Rich Guy ‘Proves’ Food Poverty Is Just Laziness, Gets Shut Down With Maths
In 2018, a UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights made some shocking findings in the UK, one of the richest and most developed economies in the world. Almost 14 million people, or a fifth of the population, live in poverty, leaving four million children without access to healthy and nutritious food.
According to the Food Ethics Council, many families in the UK are ‘food insecure,’ facing stark choices between buying food, paying the rent or heating their home. A combination of a lack of shops selling fresh food, fast food outlets near schools and vegetables that cost three times more than ultra-processed alternatives means that cheap food laden with salt, sugar and saturated fats are often their only option. This is known as food poverty.
Image credits: AndrewBooton
This tweet by the chairman of Cheltenham Civic Society, whose main aim is to maintain the special architectural qualities of Cheltenham and its environment, is a perfect example of victim-blaming by someone completely out of touch with the reality for many people in the UK.
Mr. Booten shared an image of the chicken stir-fry he prepared for his family for £3.89, or 97p each. “Don’t tell me we have food poverty in this country,” he captioned the image. “It’s just idleness.”
See, you’re only malnourished because you’re lazy, you silly poor person!
Image credits: dnstewart67
There are many reasons why the tweet was in poor taste, as well as being factually inaccurate. People were quick to point them out with nearly 5000 responses, most of them negative.
Mr. Booten has since deleted his tweet with an apology, saying that he was sorry for “having trivialized a serious issue.”
Image credits: mudlarklives
Now, there is a lot of denial about these inconvenient facts about poverty in the UK, and a tendency for those who aren’t affected by it to blame the victim for their own shortcomings. Nevermind that many of the jobs in northern, industrial towns have been sold off for short term profit.
Image credits: DonWxm
Those people most affected by job losses and endless cuts to public services are, in turn, encouraged by rabid right-wing newspapers to blame foreign influences like immigration and the EU, whilst the gradual dismantling of the welfare state continues unabated.
Welcome to Brexitland, everybody!
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Image credits: Coene_Arts
“British compassion for those who are suffering has been replaced by a punitive, mean-spirited, and often callous approach apparently designed to instill discipline where it is least useful, to impose a rigid order on the lives of those least capable of coping with today’s world, and elevating the goal of enforcing blind compliance over a genuine concern to improve the well-being of those at the lowest levels of British society,” the UN report states.
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“The experience of the United Kingdom, especially since 2010, underscores the conclusion that poverty is a political choice.”
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“Austerity could easily have spared the poor if the political will had existed to do so. Resources were available to the Treasury at the last budget that could have transformed the situation of millions of people living in poverty, but the political choice was made to fund tax cuts for the wealthy instead.”
Sound familiar, American readers?
Image credits: Nfinit
What we need in the face of this greedy, selfish politics is more empathy and compassion for those who are getting left behind, not less.
Resist the calls to blame foreigners for your society’s ills and look closer to home – it is our leaders and their big business buddies that are doing this!
Image credits: tristanitis
Here’s what people had to say about the tweet
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It's fascinating how people who are not on benefits seem to have all the answers for the people who are.
I wonder if this guy has ever been poor or if any close member of his family has. I doubt it. He sounds like an economic bubble-boy.
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So I'm a single parent on benefits hoping to go back to work next year (although I only get 15 hours free child care) I'm entitled to two bed accommodation I had to move 30 minutes away from my support network to afford it (and still have to pay £200 extra on top of housing benefit) I'm down £35 a month as pay back to the government due to them over paying me by mistake. After all my house hold bills (my mother covers my internet and I don't have sky/cable) im left with about £200. The past two weeks I've lived off of soup so my son has decent meals due to unforeseen expenses. The main issue (my mother agrees and works in housing for the local council) is the fact housing benefit is not enough. I'm forever grateful for the help I get. And can just about get by, but there are weeks of soup and skipping meals.
My parents moved to a different country because of war when I was a child. They didn't had a lot but for me and my sister they gave everything. I will never forget that and so will your son. Good luck for your future!
