Im tired of hearing it, they say i have such an easy life, they envy me. They think living on disability beneifts is a party, that you do it voluntarily, just because you dont want to work or something.
Its not an easy life, living on disability benefits and in assisted living, i mean its not like you chose it voluntarily, you have no other choice.
Yet some people think its an easy life. Ok, but you will never be able to have a relationship/partner, never have money, never be able to afford any luxuries, or most hobbies, unless someone gives you a gift or something.
You have less privacy in assisted living facilities, you have to share most living spaces with others, a lot of them.
Sure you dont have to, cant work a normal job, sure some things are provided to you. But its like a milder version of jail. You have less rights and less freedoms than your average person.
So why do those people think its an easy and chill life, when you will never get to enjoy most things life has to offer thanks to your disability?
Why do people act like living on disability benefits and assisted living facility is some nice fancy forever vacation?
If its so easy, why dont they chop off their legs, and claim disability?
Comments
They haven’t experienced it themselves so their opinion is meaningless, its just complaining about their own life with extra steps, don’t pay it any mind
Because most people assume that if they were on disability they’d be living their same life, just with a few fewer luxuries and a lot more free time.
I agree with you, op
If i could go back and do the work I enjoyed, I’d do it starting tomorrow.
I hate not having money or socializing. It’s fucking horrible
Yeah, I’m mentally disabled and I’m thankful for my disability support and my section 8 apartment, but I’d rather not be mentally disabled. I want to work and experience all that life has to offer. Instead, I often find myself laying in bed listening to sad music and crying. At least I have peace. It’s better to be alone than wish you were. Maybe one day I’ll get a cat, if I can afford it, lol.
As others have stated, they don’t realise what ‘disability’ means. Or they have an idea that’s been presented to them by the media about ‘welfare cheats’ who faked having a disability.
Some people just… have a low opinion of people with disabilities, especially invisible ones. They don’t understand, and they never will. They have the same opinion of disability welfare as they do of unemployment: it’s just lazy people sitting around leeching off the government instead of having to go out and work a ‘real’ job. They think you just sit around all day, doing whatever you want, living a life of idle luxury.
They’re the kind of people who say their taxes shouldn’t have to pay for other people’s medical care, the kind of people who think ‘if you can walk you shouldn’t have a disabled parking space’ and who believe people who are so mentally disabled they can’t care for themselves should be euthanized.
But when it happens to them, they’ll be the exception and in fact, they should be getting more support. No one else, just them. Because they deserve it.
I know it’s difficult, but ignore them. If someone goes off at you, know that it says more about what kind of a horrible, selfish, insensitive and narcissistic person they are, and honestly, really has nothing to do you with. It’s not a commentary on you, like everything else, it’s all about them.
If I could go back to work I would. I haven’t worked since 2009 and got disability in 2013. I’ve been homeless I lived in a slum with bedbugs and roaches living off 200 a month after rent. I ended up moving back in with my ex for a year to get on my feet. Lived in income based housing for disabled and the elderly. Now I live with my fiance. Some days i basically make it from the bed to my recliner and struggle to take care of myself while he’s at work. It’s nice having the two incomes but my idea of going out for the day is a trip to the thrift shop. I know how to budget my little bit of money.
When I was a caseworker back in 2018-22, I worked primarily with those on SSDI and SNAP. We’re talking a combined income of maybe $1,200/month in benefits with no other sources of income. I was making twice that and felt like I was scraping by, I literally can’t even imagine how anyone thinks it’s an “easy” life. But people who are ignorant tend to fall into that trap where they need some scapegoat to blame all of society’s problems on and the impoverished are just an easy target.
From the outside looking in, it can look bad. A person I know is constantly posting about the takeaway meal they had, complaining about their internet connection being slow while they’re gaming on a Tuesday afternoon, buying beer and liquor and weed, chronically on socials, etc. His parents are finally kicking him out of the basement and instead of letting people help him find alternate housing, he’s running down the clock and spending all his money on consumables instead of responsibilities. You cannot tell me with a straight face that people aren’t entitled to feel some sort of way seeing that while they try to rub two pennies together to make ends meet.
But Id bet my life savings they wouldn’t trade places with him, EVER, no matter how much they might grumble about him living the “easy” life.
To answer the question, IMO, people rarely think beyond their knee jerk reaction (and that does NOT only apply to abled people) AND the “loudest” disabled are the most egregious cases. The extremists of every group are going to make the rest of the group members look bad.
It’s the same reason why middle-upper and upper class people when surveyed will always claim to be to of a much lower class.
They see what they have as the “normal”. The minimum.
They don’t have 7 cars they have 2.
They don’t have a vacation home they have a vacation cabin.
They don’t send their kids to private school they just have tutors.
So when they picture living on “disability” in their head it just means “everything they currently have” but not having go to work every day.