extreme rant about work, society, etc

[pofflewomp]

grrr
been posting on Guardian comment pages as am spending time in bed being a bit poorly for a rest:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/may/27/iain-duncan-smith-welfare-dependency?showallcomments=true#end-of-comments

I be "berries."

But I assume none of you will want to read all that, so suffice it to say that for once most of the comments are pretty decent and most people on it are sticking up for people on benefits. I have argued with a dickfaced poo who claimed that £25000 a year is piffling and that it goes in taxes to the "workshy," only to have it turn out he or she has no maths ability whatsoever: I pointed out that £25000 a year leaves £368 a week after taxes, and he/she replied that the £368 a week is halved by taxes to pay for the "workshy." So clearly most confused.

To be honest, I wouldn't get out of bed at shittyclocky in the morning for a paltry £368 a week, but that's because I value life and time over money. The things that would make my life better would be unattainable for an extra £130 odd a week, and prevented altogether by the fact that my entire waking life would be spent enduring hell to earn that piddling amount. Obviously if I were someone who were not in intense emotional pain every waking moment, suffering depression and despair, someone who had friends and family and happiness to make the work worthwhile, someone who had the energy and drive to cope with debilitating amounts of work and stress, or someone who was too thick and petty to care anyway...well, that would be different.

It isn't the money, it's the need to have a basic bearability of life. If I could work in a nature reserve outdoors watching birds all day, I'd be ok with £10000 a year, as it would be just enough to scrape by on (well, not living here as it would not pay rent and bills! but living in the country it might be enough to live on) and my life would be enhanced by nature, fresh air, exercise, peace and quiet, and so forth.

Another rant in me is that I am SICK OF BEING MADE TO FEEL I SHOULD FEEL INDEBTED TO SOCIETY FOR ALLOWING ME TO LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perhaps if someone were born disabled, or had a freak accident such as being struck by lightning leaving them unable to move limbs, then ok, they could be expected to think phew what a relief I live in a society prepared to pay to keep me alive rather than leave me to die on an exposed mountain (or in the Thames, or wherever the London equivalent of an exposed mountain is. Hampstead Heath. Fuck knows.) Personally I think it should be considered society's duty, not something to feel grateful for.

But in my case, for fuck's sake: I would not be in this situation of "society" had not fucking well put me here!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No, I do not have "clinical depression" or any other illness or disability. I have Being Freaked Out Terrified Horrified and in Despair because of the way society has treated me.

I live in a society that demands protection by law for parents who wish to hurt their children.
I live in a society in which teachers thought it acceptable to tell me I was lying or only had myself to blame if I was unhappy at home.
I live in a society in which university is an elitist clique-ridden careerist networking binge rather than a place of reflection and contemplation and serious enquiry.
I live in a society where men have spat at me in the street because they did not find me sexually attractive.
I live in a society where appearance and glib self-marketing technique counts above willingness or integrity in competition for jobs.
I live in a society where, most importantly, the most common reaction to bereavement is "move on" "get a life" "stop trying to get attention" "don't try those tears on me!"
A society in which life is deemed so utterly unimportant that the individual is reduced to his or her economic worth so that immediately after my brother's death I was told by almost everyone I knew that I was a pathetic disgrace because I was not looking for a job.

If it were not for these extreme flaws in society I would be the happy, motivated, passionate young girl there were glimpses of in my childhood before (by the age of about 12) I was too run down with despair to manage much more.

So for fuck's sake. Next time someone tells me I should feel grateful that I am extremely bedgrudgingly allowed to live by this fucked up, sick and twisted society...well, I wouldn't have the words to explain it to them, so I will just spit in their faces.

(I have done this to someone before and it is immense fun because they're so shocked they don't retaliate - I'd recommend it to anyone who has a bad temper too!) (Although beware: it only works on middle class people, who are easily shocked because of their petty, cusioned lives (most of them, not all of course). If you tried it on a lower class person you would probably end up dead, unless they had a sexist thing about not hitting women, in which case you might be ok.) (Unless you're a man.)

