I agree with Seccombe when she says that living and surviving on welfare touches all aspects of a person’s life not just economic realm. I think her point is valid because if we think about when one is on welfare is most likely to be stress out, low self-esteem, perhaps drug proble, mental problems, not having enough money to bys basic stuff, etc. lack of money and being on welfare limits ones activities they have to learn how to survive on meager amounts. I can’t imagine what is like to live on $274 a month in food stamps.
Also, I think that people on welfare usually experience somehow discrimination form society which affects primarily their self-esteem. I notice this when I used to work in a grocery store years ago and people would shop with their link cards and I could see the cashier and the people in line would look at them in a different way. At he time I thought that link card was some type of special card that only some privileged people could have. Later on I learned that it was the other way around. But I guess if one is on welfare gets used to those kind of discrimination and situations and again I strongly believe that people on welfare have self-esteem problems, which is sad and should be that way.
On page 111, Secombee gives us an example of what is like to live on welfare and how this situation affects families like Jana a 28 years old African American mother of 4 children. Her oldest son is in a center for emotionally disturbed children located a 120 miles away from home. Jena lives with her other children in deplorable conditions that could affect the health of her children and herself in a poor are of town. So yes welfare does affect individuals and families whether one chooses to be in or have the necessity of welfare, it does affect people and communities. If Jena was form an affluent family or had a little bit more money, she wouldn’t have to go through this painful separation of her children and putting the rest of her family in danger, instead she would be healthier and live in a better area in town.
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