC and food stamps; but we took neither because frankly we didnt' need it. it surprised me that we did because of that.

 

[Cold Highway]

That smug piece of **** needs a nice bat to the head.

 

[liblady]

this IS ridiculous, i agree. young able-bodied people without children to feed should figure it out for themselves. i'm sure there are exceptions, but c'mon.

 

[liblady]

You're just realizing this now? I saw this crap first hand 14 years ago when I, as a start up business owner, was buying cheap hamburger because after paying my employees, I only took $100 every 2 weeks for myself. I'd get in line behind people with the most delicious cuts of steak, cream pies ... etc, all decked out in gorgeous jewelry and $200 sneakers paying for overflowing carts with food stamps.

Jerks like that take money away from people who really need it. They should be ashamed if they had an ounce of decency.

i think that's kind of isolated, how does one qualify for a gold card AND food stamps? when my mother received food stamps it seemed to me only the poorest of the poor got them.

 

[justabubba]

i think that's kind of isolated, how does one qualify for a gold card AND food stamps? when my mother received food stamps it seemed to me only the poorest of the poor got them.

it may have changed to an electronic system, but 14 years ago, at the time of that recollection, food stamps were a form of currency. some of those receiving them back then would exchange them for cash, usually about 50% of face value. just to explain why those who were not entitled to them may have used them for food purchases

 

[The_Penguin]

In the John Waters-esque sector of northwest Baltimore -- equal parts kitschy, sketchy, artsy and weird -- Gerry Mak and Sarah Magida sauntered through a small ethnic market stocked with Japanese eggplant, mint chutney and fresh turmeric. After gathering ingredients for that evening's dinner, they walked to the cash register and awaited their moments of truth.

"I have $80 bucks left!" Magida said. "I'm so happy!"

"I have $12," Mak said with a frown.

The two friends weren't tabulating the cash in their wallets but what remained of the monthly allotment on their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program debit cards, the official new term for what are still known colloquially as food stamps.

Magida, a 30-year-old art school graduate, had been installing museum exhibits for a living until the recession caused arts funding -- and her usual gigs -- to dry up. She applied for food stamps last summer, and since then she's used her $150 in monthly benefits for things like fresh produce, raw honey and fresh-squeezed juices from markets near her house in the neighborhood of Hampden, and soy meat alternatives and gourmet ice cream from a Whole Foods a few miles away.

"I'm eating better than I ever have before," she told me. "Even with food stamps, it's not like I'm living large, but it helps."

Mak, 31, grew up in Westchester, graduated from the University of Chicago and toiled in publishing in New York during his 20s before moving to Baltimore last year with a meager part-time blogging job and prospects for little else. About half of his friends in Baltimore have been getting food stamps since the economy toppled, so he decided to give it a try; to his delight, he qualified for $200 a month.

"I'm sort of a foodie, and I'm not going to do the 'living off ramen' thing," he said, fondly remembering a recent meal he'd prepared of roasted rabbit with butter, tarragon and sweet potatoes. "I used to think that you could only get processed food and government cheese on food stamps, but it's great that you can get anything."

-snip-

Hipsters on food stamps - Pinched: Tales from an Economic Downturn - Salon.com

He's too good for cheap food. Glad to see that my taxes are going to help bail out the Old Boys Club (tm) by their buddy in the White House, the auto makers and hippies who are too good when it comes to donning a McDonalds uniform and start making fries.

Here's one whining about everything else in life and completely side-stepping his own luxuries that he thinks are somehow indispensable.

I am one of the subjects of Jennifer Bleyer's recent article about hipsters on food stamps. I am writing to address the particular sort of ire that this article drew toward people like me -- educated, unemployed, 20- to 30-somethings who work in creative industries. Much of this vitriol is based on certain assumptions that I would like to address.

While organic and local foods seem like luxury items to many, it's important to understand that cheap food is the result of government subsidies while local farmers get little to no assistance. Cheap food is the real extravagance. My interest in food stems from my having to care for a diabetic father, and good food is the only form of healthcare I have access to. Even when I was working full time for a publishing company, I received no benefits, and paid an average of $2,500 to Uncle Sam every tax season despite wages that were meager by any American standard. Ultimately, though, this debate isn't about my personal story, it's about the shifting class boundaries in this country. The comments both attacking and defending people like me reflect the insecurities and fears we all harbor in a nation where, in a time of corporate bailouts and "Too Big To Fail," even upper-middle-class people struggle to put food on the table.

-snip-

A hipster on food stamps responds - Sustainable food - Salon.com

I'm sure that there are plenty of burgers to be flipped in this capitalist, self-centered, soulless and colorless society and they'll give you a check every 2 weeks. Start flipping them!

Either that or get a major that will let you put food on the table.

 

[samsmart]

I'd rather these people purchase food that's a bit more expensive and healthier than cheaper food that isn't as healthy which will make us have to pay for their healthcare costs later in their lives.

 

[Caedon]

I'd rather these people purchase food that's a bit more expensive and healthier than cheaper food that isn't as healthy which will make us have to pay for their healthcare costs later in their lives.

I'd rather they ditch the ridiculous clothes and get a ****ing job that adds value to society. Supply and demand, idiots. If no one demands what you are supplying, don't bitch about it and moan to the government. Supply something else.

Guarantee you that 90+% of these 'enlightened' individuals lean left.

 

[The_Penguin]

I'd rather these people purchase food that's a bit more expensive and healthier than cheaper food that isn't as healthy which will make us have to pay for their healthcare costs later in their lives.

