Social welfare

“They are nothing but burdens to our society.” “They are lazy and undeserving.” “We need to get them jobs, not food or money.” “We work hard for our food, why should we use our money (taxes) to support them? It’s their entire fault why our taxes are so high!” Those are the things that one often hears about people on welfare in America. Welfare recipients have always been the victim of stereotyping and scapegoating. Downey, a welfare mother, gave the readers a glimpse of her life through her essay. Through the glimpse of her life, counterexamples of the “profiles” of the stereotypical welfare mother can be drawn out uncomplicatedly. The truth is Downey belongs to the population who has not only been misrepresented by the society as a whole, but has been mistreated as well by the inadequate welfare system.
In order to fully understand the issue of stereotyping and the contemning of those who either in need of welfare or are on welfare, one must understand t...