Thursday, August 7, 2008

Cut the Cheese

So I got Big Kid's last immunization shot today.

I had to go to the same place that houses the WIC office. For those of you who don't know, WIC is a nutritional program for low income mothers so that they can get checks to buy juice, formula, cheese, peanut butter, etc. and learn about good nutrition.

Well, at the risk of offending lots of people, something has gone horribly wrong with this program. I don't know if the money saved on cheese is going towards chips and soda, or if each family member eats two pounds of cheese per sitting, but I've never seen a room full of fatter people ever (and it was a super crowded room).

Every single person over the age of 1 was overweight. Most of them were also rude, loud, and had dirty/inappropriately dressed children who weren't expected to behave.

I was about to go bat shit crazy in the waiting room and was ready to start handing out spankings and taking baby bottles away from 4 year olds myself. I finally walked down the hall and asked the nurse if the kids and I could wait in her hallway because I just couldn't take it anymore and she took pity on me.

I know it's wrong to stereotype and for all I know everyone in the room could've had a thyroid problem and kids with Autism, so I shouldn't ASSume anything...but I thought it was an interesting observation/coincidence.

76 comments:

Jess said...

OMG! Isn't this the friggin truth?!

I <3 you, Ashley! You always have a way of making me crack up laughing and making my day altogether!

Mitch said...

Oh baby. Chay is due for shots next week and Ray is due at the end of September. Unfortunately, we don't get health insurance until the end of October! I'm still struggling to figure out what to do -- suck up the doctor payments (the 'rents said they would pay) or go through what you did today. I just don't know if I have the patience! My children and I have been well taken care of for a long time and boy are we spoiled!

So, like so many of your challenges lately, I feel your pain.

The Menagerie Momma said...

I am SO happy to hear this come out of someone else's mouth! Thank you! My friend is on WIC and I went to one of her appointments with her and I've never seen more fat women in my life in one room, and each one had at least three kids. Maybe they should start giving out condoms rather than food. Don't get me started....oh wait I already did start....

Anonymous said...

There is a bucket of condoms on the desk at our wic office/health unit ;)

ah yes, welcome to the world of public assistance. fun, ain't it!

Valerie said...

Wow. Definitely ignorant comments I see. Why do you think that those people who are LOWER INCOMED are overweight? Perhaps because it's cheaper to buy a box of mac & cheese or drink the free juice loaded with empty calories than provide with good choices. It's most definitely an error in the program, not the participants. As for the person who made the comment about handing out condoms... perhaps that should be a requirement for people who are awfully judgemental too. Perhaps their doctors should hand them condoms so we can prevent creating more children that lack compassion and concern for their fellow human beings.

Anonymous said...

I am actually on WIC myself and yes, many of the low income families you describe are exactly the way you said... I just want to make it clear that not all are that way though with crazy kids running around and obesity being an issue.

I am a student trying to finish school and therefore make little money, thereby qualifying me for WIC. My son is well behaved, even at 1. I dread the appointments, but when it comes to my son and his well-being, I will never be too proud to go there so that he can get the nutrition he needs. As soon as I graduate and get a good job, I will run as fast as I can away from the WIC office, but until that day comes I will grin and bear it when I must go and be grateful there is such a program to help me feed my son.

Multislacking Mama said...

I hate that.

I use an IHS for our health care services. This can be typical of the patrons at the clinic. I also get spoken to as if I'm an uneducated fool, and I have had to shove a foot up the ass more than once.

I had Kennedi at the IHS, and I was left in bloody sheets for 3x's. No one would change the pad under my pelvic area. I was afraid of the nurses. They didn't want to take care of my baby even though I was by myself and couldn't move my legs from the epi.

I get so disgusted. People should not treat other people that way, no matter what the income level. Everyone has the right to be treated like a human.

Get me off of my soap box!
Holly

Unknown said...

Anonymous student, I have NO DOUBT that there are good parents truly in need using the program...none of them were there this morning though, and if they were, they were incognito.

I'm sorry, but you don't have to be wealthy to make sure your kid isn't wearing a sweatshirt and flannel pj bottoms in August in FL, or for them to have a clean face. You don't have to be wealthy to tell your kid to sit down and stop slamming the doors on the tv cabinet everyone is watching. You don't have to be wealthy to take the bottle from your 4 year old or get your 2 year old out of an infant carrier. There are ways to accomplish these things, money or not.

