Judging The Poor Is Shameful

Social media can be hard to peruse as an empath. You can only shield so much negativity from your eyes and heart. All too often it shows up to cause pain. Living in an area where many live in poverty, there are moments I have to walk away from my social media feeds. There is no respect for the poor.

People in my area rely on second-hand stores and thrift shops for many of their household goods. Often closets are filled with gently-used items handed down, shared from a friend or purchased from a local thrift store. There is nothing wrong with the clothes. No stains, rips or marks distinguish them as having been passed along. They just cost less than something brand new.

Thirty dollars may be more than a person can afford for a pair of jeans. Therefore, finding one at a thrift shop for five or ten dollars is a blessing. The same thirty dollars might purchase three pairs for the cost of one.

Putting Down The Poor Is Hurtful

What hurts my heart is when I see someone putting another down for the clothes they wear. I have been in those shoes. As a child, I was forced to wear skirts with boys striped tube socks. Making them match was a nightmare when it was even possible. I received a lot of teasing for my mismatched clothes. The tube socks were cheaper than the frilly socks girls were wearing. My parents had six children to dress.

My parents were poor. We had clothes that met the standards of the dress code. That was what was important. Of course, they would have loved to have dressed us in new clothes. Our closets would have looked different if money had been plentiful.

We recognized we were poor and stood out. But, we also knew the sacrifices our parents made to give us clothes. We were not ashamed of our clothes. We adjusted our friends accordingly. True friends didn’t tease us for our differences. They loved us despite them.

Social Media Makes It Harder

When I was in school, I didn’t have to contend with social media. The only harassment I received was from schoolmates. Many of them were also poor. They understood the struggle. Those were the understanding ones.

However, today social media puts everyone in the spotlight. Smartphone cameras make it possible for us to be in photos we never knew were being snapped. It is so easy to shame someone for being less than fortunate. So many people are down on their luck through no fault of their own.

Those who made fun of us twenty years ago are no longer in my life. I limited my interaction with them then, and I refuse any now. Those who are still with me are those who saw through the mismatched clothes I wore and saw the big heart inside. What I wore didn’t matter. The fact that I was from a poor family never entered their minds.

In today’s world, it is easy to pull off mismatched clothing as being intentional. Wearing two different socks is a thing. All the fashionable girls are doing it. Choice of clothing should be no cause for teasing. However, I see it often on social media. As an empath, I can feel the pain of the recipient of those words. It seems apparent being poor is shameful.

This attitude needs to stop. There are already too many reasons for people to feel unworthy. It is a harsh world. If the only way to be able to pay bills is to wear thrift-shop clothing, then it is an honor to be able to wear them. It shows the qualities of being frugal and responsible.

Those who value another’s worth by their financial status live a sorry life. I feel sorry for anyone who is so shallow as to think that money is important in this world. Being poor is not shameful. Judging others IS.