I was listening to Jeremy Vine this afternoon and he was discussing that that many people have turned to stealing as they cannot afford basic food/drink items such as bread, milk and pasta. What does everyone think about it, should they be punished in the same way as the average criminal?
I wanna hear your views
Have you ever confused a dream with life? Or stolen something when you have the cash? Have you ever been blue? Or thought your train moving while sitting still? Maybe I was just crazy. Maybe it was the 60's. Or maybe I was just a girl... interrupted.
I know what it's like to want to die. How it hurts to smile. How you try to fit in but you can't. How you hurt yourself on the outside to try to kill the thing on the inside. I tried groups, didn't work out just made my depression a lot worse.
there've been times when i have thought about stealing for not because i want to but because I am skint and the amount i get on benefits (esa) barely gets me through the months. But thank god, I have seen sense and stolen food to date. But you can see a mother's frustration if she has no money and all the money she goes on basic essentials such as heating, water, rent and then if you have other people to feed such as children it can leave a mother feeling hopeless not knowing what to do.
Have you ever confused a dream with life? Or stolen something when you have the cash? Have you ever been blue? Or thought your train moving while sitting still? Maybe I was just crazy. Maybe it was the 60's. Or maybe I was just a girl... interrupted.
I know what it's like to want to die. How it hurts to smile. How you try to fit in but you can't. How you hurt yourself on the outside to try to kill the thing on the inside. I tried groups, didn't work out just made my depression a lot worse.
It's really sad that this country has got to that state. I know my SW has helped me get food donations several times before when my benefits have got screwed up, so I'm guessing it's quite a common thing. I remember reading something at the start of the year about the number of people going to food banks has risen a hell of a lot.
'Cause I'll always remember you the same.
Oh eyes like wild flowers within demons of change ♥
Stealing is stealing and punishment should be the same regardless.
If people in this country knew how to cook properly they'd be able to make meals for pennies, ones that have a good nutritional value as well. Unfortunately that isn't the case.
I agree with the above to some extent but what if you don't have a cooker (I don't but I know how to cook) or can't afford the utility bills to run it?
'Cause I'll always remember you the same.
Oh eyes like wild flowers within demons of change ♥
Stealing is stealing and punishment should be the same regardless.
If people in this country knew how to cook properly they'd be able to make meals for pennies, ones that have a good nutritional value as well. Unfortunately that isn't the case.
This doesn't apply everywhere. I live in rural Scotland, a place where there is only one supermarket that I can go to for food. I do not have the luxury of shopping for deals in different places. It's that supermarket or none. Also, because it has such a monopoly here, as well as the "distance" it takes to bring goods here (this is vastly disputed within the general community) the price is almost 40% dearer than if I lived in the city (which is over a 3 hour drive away.)
Buying cheap food here is unbelievably hard, and my partner is a very good cook. We do not even have a food bank that we can go to. I would not be surprised if people where I live have had to resort to stealing purely to be able to eat and I would not blame them at all.
It disgusts me that people are left in that position. I have never stolen food as I have a very loving network of friends and family, but I do believe that without them I would have been left with theft or starvation as my only two options in some circumstances.
Not everywhere works on the same premise as London or big cities, sometimes people literally do not have any other options.
You see a mouse trap
I see free cheese
And a ****ing challenge
I used to steal a lot of food when I was in the depths of my eating disorder and had no money.
I'm not proud of it, but I'm trying to see that I was 'desperate' and struggling a lot at the time, which is why I did it. I'm trying not to see it as a reflection of my character.
I can understand people stealing food if they are desperate. I really can.
I agree with the above to some extent but what if you don't have a cooker (I don't but I know how to cook) or can't afford the utility bills to run it?
Then you have to question the reasons why. And believe it or not, it's not always 'The Government"'s fault. It's about managing your budget, and living within your means.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shenanigans
This doesn't apply everywhere. I live in rural Scotland, a place where there is only one supermarket that I can go to for food. I do not have the luxury of shopping for deals in different places. It's that supermarket or none. Also, because it has such a monopoly here, as well as the "distance" it takes to bring goods here (this is vastly disputed within the general community) the price is almost 40% dearer than if I lived in the city (which is over a 3 hour drive away.)
Buying cheap food here is unbelievably hard, and my partner is a very good cook. We do not even have a food bank that we can go to. I would not be surprised if people where I live have had to resort to stealing purely to be able to eat and I would not blame them at all.
It disgusts me that people are left in that position. I have never stolen food as I have a very loving network of friends and family, but I do believe that without them I would have been left with theft or starvation as my only two options in some circumstances.
Not everywhere works on the same premise as London or big cities, sometimes people literally do not have any other options.
There are ALWAYS options. In rural areas it is probably easier to grow some of your own food than it is in city centres. In fact, low-income city centre areas, as well as high-deprivation areas generally, have very poor diets due to a combination of factors, not just access to food.