Everyone always screams if anyone dares makes a comment about poor people...well some of them ARE that way for a reason. Some are not and some are trying, I agree with that, but I get so sick of having to pretend that they are all doomed to a lifetime of obesity and bad behavior because of society for some reason.

BTW, my kids often eat crap too, but they run it off eventually. Water is cheap, sandwiches are cheap, reasonable servings of anything do not make a fat child. Walking is free.

Anonymous said...

Amen Ashley! It is a fact that poverty (true poverty, not just being broke for a little while) and ignorance go hand in hand. not stupidity (necessarily), but ignorance - ignorance of educational resources, ignorance of good hygiene, ignorance of basic parenting/discipline methods. It's the main reason that there is a constant cycle of poverty! The resources are there, sometimes even sitting on a silver platter, just waiting on people to use them. Many do, and manage to break the cycle, but sooo many just won't, and would rather continue with what they know.

Anonymous said...

I agree completely with you... WIC isn't the only problem though, most of the social programs are abused by those that are LAZY and want to take advantage. Sure there are some that truly use WIC, welfare, and all the other programs like they are suppose to- but I truly believe they are the minority. Sorry, I'm starting to rant. (And don't worry about being offensive, we all read your posts because you're honest!)

Anonymous said...

I was on WIC for awhile and it is the same here too. I would see mother's handing out "snacks" to their kids of M&Ms and pure junk food. I hated going to the appts and would "dress down" for the appts because I didnt want to appear too "rich." We qualified for WIC just like those people did but we actually change our clothes when they are dirty and take baths. Do not get my started on the Medicaid office. That is 10xs worse.

hicktowndiva said...

I'm really torn on the subject of WIC. On one hand, I think our government has such screwy priorities that even though our social programs aren't that great, at least my tax money goes to something that helps some people a little.
The person who said that ignorance and poverty go hand in hand is right. I live in southern-middle-TN, which is basically Appalacia, so I see a lot of these issues firsthand. True poverty is a culture where few people learn long-range planning skills...it is that cycle that is really hard to break.
The only thing that I think you can do is remember that everyone is an individual and until you know their story, you are likely better off withholding judgement. Those overweight, dirty, inappropriately dressed people truly may never have been taught that they can do better.

Unknown said...

But do you have to be taught to wash your kid's dirty face? A lot of it seems like laziness.

Can pride can be taught? That's a real question, not rhetorical. Maybe a little bit of social stigma is a good thing (and I know that sounds awful) because some who haven't been taught and don't have resources will still strive for something, even if it is only to have a clean, well behaved kid, and maybe some motivation to do what they can when they can.

I have no problem with the WIC program, at all. At least those kids will have cheese and milk in the fridge, because Kool-aid and chips may be a bigger priority to some parents. It was just sad to see SO MANY fitting the stereotype and failing at things that don't even take any money.

Kim said...

I think the best part of all these comments is that it is truly evidence that there is good and bad in EVERYTHING (and being a Libra, I tend to see both sides of an issue).

Our goverment has created programs that give people a hand out, instead of a hand up. And unfortunately, that has created a strong sense of entitlement for many - not all! - people, and a feeling of resentment for many others.

I feel sorry for those ill-behaved children running around dirty who are not likely to learn something as simple as proper nutrition, much less anything else. But, what is really sad is that those parents sitting in the WIC office probably started out just like their own children, with nobody taking the time to teach them simple things. Don't hate them - pity them. And then be grateful that you were lucky enough to be born to parents who took the time for you.

Thanks for initiating such great conversations!!

Carly said...

A lot of people raise their kids the way that they were raised, so if at 16 you have a kid and your only knowledge of parenting is what you know (which could have been kool-aid chips, no rules etc) it's not surprising that you would raise your kids in the same fashion.

The cycle of poverty is tough to break...kids who don't know rules, grooming, acceptable appearance are probably not going to fare so well in the job market...and so it begins again.

Anonymous said...

To Cookiemomncrumbs -
Here's a crazy thing.. Water.. It's free. My kids and I drink it all day. Less calories than juice. Don't need a WIC voucher for it.

My kids and I also eat Mac & Cheese. With a nice side of frozen veggies. (99 cents a bag). We are all a healthy size...

hicktowndiva said...

