The Cable Bill
Posted on | September 7, 2008 | 6 Comments
I know it is the “poverty mindset”. I know it. And I’m trying not to be too angry. Still, it upsets me.
Yesterday, when I went over to J’s house, the cable was connected again. She told me that it cost $139 to get it hooked up.
I ended up taking three of the kiddos home with me yesterday. They couldn’t wait to leave the house because they were hungry. The food stamp card (EBT) comes on the 9th, and there was nothing left to eat in the house.
But, they have cable.
This is not a new discovery. In Greg’s neighborhood, I once saw a house with an orange outside extension cord running in the window because the people didn’t have electricity. You could see the glow of the television from the window.
My students cannot comprehend that I don’t have cable. When I tell them, they look at me like I am an alien. I’m not the only teacher without it, either. There’s a couple of other teachers who don’t have it, because they can’t afford it. You know, priorities. I’ll take the Internet any day over $80 of crap that is going to rot Sage’s mind.
I am coming off as holier than thou. Sorry. I do get Netflix, and am currently using it to watch all episodes of The Wire, as well as order appropriate movies for Sage.
I ended up sending a bag of food home with the kids when I dropped them off last night. I thought, “I am so enabling this.” What to do….?
After an entire day with four kids, I was absolutely exhausted. I DO get why mom sits on her butt and eats Oreos, I really do. As much as I hate to say it, I think I might do the same out of being totally and completely overwhelmed. I’m embarrassed, having walked only half a mile in the other woman’s shoes and having become tired.
Maybe the cable is saving her from total insanity. Who knows?
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6 Responses to “The Cable Bill”
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September 7th, 2008 @ 5:06 pm
I would love cable but simply can’t afford it on a teacher’s salary without giving up something major. Of course not having kids is a factor in this.
Ken Albin’s last blog post..How To Dress A Moose
September 7th, 2008 @ 6:21 pm
We have cable because we have cable internet, but my time watching TV is virtually nil. I don’t understand MANY people’s priorities or thoughts(more so as I read about certain vice-presidential candidates) but as you said, I’m not walking in their shoes. NOR do I want to!
Margaret’s last blog post..Still here
September 7th, 2008 @ 11:01 pm
As Dan Kennedy says… “Rich people have large libraries, poor people have large TV’s.”
Forget about cable, if she has 6 kids and has to rely on food stamps to feed them, she should sell her TV too!
Ankesh Kothari’s last blog post..How Napoleon Bonaparte Built an Empire
September 8th, 2008 @ 12:26 am
TV can numb people. Maybe that’s how she deals with the situation she’s in… by numbing her senses.
But yeah, got to get your priorities straight.
Kelvin Kao’s last blog post..Cool Links to Check Out (09/07/2008 edition)
September 9th, 2008 @ 6:04 pm
(Without wanting to judge, I wouldn’t feel too guilty if it *does* make you angry.)
Pacian’s last blog post..Into the Mind of the Sky Spiders: Part 11
September 25th, 2008 @ 1:37 am
I must admit that I do have cable and do watch a fair amount of TV and do sometimes not have any food in the house, but I’m a single guy living alone (well, me and the dog, but I always make sure he’s got food to eat) In my case though, the only one who suffers if I choose to skip a meal is me as I am not responsible for feeding young children who have not choice and cannot fend for themselves. Also, it’s not like I’m starving myself or malnurished, I just don’t eat as much or as healthy as I probably should.
In my opinion, the worst are:
1. People with children that need to learn to be responsible and take care of the children
2. People that worry about cable more than electricity such as in your example, there again seem irresponsible and illogical (TV don’t work without power, lights don’t work, refrigerator, microwave, etc etc)
Nick’s last blog post..Let The Frenzy Commence