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Should benefits carry a social stigma? like in the US

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Original post by Bill_Gates
Should benefits carry a social stigma? like in the US

It's clear in the UK people are not ashamed of collecting benefits and will openly brag about it in some cases (as seen on TSR).

Spending on chavtastic cars, loud speakers, alcohol, cigs, big wide screen tvs, chavtastic gear. It's clear they won't come off welfare by themselves.


This does not include: working tax credits, disability allowance i.e essential benefits.


How is it clear that people in the UK are not ashamed of collecting benefits?

How is it clear that people wont come of welfare by themselves?
If you check the actual amounts that people are entitled to, it's hard to live the high life on benefits.
Saying "wide screen TVs " - rind me a 4x3 tv for sale now. I imagine many of them come from places like cash converters/tesco rAther than a designer electronics store .

Thre is a social class where everybody is on benefits, or in areas where there is massive regional unemployment . So obviously there is less stigma .

IMHO if you pay in and you need the system , there should be no stigma. It is called national insurance. It is not a charity. It is a right.
Original post by halal kebab5
if someone is in genuine need of benefits then they should not be put down because of it, however if someone looks like they are able to work but just taking benefits because they CBA then I support them fully in their hustle.


But you don't know whether someone is in 'genuine need of benefits' or not. I can't work. I'm on ESA in the support group but because my illness isn't visible it's not obvious that I'm disabled except to my doctors and a few of my friends.
Original post by Bill_Gates
Should benefits carry a social stigma? like in the US

It's clear in the UK people are not ashamed of collecting benefits and will openly brag about it in some cases (as seen on TSR).

Spending on chavtastic cars, loud speakers, alcohol, cigs, big wide screen tvs, chavtastic gear. It's clear they won't come off welfare by themselves.


This does not include: working tax credits, disability allowance i.e essential benefits.


Live and let live.

I prefer to do all I could do to avoid tax. Therefore it doesn't bother me too much any more if someone wants to scrounge.

Should there be a stigma? I doubt it matters because a scrounger couldn't give a toss if they are stigmatized or not.

What needs to be done is there needs to be stricter qualifications in place for one to be able to collect benefits.
Original post by Alfissti
Live and let live.

I prefer to do all I could do to avoid tax. Therefore it doesn't bother me too much any more if someone wants to scrounge.

Should there be a stigma? I doubt it matters because a scrounger couldn't give a toss if they are stigmatized or not.

What needs to be done is there needs to be stricter qualifications in place for one to be able to collect benefits.


True. But i personally don't mind paying tax as some of it goes to genuine causes. Maybe i should change my strategy?
Original post by Bill_Gates
True. But i personally don't mind paying tax as some of it goes to genuine causes. Maybe i should change my strategy?


I only view it this way, money in my pocket is far better than in the hands of government. I don't view it as selfish or greedy just the way things are, I work hard for my money therefore it is my moral duty to keep as much of it as possible.

Unfortunately not enough is done to sift and weed out the genuine cases versus the scroungers as it is politically unpopular to do so.
Original post by Alfissti
I only view it this way, money in my pocket is far better than in the hands of government. I don't view it as selfish or greedy just the way things are, I work hard for my money therefore it is my moral duty to keep as much of it as possible.

Unfortunately not enough is done to sift and weed out the genuine cases versus the scroungers as it is politically unpopular to do so.


hmm interesting view. Although i do personally view myself as more left leaning and would want a "fairer" society. So don't mind paying taxes otherwise i would move overseas. But i agree a better sifting process is required.
No they shouldn't. Yes people abuse the system, however most genuinely need them to get by in life. How is stigmatising those that are stigmatised even more, it's just going to cause more resentment and divisions. The US really isn't a good example to be following, with their awful poverty and wealth inequality statistics.
Original post by Bill_Gates
Should benefits carry a social stigma? like in the US

It's clear in the UK people are not ashamed of collecting benefits and will openly brag about it in some cases (as seen on TSR).

Spending on chavtastic cars, loud speakers, alcohol, cigs, big wide screen tvs, chavtastic gear. It's clear they won't come off welfare by themselves.


This does not include: working tax credits, disability allowance i.e essential benefits.