Some of it has got to be laziness, sure. But that's a really simple answer to a complex question, right? When I think of how hard I have to work to get my own 8-year-old son to use toothpaste and shampoo...and he is a well-nourished kid being raised by college-educated people who've had their fair share of advantages in life. If I were tired and poor and beat-down and I had never been taught myself, maybe I wouldn't bother. Maybe I would find it easier to give up.

As for pride, and can it be taught..I don't know. I think that it goes back to the Maslow's Hierarchy of Need pyramid (google it if you didn't run across this in your college psych or marketing classes). If your basic needs are taken care of, then you can concentrate on stuff that is higher up on the pyramid--social acceptance, etc. People caught in the cycle of poverty are operating on a lower level on the pyramid--they are working on getting their basic needs met. When their basic needs are met, things like "pride" can hit their radar screen. But if you're living in poverty, it's not about pride, you're not thinking further out than your next meal or your next rent check.

I don't live like that, and because I don't, I don't know--really--what that's like. So, because of my imperfect understanding, my goal is to have compassion. Maybe it's not laziness; maybe they have undiagnosed problems with mental illness. Maybe there is as pattern of abuse there. A lot of bad stuff goes hand-in-hand with poverty and unless I know the whole story, who am I to look down on someone for being fat or poorly behaved? Maybe, if I had been born into their circumstances, I wouldn't have done much better.

This is a topic that I debate with myself, because I tend to make snap judgements and I have a hard time understanding the perspective of other people--it doesns't come naturally to me. So, I hope that the tone of this reply isn't sanctimonious...these are things that I wonder about as much as you do, and I don't have all the answers, nor do I always do the right thing...

hicktowndiva said...

Kim & Carly--good points!

Anonymous said...

Whenever this topic comes up someone has a boatload of excuses for the 'victims'. Maybe they have mental illness, maybe they have a disease that makes them overweight, maybe that lexus they're driving is borrowed, maybe they are a good parent having a bad day. Maybe so but some of them, alot of them, are just plain jerks. I know anyone who says it is the bad guy but there are people who take advantage, there are people who dn't care to be anything but a loser, there are people who breed indiscriminately without thinking of future effects or how they're going to raise all the people they're making. I'm tired of subsidizing those people.

Maddness of Me said...

As far as the weight thing goes, somehow not having any money does seem to translate to putting on the lb's.

Back in my peanut butter in jelly days when I first ventured out from my parents, I was broke as broke can be. I ate things like a fried up potato for dinner. Macaroni and cheese. It started to affect my waist line.

The older I got and the more money I made, the skinnier I have been.

It's a shame that healthy eating is a luxury.

As far as the brains thing goes... don't know what happens there ;)

Kim said...

To Anonymous,
You make a lot of good points, but who doesn't? Many good and honorable people in this world are one paycheck away from being in the WIC office. Compassion and empathy are free to give, but have abundant returns.

Anonymous said...

WOW, I don't have time right now to read all of the "books" in the comment section (I'm at work and really shouldn't even be in the closet right now--but I'll come back and catch up) BUT I had the same experience at the OB/GYN (I'm not pregnant you can breathe again)the demographic of the office just wasn't my bag baby, but I love the doctor, so I'm torn. Advice?

Jen said...

Catfish,
I had the same issue. Loved the doctor for the most part, HATED his office and demographic of the office. His office was even low-rent looking and old-carpet smelling, wallpaper in his office was in terrible shape. He just didn't notice those things. After having my first baby thru his care, got pregnant 4-months later, had my first OB appt with second pregnancy, and just wasn't comfortable with it anymore. The doc took good care of me, but I always felt he seriously annoyed and got on the nurses nerves. Started getting on my nerves. I finally decided I just wasn't comfortable with his physical office and the environment, and the good care I received didn't make up for it.

I switched and have been much happier. BTW, this old doc actually got pissed that I left his practice "after all the times he went out of his way for me" and wrote me a scathing letter to document it. I couldn't believe it. Wrote my own reply (scathing letter and told him to never contact me again.

You need to go with your gut and feel 100% comfortable, in my humble opinion.

Valerie said...

Lots of judgements about people who are lower income yet Ashley arent you getting free medical for your child by getting shots there? Seems hypocritical, no? What if the people began judging you for that?

