First of all, it's amazing that she's speaking out like that. And it must have been so frustrating for her to be such a hard worker and get NO break from the government whatsoever, as well as dealing with absolute BS social backlash.
Second of all, I absolutely LOATHE the conservative manifesto that claims single mothers are immoral, and the fact that they support fiscal measures intended to give them "incentive" to marry. Fuck them with a rusty spoon.
get NO break from the government whatsoever, as well as dealing with absolute BS social backlash.
Well, she did get breaks from the government in the sense that they WERE helping her pay her bills until she was able to by herself, but the BS social backlash is terrible.
I absolutely LOATHE the conservative manifesto that claims single mothers are immoral, and the fact that they support fiscal measures intended to give them "incentive" to marry. Fuck them with a rusty spoon.
I can get behind everything she just said. My mother lived on cigarettes and vitamin pills so that I could eat, pay rent and have my hospital bills paid for as well as the solicitor for the divorce, and put herself through Natural Medicine degree so she had a half a thought on what the Doctors were saying to her about my health (which was another problem, and law suit aside). I cannot remember how many times we were in the back of the car, or we played 'castles' when there was no electricity/hot water. Not that she didn't try to get a job, but I at the time everyone thought my illness was terminal and some days I couldn't get out of bed, she couldn't live a four year old alone. Did we get any help? Nada, for a lot of the same problem as Rowling. Admittedly the Australian demographic tends to view it more of a 'Aussie Battler' thing. There is a lot to said for a countries Mythos that is built up from a penal colony, it tends to be more sympathetic to those in hard situations But there was a decidedly male bias in the courts and other systems. Sure there was a pension, but that was it and the government tried to take that away as well. Fuck that. We would still be in the same position if my mother hadn't re-married. :/ She couldn't beat it, in the end. Not that my step-father isn't a wonderful man. I mean he paid of Mum's debt no questions asked.
Rowling's words fill me with so much pride and anger at these fucked systems. I am glad she found a way around it.
So am I, food is a pretty nice thing to have. /lulzangst XD
I know. I grew up around some really unfortunate people. A lot of them would never be so lucky as us. One day though, something will be done about it D
A little while back when I was going to physical therapy, and I was talking with my therapist while she worked, and when I mentioned that I like to write, she said that she admired Stephanie Meyer for her ambition and ability to write while being a stay-at-home mom. I told her that I admired J.K. Rowling more, because of what she has overcome. I have hard enough time writing as it is, and yet J.K. was able to start writing and outlining her books while supporting a young child on her own. I hear these stories about her and I often think: "Omg, J.K. when did you sleep?" (I had a very hard time trying not sound like I was marginalizing Meyer's accomplishments. Just because I don't like her series doesn't make what she accomplished any less impressive. And this therapist was mostly a stay-at-home mom who worked part-time to get her out of the house, so I could see how Meyer was an inspiration to her.)
It always infuriates me when a political party tries to marginalize a group of people like this by seeing the few who do abuse the system as everyone. It's like the radicals in a religion - you're going to hear about them because they're making the most noise, not minding their own business like the normal people. Yes there is sometimes abuse of the system and yes the system needs reform but it doesn't mean they are all villains.
I am so glad that J.K. has stuck to her values even as her situation has changed. She mentioned in there that she did get married again, but it's great to see that she didn't need to do that to succeed. She made her money on her own, and she married because she wanted to, not because she felt forced to.
Yeah, I always play nice when Meyer pops up in real life conversations (which she does a lot since Forks is 2.5 hours away and she own a home 20 minutes from my house) but I HATE SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT TWILIGHT AND TWILIGHT VAMPIRES CHOOSE TO BE.
Yes there is sometimes abuse of the system and yes the system needs reform but it doesn't mean they are all villains.
Exactly. And I'm not surprised at all the Rowling is sticking up for her roots; she's consistently supported social justice and children and fandom since the beginning.
I read that a while back and it reminded me of the struggles my own mother had to go through by herself so that my brother and I could have a roof over our heads and food on the table. It's awful how people who need government assistance are demonized for actually needing help. It's not surprising that the people who go on about how people on government assistance have the "easy life" have never actually been on it, are mainly middle class or rich people.
