LBC Radio caller shocks listeners by describing how he can't afford to eat - Polidicks

[url]http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/feeding-britain-lbc-radio-caller-shocks-listeners-by-describing-how-he-cant-afford-to-eat-9911138.html[/url] [quote]A London radio station has received a distressing phonecall from a man who said he is too poor to feed himself properly, the same day a damning report revealed the shocking scale of food waste in the UK. Mike, 35, from New Cross, London, told LBC’s James O’Brien that after he was made redundant, his marriage quickly broke down, and he now struggles to by food. “I live in a tiny room [...] and you have to go to food banks, and sometimes I’m living off a tin of spaghetti a day, or a tin of beans, and there are people out there who really are struggling, and it’s not fun.” He went on to hit back at the idea that poor people are to blame for their situations, and said that he had always lived according to the rules. His voice breaking with emotion, he said: “For these people to sit there to say, “Oh, go and get a job” – I’m out there every day, looking and searching, and you know you’re trying to do it on your own, but you can’t, and it gets harder and harder." “Sometimes I can’t eat, I don’t eat,” he said. Responding to O’Brien’s suggesting that many people regard the UK benefits system as adequate, he stressed “it’s nowhere near” and said he doesn’t own a TV and described buying batteries for his radio as “an extravagance”. “Some of us are proud, some of us are proud and trying to get by, but sometimes you have to go to a food bank. You have to, you don’t have any choice,” he said, before he told listeners that he has resorted to searching for food in supermarket bins. Concerned listeners quickly took to Twitter to show their sympathy for Mike. But when O’Brien asked if he could send him some money, Mike refused and said: "Absolutely not. I will not take charity." "People have no idea. Look, I’m a 35-year-old man, bawling my eyes out on a call-in show, desperate for people to know what it’s like." His call comes after the ‘Feeding Britain’ cross-party inquiry called for significant changes in handling welfare, and revealed that 4.3 million tonnes of surplus food is being thrown away in Britain every year.[/quote] If you have a few minutes,Listen to the phone call in the URL....

Maybe we shouldn't have been reducing benefits and shit for folk, just a thought.

[QUOTE]He went on to hit back at the idea that poor people are to blame for their situations, and said that [B]he had always lived according to the rules.[/B][/QUOTE] This is where the system fucking fails. You can do everything right. Be Mr. Joe Good Citizen, and still get fucked over by a natural disaster, or unexpected health problem with yourself or family, or theft, or as the man in the article was.. redundancy. This is why I'm a social democrat; there should always be a safety net for citizens.

[QUOTE=Bradyns;46674621]This is where the system fucking fails. You can do everything right. Be Mr. Joe Good Citizen, and still get fucked over by a natural disaster, or unexpected health problem with yourself or family, or theft, or as the man in the article was.. redundancy. This is why I'm a social democrat; there should always be a safety net for citizens.[/QUOTE] We have our safety nets, the problem is they've been massacred cause much like immigrants, benefit thieves are a boogey man to be invoked here in the UK.

[QUOTE=Bradyns;46674621]This is where the system fucking fails. You can do everything right. Be Mr. Joe Good Citizen, and still get fucked over by a natural disaster, or unexpected health problem with yourself or family, or theft, or as the man in the article was.. redundancy. This is why I'm a social democrat; there should always be a safety net for citizens.[/QUOTE] But what about families? I know it may not apply, but in our culture (and from what I've observed in some Asian cultures as well) the family is usually a very strong unity as a whole, where the community (if not direct blood families) usually find a way to help people out like this. In return, all that's expected is that you would show the same courtesy with another community member or family member at some point in the future once you're back on your feet. Does it work differently for folks in the West for familial aid to be completely out of the question? [QUOTE=matty928;46674533]If you have a few minutes,Listen to the phone call in the URL....[/QUOTE] Fuck, that's some gut-wrenching shit.

We might feed the wrong people so it is best to not feed anyone. <- Conservative Logic

I try my best not to waste food, I get sick to my stomach when I see food going to waste. Especially near closing time in shopping malls and you see all the bakeries and patisseries with displays still full of food and you know they're just going to chuck it all out.

The sale of food is aimed at those who can afford it. It's why so much food is just thrown away, since the supply-and-demand system stops working when the demand part can't pay. And then there's very little that benefits stores to take the time, money and effort to get unused food to food banks and other benefit systems. It's terrible honestly. JFC that phone call took me by surprise.

