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Salon published a a thoughtful essay yesterday by Heather Ryan about being "working poor" as part of a series about the recession called "pinched." Last summer, Ryan found herself, despite her Masters in writing and self-proclaimed bougie affections, unable to feed her three kids on her secretary's salary. You see, she had recently gotten divorced, and the cost of daycare during the summer wiped her out. Though it scared her and pained her to admit it, she couldn't afford enough food, and so one night she took her kids to a food kitchen. I've written screeds against self-indulgent personal essays before, and I must say that this wasn't one of them. It explored a very real issue: that the gap between rich and poor in this country is now a chasm, and that many educated, hard working people are struggling, whether you see it or not. Salon's commenters, however, felt otherwise, and said things like, "I have no sympathy for breeders, or for brie-eaters." More »
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