General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: When you are poor and have an iPhone.... [View all]mcp37
(27 posts)The smart phone goes right in line with historical technological necessities required to get along in our society. In the 1930s & 1940s it was the radio that these anti-welfare guys were yelling about. In the 1950s and 1960s they added the automobile as an outrageous purchase for someone on welfare to have even though most cities and states were paving everything over and getting rid of public transportation making cars a necessity. In the 1980s and 1990s I heard people getting upset about poor people having VCRs and microwaves. Now it is a smart phone. Their biggest problem, I think, is they don't want to see a poor person with something that they themselves have because that undermines their own sense of 'accomplishment' (read: entitlement).
A cell phone of any sort is reaching the status of a necessity in our society. A smart phone combines several utilities into one. Phone, long distance, internet (especially with the ability to utilize free wifi), text, voice mail, etc. Apparently, poor people are supposed to 'pull themselves up by their boot straps' and do it with stone age technology. (How many times do potential employers say 'fax me your resume' or 'just drop your resume in the mail and I'll read it about 3-5 days when it gets here'!!)
Just my two-cents.
P.S. Ever try to rent an apartment WITHOUT a fridge or air conditioning?!