On SNAP, Your Friends, Your Neighbors, and You Being Cold as Ice

Come November 1, millions of people in the United States will see their ongoing struggle to survive and afford groceries in a disintegrating economy increase tenfold, as the federal government shutdown has ensured that no one will be receiving SNAP benefits. In a year that has already been an uphill climb up a mountain of quicksand and bramble bushes for millions of families, this is like someone at the top of said mountain throwing barrels down at you like Donkey Kong.

Now, before one of y'all chimes in with glee about people you think are "mooching off the system" and being happy that families, children, senior citizens, people with disabilities - hell, anyone - could starve and die I want you to 1) go take a long walk and call up a therapist to figure out and unpack who hurt you to the point where starvation makes you giggle like the Pillsbury doughboy, 2) prepare for your comment to be deleted as well as being added to my block list, and 3) recognize that government assistance isn't some mooching operation as you've decided to believe.

Your friends, neighbors, and colleagues who go to work every damn day are gettin' SNAP benefits too, you cold bastard. And you don't have a clue because you've proven to be someone they can't trust to care about their wellbeing so they have to keep their needs private while being made self-conscious of their need for assistance by the words and actions of people like you.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBBP) released data in January 2025 that shared the following statistics:

- In 2024, over 38% of households receiving SNAP benefits nationally included at least one working family member.
- For SNAP households with children, 55% had earned income in 2023 (2023 is the most recent data available because why do the work to keep accurate statistics on something like this?).

The CBBP also made sure to emphasize that while the percentage of households with a working family member is significant, data snapshots often undercount how many SNAP participants worked over the course of a year, as job market volatility and other factors lead many folx to cycle in and out of jobs. Studies have also shown that non-disabled working-age adults who can work do so, and many rely on SNAP only for temporary support. The CBBP also emphasized that many workers, particularly those in low-wage or service and sales jobs that are impacted by seasonal fluctuations or the health of the economy, rely on SNAP benefits to supplement their income and help afford groceries.

So instead of havin' a good laugh about the misery of others, maybe take a minute to dispel your ridiculously racist and bigoted notions of welfare and government assistance and keep your thoughts to your damn self.

If you're not going to contribute to supporting others and showing up as a empathic human being then do us all a favor and contribute to reducing noise pollution while the rest of us work our asses off to assist others in a time of crisis.

On "No Kings" and Actually Doing Something

So there was a big ol' national "No Kings" rally this past weekend. And you know what? Some respect for people who showed up, marched, made signs, and wanted to be in solidarity with like-minded people who aren't ok with *gestures wildly* EVERYTHING happening in the United States right now. You wanted to stand up and be counted among those who are against authoritarianism, hate, and oppression. Cool. But real talk? I always find myself asking people who attend these mass protests the same questions.

What organizations had a hand in organizing your local protest? Did you get information from those orgs for how you can volunteer time, money, supplies, or other resources to their causes?

How many resource guides and informational pamphlets, booklets, or flyers did you get at the rally? Have you scanned those documents in and shared them with others?

Did you leave the "No Kings" rally with some idea of how you'd like to focus your time and energy for the next few months or year? Did you leave with a clear idea of something you can dive into right now, something tangible, that you can take action with today?

Now, when I ask questions like this, of course certain people *cough* people of pallor *cough* get agitated. Evidently, I'm a hater or "not down for the cause" when I ask people what their plans are post-flashy social media-worthy rally experience. But guess what? That's the actual purpose of a protest rally, dude.

Seriously.

The purpose of a protest rally is to gather in solidarity while learning about tangible ways you can actively engage in social activism and do your part in addressing human rights issues in your community.

You know, volunteering your time and energy and putting your skills to use on particular issues in your community.

You know, ACTUAL community organizing and engagement.

You know, not just spending 10 hours on a sign that'll sit in your closet gathering dust until the next "No Kings" rally where you'll rinse and repeat with no tangible actions taken on your part to be actively engaged in pursuing change.

But OK, I guess I'm a hater for expecting substance over style.

C'est la vie.

On Chet, Sheryl, and Not Addressing Elephants Trampling Us So Y'all Can Maintain White Comfort

TW: brief mentions of sexual harassment, assault, misgendering

You want to know one of my many white supremacist workplace culture pet peeves?

