The Indignity of the Queue

[thedudeinthehat]

hmmm. The better reports film shuffling feet - which keeps it discreet in the report. But at the time, if you were in the q , you would resent the intrusion. I cant understand why people still need to queue once it has being established its a genuine case. Once a month even would do. I just receive my illness benefit into my account each week. No queues. If the system needs to be more sympathetic it could try at least.

[H.R. Haldeman]

People who think this is a story about standing in the rain really need to cop the fk on.

[thedudeinthehat]

People who think this is a story about standing in the rain really need to cop the fk on.

If someone has paid their share of taxes, prsi and stamps etc, then they are in effect customers. Not just joe public. So what kind of business treats customers repeatedly in this way. Resources should be added to make the dole collection process smoother. That is all.

[Wendy]

hmmm. The better reports film shuffling feet - which keeps it discreet in the report. But at the time, if you were in the q , you would resent the intrusion. I cant understand why people still need to queue once it has being established its a genuine case. Once a month even would do. I just receive my illness benefit into my account each week. No queues. If the system needs to be more sympathetic it could try at least.

Once a month to sign on, once a week to collect payments. Best way to stop people sending a friend to collect it while they b*gger off to the sun. Or wherever.

[thedudeinthehat]

Once a month to sign on, once a week to collect payments. Best way to stop people sending a friend to collect it while they b*gger off to the sun. Or wherever.

I dont know about that. It would sure save some cash and resources by having direct debits into accounts. And then just a mandatory once a month checking in. I think most of irelands new unemployed are not on the south coast of france three out of four weeks on two hundred a week.

[H.R. Haldeman]

If someone has paid their share of taxes, prsi and stamps etc, then they are in effect customers. Not just joe public. So what kind of business treats customers repeatedly in this way. Resources should be added to make the dole collection process smoother. That is all.

I wasn't disagreeing with you Dude. I was replying to people up thread who implied the complaint in OP was about the discomfort of signing on. The OP was about the indignity of the thing, and I think many in this thread are diminishing that issue. Personally, I would be mortified if I was seen by, say, an ex girlfriend at the dole office. Maybe that says more about my ego than anything, but I still think it is an issue that will effect many people and hurt their esteem. Lose your job, feel sorry for yourself, then sign on and get your dignity kicked again...it can be a slippery slope from there.

[thedudeinthehat]

I wasn't disagreeing with you Dude. I was replying to people up thread who implied the complaint in OP was about the discomfort of signing on. The OP was about the indignity of the thing, and I think many in this thread are diminishing that issue. Personally, I would be mortified if I was seen by, say, an ex girlfriend at the dole office. Maybe that says more about my ego than anything, but I still think it is an issue that will effect many people and hurt their esteem. Lose your job, feel sorry for yourself, then sign on and get your dignity kicked again...it can be a slippery slope from there.

Fully agree. Still. As much as we would feel awful in that situation, i believe that there should not be this hang up. The irony is the ones who should have that feeling are the ones least likely to. That is, those during the boom who reckoned they would be better off on welfare then low paid work. Those long term, phony cases are in the minority, but are the only welfare recipients who i think we should demonise. It is because of them that genuine hard luck cases are made to feel anxious about claiming their rightful dues. Pity.

[TradCat]

I can understand how it's uncomfortable for people. But I've been working since I was 13 so if it ever happens to me I'll just stick on the iPod and relax. I mean if Brian Cowen isn't embarrassed to collect his salary then nobody who is entitled to the dole should be.

[evercloserunion]

Well now his well-off friend has started a thread about him on P.ie so his dignity is restored.

Anyway, do you not think it's more the not having a job that impacts on someone's mentality more then queuing for the dole? I've never taken the dole but I've been unemployed, even if only over the summer between college terms. But it still has a major impact on your sense of self-worth. You start to feel useless and worthless, and start to resent not being able to afford the consumer lifestyle being pushed in your face at every opportunity. I'm sure it's much, much worse if you have a family to support.

TBH I have a hard time believing that it's really the fact that he has to stand out in the rain or that he has to stand amongst his peers that has your friend down. Had he been born into a well-off family I might expect that kind of snobbery but you say he's from a poor area so why would being around the not-so-well-off bother him? IMO it's more likely that it's being unemployed, feeling like he is not contributing to society and of course being poor that's getting him down.

People don't want a roof over their heads while they collect the dole, people want jobs.

[Wendy]

Well now his well-off friend has started a thread about him on P.ie so his dignity is restored.

Anyway, do you not think it's more the not having a job that impacts on someone's mentality more then queuing for the dole? I've never taken the dole but I've been unemployed, even if only over the summer between college terms. But it still has a major impact on your sense of self-worth. You start to feel useless and worthless, and start to resent not being able to afford the consumer lifestyle being pushed in your face at every opportunity. I'm sure it's much, much worse if you have a family to support.

Exactly. As the old cliché goes, if you remain unemployed long enough, you start believing you're unemployable.