Benefit hatred is out of control.

[carernotasaint]

www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/owen-jones-hatred-of-those-on-benefits-is-dangerously-out-of-control-7763793.html

Actually Poulay a MNer was recently verbally abused in a supermarket, very specifically told she was "a scrounger", drain on society, should have her children taken away, etc.

The abuser was a stranger and the entire attack was based on the fact she could see the MNer was ill (had an epileptic episode and spilt some water).

So I'd say benefit hatred was alive and well.

I don't quite know what happened there SerialKipper, but disabled people have been suffering abuse for a long time, I don't think Fiona Pilkington killed herself because of 'benefits hatred'.

www.mencap.org.uk/news/article/police-failings-fiona-pilkington-case
www.ipcc.gov.uk/news/Pages/pr_240511_pilkington.aspx

In fact the prime abusers lived in a council house, and even after the death, eviction proceedings were allowed to elapse:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1216065/Fiona-Pilkington-How-police-council-left-feral-families-terrorise-mother-disabled-daughter.html

They just picked on them because they were disabled, they were easy targets, and because they were - and are - completely untouchable, thanks to their entrenched position within the benefits sytem.

If I got caught by the police with a couple of spliffs, that completely could destroy my career. A family like that? What do they have to lose? Absolutely fuck all.

The trouble is that "benefits scroungers" is being used as an umbrella term to cover anyone on longterm benefits, not just those who are actively workshy, but those who would be unable to achieve sufficient income to live on if they worked, those who are on DLA etc. So, the disabled community are suffering more because they are "easy targets" in many cases, more obviously likely to be in need of Govt assistance because of their disability and therefore focused targets for the general attitude against "benefit scroungers".

It's not just one or two journalists - there are many articles about the increases in hatred towards benefit claimants; even the occasional MP is recognising that the government's own language is helping to incite this and has asked for it to be changed www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jul/24/welfare-policy-incites-hatred-disabled - more focused again on the visibly disabled as an obvious target - but language from the top tiers of Govt gets filtered down and given gravitas - it needs to stop.

A LOT of people are a LOT more stupid than we give them credit for and do believe everything they read in their paper, whichever one it is (Tabloid rag or broadsheet with political agenda) - and people with narrow thinking and bigoted views are the ones most likely to be guilty of the hatred.

SerialKipper, how did this stranger know the MNer was on benefits?

"I have never heard of any violence being perpetrated against people because they are on benefits."

My husband was attacked a couple of years ago by a man who had seen us around the village, and assumed that as we were able to go to the local shop during work hours that we must be on benefits. So he attacked DH while yelling at him for being dole scum and taking his "hard earned taxes".

That seems rather odd.Lots of people go shopping in daylight hours.

Oh DLA is not an out of work Benefit

And let's remember DC claimed DLA for his son and he sure as hell did not need the extra £400 a month

Disability hate crime has soared since the media became obsessed with reporting fraudulent disability claims.

Considering the fraud rate for DLA is 0.5%, I think its fair to say this is irresponsible reporting, and misleading too as it creates the impression fraud is rife

FrothyOM: I'm interested in that - where does one find the stats on disability hate crimes, and when do you date the media obsession from?

Re: Phillip Green - Rich people who stand by and watch this country bought to its knees during a recession and still carry on paying as little tax as they legally can are unpatriotic and selfish.

You do what you CAN.

Most rich people piss their money away on shite - witness the embarrassment of Petra Ecclestone's lifestyle.

There is no moral justification for pissing huge amounts of money away on bollox (unless it's bollux made in the UK ) while your country suffers.

Has Carole Malone responded to any of the criticism of her phrase 'an accident waiting to happen'?

I'd love to know what made her say that - I cannot think of any justification for it at all. Apart from the fact that it was extremely crass and insensitive to bring the Philpotts' alternative lifestyle choices into a discussion about the tragic deaths of their children, it clearly wasn't an accident.

I think Owen Jones was completely wrong to make assumptions about the motive for the arson attack. Not only was he wrong to speculate publicly and use those children as pawns in his political point scoring game, but I think his speculation about motive being one of benefits hatred was probably way off track anyway. There will be some personal vendetta at the root of this, not a political one.

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/16/disabled-hate-crime-government-benefits

QueenEdith The article above has a good summary

I speak as someone on benefits (health reasons). I don't like it really, and I don't expect other people to "like" it, its just the way it is. Most people who are validly obtaining benefits would rather work and feel grateful to receive these benefits from Society, I certainly do.

However, I think some of the increased dislike of benefits is due to the vocal minority who do abuse them, who are healthy and able, but have never worked and yet (for example) get a council flat/house for life!

Whether we like it or not, things had to change. Unfortunately, people who are genuine and responsible are also suffering with some of these changes but I cannot think of a way round that .

A civilised society looks after the old and the frail and the disabled and the children. End of.
Bankers bonuses are not the issue. The issue is does this society want to look after the less able or not?

FrothyOM I don't see anything in that article that suggests 'benefit hatred' has increased disability hate crime.

It says

"According to a ComRes, some 47% of disabled people surveyed said that attitudes towards them have worsened over the past year while 66% claimed that they had experienced "aggression, hostility or name-calling"

Sorry, pressed submit early, continuing....

The actual survey says www.comres.co.uk/poll/8/scope-discrimination-survey-15-may-2011.htm

"More than a third (37%) said people?s attitudes towards them have got worse over the past year."

So, not 47%, but 37%. Quite a major error to make.

And even then, a rather leading question.

You could ask any kind of leading question and get people saying yes.

Everyone involved has an agenda.

Thanks for the link. It really brings it home how long lasting this problem is (as it cites cases going back well over a decade) and reminds us of everything that happened in 2008 when ESA was introduced, plus highlights how the same problems are encountered in other countries too. A dreadful picture.

No, I think BOTH people who falsify benefit claims and people who falsify tax forms are equally dishonest

Who was talking about benefit fraud though?

The article linked was in relation to benefit claimants not fraudsters!

I think hatred of benefit claimants is alive and kicking.

"That seems rather odd.Lots of people go shopping in daylight hours."

Well quite. It wasn't logical at all, but still, this man obviously thought that those on benefits were deserving of violence.

" 66% claimed that they had experienced "aggression, hostility or name-calling""

seems to be falsely reported by The Grauniad also.

The survey says 41%.

And that not only in the last year.

So it's OK if it's 'only' 41%, is it? Rubbish. Six children have died, very probably because people on benefits are demonised by the media, encouraged by government. Hatred of people on benefits is real and has a devastating effect on people. The government has a responsibility to change their fecking tune.

"SerialKipper, how did this stranger know the MNer was on benefits?"

Exactly. She didn't. (IIUC)

She saw the MNer being ill, assumed she was receiving benefits and started to abuse her.

And not in the normal disability-hatred terms either (which I won't repeat here), but in financial terms which could have come straight from the Daily Mail.

As Thumbwitch says, a lot of people are a lot more stupid than we give them credit for. Repetition of the same message works to some extent, no matter how dumb the message - the advertising industry knows this well!

Have not read the whole thread, but surely to rasie the issue of Benefits hatred ( which clearly does exist as people on this thread have experienced it) is not to condone it, but to say - look here it is what do we do about it. So to be charitaable, maybe CM was saying look at what that can lead to - an inevitable dreadful consequence - dead children - if the hatred issue is not addressed?

Thats very charitable MrsGuy!

Carole Malone is not that nice she is a cunt

Sorry, the point being that "disability" has become associated with "scrounger", by people who keep hearing the words together without thinking about it.