[QUOTE=angelangel;46674670]I try my best not to waste food, I get sick to my stomach when I see food going to waste. Especially near closing time in shopping malls and you see all the bakeries and patisseries with displays still full of food and you know they're just going to chuck it all out.[/QUOTE] Some of our supermarkets here practise a pretty cool thing where they use the vegetables that people don't buy (but are still viable, but perhaps just ugly looking or misshapen) to make stuff which they then sell in the hot foods counter. It's pretty awesome because they win - they get to not have any wastage and we get some awesome food too. It's a godsend for working bachelors like me. :smile: Another cool thing is that within the last 2 hours of the day, baked goods like what you describe are given at quarter price or (if you ask nicely) even free. Stuff's still good. Sometimes the store even lets the employee take stuff home too, even the curries and things from the hot foods section. P.S. Some of the Punjabi community in my area also practise something called a "[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langar_%28Sikhism%29"]Langar[/URL]". Anyone can go and eat for free and have as much as they like. While not a Sikh, I occasionally volunteer sometimes when I have some free time and I learn some awesome recipes too.

[QUOTE=snookypookums;46674633]But what about families? I know it may not apply, but in our culture (and from what I've observed in some Asian cultures as well) the family is usually a very strong unity as a whole, where the community (if not direct blood families) usually find a way to help people out like this. In return, all that's expected is that you would show the same courtesy with another community member or family member at some point in the future once you're back on your feet. Does it work differently for folks in the West for familial aid to be completely out of the question?[/QUOTE] What about those who have no family or have an awful family? It's usually like that here (though from the impression I've personally gotten from other places not quite as strongly) but it's far from uncommon for people to end up in a situation where they have no family, or their family can't help due to being in the same situation themselves, or they're living across the country because sometimes you simply can't choose where you live if you actually want a job. (This last one does happen by the way. My best friend's dad spent the last 2-1/2 years living in Los Angeles because the only job he could get in his line of work when the company he worked for laid him off was clear down there. My sister's fiance's brother lives in New York City which is about three times as far away for his job as well.)

[QUOTE=angelangel;46674670]Especially near closing time in shopping malls and you see all the bakeries and patisseries with displays still full of food and you know they're just going to chuck it all out.[/QUOTE] Some restaurants don't give it to the poor anymore, or so I've heard. I agree too, it's a damn shame, but look at it this way - if someone, on the off chance that gets food poisoning, they're going to blame *them* for what happened, and you can imagine where that goes... lawyers, lawsuits, health inspections, lots of bad press, etc etc. And even thought they can refute with "well they shouldn't be eating the food we throw away, we did that for a reason", it's still a risk they just cannot take.

[QUOTE=Alice3173;46674697]What about those who have no family or have an awful family? It's usually like that here (though from the impression I've personally gotten from other places not quite as strongly) but it's far from uncommon for people to end up in a situation where they have no family, or their family can't help due to being in the same situation themselves, or they're living across the country because sometimes you simply can't choose where you live if you actually want a job. (This last one does happen by the way. My best friend's dad spent the last 2-1/2 years living in Los Angeles because the only job he could get in his line of work when the company he worked for laid him off was clear down there. My sister's fiance's brother lives in New York City which is about three times as far away for his job as well.)[/QUOTE] Thanks for that perspective - I've never looked at it that way because for us, community (for better or worse) is often everything. For instance, someone in our circle got word that someone's kid was struggling to find a job, so my dad called up a friend and passed on the CV and told him to give him a try and just hire him. Similarly, when I was moving to a new city, my mom mentioned it to someone from the clan and overnight I had a place to stay and it was awesome. I've cultivated similar relationships with other members the exact same way, so if I hear of a way I can help, I just do it and then forget about it, because no matter what I know if I need it, there's someone out there who'll cover for me. I guess I have a hard time relating to the perspective because I've never faced it personally, but I can now understand how difficult it can be in those circumstances.

The worst story I have ever heard here in America is a family so desperate for food that they went dumpster diving and they found a piece of meat. It turned out to be human flesh that was taken off because of cancer. I guess they were near some hospital or something, don't ask me how it got there. I think 3 of the family died from it. Just a story I heard, don't know if it's true. The answer to this problem is for the community to start giving a shit. Many people don't care about starving people, or they say they are just too busy to help. It's just a fact of life. The government or large corporations aren't going to help, there isn't anything for them in return. We need more selfless acts. There is plenty of food too. So much of it gets wasted.

[QUOTE=BenJammin';46674735]The worst story I have ever heard here in America is a family so desperate for food that they went dumpster diving and they found a piece of meat. It turned out to be human flesh that was taken off because of cancer. I guess they were near some hospital or something, don't ask me how it got there. I think 3 of the family died from it. Just a story I heard, don't know if it's true. The answer to this problem is for the community to start giving a shit. Many people don't care about starving people, or they say they are just too busy to help. It's just a fact of life. The government or large corporations aren't going to help, there isn't anything for them in return. We need more selfless acts.[/QUOTE] That's the thing though, our government is supposed to care, not slash benefits across the board and treat everyone on benefits like they're sitting at home not looking for a job. They used to care at least.

So much for decent basic human rights.

Just listened to the call, fuck me man that is heart breaking. Fuck it's not like these folk are just after a handout, they just want the chance to stand on their own two feet and not be treated like a fucking animal.