Comments

[lordsuperfast.livejournal.com]

I'll admit to not knowing the detail of the Tory proposals. I also know that there are some bad things in there. I did think there were some good things though - such as the acknowledgement that they need to change the system so that benefits aren't stopped completely when you take part time work. I remember that as something you mentioned as being completely boneheaded about the current system, so not all bad.

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

That's what the headline bits of the article suggested, which is why i read it - with hope! but then in the article it wasn't at all clear whether anything would actually be done about it. You can't tell if they just mean that benefits are too high! I have been looking for more information. On that Facebook group (Respect for people on benefits) they seem to think it means they will just cut benefits. At the moment the system is getting people like me who are on sickness benefits put onto Jobseeker's Allowance instead then cut off completely if they don't take jobs they are told to take, which is very worrying!

I think a lot of the problem is that wages are so low and rents are so high too. Even on £25000 a year you wouldn't manage easily if you were renting privately. Depending on where you live. More social housing is a must, methinks.

I don't understand why they are trying to stop tax credits - I thought they made a big difference to parents wanting to go back to work! They meant that it was more worthwhile working as parents returning to work got to keep tax credit money so did not lose lots from not being on benefits, surely?

[misfratz.livejournal.com]

I could manage renting privately on that- and have replied to Griller telling him/her to give me that job he is harping on about. I could also buy somewhere on that eventually. The problem is that there are not any £25000 jobs floating about for just anyone (even anyone with a PhD) to walk into- much less if you have history of mental illness. What I couldn't manage (and literally would become homeless) is working for £12000, as that is not enough to cover rent for private lets. It's good that some people commenting have pointed this out as being the main thing stopping the theoretical people who are offered all the theoretical jobs which they are theoretically turning down because of being better off on benefits. There are even some people pointing out that these jobs are all theoretical. I think the best reform would be for someone to kick IDS in the testicles. Oh well.

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

well obviously I could manage very well money wise on £25000 a year, seeing as i manage very well on sickness benefits which end up being about £120 a week less than what £25000 a year would be after tax!!
But I mean it in the sense that seeing as I would probably have a nervous breakdown attempting even to get up to get to the job, and considering Ian turning up crazy at my workplace and me stressing all the time and unable to concentrate would make the whole thing absolute hell, the extra £120 a week really isn't much of an incentive!!! The loss of quality of life is too extreme and terrifying!
If I weren't neurotic and depressed and not coping with anything and if I didn't have other stresses, fine. But also there is the fact that I have lost so much of my life already due to pure hell that I would only find it ok working if either the money was enough for me to save up for some sort of happiness in the future or if the job was so happiness-inducing that it was worthwhile - e.g. in a nature reserve (in which case basic living money would be ok as quality of life would be so much more worth it!).
I hate the fact people like IDS and everyone, including even my socialist father, expect people to put up with being indoors all day every day working all waking hours for only enough money to save for a holiday or retirement. Life should be about having outdoors and health and nature and art and beauty or whatever else rocks people's boats!

Notice the way that Griller twat moaned that not much money was left after paying into his pension pot! PENSION! eh?
Anyway, current benefits-version pension is £130 a week, which is ample as long as it is on top of housing benefit. So no private pension needed.

[misfratz.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's all blooming ridiculous really. Anyway, I know it wouldn't be worth doing work especially if it makes you more stressed and after all the horrible things you have had to deal with- it is easier for me because I am so disorganised I don't get much done anyway and I feel better if having work as less scared of evil government randomly stopping pay, though of course you can randomly get sacked (as I have in the past e.g. for swearing, for disagreeing with idiots) which I suppose is just as bad. But argh. I am in a state of constant panic about future! It would be easier if everyone was just given a house as then you wouldn't have to worry about homelessness, just about food which you could grow or steal from supermarkets. Mwahahaha. According to some of the tory trolls if you are a single mothe ryou are just given a house. Ha ha wtf? Where is my free house you tory bastards?

