@QasimRashid internet is a basic utility these days. Even phone books are online.

@QasimRashid This drives me insane, a cellphone hasn't been a luxury for 15 years +, why are people still saying this?!

@QasimRashid

It could be used, for example.

I also tune out people who begrudge low income people having ANY sort of pleasure in life.
Like they should eat gruel and play with rocks for fun.

@QasimRashid @stufromoz Try interacting with any government service without your own technology. It’s impossible.

@QasimRashid smarter people than I have pointed out that our society is one in which it’s not so hard to have consumer items including tech - what’s unreachable for many is a good home, health care and education - and those should not be luxuries!

@QasimRashid @emmah that one especially annoys me because if you talk to a teacher or public librarian they can give you a long list of things which require a modern browser, like getting a job, medical care, registering for school, finding a place to live, etc. which they know because they have to help people get their lives unblocked on a regular basis.

@QasimRashid A classic of the genre

@QasimRashid people have been saying this for at least a decade and for at least a decade there have been programs to help people get phones for free, usually older phones donated by people when upgrading.

@QasimRashid ... You can't eat a phone, nor can Steve Jobs drive you to work.

@QasimRashid because iphones are starter phones subsided by Apple to get their trackers into the pockets of poor people.

Purism phones and the like are expensive.

@QasimRashid always remember:
Poor people are allowed to have nice things.

@QasimRashid The number of times I hear people claim a homeless person having a smartphone is sufficient reason to not help homeless people is staggeringly depressing.

A curious child (or an adult) with no understanding of these things or malice towards the poor would ask, genuinely.

Reminds me of the time a little girl refused to shake Sri Lankan cricketing great, Jayasurya’s hand. When asked she replied, “He’s bald and too dark”. These things happen.

@QasimRashid For poor people, tech is an investment rather than a toy.

@QasimRashid I’m going to have to use this one.

@QasimRashid I know Solomon Islands folk in my area of Australia - they're here doing back-breaking crap work (that no Aussies want to do) so they can send a few dollars back to their families. Some only get to see their own children once a year. Their nation is one of the poorest in the world, GDP per cap. < US$3000. They all have mobile phones. If anyone wants to claim these people are not poor, I'll give them a solid whack.

@QasimRashid
Exactly. The privileged criticize those in need for any creature comfort or necessity they may have. As if that proves they're not really needy. It's Reagan's "welfare queen" syndrome.
Americans have replaced empathy with '"what aboutism" and it's not a good look.

@QasimRashid Thank you for this post I can't stand people that demean low-income families or people. For me is none of the others people's business, or anyone else.

@QasimRashid
I get what you are saying but it is also a generalization. When it comes to the homeless they are not necessarily trying to escape poverty. A few years ago, after my apartment building was taken over by a wealthy out of towner, it was run it into the ground. They took out the key locks for the outside doors and installed code locks. Soon the homeless people took over the building. Their phones were used for selling drugs or texting each other the code to get into the building...

@QasimRashid YES.

@QasimRashid internet access is essential for modern living, especially in a world that's still actively in a pandemic (even though many people still refuse to acknowledge it). Internet is a basic necessity in the modern world and as a result high speed internet should be accessible to everyone for ✨free✨

@QasimRashid

The thing is that if you're poor, it's becoming increasingly difficult to access government services without a phone and/or (mostly and) something with internet access

If you want a recent extreme, during the pandemic most support offices were closed, so you *had* to have a phone or laptop

By "support" I mean social security, Medi-Cal, SNAP, etc. Basic survival resources

But also that "Universal Lifeline" on your bill is $35/mo towards a cell or internet plan for these folks

@QasimRashid you guys have iphones and laptops? :blobcatglare:

@QasimRashid and universal lifeline now extends to cell phones thanks to the Obama administration and hence lower income people can afford a phone. It is really hard to find work without a phone.

@QasimRashid I agree with the basic point you're making - but - there are MANY very functional smartphones far, far less expensive than an iPhone.

I know because I own them (and one iPhone which oddly, I consider the least useful smartphone I own).

If I was poor AND I decided that the smartphone I *had* to own was an iPhone, well, it seems to indicate I might need help managing my financial resources.

@QasimRashid I don’t think it’s possible to function in our current society without being “wired.” More power to them.

@QasimRashid I guess the logic is why didn't they buy a cheap Samsung or something.

@QasimRashid Well no. There’s no escaping poverty. Having these items is basically a necessity for living in this current reality of society and civilisation.

This idea that people can “pull themselves out of poverty” is utter & pure fantasy. As realistic as everyone biding time till they get that $400 million lottery jackpot.

Horatio Alger can go fuck himself. :)

@QasimRashid

I do not understand those who demonize poor people or homeless people.

It always sounds to me like some sort of Calvinistic superiority nonnsense.

@QasimRashid I never ridicule low income people. I come from low income people. I also used to be homeless.
Technology helped lift me from homelessness. An iPhone is not basic tech.

@QasimRashid As a general rule, the kind of people touting this line are either boomers, to whom all of the internet is an idiotic, unnecessary waste, even if they now work there full-time, or someone trying to sell something to a boomer.

@QasimRashid
"God I'm so poor. I wish I could afford rent."
"Yet you own things? Curious."

@QasimRashid I would not care if it was simply a luxury.

@QasimRashid “If you’re so poor, why do you have an iPhone 6?”