[QUOTE=bravehat;46674774]Just listened to the call, fuck me man that is heart breaking. Fuck it's not like these folk are just after a handout, they just want the chance to stand on their own two feet and not be treated like a fucking animal.[/QUOTE] It makes me remember that other horrible video of the Homeless man in the US crying because people call him a bum: [video=youtube;AJQ3Bgh8PE4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJQ3Bgh8PE4[/video]

I live in a pretty small city and during the last years the sightings of hobos and people searching for food have been gradually more common until they have becoming something almost unnoticeable and that's so sad. Not being able to succeed in life and becoming a vagabond scares the shit out of me. Being charitable at least in small doses is not so expensive and hard. I hope this caller is able to change the minds of thousands of people, society really needs to become more caring and less apathetic.

[QUOTE=BenJammin';46674735]The worst story I have ever heard here in America is a family so desperate for food that they went dumpster diving and they found a piece of meat. It turned out to be human flesh that was taken off because of cancer. I guess they were near some hospital or something, don't ask me how it got there. I think 3 of the family died from it. Just a story I heard, don't know if it's true. [/QUOTE] Probably not true as I'm quite sure any human "off cuts" etc get incinerated. I can afford to go to the supermarket every week and buy the food I want for lunch, the ingredients for the evening meals I want to make and still have money left over for guitar/music lessons, my car's running costs and Netflix. That's all after tax, rent and bills. It's only after reading stories like this I remember I'm living a life of luxury in comparison. I really hope he finds a good job as everyone deserves a break.

[QUOTE=bravehat;46674623]We have our safety nets, the problem is they've been massacred cause much like immigrants, benefit thieves are a boogey man to be invoked here in the UK.[/QUOTE] fuckin immigrants taking all the jobs! on another note, the fuck do you mean you can't get a job you lazy shit!? vote UKIP!

“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”

I can't believe billionaire CEOs have the gall to live in such extravagance with the whole world in so much suffering. People like that have no conscience.

[QUOTE=Perfumly;46675903]I can't believe billionaire CEOs have the gall to live in such extravagance with the whole world in so much suffering. People like that have no conscience.[/QUOTE] The could say that of any man of means, not just CEOs - even you or me. I've watched beggars on the street share their meager scraps of food with each other, despite not having anything else. To put the blame on the CEOs for not doing anything is shifting the guilt. In our own ways, each and every single one of us, regardless of our station in life, has the power to do something good for another person.

This is why radio is in my opinion is so important. Its not just big corporations on tv, or local stations nobody watches - its an important way to deliver issues like these to the public. Imagine driving to work and hearing something like this, especially if you work in these communities. Also, one of my friends was homeless for a while, and now hes got his own house and is writing software and building computers. Homelessness isnt an unsolvable problem - not all homeless people are evil beggars. But yeah this touched me, in a sad way

I'm touched that the guy refused any charity. I always get upset when people think giving one person a lump sum of money is going to solve anything. If anything, please refer this call to lawmakers and show it to your friends, awareness will help so much more than one guy getting $50k in charity and while it tears at my heart that this guy is struggling, I'm absolutely amazed at the clarity he has about his situation, its truly admirable to turn down cash when you could use it the most. And its a damn shame that our society doesn't even meet the minimum required to provide for our own citizens.

I'm a conservative and believe that whilst the current government has its faults, it is doing as much good as it can. This story and listening to the clip almost makes me ashamed that my government has put such an onus on cutbacks. If America can live in debt then so can we; taking care of people is #1. We should means test benefits so we avoid the extremes of families receiving £20,000 and this poor man whom receives nothing. I wish I could give him a job. He won't take money so he deserves one.

[QUOTE=angelangel;46674670]I try my best not to waste food, I get sick to my stomach when I see food going to waste. Especially near closing time in shopping malls and you see all the bakeries and patisseries with displays still full of food and you know they're just going to chuck it all out.[/QUOTE] I used to work at a bakery and we would donate any leftover bread and some sweets to the food pantry.

[QUOTE=snookypookums;46674806]It makes me remember that other horrible video of the Homeless man in the US crying because people call him a bum: [video=youtube;AJQ3Bgh8PE4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJQ3Bgh8PE4[/video][/QUOTE] Fundraiser was started for this guy with a goal of gathering $25k by a silicon valley VC. Here's him talking on his new phone to the guy who started the fundraiser. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPz6FdaJrgI[/media]

[QUOTE=snookypookums;46676043]The could say that of any man of means, not just CEOs - even you or me. I've watched beggars on the street share their meager scraps of food with each other, despite not having anything else. To put the blame on the CEOs for not doing anything is shifting the guilt. In our own ways, each and every single one of us, regardless of our station in life, has the power to do something good for another person.[/QUOTE] I do what I can but if you had their kind of money you could make a much bigger difference

Anyone here know that this situation has happened before just before the collapse of the Roman empire. As heartbreaking as his story is, it is (and has been) very common over the last few years but is only now being pushed into the public spotlight. It is good that more of these stories are being made public actually as hopefully it means something will get done about it.