The Welfare Stigma

The movie we watched on Thursday exposed a reality that is unknown to many people.  Welfare is something that is all around us and very prevalent in todays society.  Medicaid, pension funds, and social security are all examples of welfare and many individuals do not consider these forms as welfare.  There is a very negative stigma associated with welfare and it comes along from individuals like the mom portrayed in the movie.  The video showed a mother who was not making an effort to acquire and hold a job in order to benefit her family.  The video focused on the family who had just lost their son and the burden the daughter felt to help her family thrive.  

Many people take advantage of the welfare system and is one of the reasons why there is such a negative stigma that comes along with the word welfare.  Upon hearing the word welfare, many people associate the words poor and needy with the term.  Much of the reason these terms are associated with welfare are because of the individuals like the mother who got used to all the government aid and believed she could survive of the help.  Many welfare recipients have this mentality. 

The welfare system in the United States is a good one if used properly.  There are many individuals on welfare who do not take advantage of the system and it benefits these individuals in a great way.  Many people have access to the tools and resources that they need to succeed because of these government programs. Yet, the stigma of poor and freeloading still come to mind because many individuals do abuse the system.  The welfare system in the United States has the potential to be a great one if regulation is increased. 

I believe that in order to have a successful welfare system in the United States many policies have to be instated.  Drug testing, background checks, and a success plan are all things I believe would be a beneficial contribution to the system in place.  Drug tests would insure that the money being granted to individuals would be spent on necessities instead of drugs.  The reason I believe this would be beneficial is because many people believe a lot of the welfare money is being spent on drugs and things of that sort.  It would regain the confidence of many individuals who believe they are working in order to support other people. 

Background checks are another aspect that would be beneficial to the welfare system.  These background checks would not serve as a barrier to prevent individuals from gaining welfare, but as an aid for the government.  By knowing which individuals have a past that could possibly affect their use of the welfare, the government would be able to monitor these individuals and their use of the welfare.

 Lastly, I believe that some sort of success plan should be in order when individuals start their track on welfare.  The Illinois Department of Employment Security has a plan in order when individuals file for Unemployment Insurance they have to provide proof that they are actively looking for a job or else their unemployment insurance gets taken away after a certain amount of time.  If some sort of plan was put in place to help individuals grow out of requiring welfare, I feel as if our welfare and poverty rates would decrease.  For example, if an individual applies for welfare and does not have a job, they should be required to have to find and hold a job in order to continue their benefits. 

The welfare system we have in place now is not a bad one and being on welfare should not have a negative stigma attached to it.  Many individuals benefit greatly from the system and are doing their best to do with what they have.  Everyone has different situations and many individuals feel ashamed to admit that they are on welfare because of the thoughts that come along with it.  In the movie, the daughter was embarrassed to admit that her family was on welfare.  The feelings of shame should not be felt, instead one should accept that their family is in the situation that it is in and strive to better their situation.

Personally, I know many people on welfare that are doing the best they can to better the situations that they are in.  Often times, the situations that lands individuals with the need for welfare is one that is out of their control.  For example, my girlfriend’s aunt was placed in a situation where she went from having everything, to being a single mom.  She had never worked a day in her life and does not know how to drive.  This made it near impossible for her to find a job and provide for her three children.  She relied on welfare to help feed her children while she found a job that she could walk too.  She found a job but even then it was hard for her to provide for all of her children and welfare was there to ensure they got fed.

Ultimately, welfare in this country is known as a negative thing when it should not be.  The welfare system we have in place is a great one if used properly.  Increased regulation of the current system would allow for welfare to go to those who truly need it.