No, you don't really seem to understand.
Picture this -- someone was born and raised in a normal middle class home. They moved out, went to college, bought a home, and started raising a family. And then their finances started taking a turn for the worst.
So one day, she stops buying makeup. She takes it in stride and tries not to think about it. But her husband does, and he starts caring less and drinking more. Then he starts becoming verbally abusive -- almost all they ever do is fight, and he starts seeing another woman on the side.
But now the car broke down. She had been planning to go buy a new pair of pants this weekend because hers are starting to look worn out, but she makes another concession and stops buying new clothes. She keeps wearing the same two blouse and two pairs of sweats.
Well, two years have passed. Nothing is better, and everything is the same or worse. Her favorite outfit got bleach on it from cleaning house, so she's down to one wearable set of clothes. Her shoes are starting to get too painful to walk in, so she starts wearing her pair of flip flops she used to wear when she still could afford to go to the whirlpool. They're practically unused, after all. A few more months pass.
Well, damn, that only pair of pants has started developing a big hole between the legs. And she's a lady, so she's really not comfortable in public for very long anymore. Her brother gives her $500 for her birthday, and she remembers how she always used to go to Red Lobster for her birthday. Well, this year, she's going. And she's getting some new pants. What's that on the way home? Oh, the car broke down again. And the electric company is going to disconnect the service if they don't get paid their past due bill tomorrow. She does what she has to do, and thinks about next time. Next time she'll be able to go to Red Lobster for her birthday.
She gets the new pair of pants, although her bra and underwear are in almost as bad of condition, and her blouse isn't doing much better. She wishes she could buy them while she's there, because they're on sale right now, but she's only got $20 left. And she needs enough gas to take her son to soccer tomorrow. Next time she gets money, she thinks again.
Well, more time passes. Her husband loses his job and starts drinking a lot more. He makes no attempt to go get another job. So can't believe the way he's acting. They don't even have soap or hot water anymore. And he's yelling and screaming at her. And her flip flops are almost worn ragged, too.
A few more months go by. She realizes she hasn't spent ten dollars or ten minutes on herself in exactly five years, because that's how old her new pants are. But they're starting to wear out in the crotch again. She breaks a tooth and her car breaks down again, but this time she can't afford to fix it. She can't walk to town because it's too far, so she has to rely on her husband for rides in his work truck. But he leaves her and their son stranded for hours while he's out drinking. Their financial situation is so dire that she decides to apply for food stamps.
She walks into the place with her son. They treat her bad because she's white and make no attempt to hide the fact. They make every step of the process as difficult as possible. The person who walked in a few minutes ago was treated with compassion and care. But not this time. They suggest that maybe she shouldn't apply at all. Oh, she's ineligible because of X. Oh, you don't have X? Well, you have Y and that's illegal. Oh, we thought you had Y. Our mistake. You'll hear back in a few weeks.
A few weeks pass and a bright and thick package arrives in the mail. It's tense and exciting opening it. Yes, yes. Thank God. We're going to the store. She takes her son and they stock up on everything they've wanted for ages but couldn't afford to buy anymore. They get real beef instead of $0.59 hotdogs. They get the big pack of everything they like that costs less to buy in bulk. They're so excited they get movie theater popcorn. They go home happy.
She realizes a few days later while she's brushing her hair, I could buy lobster with the food stamps. I could buy lobster with the food stamps. She gets her son ready for the day and plans to go to the seafood aisle for the first time in years. Eight years. Eight long years.
When they get there, she's so happy she could cry. She gets a dollar's worth of shrimp and gets them to steam it. She eats it right there on the spot and has a 45-minute conversation with the grocer. She sees that crab legs are on sale, so she brings one pound home.