Can anyone tell me what the point of this story is besides poverty porn?

I was going to take some potshots at the article but, frankly, there's something about the tone of it that puts me on edge.  To start with, I most certainly hope that the reporter got permission from the people whose names are given to use their names and reveal to the world their financial straits.  Then there's the details about the woman looking for work, such as her clothing, etc., that I assume are meant to be evocative of a woman dressing up to look for a job.  But there's a tenor to it of "Oi!  Look at the female Pooricus Southern Workeramus as she goes about her ritual preparations".  Maybe that's just me.

I must say, I'm stunned that it's being presented in the timeline manner used.  There's no Bush bashing.  And the comments the main figure of the article makes about the tea party are, pretty much, exactly what you'd expect from a woman who is an Obama supporter.  Sure, I don't agree with her, but she's fully free to express her opinion.  Besides, it's quite revealing of her mindset.

I simply can't figure out the *point*.  Yes, times are hard.  Yes, rural communities are hit harder.  Yes, people struggle to make ends meet.  It's simply that this seems like a way for more affluent readers of the WaPo to get a frission of "oh those poor dears".  And that pisses me off.  It certainly seems as if the people involved are struggling to do the best they can in their circumstances.  Their lives are not my amusement.  Look, I've been in that position, I've had to decide which will be turned off first, the electric or the phone.  I most certainly would not want anyone using that portion of my life to prove some kind of oblique point or to make people feel pity for me. 

Or maybe I'm just pissy because it's hot and I'm still coming off a migraine.  But there's just *something* about that article that makes me feel as if the writer was trying to hold up the dignity of the poor or some such and instead did quite the opposite.  

Posted by: alexthechick at 09:58 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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