Rowling managed to make it through that though. I'm glad that she wrote this and that I got the opportunity to read it again (even if I'm not completely familiar with British politics).
I'm afraid I don't know enough about british politics to say something clever in response... but yeah, these do not sound like people I want in power ANYWHERE.
AMAZING ARTICLE! I must say I only skirt the edges of HP fandom right now, but I've always liked JK Rowling. But NOW I have mad crazy admiration and respect for her as well. This was a perfect read.
That's an interesting read; my parents got divorced a *long* time ago and my mother finished raising four of us on her own. It sounds like my mom (and this could be because of the requirements of the state that I live in, which is very middle of the country America and NOT Great Britain) got more state required financial aid from my father until each of us was 18 than Rowling received from her ex-husband.
However, while I live in the burbs, I'm not that far from two much larger cities, both of which as always in the bottom 12 rankings in the country.
A friend of mine from work recently had a beautiful baby girl out of wedlock (IMO because her boyfriend is an immature asshole who didn't want to get married because he'd rather play house with my friend w/o being "tied down" whatever bullsh*t).
Anyways WIC was admittedly *really* helpful for the most part during my friend's pregnancy, but she saw A LOT every time she went in, due to it's city location. Other women in the waiting room flat out *told her* they were having baby five or six because they got more added up benefits that way.
After her daughter was born (emergency c-section, baby's heart almost stopped -> extra recovery time for my friend AND a TON of extra expenses) and my friend could walk again/hold things that weighed more than 10 lbs (doctor's orders), she went in for a final check-up with WIC before she returned to work.
And the lady working there essentially told my friend she was STUPID for wanting to work when she could stay home and still receive money from the government. (Which is OMG WTF lady grrrrr.)
Previous to this, my friend didn't really care one way or another about politics- she kind of politely lets me rant when I need to because she's awesome like that- but that pissed her off. She's had a job (or more than one at a time) since she was legally old enough to work, and being exposed to people that are milking the system made her angry after she's worked so hard for so long. (Grant it, her mother also watches the baby while my friend/her boyfriend are at work, but still.)
Another family I know is considering adopting their third child this fall, and the baby in this situation would be coming to them from a family that the grandmother is in her late 20's and already has eight children (she's also pregnant again) and the mother is in her middle teens and this is her SECOND baby.
POINT BEING, things definitely need to get tightened somewhere, because there is a system that is NOT WORKING the way it should here.
PEOPLE THAT NEED HELP SHOULD BE HELPED, but everyone else should not be allowed to take advantage. Again, some of this *may* be geographical, but it's still shockingly BAD.
PS- I once worked with a guy who quit work BECAUSE THEN HE WAS NOT REQUIRED TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT IF HE WASN'T GETTING A PAY CHECK. What is WRONG with people?! I don't care how much you dislike your ex, this is your CHILD in question here, and that is unacceptable.
Yeah, I am not going to argue that our system is anything close to perfect or that it shouldn't be changed or that people DON'T take advantage of it.
But as you said, people who need help should be helped, and to cut them off because some people abuse the system is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
PS- I once worked with a guy who quit work BECAUSE THEN HE WAS NOT REQUIRED TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT IF HE WASN'T GETTING A PAY CHECK. What is WRONG with people?! I don't care how much you dislike your ex, this is your CHILD in question here, and that is unacceptable.
It is unacceptable and yet, I'm not surprised AT ALL.
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Second of all, I absolutely LOATHE the conservative manifesto that claims single mothers are immoral, and the fact that they support fiscal measures intended to give them "incentive" to marry. Fuck them with a rusty spoon.
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Well, she did get breaks from the government in the sense that they WERE helping her pay her bills until she was able to by herself, but the BS social backlash is terrible.
I absolutely LOATHE the conservative manifesto that claims single mothers are immoral, and the fact that they support fiscal measures intended to give them "incentive" to marry. Fuck them with a rusty spoon.