Rich guys like you fund my job seeker habit brah
Original post by ChaoticButterfly
Rich guys like you fund my job seeker habit brah


i dont mind brah, you're pure entertainment m8
Original post by Bill_Gates
Should benefits carry a social stigma? like in the US

It's clear in the UK people are not ashamed of collecting benefits and will openly brag about it in some cases (as seen on TSR).

Spending on chavtastic cars, loud speakers, alcohol, cigs, big wide screen tvs, chavtastic gear. It's clear they won't come off welfare by themselves.


This does not include: working tax credits, disability allowance i.e essential benefits.


Yes, and I think it does. Many people in this country instantly assume that parties like the conservatives hate those on benefits, and the public hate the disabled too. What I, and many others have a problem with is not that, but those who claim benefits purely because they are too lazy, that is they have opportunities to get jobs which are perfectly ok, yet turn them down because they are better off on benefits. This is bad because it makes life harder for those who actually need those benefits.
The idea that there are vast amounts of lazy people abusing the benefits system because they can't be bothered to get a job is pure fabrication. Problem is people watch shows like benefit street and read the daily mail and think it's mainstream.

It's done for two reasons- to give the Tories an excuse to cut welfare and so people don't feel bad about doing so.
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Original post by Bornblue
The idea that there are vast amounts of lazy people abusing the benefits system because they can't be bothered to get a job is pure fabrication. Problem is people watch shows like benefit street and read the daily mail and think it's mainstream.


And people like yourself with appeals to emotion are just as annoying.

Someone who is abusing the system and has not been caught, still collecting welfare, will not go down statistically as a benefit cheat. You don't have to have been caught to be a benefits cheat. People have been cheating the system for years and years before getting caught. Are they only benefits cheats when they're caught? No. They've been committing a continuous fraudulent crime the entire time. The statistics taken on welfare cheats are a complete sham. Its as daft as saying the number of drug dealers is really low in the UK because only 'x' amount have been convicted. The reality is we know there's tonnes more out there who have not been caught.

Also, you've probably never lived in a less affluent area whereby the concentration of welfare cheats is much higher. If you had done you'd realise that the problem is much larger than many people believe it to be. If the government had a designated task force to tackle this problem head on, getting people to go into pubs in the afternoons or down the bookies, then they'd get loads of them.

The problem is rampant in less well off areas and these people are happy to breed like rabbits for money, even at the expense of the child that they'll sometimes even neglect in order to serve themselves, they use the money to buy drugs, cigarettes or alcohol or whatever else that isn't a necessity, new kitchens and solar panels on their council housing whereas the average Joe who works for a living has to pay for all of that. They work for cash in hand as well and then spend the money on whatever.

I laugh at people like yourself cause you are clearly born into a life of privilege in some middle England tory dominated suburb most likely. Having grown up in an area where the problem was rampant I am glad to see the back of it and have gotten out of that dump. Also, benefits cheats are scum because they take money away from genuine claimants. There are disabled people out there who are honest on these DWP forms who get REJECTED because the testing has become so difficult due to these immoral system abusing scumbags who are only interested in serving themselves at the expense of everyone else.
Original post by Bornblue
The idea that there are vast amounts of lazy people abusing the benefits system because they can't be bothered to get a job is pure fabrication. Problem is people watch shows like benefit street and read the daily mail and think it's mainstream.

It's done for two reasons- to give the Tories an excuse to cut welfare and so people don't feel bad about doing so.


i've seen it myself. No reason for a perfectly fit capable human being to be on benefits for more than a year.
Original post by Bill_Gates
i've seen it myself. No reason for a perfectly fit capable human being to be on benefits for more than a year.


Except if the jobs aren't there...
There are three times more unemployed than there are jobs. Go figure.
Original post by Bornblue
Except if the jobs aren't there...
There are three times more unemployed than there are jobs. Go figure.


You can always work for yourself. In the US they start off with lemonade stands.

Go figure.
They should have a website with the name and addresses of these people.
Original post by Bill_Gates
You can always work for yourself. In the US they start off with lemonade stands.

Go figure.


Yes this country could do with another 2.5 million lemon juice stands.
Original post by SlenderManRises
They should have a website with the name and addresses of these people.


Good idea, since we pay for them.
There already is a massive stigma? Lol.

And from my experience people never brag about such things. If anything they feel embarrassed and would do anything for a job.

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