Melodie said...

Here's my two cents on the subject.

I totally agree with you, Ashley. When I first moved back to the bay area from Fort Myers, I didn't have a job, and my husband at the time (ex) wasn't making a ton of money. When I realized that I qualified for WIC (my brother and his wife made more money than my ex and they were on it) I signed up for the program.

Just like the student-mother poster, I hated going to the WIC office, which was also a health clinic, because of the other people there. You are right when you say that it doesn't cost a dime to wash your child's face, wipe his snot-nose, or teach him to behave in public. My daughters were literally afraid of the other children there because they were so unruly.

If it weren't for the fact that my daughter's formula was so expensive, I wouldn't have bothered going through all of that. And once she was no longer on the formula, I dropped out of the program because I just couldn't take it any longer.

We definitely need to bring back pride and shame. Maybe not pride so much, because that can go overboard, but at least a little shame. If people were ashamed of their children's poor behavior or dirty faces, maybe they'd actually get off their lazy asses and do something about it.

Sarahviz said...

Here's the bottom line, simply put:

Cheap food is fattening.

The end.

Oh, and ignorance?

It abounds in both the poor AND the rich. And the middle-class.

JJB said...

if you're bitching just to bitch, then don't mind me. but, if you're truly interested in this subject, check out this fascinating book "Framework for Understanding Poverty." [http://www.amazon.com/Framework-Understanding-Poverty-Ruby-Payne/dp/1929229143] It's premise is that different economic classes follow different rules: so different, in fact, that few people in the other classes even understand them.

Unknown said...

I just have to add - Ashley I completely agree with you that there are many folks in the WIC office that can do better. However - subsidizing "those people" could mean subsidizing your family and friends. I don't know about where you live but WIC income qualifications in Georgia for WIC go up to $30K+ per year. For a family of 2. This is WAY above the Federal guidelines for poverty.

WIC clients not only get subsidies but they also get parenting classes, nutrition classes and are encouraged to breastfeed.

It is my hope that WIC and similar programs will actually help families. But as someone so aptly noted - you have to be ready for change - at least this program provides the groundwork for change.

Unknown said...

I risk judgment every time I walk out the front door...and can stand up to it. I expect my kids to behave, they are clean, they are healthy.

I was recently one step from WIC myself, but considered it a last resort. I can't afford another $400 for shots and have no problem with getting them from the health clinic, or any judgment that may arise from me utilizing help in a temporary situation.

Anonymous said...

I love Maslow's hierarchy, it's so true. people that don't know where their next meal will be or whether they will make rent this month couldn't care less about achievement and acceptance. It's just not something they think about b/c they aren't "there" yet.

No one here is judging people for accepting assistance - the judgments are about people that don't clean and discipline their children, and in this case they also happen to get some gov't assistance.

hicktowndiva said...

JJB--thank you for the book recommendation. I will definitely be downloading that to my Kindle.

Which btw? Ashley? The Kindle needs to be your gift to yourself when you start getting checks from your awesome new job. You will not regret it...

Anonymous said...

cookiemomster, apparently Ashley shouldn't be judged b/c she is thin and "disciplines" (spanks) her kids. Apparently weight makes a difference.

Unknown said...

LOL...you must have missed the part where I said "judge away", because I meant that. Also, I think those that claim not to judge either have a different definition or are lacking the basic instincts all living creatures have.

It doesn't always take a spanking, but I'd rather the well behaved occasionally spanked kid than a dirty little heathen. As far as being thin...yes, I would be embarrassed if I was standing in line for free food and my children and I were clearly overweight. There are no excuses (barring the rare medical occurrence) for an overweight child, in my opinion but apparently I expect too much from people.

The bare minimum of parenting is to keep your kids as clean and healthy as you are able and I'm doing those two things right.

Anonymous said...

I'm on WIC, I'm 25 lbs overweight (dang baby weight, I'm working on it), I have a child with autism. No thyroid issues, yet, but they are in the family.

I'm also constantly complimented on my children's behavior. My children are healthy and strong, and have clean faces. Their clothing, well, its clean when they get dressed in the morning, and when we go into public. (The rest of the day, well, they like to play in the sandbox.) Getting dressed the morning of a WIC appt is hard. Should I dress nicely (I mean, jeans and a nice shirt, what I would wear to a doc's appt) and make-up? Then, I look out of place, but I also don't want people who are in the office thinking I don't need it, because I do.