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I help people out during the Christmas holidays if I can, the two main things asked for are food and gifts for kids. So many families are food insecure. Some say to "Get a job" many do have jobs, but the cost of living, especially with children, outweighs what most make with minimum wage jobs. What comes first? A roof over your head for you and your children, or food on the table?
I started a new Christmas tradition last year. I walk around the grocery store and follow around people who are visibly less fortunate (looking at prices, newly arrived, etc) and pay the bill once arriving at the cashier. I swear that their reaction is the best Christmas gift I ever got in my life. I am looking forward to doing this again this year.
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I just love people who advise to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. What they don't realize is some people don't even have boots.
Besides all of the insightful comments in the original article, inexpensive food is generally not available in poor neighborhoods. If you're lucky, you have a convenience store that will never have sales on anything other than beer or snacks. Try making this same meal from stuff you buy at a shop like that.
Plus.. there's too many people aiming at the marked-down articles in a poor neighborhood shop. Expensive neighborhood shoppers look down on marked-down, so there it's available.
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That´s why supermarkets have to stop throwing away food. Foodsharing needs to be a thing everywhere in the world.
Omg our store throws away so much produce( that's still edible). I cry. They do donate the bakery stuff.
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Anybody who poverty shames should be made to live on an unemployment pay wage for a month
That will be easy, at least 1year is needed to understand what is to live with so little money. You survive somehow everyday live, but the unexpected exspenses are the devil. They will knock your budget down for months.
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I've been off benefit for nearly 2 years now. I'm still paying off the debts from that. But no-one in the media cares because it doesn't fit the scrounger narative that they are so keen to promote. In the uk we have channel 5 tv that only ever show people living it up on benefits, never the other side where people are struggling between choosing heat or food. I'm just glad I dont have kids as I would feel like even more of a failure watching them suffer. They also never mention the explosion in mental health related problems that directly corresponds to all the cuts. And lets add the cuts into this, a load of millionaire bankers get greedy, almost destroy their banks and need multi billion bailouts, yet the poor, ill and disabled get punished? how the f**k does that work, a load of people that would never have had loans due to circumstance get starved, and the bankers get to keep the massive bonus'. F**k this system that only offers support to the wealthy
you're not a failure man, s**t happens. Is there any other help for you? hope you'll be okay. you're not a failure or scrounger, DO NOT give into their narrative. Anyone who is outraged by the poor themselves and not the society that allows it to happen is THEIR issue, not yours.
Load More Replies... Yeah you can eat ramen noodles every damn day...if you want a ton of extra salt and no nutrition. People who eat healthy( or not border be starving) spend more because fruits, veggies and decent meat cost money. I worked at grocery stores I see what poor people buy vs well off. Poor people eat less healthy because tuna casserole is cheaper than organic greens and tofu.
Absolutely, ramen everyday, get sicker more often adding to their problems, it's a vicious cycle. Poor people end up paying more for groceries in the long run because they can only buy little at a time, so have to go back often. Most likely they're renting their whole lives too, so they actually spend more on living than well off people because they can't afford a home or a mortgage or couldn't get a loan. Looking for "specials" while everyone else fills their trolley is emotionally taxing as well, making people all the more depressed about their situation
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One thing is true, we should be taught how to be able to cook healthy and cheap. At least at schools. Instead of patronizing people who were less lucky than others, just share some easy recipes.
I grew up in a working but little money family very English countryside and I feel it's been a saving grace I know how to cook but also know how to make things 'last' longer example cottage pie then (I hope no Italians read this) baked beans in a bolognese. Next day add some chilli power, hot sauce and kidney beans and fry it and you have a chilli. You are so right x
Load More Replies... There's only a few small vegetable pieces in the picture, that's not a healthy meal.
Dude just be positive, think the vegetables into existence okay? bloody idleness
Load More Replies... The last Liberal Prime Minister in Quebec (French Canada) lost his last campaign to saying something similar... He said that a family of 4 could eat on $75 per week. My husband and I, alone, pay around $100 per week for 2. How deconnected from the people can you be??? This is such a shame and it seems that all politicians are alike wherever you look. Could we move to another planet? Please?
