Benefits street

[viagrafalls]

Anyone watching ?

[BornandBred]

Smoggy had his not so good times in the past too but at least for one of the participants it looks as though this experience may have paid off:

www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/benefits-street-50p-man-offered-6477855

[moondog]

Interesting points Peking and yes, despite it being rather sordid, there was a sense of neighbourliness that seems sadly lacking in many places.
Loved the 50p guy. Hope he has indeed found a job.

[handcream]

Peking - I really dont think blaming the 'system' for the situation they are in is correct. They are relying on the 'system' to pay for their lifestyle choices. Surely they arent silly enough to not recognise that working will give them some money without relying on others to support them.


Or maybe they just havent realised....

[peking]

But handcream, there could be any number of reasons why they're unemployed and reliant on benefits, apart from just actively wanting to "rely on others to support them".

Fungi, for example, was clearly emotionally damaged from his childhood abuse and I would bet he never received professional support for this, but just turned to drink/drugs at an early age as a coping mechanism.

He is clearly unemployable in his current mental state but what does the system do? Chuck a paltry amount of incapacity benefit at him every fortnight instead of getting him the support he needs to make him feel like a functioning member of society again.

The only "society" he respects consists of the street that just reinforces his behaviour. The system doesn't really show that they care about people like him, so why should he care about supporting it.

[hickorychicken]

That ginger bird has nothing to whinge about regarding them stopping her money, she was openly laughing about commiting benefit fraud until she got caught...its the poor kids who will suffer unfortunately. They are living on £30 a week apparently then what channel 4 are paying them but can still buy tobacco.... priorities eh.
I think c4 have edited this badly though. Not all claiments are like this.
I dont like white dee i think shes minipulitive and thinks shes above everyone else on that road. I love how fungi was "gutted" that his mate got nicked...noooo he was gutted because the mate was making decent money and buying his crack! I felt sorry for fungi until he did the big issue scam and when a lady bought one walked off pulling a face as if to call her a mug.

[peking]

It's the customer's fault for buying "Big Issues" from an unlicensed seller. Everyone knows to look out for the vest and badge, I thought!

If Big Dee's main sense of identity is being a mum to others on the street, and it makes her feel worthy doing so, then who are we to call her?

Honestly I think people who are condemning the people on this show are really lacking understanding and empathy of those whose identities are not shaped in the most "respectable" fashion, and feel forced to make do with what little they have.

[hickorychicken]

Its the customers fault for being conned... brilliant.

[rpitchfo]

there's a difference between a lack of empathy and asking people to take personal responsibility of their own life.

[peking]

It isn't responsible of the customers giving away their money like that, though. They can't complain if they didn't check he had a vest/badge and if they decide to give their money knowing full well it may be spent on drink, then that's their look-out.

The saddest thing I felt about the programme was the undercurrent of lack of power and direction these people felt they had. By being dependent on benefits, they really didn't feel like they could help themselves. No wonder they appeared so proud of how they could make the most of it (i.e. 'fiddling' the system). That is the only aspect over which they felt they had some control.

I would think that everyone, condemning of these people or not, can admit that it's harder for some people than others to take "personal responsibility" of their lives. Fungi is a case in point - do we really expect him to clean up without outside intervention?

[hickorychicken]

Its just a circle of shit, if fungi made the steps to get himself clean i can imagine it wouldnt be long before one of his "friends" dragged him back in again.
I think its sad that they see all this as normality because thats all they ever see. 50p guy was brilliant though

[checkmates]

Lovelepard Yes, I think channel 4 TV made risky mistakes with their programme, Next weeks episode will be interesting

[hickorychicken]

Its not risky mistakes its intently controversial. Channel 4 know exactly what they are doing, the hype its getting will boost the ratings immensely.

[peking]

It's annoying seeing what effect this programme has among my right-wing friends on social media who are blasting their outrage against people on benefits in general.

Next week I'll see the same people being racist, I suppose.

[hickorychicken]

Its not the fact they claim benefits that will get some peoples backs up, its the shitty atitudes....black dee was trying to sort out her rent arrears and the attitude with the landlord at the door and on the phone was astonishing! Like its their fault....!

[Squidwardtenticles]

Totally agree with Hickory.

