I guess, then, that this is my problem: I expect that those whom I perceive as ignoramuses would be a little more grateful for what they are getting. I see patients all the time on Medicaid and Medicare, getting million-dollar workups and treatment that I, as a privately insured person, would be swamped in medical bills for the rest of my life. And they are going to walk out of there not owing a dime. And with a pocket full of free parking passes. I know this because I /was/ a Medicaid recipient, and profoundly grateful for a law that protected me during pregnancy. I was also astonished that EVERYTHING WAS FREE when you're on Medicaid. No co-pay. No parking fees. They'll even give you bus fare. And probably 90% of the 30+ people sitting in those waiting rooms with me had iPhones, smartphones, iPods and gaming consoles...and nicer clothing, too.
My favorite saying among staff around the hospital is: "This is a hospital, not a hotel."
I am feeling a little bit jaded right now. It makes me sad to think how much ignorance and stupidity is floating around out there, and the hard part is to keep in mind that not all people are like that. It's just that the awful ones are so much louder than the sane ones.
Something I have noticed is that those with absolutely nothing - the utterly destitute - do tend to be very appreciative and flexible. They seem to understand that since they have nothing, logically they should expect nothing, and anything over that is a gift and should be accepted as such. The horrible ones are often the people with just a little bit to their name. I don't know why. It's just something I've seen pretty consistently over the last few months.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, I totally feel you on this. It's not that we're working for thanks, or want people to know their place, or anything terrible like that. It's that when you go out of your way for someone and that person is then really rude to you, you suddenly realise how out of line that behaviour is, especially in the welfare context.
And I like how you pointed out that you know the system from the inside, too. Medicine isn't a silver spoon career anymore. We all know what it's like to have $100 to stretch multiple weeks, or to not be able to afford basic things, or to have to work ourselves into the ground day in and day out. I have classmates who have food stamps so they can feed their children. So we're not exactly looking down our noses from on high.