I also witnessed a really sad sight a few weeks ago. I was in pound land, and a woman was trying to pay for some milk powder formula stuff and was 50p short, and she was literally crying at the shop assistant saying, 'please, I need to feed my baby'. It was horrible. :s
There are ALWAYS options. In rural areas it is probably easier to grow some of your own food than it is in city centres. In fact, low-income city centre areas, as well as high-deprivation areas generally, have very poor diets due to a combination of factors, not just access to food.
I live in a second story flat, where exactly am I meant to grow my food?
We do not have allotments or things like that in this area. I know for a fact that it is impossible to buy a loaf of bread at my local supermarket for under £1.80 or two for £2.20 (I know because I live on a low income and have checked) whereas in more urban areas you have greater deals such as own brand items for under £1.
I agree with what you say that these areas do have poor diets and there should be more help for people in these areas to support themselves with budgeting and cooking skills (I believe one Glasgow area has started offering cooking classes to people on benefits to help them budget food money and cook better meals, which is a fantastic project and something I fully support.) But the discussion is on stealing food because they cannot financially afford them, not on their diets in general and that is the point I am making. In areas such as mine, there are not the options as there are in inner city areas, no food banks, no deals, you put up or you starve. That is the reality. Thankfully we have a very loving community who generally try to help each other out, but the community should not be put into that position. People should have the ability to get support if they do not have the funds or means to feed themselves (whether this be from food banks or cooking and lifestyle skills/lessons etc.) But in reality these things are not happening and more and more people are having to resort to illegal means, such as stealing, to survive. That is what makes people angry.
You see a mouse trap
I see free cheese
And a ****ing challenge
Poor diets generally go hand-in-hand with spending a large chunk of your budget on food. Just today I spoke to someone who spends £45/week on food, and she lives by herself! Families can, and do, live on less than that.
In this area, there are far too many people who are reliant on food banks and other charitable help on almost a weekly/monthly basis. Considering that other families can 'make do', should we be encouraging, and even institutionalising, food banks to subsidise the welfare state? We need to look deeper than that, rather than simply blame the government or ask that they throw yet more money into the black hole that is welfare spending.
In any case, stealing is stealing in my opinion. I occasionally work on an island where there is one 'supermarket' and a small cornershop which just happens to be owned/operated by the same supermarket. Competition is minimal, and being an island has higher associated costs. And do you know what? People manage. Generally people will manage if they have to. If you are a member of the working poor who gets no help or support from the welfare state you will cut your cloth accordingly.
^I used to think along similar line, but since starting to work with some families in situations you can't even imagine, I've changed my tune. Not everyone get's through like you think. There are some inner city Londoners who don't have a home, and money is spent on hostel roofs and blankets to keep out the cold.
I think you (and I used to) have a very jaded view of what some people's existences are like.
A guy in my support group was made homeless when his home burnt down, now lives in a hostel in appalling conditions which he is expected to pay for and then live on less than £10 a week. Sadly stories like this are becoming all too common!
Let us go then you and I, when the evening is spread out against the sky, like a patient etherized upon a table
- T.S. Elliot
^I used to think along similar line, but since starting to work with some families in situations you can't even imagine, I've changed my tune. Not everyone get's through like you think. There are some inner city Londoners who don't have a home, and money is spent on hostel roofs and blankets to keep out the cold.
I think you (and I used to) have a very jaded view of what some people's existences are like.
You have no idea what I do for a job on a daily basis - I attempt to help some of these people. It makes you incredibly cynical of society.
Again, the working poor get little or no help and do you know what? They manage. They have to. Every single day I see people who are simply surviving on what they get, and they have no eligibility for benefits. And that's ignoring those who come in and expect the world for nothing.
I admit that i have stolen food before when i ran away from home, i think if you have no choice then it is not your fault. i agree though that people do need to learn how to cook meals for pennies aswell.
You have no idea what I do for a job on a daily basis - I attempt to help some of these people. It makes you incredibly cynical of society.
Again, the working poor get little or no help and do you know what? They manage. They have to. Every single day I see people who are simply surviving on what they get, and they have no eligibility for benefits. And that's ignoring those who come in and expect the world for nothing.
Fair enough, but I can tell you for a fact there are some people who do not have enough to manage. They do, as in they are still living. But their families often go hungry and don't have basic electricity/gas to be able to cook with. That's true in London - I don't know specifics of other areas. I can only speak for my area.
Food IS expensive.
I eat a good, healthy diet in terms of fruit, veg etc. I make my own meals.
I'm on a relatively low income. In London.
I essentially live on my own, and only have minimal food storage space. [One cupboard, one fridge shelf. NO freezer space.]
It IS hard to afford enough food to properly stay healthy and strong on, on a low budget [especially in London, albeit outer, perhaps].
My area is the same Jodie. I once met a woman with two young kids and 1 can of ravioli between them until 2 days when she got paid.
It may be a budgeting issue, but can we really judge a single parent of 2 young girls, having to buy school uniforms for her kids starting back, travel expenses, new shoes, winter coats, plus food, on minimum wage?
It's easier said than done, saying that people should just 'make do'.
How can the light that burned so brightly
Suddenly burn so pale?
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