Personal Reflection on Social Perceptions and Economic Status

What's up, Serial Killers! I had yet another okay week. I keep thinking about the time I mentioned to CalFresh, aka Foodstamps, that I have a new job now, and my co-worker immediately said, “I wish I had food stamps!” I didn’t respond, but I was thinking, “Dude, someone with 100 grand in retirement will never get food stamps!” I chose to stay silent because I was taken aback that someone would actually say that to someone who is receiving food stamps. It goes to show that if you are poor but look good, people will resent you, while if you are rich but look bad, people will like you. People are all about appearances; you have to look like you are suffering for others to believe that you are suffering. It’s similar to the popularity of the singer Jelly Roll. He sings about drug addiction and being poor, yet he is about 400 pounds overweight and has 50 tattoos on his body. Those choices tell me he would rather spend money on food and tattoos than on things like rehabilitation; hence, his suffering is self-inflicted. Personally, I tend not to spend a lot on food, and I have never had the money for tattoos. But in society, people think it is expensive to be poor and cheap to be rich, which makes absolutely no sense. I also remember saying to two of my co-workers that being low-income isn’t so bad if you apply for all the low-income programs available. Then my gay co-worker replied, “Speak for yourself!” in a tone that suggested he thought I was privileged while he is struggling. I feel like my days are numbered at this job; I will be surprised if I last the whole 12 weeks of the contract. As you can see, I am treated like a “rich guy” despite making the least amount of money here. It’s sad how living on a budget can make you viewed as the “rich guy” that everyone hates; meanwhile, my LVN supervisor with 100 grand in retirement spends like there’s no tomorrow and is seen as the poor one. I already dislike my co-workers and want nothing to do with them. I give them the bare minimum of conversation and pretend to like them, but I won’t talk to them outside of what’s necessary for work. I really don’t care. A sure sign of “fake good people” is those who pretend to be virtuous yet can’t live on a budget. From my experience, people who don’t live within their means are often not good people. It seems my two co-workers are still in high school mentally, as they think good-looking, athletic people are the bad ones who “get everything.” While this may have been true in high school, in the adult world, good-looking people—especially those who are athletic—often face resentment. You'll be hated everywhere, and people remember how jocks behaved in high school. As an athlete, you’ll pay for it forever, even if, like me, you never treated anyone badly during that time. People cling to stereotypes. They believe that good-looking athletic individuals live like Patrick Dempsey in “Grey's Anatomy,” but that’s just a show. The reality is, if you have looks rivaling Patrick Dempsey’s, you’ll be hated at every turn. Men at your job will despise you, and most women will too, thinking you’re a “pimp player” of women. Eventually, you’ll clock in, and no one will acknowledge your existence. You’ll have lunch alone and go home alone, and everyone will be waiting to vent their frustrations on you. They’ll hate you based on high school stereotypes. I absolutely hate people, and I can’t believe I have to deal with this at 52. You’d think people would be proud of me for living right all my life and having no health issues because of it. Instead, they envy me and wish I would quit my job and become a homeless drug addict so I could know what it’s like to... SUFFER! I can’t stand people! Till next time… MAHALO!!!!