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I'm 38 and I Can't Support Myself Anymore

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Re: I'm 38 and I Can't Support Myself Anymore

#111

Post by astral_drama »

avalys wrote: post #8
Telaneo wrote: post #5

> If your worth is not determined by your productivity, then what remains of you underneath it all? Everything else. You are worth so much more than your productivity. I'm glad I never got sucked into the protestant work ethic, since defining yourself based on your labour and the value you generate from that sounds woefully narrow-minded (this doesn't feel like quite the right word, but close enough). It's probably h…

Who produces the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the house you live in, the energy you use, the medicine you consume, etc. while you airily define ‘productivity’ as reading the classics and spending time with friends?

> Who produces the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the house you live in, the energy you use, the medicine you consume, etc.

The able do. The disabled would love to work hard and earn a nice paycheck. It's a privilege to be able to work and be in good health. Hopefully you don't have to learn that the hard way.

Re: I'm 38 and I Can't Support Myself Anymore

#112

Post by nlitened »

The author blames capitalism and religion while greatly indulging in his pride, I think.

It is so much beneath him to ask for help from others, he’d rather change the world so that he doesn’t have to ask — instead of expressing some humility.

I also have a lot of pride in myself, and I feel deeply for the author. However it looks to me that he’a banging on the wrong door, and instead of waiting for all the people in the world to change a lot, he could change himself a little.

Re: I'm 38 and I Can't Support Myself Anymore

#113

Post by roenxi »

Telaneo wrote: post #5

> If your worth is not determined by your productivity, then what remains of you underneath it all? Everything else. You are worth so much more than your productivity. I'm glad I never got sucked into the protestant work ethic, since defining yourself based on your labour and the value you generate from that sounds woefully narrow-minded (this doesn't feel like quite the right word, but close enough). It's probably h…

"Your worth" is a bit of a vague and meaningless term (everyone is worth infinite in some sense). But if we want to talk about your general ability to secure more comfortable living conditions then your worth is very much linked to your productivity. The average living conditions are largely determined by how productive the average person is. There are some hard-to-escape balance equations at play there.

Good vibes are nice and all, but affirming each other isn't going to actually make the world more comfortable. Looking after disabled people requires an enormous productive surplus from the rest of us and a recognition that the people creating the enormous surplus are in practice worth quite a bit more than the people who are on the receiving end of charity. Playing pretend on this topic is just going to lead to people being worse off.

Re: I'm 38 and I Can't Support Myself Anymore

#114

Post by throwaway173738 »

theflyingelvis wrote: post #46
Telaneo wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We have enough excess in society that we can spare enough of those things to those who are unable to take care of themselves.

It almost seems as if you are trolling. Surely we can, at least, agree that the excesses you mention exist only because of those who produce.

You’re missing the point of the article and of the post. Why do you assume that someone who reads and takes breaks is unproductive? Should we get a second job instead? I spend 8 hours sleeping. Would you like me to work those hours as well? I spend some of my day cooking and cleaning and raising my son. Would you rather I keep working instead?

Maybe it’s time that we worked together to gain that time back for you instead of you fighting for us to lose our free time.

Re: I'm 38 and I Can't Support Myself Anymore

#115

Post by butlike »

disgruntledphd2 wrote: post #97
ghusto wrote: post #42

> Earn slightly too much, and vital support disappears My reading of this is that the threshhold for the USA government to withdraw financial (and other?) support for disabled people is too low, is that right?

> My reading of this is that the threshhold for the USA government to withdraw financial (and other?) support for disabled people is too low, is that right? In general, step functions (earn 200 get benefits, 201 no benefits) are really really bad from a public policy perspective. If you want to get people out of these dependency traps then you need to taper them more effectively. Even tapering them is problematic as…

But at a certain level, you'll need a step function to go from 0 (none; no taper) to 1 (taper).

Re: I'm 38 and I Can't Support Myself Anymore

#116

Post by b3lvedere »

esseph wrote: post #43
meta_gunslinger wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The wrong decision is not being insured for disaster and not saving enough when you were able to work, electing to spend the money instead. Not being unlucky with your health or having an accident. That's clearly stated in my original response if you care to read and not knee-jekingly respond. For someone who has been born disabled, the conversation should be moved to the people who brought them to life and are respo…

Everyone that doesn't die early will become disabled, that includes you. You just hope it happens after you've made some money, but maybe between now and then you end up with a cancer or two.

Yup.

My best friend married the love of his life. Had amazing kids and a nice job. Then he got cancer.

He had amazing insurance, a very supporting family, a job at a company who totally understood his situation. Everything was taken care of. The only thing left was hopefully getting better.

Which he did not. All that was left was pain. I literally watched him die. I heard his last breath. I saw the life leave his eyes.

That was it. His book of life will never have any more pages. It's done. The only thing left is to remember him.

Re: I'm 38 and I Can't Support Myself Anymore

#117

Post by IshKebab »

I mean... I'm sure it's not easy being a disabled artist but this feels a lot like undeservedly blaming the rest of society.

The benefits cliff is a real problem (and the UK seems intent on making it worse). But "ooo nasty capitalism doesn't force people to pay for art"... Come on. And disabled people have it better than at any time in history. The UK is bankrupting itself to pay for PiPs and other benefits (and pensions unfortunately).

Re: I'm 38 and I Can't Support Myself Anymore

#118

Post by sjsdaiuasgdia »

meta_gunslinger wrote: post #110
sjsdaiuasgdia wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Ad-hominem is what you resort to when having no argument ;)

"They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words."

Sartre didn't respect your kind and I don't either.

Re: I'm 38 and I Can't Support Myself Anymore

#119

Post by drcongo »

meta_gunslinger wrote: post #106
flr03 wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes in democracy we do

No, making policy out of your personal preferences is a dictatorship. Making policy by taking a representative majority of preferences is a democracy.

Nobody makes police.

Re: I'm 38 and I Can't Support Myself Anymore

#120

Post by Brendinooo »

ghusto wrote: post #91
paulryanrogers wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Democratic socialism. The US has quite a few such experiments like the New Deal. And they've been quite a bit better than the grinding, unbridled industrialism that consumed and spat out young and old alike.

Read up on "democratic socialism" because it was a term I wasn't familar with. I have to say people should be mindful of words and ideas meaning different things in different places. "Capatalism" means something different in the USA than it does in say France. In the USA, any attempt to keep check of or reign in capatalism is seen as socialism, and governemnt overreach. In France it's seen as common sense, though the…

How does Portugal compare to the US and France? (I actually don't know, though a quick search indicates it's more like France than the US.)

The author of this post apparently lives in Porto.

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