Barbara Ehrenreich: Poor Accept Indignity
on Wednesday, August 8, 2018Barbara Ehrenreich Money Quote saying the poor are subjected to horrifying treatment by society while they live in poverty. Barbara Ehrenreich said:
“To live in poverty is to live with constant uncertainty, to accept galling indignities, and to expect harassment by the police, welfare officials and employers, as well as by others who are poor and desperate” — Barbara Ehrenreich
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In this quote, writer and political activist Barbara Ehrenreich is describing some of the difficult realities and hardships of living in poverty based on her own experience. She notes that being poor means enduring “constant uncertainty” about basic needs like food, housing and healthcare from day to day.
It also involves having to accept “galling indignities”, or humiliating and degrading treatment from others. Additionally, Ehrenreich suggests that those in poverty often face “harassment” not only from authorities like police and welfare officials, but also from other poor individuals who are struggling and desperate themselves.
The overall interpretation is that Ehrenreich aims to convey poverty as a life of constant stress, lack of dignity and threat of mistreatment due to one’s socioeconomic circumstances according to her first-hand account.