The “New Poor” vs. the “Old Poor”
What We Lost When We Stopped Being Embarrassed
Let’s talk about something spicy for a second — and trust me, this dish has been simmering for a long time. The difference between the “new poor” and the “old poor” isn’t just money, struggle, or life circumstances. It’s embarrassment.
Now before anyone clutching their pearls faints like they’re in some dramatic 90s rom-com moment — nobody should be ashamed for needing help. Life happens. Jobs disappear. Medical bills hit like a plot twist nobody asked for. Sometimes you need a hand to get through a season, and that’s human.
But the way our systems were transformed? The way embarrassment was scrubbed out instead of being healed from the inside out? That changed everything.
When Needing Help Didn’t Come With a Participation Trophy
“Old poor” grew up with checks, strict lists of what they could buy, and food bank boxes handed with zero room for picky preferences. No DoorDash vibes here. You took what you got, figured out how to make it work, and prayed you had enough flour to stretch it all week.
And they were embarrassed — deeply. But here’s the kicker: that embarrassment wasn’t what made them lesser, it was what made them hungry (literally and figuratively) to get off assistance. It lit a fire. It taught them skills. It forced them to stretch food, learn recipes, repair things, hustle, grow gardens, and make something out of nothing. It created resilience.
Cue the 90s movie moment: “Get up. Lace up. We’re doing this.” — basically every sports movie ever.
The “New Poor” Era: Convenience Without the Consequences
Fast forward to now. “New poor” can get aisles of processed, ready-to-eat, microwavable everything. Stuff that requires zero cooking, zero creativity, and zero skill — which means zero growth.
The system meant to help people temporarily has become a lifestyle because it’s so easy to depend on it. Assistance went from “this is hard but necessary” to “this is convenient and normal.”
Except…it’s not normal.
Normal is:
Working
Paying your own bills
Being a functioning piece of the societal garden
If nobody contributes, the whole ecosystem collapses. It’s like planting a tomato and never watering it, then acting shocked when it doesn’t grow. As Cher said in Clueless, “Hello?!”
You get out what you put in. That’s not politics — that’s literally how nature works.
Where the Real Breakdown Happened
People who were ashamed of being on assistance never healed that shame. Instead, they asked society to normalize it. And because our culture loves a good “you’re perfect, sweetie” energy (thanks, Mean Girls), we did.
But here we are:
Millions more people are on assistance and many aren’t working to get off it because they don’t feel the discomfort that used to spark action.
And our younger generations?
They aren’t being taught basic life skills — at home or in school. Not cooking. Not budgeting. Not changing a tire. Not basic home care. Not gardening. Not how the systems they depend on even function.
School teaches them to pass algebra, not pass adulthood.
So What Do We Do? We Teach. We Share. We Show Up.
If you’re someone who knows how to do… literally anything useful?
Congratulations — you’re holding gold.
And if you have a smartphone? You have a teaching tool.
It doesn’t need to be perfect. It doesn’t need a ring light. This isn’t Titanic; nobody needs cinematic lighting and a tragic love story. Just record. Upload. Share.
Can you:
Make a loaf of bread
Cook a cheap meal
Change the oil
Fix things around a home
Grow a garden
Preserve a harvest
Budget
Sew
Can tomatoes
Replace a toilet flapper (the most unsung hero of homeownership)
Then you can help someone become self-sufficient.
Our elders knew how to do all this. And honestly? If we don’t teach it, their knowledge disappears faster than Blockbuster did in the 2000s.
Be the Change Before the Collapse Becomes the Plot Twist
We cannot keep depending on systems to raise our kids or shape our society. If you know something — anything — pass it down. Teach your kids. Teach the younger generation. Teach strangers on the internet who genuinely want to learn but never had a mentor.
You don’t need a stage. You don’t need a million followers.
You just need the courage to share what you know.
Because if we don’t start rebuilding these basic skills, the collapse won’t be dramatic like a disaster movie… it’ll just be slow, quiet, and preventable.
And honestly? I’m not about to let everything our grandparents busted their asses for crumble because nobody wants to get uncomfortable.
It starts with one video.
One skill.
One person choosing to step up.
Let’s be that person.
🔥 Join the Rebel Revolt 🔥
We’re not here to follow the crowd—we’re here to rise, learn, and equip ourselves with the skills, knowledge, and faith to thrive. I’m sharing everything I’ve learned about wellness, homesteading, cooking, and living intentionally—all rooted in Christ.
Subscribe now and be part of a movement that’s unapologetically real, radically self-sufficient, and fiercely faithful. Let’s pass down what matters before it’s lost.
⚡ Share This Chaos ⚡
Knowledge isn’t meant to sit quietly—it spreads when you shake things up. If something here lit a fire in you, don’t just scroll. Share it. Post it. Talk about it. Teach someone else.
Pass it on. Spread the wisdom. Stir the pot.
Because the more chaos we create in the right places, the stronger, smarter, and more capable our generation becomes.