I agree that it doesn't cost money to wipe a nose, or hand out a needed time-out. It doesn't cost money to walk (which, I'm doing everyday and losing weight. Yay!).

Some people are on WIC because they need a leg up, some are on it because they don't know a different lifestyle, and some are on it because they are just lazy. I know personal examples of each one. I'm all for programs like that for those who need a leg up. I wish they had better programs for education, and I wish there was a way to seperate the lazy from those who truly need some help.

I'm on it because my DH is commission-based in a field that is not doing so great right now. However, he got his butt back to training more, got a raise, and I'm working from home now. This month is (fingers crossed) our last month of vouchers.

It sucks, big time, to drag my DC to the WIC office. It sucks that every year, they get their finger pricked for a blood sample, so that I can get milk for them. I came home and bawled my eyes out the last time they did it. My son kept asking, all day, why they had to hurt his finger. It sucks to stand in line at the grocery store with those vouchers. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

I do think people should feel more uncomfortable on it. It is against my personal beliefs to be okay with hand-outs. Its not against my ideals to take it when needed, but I don't expect to feel good about it.

BTW- WIC income guidelines are 235% of the poverty mark for that county. Technically, you have to be low-income and "at risk" for health problems, and technically, the program is supposed to include education, not just food. The workers will find away to put you "at risk", and the education is them handing me a pamphlet that gets pushed the bottom of the diaper bag, and tossed next time I clean it out. Oh, and they are working on switching juice for fruits and/or vegetables.

Unknown said...

Oh and hell yeah, I'm going to point out the irony of a room full of grossly obese people at a nutritional program that is clearly not working for them.

Anonymous said...

Hmmmmmmmmm alot of fat, rude welfare recipients in the closet today.

Ashley, it is an interesting observation and one that has provoked discussion as I'm sure you intended. Great post and I 100% agree with you. You can't teach some people to care.

-Sarah (not an anonyhole, lol)

Unknown said...

If I saw a slightly chubby mom with clean, appropriately dressed (and I'm talking appropriate for the weather, not appropriate for fashion) children that were relatively behaved or being minded, I wouldn't have thought twice of it.

I am talking a WHOLE OFFICE of overweight people with overweight children, parents yelling at 8 year olds for losing track of 1 year olds, 2 year olds in infant carriers, fat 4 year olds with baby bottles and rotten teeth, women talking on their Razrs that they took out of their Baby Phat purses while their dirty faced kids wreak havoc and destruction around the waiting room...seriously, I witnessed the living stereotype that everyone swears doesn't exist.

Every time this comes up on the bargain board, every single recipient of social services suddenly deserves a halo for the victimization they are enduring and how dare you even question the Escalade they just hopped out of.

Some people take advantage, period. Some people do the bare minimum, period. Some people are not getting ahead at all with the help that they are getting, nor do they care to. It's just baffling to me that so many people insist that these people don't exist.

I have no problem with government assistance, in fact I wish there was more of it. I do have a problem with people who take advantage and people who don't take decent care of their children and I'm surprised so many claim not to have a problem with that.

Anonymous said...

LMFAO that this has turned into hating Ashley for being thin and spanking her rowdy kids. Oh the horrors!

Jenn

Maddness of Me said...

Wow, I guess this is a sore spot with people on both sides of the issue.

Melodie said...

CookieCrummyMom needs to get off her high horse and stop judging. Seriously. There is a big difference between a middle class tax-paying citizen who has briefly fallen on hard times taking her child to the government which her taxes fund for government madated shots and some lazy person who lives off of welfare and WIC because they feel entitled.

When I was on WIC for the few months that I was, at least I knew that the services I was receiving were services that I had been paying taxes to fund for so many years before and since. There are MANY people on government assistance who can't say that.

Valerie said...

Wow so glad that you can actually tell which person is which by the 15 minute observation you had for that day.
Ever been the mom in the store who's normally well behaved kids are out of control? There are alot of what ifs and frankly Im not in the habit of being a judgemental bitch about circumstances I dont have more details for.
The only people here riding high horses are those who are judging others like Ashley and her closet cronies. How about instead of writing a blog and yapping about how much you hate people who you feel are sponges on society and beneath you ~ spend a day volunteering at a food pantry and helping educate those low incomed individuals on better choices instead?

