MANSFIELD: Pimping the Poor

By Mansfield Frazier

One sure way to tell the electioneering season is hard upon us is that old trite, cheap political stunts are once again dusted off, trotted out, and put into play to curry favor with voters. While both parties are not above engaging in practices that virtually yell to the electorate that some politicians think they have oatmeal for brains, the stunt in question is exclusively the domain of the liberals and progressives.

I’m talking about politicians that attempt to demonstrate their affinity for — and solidarity with — poor folks by vowing to live on a buck-seventy-five a day (or whatever the bare minimum substance amount happens to be at the time) for a week. In this manner they’ll somehow — supposedly — gain a better understanding about (and insight into) what it feels like to be flat broke, busted, and destitute in America. Bullshit.

In fact, total bullshit. At the end of the week — or whatever designated period of time they feel works best to convince voters of their sincerity — they’re most likely go right back to dining on filet mignon, lobster tails … or whatever other kinds of delicacies that strikes their fancy … and during the entire week, while they’re supposedly suffering pangs of hunger and desperation, they also know it’s only a temporary condition they’re in … for a finite period of time.

They’re only engaging in temporary make believe, secure in the knowledge that no matter how painful or traumatizing their self-inflicted ordeal happens to be it will soon end … unlike the situation for many food-insecure Americans who have to constantly wonder from day-to-day where their next meal is coming from, and often times live in such a penurious condition for years, even decades.

While accusing these politicos of pimping the poor for political advantage — to gain favor with voters — might be too harsh a term … it’s not too harsh by all that much.

They really need to cut this kind putrid political gamesmanship out.

 

From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.com.

 

 

 

 

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