Same mentality by politicians in Australia. Out of touch f*****s (despite all their "advisors") are making ludicrous decisions about welfare affecting real families because they have no idea how reality works
Load More Replies... Kinda firstly pointed out I'm going back to work next year but hey cool story bro
Tyler Duffy doesn't know that when you are a single parent and you get a job, you can't just stuff your kid in a backpack for the day. Sometimes the childcare is more than the post-tax earnings.
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A starving artist here and a single mom, too. All great points in the article and in the comments below. I'd just like to add that people need more than a certain number of calories to live happily. You cannot feed your family the same stir fry three times a day for weeks. And I notice the guy did not mention drinks. Kids need milk, and juice, and adults do, too. Or was he suggesting everyone drinks tap water with every meal? Also, same boring food over and over contributes not only to poor physical health, but to poor mental health. We need to treat ourselves to something good every once in a while just to keep our spirits up. And on top of that, poor people also have to pay for electricity and/or gas to cook that food. And don't even get me started on other necessary expenses, like hygiene and tampons! Does that guy know how much a family of 4 needs to spend on tampons and pads a month if, say, there's three women on that household?
I'm not on benefits but I'm poor & have no insurance. There are many days its hard to come by a meal.
We've finally convinced our local stores that make bags to donate to food banks during the holidays to do it year round. Hungry people eat all the time, and the stores can do the programs easily. We always buy several every week. It works because we are disabled and cannot go to the food banks ourselves, but can help out others using our disability payments.
He's not even considering the many people who don't have access to an area or to equipment to do their own cooking.
exactly, my local food bank had to ask people to donate foods that dont need to be cooked
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That really was a glib post, but no one pointed out that that amount of food is in no way adequate for four people. That was a two person meal. There are ways to eat well on a budget (I feed myself meals made at home for about five bucks a day for all three, but am not on a budget. I could go thriftier if I needed to.) but you should put out a cook book and tips on how to score good food for maximum thrift if you want to convey this message the right way. For example, my grocery store runs a sale on london broil for $1.79 pound twice a year. I bought 17 pounds, cut each piece in two and froze them. I get three dinners out of each half piece. So for around two bucks, I can make steak, veggies and fries for dinner. The best investment you can make if you're on a budget is getting a chest freezer so you can stock up. You can even get one of those cheap if you get it used. I got my washing machine on Craigslist for $90. Been using it for almost 10 years now, works perfectly.
Or you are unemployed in a third word country living with no governent benefits and earning under a dolar a day. you can't afford chicken, nor rice noodles... It's not idleness... It's poverty... The person who lives in abundance never considered or even remembered those who are dying of hunger.
For the most part I think we have so much excess food here idk how people go hungry. Unless it’s like selling food stamps or not feeding your children which is an issue. I’d always much rather buy someone food than throw a buck in a can. Being fed is a human right. It’s why it’s sad when beggars get angry at people offering them food.
Indeed there's a lot of denial on this situation. Like the fact that people have been living in food poverty and struggling way before we even had the referendum to leave the EU!!! Li Nefas and James caunt. Also theres many types of people anti EU who have nothing to do with the far right! (I'm personally against the far right as much as I am against the far left "both extremeist hateful nut cases") BS like this is just spreading more hate and division. It isn't needed and it isn't helpful. Whether we leave or stay in the EU this problem isn't going away. Has nothing to do with brexitland and everything to do with a Breaking down society that's been going this way for years for multiple problems.
I understand this is a touchy subject but some of the responses seem a bit over-exaggerated. One person argued about feeding a family of four, assuming that two are the parents is it reasonable to argue that neither work and only get one unemployment benefit, or arguing that they have other Bill's, including TV (if you're surviving off of government benefits why are you putting TV ahead of groceries), or that this dinner doesn't feed a 4 month old (wouldn't this child be breastfeeding or receiving free formula through WIC). And at least in the US we see a lot of people on government assistance drop $10/per person on one fast food meal. Meanwhile they also smoke and get their power shut off for nonpayment (actual story of a former coworker) I'm not trying to say I have the answer but rather why some people think like this guy does.
