Finding Humor in the "Nouveau Poor"

by Josie Raymond · 2010-06-29 16:10:00 UTC
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With headlines like "Grads To Be Cryogenically Frozen Until Job Market Improves" and "Obama Wins! Black Man Given Nation's Worst Job" it's clear that the satirical newspaper The Onion commiserates with the little guy. Like Jon Stewart's take on The Daily Show, a lot of times it seems like The Onion's fake news is more relevant than the real headlines. The Onion News Network video reports don't disappoint either.

I love this new clip about the discrimination leveled at the "nouveau poor" by the folks who were struggling before the recession. "They can't help the fact that they weren't born poor!" one fake pundit shouts. "What makes America so special is that no matter how many advantages you were born with, you too might wind up sleeping underneath a highway overpass eating nothing but mustard and relish packets."

"Being poor is more than just not having money," another one says. "It's about having the right kind of attitude. Frankly, some people just don't have it."

"The nouveau poor have no interest in learning the way that things are done," adds a third expert. "They just want to sit on the bus stop bench and cry and shiver rather than just fading into the landscape, like the more experienced poor know to do." With tongue firmly in cheek, the comedy bit still manages to address just how badly people continue to struggle in this downturn.

As the saying goes, we laugh to keep from crying.

Report: Growing Ranks Of Nouveau Poor Facing Discrimination From Old Poor

Photo credit: TheTruthAbout...

Josie Raymond has reported from the streets of the South Bronx, written for several magazines that folded (not her fault) and fixed thousands of typos.
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