When everyone on the team or in a small company gets "reprimanded" or "coached" for something that one person has said or done. And we all know who did or said the thing but we all have to pay for it more than the people doing and saying the harmful and hateful things.

I loathe being in a meeting and a supervisor wants to stress the importance of respecting people's pronouns when we all know Sheryl is the one person on the team who gleefully misgenders people and disrespects pronouns.

I abhor everyone on the team having to take the online sexual harassment training for the umpteenth time this year because, for some reason, serial sexual harasser Chet is never fully held accountable for being scum that most of us have filed complaints about until it's way too late and he physically assaults someone.

The white supremacist workplace culture's right to comfort and fear of open conflict nonsense ensures that harmful people maintain status and employment instead of being shown the door.

Making all of us redo trainings or sit through group-wide "coaching sessions" that should be meant for Chet and Sheryl alone to make it clear to them that their words or actions have consequences ensures that Sheryl and Chet will continue doing harm and keeping the toxicity of your workplace nice and elevated.

But you know, let's prioritize that comfort, civility, and collegiality until the inevitable lawsuits come, right?

This Week's Opening Thought: October 13, 2025

This week’s opening thought - a personally hand-drawn bit of energy for a country still celebrating a national holiday based on white supremacy, colonialism, racism, and revisionist history.

Today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Period. Don’t be comin’ ’round here tryin’ to shout the praises of the mediocre male of pallor who “discovered America” because, and I cannot stress this enough, you can’t discover something that was already inhabited and thriving before your colonizin’ nonsense touched its soil!

Geezus.

It’s ridiculous that we’re still discussing how we should all accept the whitewashing and gaslighting of colonialism, oppression, and murder, especially around topics we all have the facts on and have had said facts at our disposal for countless decades.

Do better.


[Image description: A middle finger surrounded by a simple wreath of roses. A banner saying “Fuck Columbus” can be seen below the hand extending the middle finger.]

Image description: A middle finger surrounded by a simple wreath of roses. A banner saying “Fuck Columbus” can be seen below the hand extending the middle finger.

On Layoffs and Not Being OK

I have spent the better part of the last four years working with folx who are being laid off or getting laid off myself.

I know how it feels to support someone who is distraught, confused, uncertain of what their future holds. I know what it feels like to talk to an entire team or division about their positions being cut because of government funding or bad business decisions. I know how deflating and infuriating it feels to work with and participate in meetings with the senior executives and directors making the layoff decisions as they discuss human beings who are going to lose their livelihoods or even communities who are going to lose vital services as dollars and decimals. I know how it feels to speak up in those meetings, to advocate for some semblance of humanity in these proceedings, and to know right then and there that you will now be a shoo-in for the next round of layoffs after they use your humanity and empathy to lay off others. I know how it feels for someone to give you barely any notice and have the audacity to give you two weeks of pay with an expression on their face that is more about their discomfort with being the messenger than it is about how this news impacts you on multiple levels. It's draining. It's frustrating.

And with the current state of the country, I don't see it getting even remotely better anytime soon.

Hundreds of thousands of people are being laid off every month. Job creation has trickled to numbers that are nowhere close to meeting demand. Heavy times are here, and they're likely going to keep getting heavier. And that means that people you know are struggling - mentally, emotionally, physically, and financially struggling - and likely feel conditioned to tell you they're OK.

They're not OK.

And it's OK for them not to be OK right now.

But it's NOT OK for you to be like, "Well, they said they're OK" and never check in again because you're uncomfortable with reality.

To expect anyone who is carrying the weight of everything on their shoulders right now plus seeking employment to "be OK" is to display a lack of connection with humanity, empathy, and reality.

I say all of this to implore you to please check in on your friends and family who have been laid off and workin' their asses off to find a job. Check in from a place of love and compassion, not with a list of questions for them or links to a bunch of positions you found on Indeed. Give them space. Hear them. See them. Feel with them. Let them know that it's OK for them to not be OK. Let them know you will help them any way you can but not hound them about it every time you connect with them. Tap into how you've felt during your roughest workplace moments, your job losses, job losses that impacted you in your family or friends circle, to be present with friends and family who have been impacted by layoffs but DO NOT make it about yourself.

Show up the right way.

The world is heavy enough without those we think care about us adding to it.