I am just asking if anyone know how Torch the Witch is coping!

[akbacchus_BC]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Sissyk (a host of the General Discussion forum).

Last time she was on here asking for help, some called her a scammer. If only you know how easy it is to become destitute, you would not entertain that thought.

The many negatives she got on here in unbelievable, but do remember the owners of this site gave her permission to ask for help.

I just hope she is doing ok and I wish her all the best.

[Joe the Revelator]

1. Nobody ever gave her permission for anything

Per skinner, permission is no longer needed, that was a DU 2.0 thing.

[akbacchus_BC]

2. Sorry, I thought Skinner of the Admins had to give you permission to post a help thread!

Otherwise, she could not have posted a help thread, I may be wrong!

Anyways, that is not the issue, am just concerned if she is ok!

[Joe the Revelator]

4. I did to, thats the way it use to be...

....but according to AtA, that's not the case.

[AngryOldDem]

8. After all this controversy, maybe that policy should be revisited.

This open-ended policy does give the impression that the door is open to scammers, which to a lot of people makes anyone seeking help suspicious. Maybe if these requests went through the administration first, some of the questions could be settled and a lot of the flamewars prevented.

I don't pass judgment one way or the other. If I want to donate, I do; if not, I move on.

I too hope TTW is doing well.

[Fumesucker]

5. Eh, I read a bunch of those suggestions and even made one or two

What those threads remind me of is this...

http://www.businessinsider.com/poverty-effect-on-intelligence-2013-8

Poverty Stresses The Brain So Much That It's Like Losing 13 IQ Points

The daily pressures and stresses of poverty take up so much mental energy that it reduces cognitive function. According to a new study, published in Science today, being preoccupied with money can cause low income people to suffer a drop in IQ of 13 points on average.

A few comparisons highlight how severe that is. That difference in IQ is about the same as the gap between a chronic alcoholic and a normal adult, according to The Atlantic. It's comparable to the cognitive drop people see when they've just pulled an all-nighter.

In the researcher's first study, people across the income spectrum in New Jersey were asked how they would respond to a situation where their car suddenly required repair: Would they pay right away, borrow money, or put the repairs off for now. And how would they decide?

<snip>

When the repairs were said to cost $150, poor and rich people performed cognitive tasks at the same level. When the number was $1,500, poor people performed far worse on those tasks, while wealthier individuals weren't affected.

[darkangel218]

6. I hope she's ok. Her last post got me really concerned

[Paper Roses]

7. Any idea why she self-deleted her OP?

I followed the whole thing, her long comments, all the replies. I was interested in her situation and all the helpful suggestions. I also went back in time to read some of the older posts.
Don't understand why she deleted the last one.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026748167

My unlearned opinion, she needs mental help. I can't believe there is no help out there for her.

The fact that her replies were so long, suggests she was looking for some kind of reinforcement for her excuses and procrastination.
Many of us have problems that we find difficult to address for any number of reasons. We don't post them in such detail and for such a long time. DU may be helpful to her but it is not a piggy bank.

I am in sympathy but:

The lady doth protest too much, methinks

[AngryOldDem]

10. I think TTW's hidden post in that thread was the reason.

It's down toward the end.

[CTyankee]

12. That really distressed me. The tone and the rambling on...

I don't have anyone here on Ignore but after this last OP from her, I am considering it for her. I'm dealing with some health issues of my own just now and can't be distracted from that.

[Fumesucker]

11. If you don't have money there is almost no mental health help available

And not having money is stressful enough that it will give you mental problems if you didn't have them in the first place before becoming destitute.

Sometimes there are no good options, hell sometimes there are no options at all.

[ScreamingMeemie]

14. This. So much this.

[Katashi_itto]

9. K&R

[Pooka Fey]

13. My take on this situation

Take a look at hidden post #272 on this past weekend's thread. TTW threatens to tear her landlord's house down to shreds, and she responds angrily to someone who is trying to be helpful. Noting the length and emotional content of her posts, I would say that there are mental health issues involved.

I say this with compassion, and no judgement whatsoever.

TTW didn't respond to my post #43 giving her the address of her local food bank, Philabundance, nor my post #44 pointing out a 14 week culinary arts training program offered by Philabundance, with an 81% success rate at placing graduates, with 2 years of follow-up to ensure that students maximize their training and a positive work ethic. Working in a kitchen is not as glamorous as bartending, but there comes a point when you have to take what you can get.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026748167#top

You can't help some people. At a certain point, money can't help, it only allows an impossible situation to continue. I have a person in my own family who couldn't be helped after a decade of positive and expensive medical and social interventions. These interventions didn't help my family member. However, the stress and heartbreak of this situation resulted in 3 otherwise healthy family members becoming ill, including myself.

I have seen these TTW posts over the course of the last few months. I won't respond anymore.

[CTyankee]

15. Since I've known people who had psychotic "breaks" I saw a bit of similarity with what

she was writing. I'm afraid that her sudden deletion of the entire thread will lead some folks to be suspicious, maybe unfairly so, but who knows?

[cwydro]

16. She did not have to get permission.

She got caught in too many contradictions in that thread, imo, and people were calling her on it.

She said she lived across the street from a Giant supermarket, but another DUer researched and found there are no Giant stores in her town at all. She said she had even applied for a job there, but they only hired young people.

She said she had to have expensive internet because there was no DSL available in her area. Once again a DUer researched it and found that there were many DSL providers in her area.

Numerous posters gave her great advice and resources. She ignores them. She was even offered a place to stay with her dog. For FREE.

I was skeptical from the beginning, but she got caught in too many contradictions in that thread. I think that is why she self-deleted.

[seaglass]

17. Don't believe everything you read, that's all I'll say about it.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/giant-food-store-havertown

you can even google it:

http://giantfoodstores.com/

GIANT #6442

116 Township Line Rd

Havertown, PA 19083

[snooper2]

18. So was offered a place to live, with her dog, for a year, for free

All she had to do is say yes and I'm sure DU'ers (including me) would help pay for the cost of a moving truck for things she had to keep or throw in storage for a bit while she gets a job and shit together----


But, I guess that wasn't good enough. Her response was that she had "jobs" lined up or something at the time and apparently there are no bars or jobs or opportunities in Charleston SC.

[Sissyk]

19. Locking.

It is the consensus of host that this does not belong in GD. Please read the pinned thread at the top of the page. Thank you!