Food poverty =/= being poor. Just because people don't have money doesn't mean there isn't food going around. Posts like this just trivialise actual food poverty in countries like Rwanda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia. This is virtue signalling for the poor who aren't poor.
I believe he has a point. I see many people on benefits buying overpriced, over processed , already prepared meals. Boxes of cookies, c**p cakes, potato chips, and more s**t. Let's meet halfway.
many factors there. Both parents working, no time to prepare elaborate meals. Sometimes overprocessed c**p is cheaper, perhaps they only have access to a microwave - which is the case for many students too
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What if I have kids when I can afford it and afterwards I get into problems? Should I give them to adoption?
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so what about the people that lose their jobs and already have kids? cash work = benefit fraud so that a jail sentence when you get caught. Dev, I could destroy all the points you have made but I better let someone else do it too
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There are quite a few panhandlers in my local area. I am quite sure that aside from the ones with substance abuse problems, the rest don't seem to actually be in need of handouts. It's unfortunate that the grifters are spoiling the generosity of those who actually want to help needy people.
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How will you get one when no one wants to hire you? Tell me sir.
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It's fascinating how people who are not on benefits seem to have all the answers for the people who are.
I wonder if this guy has ever been poor or if any close member of his family has. I doubt it. He sounds like an economic bubble-boy.
Load More Replies... So I'm a single parent on benefits hoping to go back to work next year (although I only get 15 hours free child care) I'm entitled to two bed accommodation I had to move 30 minutes away from my support network to afford it (and still have to pay £200 extra on top of housing benefit) I'm down £35 a month as pay back to the government due to them over paying me by mistake. After all my house hold bills (my mother covers my internet and I don't have sky/cable) im left with about £200. The past two weeks I've lived off of soup so my son has decent meals due to unforeseen expenses. The main issue (my mother agrees and works in housing for the local council) is the fact housing benefit is not enough. I'm forever grateful for the help I get. And can just about get by, but there are weeks of soup and skipping meals.
My parents moved to a different country because of war when I was a child. They didn't had a lot but for me and my sister they gave everything. I will never forget that and so will your son. Good luck for your future!
Load More Replies... I help people out during the Christmas holidays if I can, the two main things asked for are food and gifts for kids. So many families are food insecure. Some say to "Get a job" many do have jobs, but the cost of living, especially with children, outweighs what most make with minimum wage jobs. What comes first? A roof over your head for you and your children, or food on the table?
I started a new Christmas tradition last year. I walk around the grocery store and follow around people who are visibly less fortunate (looking at prices, newly arrived, etc) and pay the bill once arriving at the cashier. I swear that their reaction is the best Christmas gift I ever got in my life. I am looking forward to doing this again this year.
Load More Replies... I just love people who advise to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. What they don't realize is some people don't even have boots.
Besides all of the insightful comments in the original article, inexpensive food is generally not available in poor neighborhoods. If you're lucky, you have a convenience store that will never have sales on anything other than beer or snacks. Try making this same meal from stuff you buy at a shop like that.
Plus.. there's too many people aiming at the marked-down articles in a poor neighborhood shop. Expensive neighborhood shoppers look down on marked-down, so there it's available.
Load More Replies... That´s why supermarkets have to stop throwing away food. Foodsharing needs to be a thing everywhere in the world.
Omg our store throws away so much produce( that's still edible). I cry. They do donate the bakery stuff.
Load More Replies... Anybody who poverty shames should be made to live on an unemployment pay wage for a month
That will be easy, at least 1year is needed to understand what is to live with so little money. You survive somehow everyday live, but the unexpected exspenses are the devil. They will knock your budget down for months.
