South Carolina is the latest state to express interest in restricting SNAP benefits. Specifically, Governor McMaster wants to stop people from purchasing unhealthy foods like candy, soda, and energy drinks.
Is it because conservatives really care about health? Michelle Obama was roasted for attempting to make school food healthier, a much more effective plan to promote a healthy lifestyle.
No, this isn’t about health. They just hate to see poor people happy.
“They can stop being poor if they stop buying phones.”
I’ve heard some version of this statement again and again. I hate how obsessed people are with phones, but owning a phone is not making someone poor. If genuine, these claims show their ignorance.
We shouldn’t be surprised. People who have never experienced poverty sometimes lack the empathy or experience to comprehend it. The further someone is removed from poverty, the more difficult it is for them to understand. Imagine being oblivious to the price of groceries.
When you can sneeze and make profit, it is easy to see how some of them may truly believe enough hard work will make someone a millionaire.
Many people, especially wealthy people, view being poor as a moral failing. An NPR poll in 2001 says 52 percent of Americans believe poor people are just lazy. If they just get up and work hard, they can climb out of poverty. Of course, this is the American dream. This is literally how America promotes itself to the rest of the world.
So, are poor people lazy? Sure, some of them are just like how some rich people are lazy.
I once worked in a bank and had a young white customer in perfect health, but his dream was to get a disability check. He worked at McDonald’s but quit after getting a small tax refund. I guess he felt it was time to put all of his energy into his dream.
He did this by walking around Walmart with his girlfriend for hours at a time. Eventually, his dream came true. He was getting a disability check for his knee (the same knee he used to navigate the aisles of Walmart). I think it was around $900 a month.
Do you want to know how he spent his newfound financial freedom? He walked around Walmart every day.
There are just as many success stories. My brother, like me, came from nothing and worked hard to become a pharmacist. He now makes 4 times my teacher's salary.
Cool. So, it sounds like I just proved poor people are lazy. Well, a lot of people are falling for the Just-world fallacy. They believe in karma. They believe being good and working hard are rewarded.
Many people work hard and get nowhere. There are many horrible rich people…*cough*insert name*cough*…and many kind and generous poor people. In fact, poor people tend to have more generosity and empathy.
To start, poor people don’t have the same starting line. It is the difference between equality and equity. We will likely have worse schools, worse resources, and just a lack of tools. I ended up with so much student debt because there was no one in my life who could point me in the right direction.
Many poor kids are too busy surviving to worry about academic success. I’ve had kids tell me they didn’t make it to 25, and now that they are there, they have no idea what to do with their lives. They were certain they would be dead.
We are telling these kids who don’t even have fully developed brains to plan ahead when they don’t expect to survive the next week. Some of these kids are living with the trauma of war, and now we dismiss them as being lazy. They may have never had a night of sleep with both eyes closed, but we assume they lack motivation.
Once they are adults, the need to survive doesn’t stop. The process of getting a degree or starting a business takes time and money, two things many poor people lack. If they are able to accomplish one of these goals, it doesn’t push them up the social ladder. They now probably possess debt that will take them years to pay back, and even without the debt, their jobs likely aren’t paying enough to push them much further than outside of the welfare zone. Perhaps, like me, they will now make just enough to have to pay taxes instead of receive a refund.
I’m not sure what people expect when they accuse poor people of being lazy. If it is a genuine belief, they should go out and get to know real poor people. Despite my story about my former customer, most people want to be able to provide for themselves.
The health lie
“People on SNAP want to eat healthy. Unfortunately, SNAP dollars and the resources that SNAP beneficiaries have don’t always go the full month, or allow them to purchase what are often more expensive items.”-Sue Berkowitz from S.C. Appleseed Legal Justice Center.
My eating routine is relatively healthy and clean. I rarely eat out, I measure calories and protein intake, no sugar, etc. It is expensive, especially in 2025. This is just me. I’m not talking about an entire family. Teenagers can be a bottomless pit. Sometimes you can only afford to throw junk into those pits.
I have a friend who has worked at a job for a decade now. She is loyal and the most competent person there. She has worked jobs without receiving the label or the pay. She has trained people who come in and make more money than her. When she finishes working, sometimes a twelve-hour shift, she will use DoorDash to make extra money.
She has lamented not having the time and money to make healthier decisions for herself and her child.
The truth, however, isn’t really about health. They could expand food stamps so people can afford healthier options instead of restricting what they can buy.
How dare this poor person drink a soda when they need government assistance! However, and this is crucial, rich people never complain when they receive tax cuts. They don’t get mad at themselves for using that money however they see fit. This is especially true when these people didn’t earn their way into those tax brackets.
Life is hard, especially now. Are we really worried if someone is buying a candy bar with their SNAP benefits? For some people, the crunch of a candy bar is the highlight of a hard month. Most people are doing the best they can with the little they have. That should be enough.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of LG Ware's work on Medium.