[NanaNina]

I am heartened that many posters are perceiving this programme for what it was - propaganda - pure and simple. Shame on Channel 4. I won't repeat what others have said other than to agree that this programme will pander to the DM readers the length and breadth of the country.

It was cunningly edited so that cans of booze were shown and white Dee never without a fag on.........and a couple who had been done for benefit fraud, even a glimpse of a plasma TV ......... the vast majority of claimants of welfare benefits are people in work which is so low paid (or they are only allowed a few hours work - zero hours contracts) that they need benefits to make anything like a living wage.

The people shown in the programme are in the minority.

The thing that bugs me most is that when it's those at the "top of the tree" MPs who are fiddling their expenses for thousands and thousands of pounds (not a few quid here and there) then they are allowed to pay it back as it was an "oversight" or a genuine mistake, and no more is said. OK a few have gone to prison but not nearly enough of them.

What about all the companies that are evading paying taxes, putting their money into offshore accounts etc etc and this is BIG money - billions, not £50 on JSA. Let's have some programmes about those fiddling large amounts of money. Strange how people seem largely unconcerned about those issues and prefer instead to bash people in receipt of paltry benefits.

I have spent 30 years of my working life as a social worker, working with the most disadvantaged and deprived sections of our society. I have met many Fungis and black Dees etc etc and let me tell you, these people have had the odds stacked against them since the minute they were born. They didn't choose this type of life. They were never given any opportunity - their parents had to scrape by as best they could, and yes maybe some committing offences here and there to try to buy themselves just a tiny bit of what better-off people have.

It's called the cycle of deprivation and no politician has known how to break into it, and there isn't a way, not while ever we live in a society that punishes the most vulnerable in our society. And the people we saw on the TV programme were vulnerable - ok they might come over as a bit cocky and so on, but that's bravado - most of them know that they are seen as the "dregs" of society, and so they come over a bit hard, but underneath they're vulnerable. So they take drugs - they are buying themselves a few hours of oblivion from the grinding poverty they endure day in and day out.

There has always been a safety net of sorts for these vulnerable, deprived people but with this cruel coalition that safety net has huge holes in it, and those holes are going to get bigger and people will fall straight through the net, and then we will be back to where we were in the 1890s with the Poor Law. A shocking indictment for this govt but they care not - they are filthy right - why should they care about the Fungis of this world.

[NanaNina]

Oh Hickory just seen your post about "black Dee's attitude. Don't you realise that she is unable to be reasonable and rational cus no one has every taught her how to be - we learn those things from our parents. She didn't - and she's not "bolshie" - she's scared but that's the only way she knows of dealing with her fear.

Oh gawd it worked a treat that bloody programme didn't it. Again Shame on Channel 4.

[hickorychicken]

I grew up in the same sort of place and i dont speak to people like that....

[peking]

Hear Hear NanaNina. That word "bravado" is exactly the word I was searching for to describe what others may have perceived as a "bad attitude".

[peking]

Neither do I, hickorychicken. I don't expect some kind of award for being aspirational, nor do I criticise those who aren't in the position or don't want the kind of lifestyle we enjoy.

Again I ask, don't you recognise that it's much harder for some people to break out of the deprivation cycle than others? e.g. the difference between me and the girl I used to play out with down the road who ended up as a prostitute and on drugs is that my parents looked out for me and taught me to read. Not because I have some kind of inherent quality that made me socially respectable.

[hickorychicken]

Why do people feel the need to make excuses for everyone in a shit situation? I know that most claiments are not like that but lots are. Some people (some not all) make bad decisions so are put in bad situations.

[peking]

And so we should just leave them to rot?

[hickorychicken]

Yes we should stop all claims and let them all freeze and starve.
Wtf... why twist what i am trying to say.
Some people need to take responsibility for there own lives.

[peking]

But my point is they won't take proactive steps while all they see is the system taking away their livelihoods and, they think, their future choices in life. All they see is obstacles in their way until eventually they just give up. And I don't blame them for making the wrong decisions that led them to grinding poverty. Who would want that?

The Government is merely cutting benefits to look good to their trusty Middle England voters and create a scapegoat (wouldn't surprise me if they were funding the Daily Mail in some way). Nothing to do with the economy. If they really wanted to improve the economy, they would cut pensions, but of course they can't.

And if the Government really wanted to help these people, they would create some kind of attractive incentives to encourage them to look for work. Not punish them for not doing so.