Load More Replies... I've been off benefit for nearly 2 years now. I'm still paying off the debts from that. But no-one in the media cares because it doesn't fit the scrounger narative that they are so keen to promote. In the uk we have channel 5 tv that only ever show people living it up on benefits, never the other side where people are struggling between choosing heat or food. I'm just glad I dont have kids as I would feel like even more of a failure watching them suffer. They also never mention the explosion in mental health related problems that directly corresponds to all the cuts. And lets add the cuts into this, a load of millionaire bankers get greedy, almost destroy their banks and need multi billion bailouts, yet the poor, ill and disabled get punished? how the f**k does that work, a load of people that would never have had loans due to circumstance get starved, and the bankers get to keep the massive bonus'. F**k this system that only offers support to the wealthy
you're not a failure man, s**t happens. Is there any other help for you? hope you'll be okay. you're not a failure or scrounger, DO NOT give into their narrative. Anyone who is outraged by the poor themselves and not the society that allows it to happen is THEIR issue, not yours.
Load More Replies... Yeah you can eat ramen noodles every damn day...if you want a ton of extra salt and no nutrition. People who eat healthy( or not border be starving) spend more because fruits, veggies and decent meat cost money. I worked at grocery stores I see what poor people buy vs well off. Poor people eat less healthy because tuna casserole is cheaper than organic greens and tofu.
Absolutely, ramen everyday, get sicker more often adding to their problems, it's a vicious cycle. Poor people end up paying more for groceries in the long run because they can only buy little at a time, so have to go back often. Most likely they're renting their whole lives too, so they actually spend more on living than well off people because they can't afford a home or a mortgage or couldn't get a loan. Looking for "specials" while everyone else fills their trolley is emotionally taxing as well, making people all the more depressed about their situation
Load More Replies... One thing is true, we should be taught how to be able to cook healthy and cheap. At least at schools. Instead of patronizing people who were less lucky than others, just share some easy recipes.
I grew up in a working but little money family very English countryside and I feel it's been a saving grace I know how to cook but also know how to make things 'last' longer example cottage pie then (I hope no Italians read this) baked beans in a bolognese. Next day add some chilli power, hot sauce and kidney beans and fry it and you have a chilli. You are so right x
Load More Replies... There's only a few small vegetable pieces in the picture, that's not a healthy meal.
Dude just be positive, think the vegetables into existence okay? bloody idleness
Load More Replies... The last Liberal Prime Minister in Quebec (French Canada) lost his last campaign to saying something similar... He said that a family of 4 could eat on $75 per week. My husband and I, alone, pay around $100 per week for 2. How deconnected from the people can you be??? This is such a shame and it seems that all politicians are alike wherever you look. Could we move to another planet? Please?
Same mentality by politicians in Australia. Out of touch f*****s (despite all their "advisors") are making ludicrous decisions about welfare affecting real families because they have no idea how reality works
Load More Replies... Kinda firstly pointed out I'm going back to work next year but hey cool story bro
Tyler Duffy doesn't know that when you are a single parent and you get a job, you can't just stuff your kid in a backpack for the day. Sometimes the childcare is more than the post-tax earnings.
Load More Replies... A starving artist here and a single mom, too. All great points in the article and in the comments below. I'd just like to add that people need more than a certain number of calories to live happily. You cannot feed your family the same stir fry three times a day for weeks. And I notice the guy did not mention drinks. Kids need milk, and juice, and adults do, too. Or was he suggesting everyone drinks tap water with every meal? Also, same boring food over and over contributes not only to poor physical health, but to poor mental health. We need to treat ourselves to something good every once in a while just to keep our spirits up. And on top of that, poor people also have to pay for electricity and/or gas to cook that food. And don't even get me started on other necessary expenses, like hygiene and tampons! Does that guy know how much a family of 4 needs to spend on tampons and pads a month if, say, there's three women on that household?
I'm not on benefits but I'm poor & have no insurance. There are many days its hard to come by a meal.