Anonymous said...

Ashley, I thought your entry was funny, smart and well intended... I GET your humor, sister. You were not judging, you were not being bitchy... You were being the funny, smart and honest as hell Ashley that we all love. Or at least some of us... Fuck the rest...

Unknown said...

Good convo that you started here Ashley. And least I be repetitive - there are folks that are lazy and exploit the system (ie the Escalade foolery), there are folks stuck in a cycle that just don't care, and there are folks that need a leg up briefly and move on.

Perhaps instead of passing judgment we can all think of things to do to help. As a college and graduate school grad I have always known the importance of making a difference in the lives of others and try to help Children because they still have a chance.

Maybe by mentoring a child and showing them a different way of life they can aspire to something more than what they see on a daily.

Unknown said...

Lord, Cookiemomster, get over yourself already. I'm so sure thousands of people would check in a day to read about my volunteer work at the food pantry. Come on now. It's called entertainment value. No where on this blog do I promise to be politically correct.

I'm sorry you don't agree with my opinion that some people do take advantage, maybe one day I can live in your kind of wonderland. In the meantime, I'll just have to move on and try to raise myself up to your compassionate saint-like status.

You do manage to come across as a judgmental bitch, although you supposedly are so good at not doing so..

Anonymous said...

No one's going to point out that it's cookie monster standing up for fat people??

Only in the closet. Lurvez it.

Valerie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Valerie said...

I'd rather be able to live with myself by doing some good for society than worrying how many people tune into my blog to see medicore attempts at humor flogged with bitchiness.

Anonymous said...

OMG Cookiemomster is ridiculous!! I missed the part where you said you hated the sponges that were beneath you, just that there were a bunch of fat people with dirty, rowdy kids at the WIC place at the time you went. Not a big shocker considering the demographics, maybe Cookiemomster can volunteer at a food pantry instead of leaving inane comments on blogs.

Valerie said...

CookieMomster does volunteer at the food pantry, and other places because I have been where these people are. I used the system for the hand up, and I continue to try to help others that were in similar situations as I have been in the past. If someone isnt there to teach them better, how are they going to know?

Perhaps it's equally as lazy for someone to do nothing more than complain about these people. You know the fat, lazy, slobs you saw at the WIC office doing nothing but taking up space and allowing their kids to run amuck. How about you stop just blogging and actually do something to change that. I suppose it's easier to sit back and not do a damn thing though. Hypocrites you are.

Unknown said...

LMAO...keep on judging Cookie. You must not have read enough of my bitchy blog to realize that I donate photography packages to every fundraiser in town and belong to an organization that provides free photography to families of children with long term illnesses. Sorry I'm not passing out bottled water at the WIC office in my spare time.

You must be too busy doing good for society to work much on your own blog, huh? Good luck with that. You know where me and my bitchy friends will be.

Anonymous said...

I'll bet someone who has posted multiple times has lost her place on the cruise! Take me. I'm much more fun.

Sorry.

Anonymous said...

I try so hard to be politically correct ALWAYS, so this is a tough subject for me. But I will say that in my line of work (customer service at a health insurance company) the people who receive medicaid or other forms of low-income assistance have the highest sense of entitlement out of anyone I speak to. They have the best benefits, which I'm sure most of them really do need, but they also complain the most and expect everything to be given to them. So although it's hard for me to admit, I do see Ashley's point in this.

Anonymous said...

I knew I heard CookieMomster & Crumbs.. She was on BBC Bargain Board.. Oh yes, she was also the one who was "proud" to be on WIC. Go look for yourself.

Glad WIC is there for those who NEED it. Not so the lazy ones don't have to work to feed their kids.

Shout out to all the other "Ashley's Bitches"

~Gretchen~ said...

As a fat WIC recipient, all I have to say is:

My three kids were really well behaved the first 45 minutes we were stuck in a waiting room with a single baby toy. After that, all bets were off.

And there's something about knowing that a bitchy old lady is going to stab their finger that sets them off for the whole morning.

I swear, there is something about that room that makes my children insane.

But then again, if I didn't have to be there for an hour and forty-five minutes, they might just behave.