*raises fist*
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There is a lot to said for a countries Mythos that is built up from a penal colony, it tends to be more sympathetic to those in hard situationsBut there was a decidedly male bias in the courts and other systems. Sure there was a pension, but that was it and the government tried to take that away as well. Fuck that. We would still be in the same position if my mother hadn't re-married. :/ She couldn't beat it, in the end. Not that my step-father isn't a wonderful man. I mean he paid of Mum's debt no questions asked.Rowling's words fill me with so much pride and anger at these fucked systems. I am glad she found a way around it.
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I know. I grew up around some really unfortunate people. A lot of them would never be so lucky as us. One day though, something will be done about it D
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It always infuriates me when a political party tries to marginalize a group of people like this by seeing the few who do abuse the system as everyone. It's like the radicals in a religion - you're going to hear about them because they're making the most noise, not minding their own business like the normal people. Yes there is sometimes abuse of the system and yes the system needs reform but it doesn't mean they are all villains.
I am so glad that J.K. has stuck to her values even as her situation has changed. She mentioned in there that she did get married again, but it's great to see that she didn't need to do that to succeed. She made her money on her own, and she married because she wanted to, not because she felt forced to.
Thanks for linking this!
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Yes there is sometimes abuse of the system and yes the system needs reform but it doesn't mean they are all villains.
Exactly. And I'm not surprised at all the Rowling is sticking up for her roots; she's consistently supported social justice and children and fandom since the beginning.
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Rowling managed to make it through that though. I'm glad that she wrote this and that I got the opportunity to read it again (even if I'm not completely familiar with British politics).
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Agreed. And it's NO coincidence that the people who complain about it have never needed it.
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Jar of worms opened, check
However, while I live in the burbs, I'm not that far from two much larger cities, both of which as always in the bottom 12 rankings in the country.
A friend of mine from work recently had a beautiful baby girl out of wedlock (IMO because her boyfriend is an immature asshole who didn't want to get married because he'd rather play house with my friend w/o being "tied down" whatever bullsh*t).
Anyways WIC was admittedly *really* helpful for the most part during my friend's pregnancy, but she saw A LOT every time she went in, due to it's city location. Other women in the waiting room flat out *told her* they were having baby five or six because they got more added up benefits that way.
After her daughter was born (emergency c-section, baby's heart almost stopped -> extra recovery time for my friend AND a TON of extra expenses) and my friend could walk again/hold things that weighed more than 10 lbs (doctor's orders), she went in for a final check-up with WIC before she returned to work.
And the lady working there essentially told my friend she was STUPID for wanting to work when she could stay home and still receive money from the government. (Which is OMG WTF lady grrrrr.)
Previous to this, my friend didn't really care one way or another about politics- she kind of politely lets me rant when I need to because she's awesome like that- but that pissed her off. She's had a job (or more than one at a time) since she was legally old enough to work, and being exposed to people that are milking the system made her angry after she's worked so hard for so long. (Grant it, her mother also watches the baby while my friend/her boyfriend are at work, but still.)
Another family I know is considering adopting their third child this fall, and the baby in this situation would be coming to them from a family that the grandmother is in her late 20's and already has eight children (she's also pregnant again) and the mother is in her middle teens and this is her SECOND baby.
POINT BEING, things definitely need to get tightened somewhere, because there is a system that is NOT WORKING the way it should here.
PEOPLE THAT NEED HELP SHOULD BE HELPED, but everyone else should not be allowed to take advantage. Again, some of this *may* be geographical, but it's still shockingly BAD.
PS- I once worked with a guy who quit work BECAUSE THEN HE WAS NOT REQUIRED TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT IF HE WASN'T GETTING A PAY CHECK. What is WRONG with people?! I don't care how much you dislike your ex, this is your CHILD in question here, and that is unacceptable.
Re: Jar of worms opened, check
Yeah, I am not going to argue that our system is anything close to perfect or that it shouldn't be changed or that people DON'T take advantage of it.
But as you said, people who need help should be helped, and to cut them off because some people abuse the system is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
PS- I once worked with a guy who quit work BECAUSE THEN HE WAS NOT REQUIRED TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT IF HE WASN'T GETTING A PAY CHECK. What is WRONG with people?! I don't care how much you dislike your ex, this is your CHILD in question here, and that is unacceptable.
It is unacceptable and yet, I'm not surprised AT ALL.