I'd rather see them get low-paying menial jobs in order to make ends meet, not just say "It's too hard/unfair!" and give up to sucking off the government teet. They're young, they're healthy, they have no excuses.

 

[samsmart]

I'd rather they ditch the ridiculous clothes and get a ****ing job that adds value to society. Supply and demand, idiots. If no one demands what you are supplying, don't bitch about it and moan to the government. Supply something else.

Guarantee you that 90+% of these 'enlightened' individuals lean left.

I'd rather see them get low-paying menial jobs in order to make ends meet, not just say "It's too hard/unfair!" and give up to sucking off the government teet. They're young, they're healthy, they have no excuses.

One had a job installing museum exhibits. The other was in publishing before becoming a part-time blogger. Museums and publishing are both jobs that add value to society. Also, they probably don't have training in any other jobs, and most other low-paying jobs are already taken up by others. It may not necessarily be that they are unwilling to work, but be that they don't have any formal training in another occupation and the job market is flooded with people willing to work low-paying, low-skilled jobs.

I have a friend who's a plumber. He worked during the construction boom installing plumbing in houses. He's taking unemployment benefits right now, as he can't get a job. His is a high-paying skill with formal training too.

Until we do something to improve our economic bases, especially some kind of industrial or agricultural production, I'm not going to blame them for taking food stamps right now. It's only when a new job market opens up and they refuse to join it will I be angry at people like this. Until then, I hope they eat healthy so they won't be more of a burden to our health care system.

 

[Caedon]

One had a job installing museum exhibits. The other was in publishing before becoming a part-time blogger. Museums and publishing are both jobs that add value to society.

The fact that there was zero demand for either means they were not adding value to society. The presence of demand doesn't always guarantee the addition of value but the lack of it is significant. During times like these, crap like exhibit installation and blogging won't put food on the table.

I've got an idea; get off your lazy ass and walk down in your $400 outfit and get a job waiting tables, or flipping burgers, or anything to actually be productive. Do something that someone else will pay you for, instead of just being a leech and expecting daddy government to pay you for being alive.

 

[Orion]

This is just a "gotcha" piece. Just because he's on government assistance doesn't mean he should be buying bottom of the rung food.

 

[RightinNYC]

I'd rather these people purchase food that's a bit more expensive and healthier than cheaper food that isn't as healthy which will make us have to pay for their healthcare costs later in their lives.

There's a middle ground between wonderbread/McDonalds and organic rabbit with a double creme brie. Nobody is saying that these people should be eating unhealthily, but that it's ridiculous that food stamps are covering extravagances like that.

The reason why it's particularly galling is because this breed of parasite is not the type of person who truly needs foodstamps. The average hipster earns $23k a year working as a bike messenger or part-time English tutor, but lives in a $2,000/month apartment in Williamsburg that's paid for by their parents. Because they fetishize the edginess that is associated with poverty, they make every effort to seem poor without really being poor. They live next to ****ty neighborhoods, but in the highly gentrified parts. They use food stamps to pay for $200/month of their food budget, but cover the rest with their amex card. They talk about how the underclass suffers from a lack of opportunity, but do nothing with their $200k degree from FIT or NYU.

One had a job installing museum exhibits. The other was in publishing before becoming a part-time blogger. Museums and publishing are both jobs that add value to society. Also, they probably don't have training in any other jobs, and most other low-paying jobs are already taken up by others. It may not necessarily be that they are unwilling to work, but be that they don't have any formal training in another occupation and the job market is flooded with people willing to work low-paying, low-skilled jobs.

I have a friend who's a plumber. He worked during the construction boom installing plumbing in houses. He's taking unemployment benefits right now, as he can't get a job. His is a high-paying skill with formal training too.

Until we do something to improve our economic bases, especially some kind of industrial or agricultural production, I'm not going to blame them for taking food stamps right now. It's only when a new job market opens up and they refuse to join it will I be angry at people like this. Until then, I hope they eat healthy so they won't be more of a burden to our health care system.

These people were unemployable long before the recession and will be unemployable long after it's over.

 

[samsmart]

The fact that there was zero demand for either means they were not adding value to society.

There was only zero demand after the market crashed. Prior to the crash, when the economy was better, there was demand, which was why they were able to make a living doing those jobs.

The presence of demand doesn't always guarantee the addition of value but the lack of it is significant.

So you're saying that even though there are job demands in good economic times, the value of a job and the skills associated with it are only what it is worth in bad economic times?

If that's the case, I suppose my plumber friend, who can earn a high hourly wage, made quite a mistake since he's currently unemployed right now.

During times like these, crap like exhibit installation and blogging won't put food on the table.

You're right. However, these are both young adults, and so they may not have the skills necessary to get another adequately paying job. This is especially the case in an economic recession such as the one we're in now, where everybody is looking for whatever work they can and nobody is leaving their job and employers aren't hiring.

I've got an idea; get off your lazy ass and walk down in your $400 outfit and get a job waiting tables, or flipping burgers, or anything to actually be productive. Do something that someone else will pay you for, instead of just being a leech and expecting daddy government to pay you for being alive.

Why don't you get another idea: an understanding of what a job market is. Businesses aren't hiring right now. Even for low wage jobs such as waiting on tables or being a restaurant cook. Why is this? Because people aren't paying as much money to eat out. That hurts restaurants, which causes them not to hire as many people. So basically there's a hiring freeze even for low wage jobs.

Trust me, I'm sure they're not happy about being on food stamps, and I'm sure they'd rather be earning their paycheck than being on them. But them being on food stamps isn't that big of a deal since the food they buy with that money helps to support those food businesses during this recession. This is a good thing, especially if it goes to the local economy.