Anonymous said...

I would like a 50+ comment post on my blog (for self-esteem building) and would like to set up a consultation with you Ashley.

I'm thinking of doing something on either minorities in the workplace or eugenics. Any tips?

Unknown said...

Oh Jonah, do eugenics. That's a great one and a little more subtle than minorities in the workplace. The racism thing is so overdone.

Catfish, I forgot to answer your question--get a new hoo-ha doc. If you do get preggers and he's still your doctor, you'll be spending way too much time there and it's enough of a chore as is.

Anonymous said...

I love the reason that public assistance is there, and I really think there should be more and better services for those it actually helps to get a leg up. However, you will always have the blobs of worthlessness that line up for every free thing that they can get. They do it at the WIC office, they do it to their relatives who are doing better than they are (actually working versus sitting in front of the tv all day), they pray out loud for stuff at church so that the people who haven't already figured out their racket buy them the stuff that they claim they can't buy themselves.

I'm happy to see my tax dollars helping people, but I do hate to see those same dollars supporting the professional scam artists.

Jennifer said...

Enough of the Chicken Heads, wth is going on with the chickens?

Kim said...

I just HAD to go check out Cookiemomster's last blog on 8/8, which had me laughing my ass off.

"I luv muh freebeez. Nothing is better than getting something for free, or for minimal effort/time."

Surely both sides of the issue can find the humor in that? Come on, let's all laugh, stop taking everything so seriously, and move on.

Valerie said...

Considering that 99% of you are from the bargain board and do the same survey sites and points perks I do, I find it ultra hypocritical that you're talking shit about me loving a freebie that is available to EVERYONE regardless of income or any other criteria. Keep trying to find reasons to hate. Doesn't really bother me what some worthless pieces of crap think about me on the net.

Unknown said...

I love that you deleted my comment on your crap ass blog about your hypocrisy. Speaking of communism and censorship, huh?

So, tell me here then, it's okay to make fun of toothless carnies but not okay to acknowledge the existence of the four year olds with the baby bottle who will end up being toothless carnies? Who are you to judge the carnies? Maybe you should volunteer to teach them dental hygiene, once you're done educating all of the women on WIC, as you supposedly do.

I'm sorry you're feeling so sensitive about your weight, societal status and the behavior of your children that this has struck such a nerve.

Valerie said...

Intoxicated, toothless carnies. If you're going to try to pick apart my blog, you might want to get it right. The intoxicated part is what bothered me the most because they are indeed jeopardizing all the patrons of the rides they are operating. Toothless just makes it harder to understand their babble when they even bother attempting to explain the ride rules. How does the overweight woman at WIC directly effect your health and safety and put your life in jeopardy?

Also I have no problems with my weight. Yes, I do have some extra lbs, but it doesn't bother me so I'm not sure why it should bother you so much. Atleast I put pictures up of myself instead of fake cartoons.

Unknown said...

Did you give them all breathalyzers? Make them walk a straight line? Check their pupils with a flashlight?

Get over yourself, hypocrite. I was over you this morning. Move on already, fifteen minutes of fame is up.

Anonymous said...

I wasn't going to go there but how is it that all closet trolls so far actually do look like trolls? Coincidence?

Anonymous said...

Ashley had to know she was setting out troll food with a post like this.

We all know trolls are all fat, poor, and lonely and that they'd come waddling in here for a chance to bitch about it.

Nice work, nice work indeed ;)

Just another Jenn

Unknown said...

Okay folks, we've come to the point where our trollish friend isn't even amusing anymore. It always happens once you give them a little attention.

Hopefully she can busy herself by deleting dissenting comments from her crap ass blog or maybe volunteering as an AA speaker for those nasty, waste of human flesh carnival workers she so despises, because we're done with her now.

It was good, free Saturday afternoon fun though, wasn't it?

Anonymous said...

The 99% of us from the bargain board know what a full time asshole you are Cookie.

Life, Love And Lola said...

Wow! How did I miss all of this drama? I just caught up, and then for some STUPID.ASS.REASON. I took a trip over to the cookie blog. All I can say is I.WAS.BORED.TO.DEATH.

You ROCK Ashley!

Life, Love And Lola said...