Actually the other thing I was talking to someone about earlier was how stupid the working week is, and people moan about 3 day week which would really be better as less work but then everyone who wanted a job could have one (obviously it is wrong to force people to work but lots of people do want them). But people are against it. Why? What is wrong with people?

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

yes, my dad used to always talk about jobshares and how they are the way forward. why would anyone want to work all the time? but of course wages are so shitethat you have to. humbug. I think a four day week makes sense. Then there might be enough jobs to go round, and people would have enough time to rest as well. More than four days is insane, as there is no time for anything else and the weekends are spent exhausted. I don't know how people find the energy. I mean, wah. I think I could manage three days a week. But of course that would not pay enough to survive on. I don't get why work is so important, either. Obviously it is if you are a doctor or something, but why do people in, say, publishing give a shit about time and rushing things and all that crap? cray fucks. Publishing is one of those areas where it sounds all nice and innocent but is in fact evil horrible workland full of crazy horrible baddies and bullies. also most jobs have thick people in them being smelly with perfume. i have been watching comedy "Black Books" filmed round the corner from here. Bookshop, nice.

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

also, re society - obviously a society that insists we put work above family and community must expect to pay somehow for the care that would otherwise be done by family and community, and for the extra fallout from the resulting lack of support from family and community (such as rise in juvenile delinquency (?!?) and mental illness and depression and stress caused by isolation. So it is a necessary part of a society that insists on work work work that it has a safety net in place to replace its community and family. A viscious circle, more like. Moreover, tis a result of the work-work-work culture that denies community and family ties that those falling by the watside inevitably become their own communities and families, hence the "benefits culture" and groups of people huddled together not wanting to work and needing support from one another.
If that makes sense.
I'm sure a less evil work-work-work culture would have fewer people needing benefits and social care as it would be a more relaxed and happy society with more time for community and families.

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

i can't spell vicious.

[misfratz.livejournal.com]

Have you watched the interview with IDS on bbc site? It makes it a lot more clear how evil he is- he says that if there is any job at all, people should be forced to take it no matter if it is against their principles (Pofflewomp being forced to work in a butcher, me being forced to work for BAe, catholics being forced to work in Anne Summers, PhD physicists being forced to work cleaning toilets- that's apparently what conservative principles are about).

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

aaaargh in the past under Tories twas not so - they could not force you against principles. In fact benefits were quite cool when I signed on under Tories - you just got given money and no questions asked. but when I went back after labour got in it was baaaad.

[misfratz.livejournal.com]

Also this is a brilliant post. Especially the bit about what society is like. You really should send things in to newspapers!

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

ha ha, thank you - I have been depressed eating chocolate for the last few hours and thinking you must all find me really annoying for my stupid ranting, and I have been wishing I could write intelligent things!

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

hee hee i posted cambridge rant too: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/28/fair-access-oxbridge-social-elite?showallcomments=true#end-of-comments

bet people will be cross at it. it has many English mistakes as I am sooo sleeepy.

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

oh dear they are telling me I have a chip on my shoulder about Cambridge on the Oxbridge comments bit. Well, I suppose I do, but hey. It was shit there. Surely they shouldn't put chips on people's shoulders if they don't like them? Woe!

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

actually I am worried that I am a whinging pathetic person as the things I moan about seem like little things whereby most people would (and do) say oh just get on with it and stop moaning!

[scruffyowlet.livejournal.com]

Yeah I was told by Conservative Mary in Oxfam yesterday, when I was about to get some money from my wallet in the office to buy a book, 'Oh you're getting your ill-gotten gains are you?' I took it like water off a duck's back but there you go.

Freedom is under threat because, according to Arendt, there is no public sphere to talk of, everything has become 'social' and the distinction between private and public is blurred. Politics, according to her, should not be about managing the country and telling people what to do, but about exercising freedom through deliberation. Political action, for her, is an end in itself and not a means to an end.