iPhones and Food Stamps

I’m doing my normal afternoon-scrolling-through-social-sites to catch up with correspondence to my friends.  It’s important for me to keep up with my listeners on a daily basis because without their loyalty, I’d be playing tunes to dead air.  I normally don’t pay attention to any of the posts in my Facebook newsfeed because, even though these people were hand-picked to be my friends, the ones commenting weren’t. And, most times, the comments are ugly or idiotic.  I truly am tempted to blast these people right out of the internet water.  But I don’t.  My willpower grows stronger every day.  It’s safe to say that those commenting in either Facebook, Google+, Twitter, or YouTube would never be in my circle of acquaintances.  Mainly because I just don’t tolerate hate…for anyone or anything.  I’m of the “live and let live” concept.  If it has nothing to do with my bubble, then I’m just not going to worry about it. 

Then I came across this meme: 

My first reaction (and I actually said it in my head when I got to the period in the paragraph) was, “well, stop buying drugs with your money and you’ll be able to afford an iPhone too!”  But I didn’t relay my message because it’s just ugly.  I never said I don’t have anything ugly to say…I said I just don’t say it or like to read it.  

Let’s break this down some: 

If the person behind “food stamp girl” would put his nose back into their own business, instead of someone else’s business, then they wouldn’t be bothered enough to go home, sit on the computer, and make a meme about their angst.  There just might be a story behind why “food stamp girl” has an iPhone, and it doesn’t involve her hiding thousands of dollars under her mattress.  I have an iPhone, yet I couldn’t right out afford it.  It was part of the job at the time.  Once the job was over, I got to keep the iPhone.  I have since Jailbroken it and lowered the bill from $140 a month to $60.  It’s not one of the newer iPhones.  It’s a 3GS.  It works just as well.  The only problem is that I can’t use half the snazzy new apps that have come out recently.  That’s fine by me.  I use the iPhone to actually make phone calls.  GASP!  I know.  How caveman-like.  

The person who made this meme doesn’t know what “food stamp girl” is going through in her life.  Maybe she lost her job.  Maybe she has a debilitating disease that keeps her from a gainful income.  Maybe she’s the single mother of three kids who left her abusive husband whose nose is always where it doesn’t belong.  There’s a trillion reasons this girl could be on foodstamps, but you know what?  It’s none of anyone’s business but hers and the Federal Government.  Unless, of course, you’re willing to pay her bills and buy her groceries for her.  

What a better world this would be if people kept their nose (and opinions) in their own kitchen instead of worrying about what is in everyone else’s.