Dear Cookie,

As a commenter you have earned a spot on The Closet Cruise. However, if I were you (thank God I'm not) I would think twice about traveling with all of us bitches.
I'm pretty certain your crazy ass would be pushed overboard.

L,L&L

Anonymous said...

Hmmm. Usually a big fan of your blog but for the life of me I'm not sure where ill behaved/unkempt/poory dressesed/overweight/economically-challenged-kids and AUTISM have to do with each other?
My almost-5 year old son has Autism and he is none of those things. Sorta sucks to hear yet another negative remark about Autism. Seriously.

Anonymous said...

I can't speak for ashley but think the autism reference was saying that then they'd have a medical reason for their bad behavior, like thyroid issues would be the medical excuse for obesity. Some people really want to be offended by this though, so if your one of those disregard my hypothesis. I have an autistic child and this post didn't bother me at all. Loved the apology tho!

Unknown said...

LOL...I've covered all bases with this one. To tick off the overweight, the uneducated, the economically downtrodden, the non-spankers and now the parents of Autistic kids? It's got to be a record.

Whoever spoke for me got it right, I was just throwing that in there before someone spoke up with possible medical reasons for the bad behavior. I know some kids with Autism struggle with behavior problems, understandably so due to some of the symptoms.

It's a miracle Big Kid wasn't diagnosed with Autism (they were worried about it during his EI evaluation, lots of his quirks and behavior issues match up with it) and I have friends battling Autism in their kids, so no, no problems with Autistic kids here.

Now who wants to be mad because I've minimized thyroid issues? Could we throw some racial tension in here? What's next?

;-)

Anonymous said...

My Mother-in-law has a thyroid issue and I was seriously offended...

Anyhoo, thanks for the advice about the "whoo haa doc" from both Jen and Ashley.
xo

Kim said...

Not to keep this going or anything, but I had to respond to Cookie’s response after my last comment… Apparently, I hit a nerve when I noted that you were talking about freebies on your blog. First of all, I’m not one of the 99% on the Bargain Board, though I do love a bargain. I’m glad that you find it "ULTRA" hypocritical of me to point out the irony of the fact that you were talking about freebies, when that was what this whole discussion was about…the IRONY that Ashley witnessed regarding the particular people who happened to be in line for their FREEBIES.

Recognizing irony is a strong indicator of intelligence, and being able to laugh at yourself is a sign of character. I guess that says a lot about you, since you are clearly unable to do either.

Now, stop taking everything so seriously, and go save the world.

AFRo said...

Holy. Crap. Damn Mr. AFRo for not fixing the internet sooner. I missed every bit of this. That just sucks. But, in hindsight, hats off to you Mrs. Ashley for the numerous bitch slaps you delivered. Fabulous. Really.

Former WIC receipient here and I'm going to have to disagree with some because we are dirt poor and I'm not fat... neither or my children.

Julie H said...

Well I WAS trying to read all the comments on here but there are so many! Bravo for bring up a hot topic!

I received WIC for awhile. My husband did not make a lot of money. While I was glad for the free food I always wished that I could have some real fruit or vegetables instead of all that juice. I never bought juice before or after I was on the program. I think it had something to do with all the cavaties my middle child ended up with!

I have 3 kids. One was fat when she was younger, she still isn't "skinny" but she's not rolls and rolls. My middle daughter is a rail, and the youngest is just a big kid, but I wouldn't think he'd be considered fat at all. They all get fed the same food. One just hordes hers a little more, one is more picky, etc.

One of my friends was very obese. She was on WIC. Her husband has MS and when he was diagnosed with it they lost their whole life (business, house, etc). I'd hate that someone would think bad about her because she was fat. But when she was fat (she recently had WL surgery), she was sloppy. It's hard to take a shower when you weigh 350 pounds. Her kids were sloppy too since just getting up was REALLY hard. But she was DEPRESSED, and what did she do? She ate her loaf of bread she bought at the dollar store with some cheap lunch meat.

That said, I did HATE going to the WIC office. I constantly felt like the staff there was judging me on how my kids ate. I would lie on their food report paper because they didn't eat how they were "supposed to" and I didn't want to hear a lecture. I actually quit going because of that. Apparently I gave my kid too much milk (the skinny one) and should have given her more food. Whatever.

I do know what you mean though about feeling so out of place there. I was usually the only English speaking person waiting in the office.