We've finally convinced our local stores that make bags to donate to food banks during the holidays to do it year round. Hungry people eat all the time, and the stores can do the programs easily. We always buy several every week. It works because we are disabled and cannot go to the food banks ourselves, but can help out others using our disability payments.
He's not even considering the many people who don't have access to an area or to equipment to do their own cooking.
exactly, my local food bank had to ask people to donate foods that dont need to be cooked
Load More Replies... That really was a glib post, but no one pointed out that that amount of food is in no way adequate for four people. That was a two person meal. There are ways to eat well on a budget (I feed myself meals made at home for about five bucks a day for all three, but am not on a budget. I could go thriftier if I needed to.) but you should put out a cook book and tips on how to score good food for maximum thrift if you want to convey this message the right way. For example, my grocery store runs a sale on london broil for $1.79 pound twice a year. I bought 17 pounds, cut each piece in two and froze them. I get three dinners out of each half piece. So for around two bucks, I can make steak, veggies and fries for dinner. The best investment you can make if you're on a budget is getting a chest freezer so you can stock up. You can even get one of those cheap if you get it used. I got my washing machine on Craigslist for $90. Been using it for almost 10 years now, works perfectly.
Or you are unemployed in a third word country living with no governent benefits and earning under a dolar a day. you can't afford chicken, nor rice noodles... It's not idleness... It's poverty... The person who lives in abundance never considered or even remembered those who are dying of hunger.
For the most part I think we have so much excess food here idk how people go hungry. Unless it’s like selling food stamps or not feeding your children which is an issue. I’d always much rather buy someone food than throw a buck in a can. Being fed is a human right. It’s why it’s sad when beggars get angry at people offering them food.
Indeed there's a lot of denial on this situation. Like the fact that people have been living in food poverty and struggling way before we even had the referendum to leave the EU!!! Li Nefas and James caunt. Also theres many types of people anti EU who have nothing to do with the far right! (I'm personally against the far right as much as I am against the far left "both extremeist hateful nut cases") BS like this is just spreading more hate and division. It isn't needed and it isn't helpful. Whether we leave or stay in the EU this problem isn't going away. Has nothing to do with brexitland and everything to do with a Breaking down society that's been going this way for years for multiple problems.
I understand this is a touchy subject but some of the responses seem a bit over-exaggerated. One person argued about feeding a family of four, assuming that two are the parents is it reasonable to argue that neither work and only get one unemployment benefit, or arguing that they have other Bill's, including TV (if you're surviving off of government benefits why are you putting TV ahead of groceries), or that this dinner doesn't feed a 4 month old (wouldn't this child be breastfeeding or receiving free formula through WIC). And at least in the US we see a lot of people on government assistance drop $10/per person on one fast food meal. Meanwhile they also smoke and get their power shut off for nonpayment (actual story of a former coworker) I'm not trying to say I have the answer but rather why some people think like this guy does.
Food poverty =/= being poor. Just because people don't have money doesn't mean there isn't food going around. Posts like this just trivialise actual food poverty in countries like Rwanda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia. This is virtue signalling for the poor who aren't poor.
I believe he has a point. I see many people on benefits buying overpriced, over processed , already prepared meals. Boxes of cookies, c**p cakes, potato chips, and more s**t. Let's meet halfway.
many factors there. Both parents working, no time to prepare elaborate meals. Sometimes overprocessed c**p is cheaper, perhaps they only have access to a microwave - which is the case for many students too
Load More Replies... What if I have kids when I can afford it and afterwards I get into problems? Should I give them to adoption?
Load More Replies... so what about the people that lose their jobs and already have kids? cash work = benefit fraud so that a jail sentence when you get caught. Dev, I could destroy all the points you have made but I better let someone else do it too
Load More Replies... There are quite a few panhandlers in my local area. I am quite sure that aside from the ones with substance abuse problems, the rest don't seem to actually be in need of handouts. It's unfortunate that the grifters are spoiling the generosity of those who actually want to help needy people.
Load More Replies... How will you get one when no one wants to hire you? Tell me sir.
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