@QasimRashid isn't the question there “why an expensive iphone instead of a cheaper android phone”, rather than “why a smartphone”? which is still problematic, if one considers the existence of a significantly richer used market for iphones than for android phones.

(the whole thing depends on the local phone market, of course, here a new iPhone is afaik about a month's wages for a *non poor* person, decent android phones can be had for a bit more than a tenth of that)

@QasimRashid Having a phone today is a must but having a most expensive one on a market is another thing. I have a friend who buys new iPhone on premiere day, and it he then takes 6 to 12 months to again save money for new one next year because he sees it as status thing. 😬

@QasimRashid And good luck trying to get back into work/find better work without internet access.

You can't simply walk into a workplace with your CV and get hired any more.

@QasimRashid ads

@QasimRashid 90% of job applications are online. I don't know how I'd even setup bill payments without online banking. Not to mention that a phone takes up no space and holds entertainment to stop you climbing the walls when you're in a tiny space/no space.

@QasimRashid

Many programs give cell phones away so they can stay in touch with employers, health care and counseling FYI.

@QasimRashid
Even a decent smartphone is not terribly expensive as things go. A midrange smartphone or an affordable laptop will cost you maybe a couple weeks worth of gas, insurance, and upkeep on a reasonably priced car. It's not surprising that someone can afford an iPhone and often not a car or even a place to live. Tech is cheap compared to food, shelter, and transportation.

@QasimRashid 234556

@QasimRashid Totally. And I suspect they are often iphones, because older models seem to be cheap (which is why companies buy them for staff).

You cannot get a job without a phone. You cannot claim benefits ithout a phone. They are getting the tools they need to survive.

@QasimRashid En todos sitios el mismo argumento para mantener agachada la cabeza, pisada, de la gente normal, trabajadora, de los que no han tenido la suerte de nacer con lo material resuelto. Argumentos estúpidos para gente perversa. Sorry for write in spanish, my level of english not enough.

@QasimRashid I work with people in the criminal justice system. A lot of people dislike the idea that offenders should have, for example, smartphones. But really here in the UK at least internet access is essential to claim welfare benefits or job hunt. Increasingly people use messaging services or social media to keep in contact with friends and family, and offenders need that sort of social capital if they’re going to move out of a criminal lifestyle

@QasimRashid everything today is online, from banking to getting a job. It is a necessity to get out of poverty.

@QasimRashid I always think of how many months of health insurance you can get for the same price. Even the most expensive iPhone only costs about as much as two months of health insurance, and the iPhone will last several years. Even if a smartphone was a purely luxury item, not having one won’t save enough to escape poverty, not by a few orders of magnitude. Same goes for the big-screen TV or game console. We’ve made those things affordable, but not housing or healthcare or education

@QasimRashid There are working people, who used to be able to afford a house, living in their cars . They're homeless, but with a reasonable income.

I wonder whether the ridiculers think that's supposed to be a normal situation as well 🤔

@QasimRashid I hate hearing this about refugees as well. "If they can afford phones, they aren't escaping poverty!" 😩😖🤢

This is specially dumb with war refugees, because how the fuck are those even related.

@QasimRashid only people who don't understand poverty or dignity say such things in my experience.

@QasimRashid Yeah and having SUVs too. Hear, hear!

@QasimRashid Especially in a system that tries to sell you stuff at any given time. If you are poor and you have to pay your phone over a period of some months the people who sell it to you will earn even more money from you. That's so fucked up.

@QasimRashid Many countries it's far cheaper to have a mobile than a land line. In African countries almost everything is done on a mobile phone. This is becoming the case in south asia as well. Mobile phones are essential in these places.

@QasimRashid I'm disappointed that safe and secure tech access still feels like a luxury. I.e. mostly only the more expensive devices receive the security updates promptly and ongoing, while older, or budget, options are left unpatched and vulnerable, leaving the people who can least afford to, wearing the most risk.

@QasimRashid In modern world, not having internet access means not being able to participate in social and public life.
However, an iPhone? These overpriced things own the purpose of showing your „status“. Buying them instead of any other cheaper device (which gives you the same possibilities) in a limited financial situation is rather a sign of poor understanding of finances.
P. S. not be misunderstood: I don‘t want to say that being poor is the result of oneself‘s inabilities

@QasimRashid the cheap ones could have malwares, or so an antivirus company said, without mentioning what brands they were talking about

@QasimRashid I don't have a problem with it, more that you called an #iphone "basic tech".

I have a phone that cost 3 times less which I can upgrade/repair myself meaning cheaper long term cost too!

@QasimRashid They might have brought an iPhone so that they can be online for NHS appts, health apps and keeping in contact with loved ones banking etc. Their old phone may have been excessively hit by other bugs and viruses Apple has better security and though not infallible (I lost all my data before new Iphone replaced). They may have endured months of poverty and hunger while an award appeal was going through legal process then received a large sum backdated when awarded at tribunal.

@QasimRashid If they always have the NEWEST phone, that statement is pretty valid but I agree, smartphones are cheap for the value they offer. Education, access, opportunity, social security (friends/family, not the govt program).

$250-$350 goes a long way when spent on a smartphone. And if you're in the city, you may not even need more then $18/mo to maintain a phone, text and data line.

@QasimRashid

This is like the republican senator who recently said people weren't poor if the had a refrigerator and stove...

@QasimRashid it’s incredibly stupid, but marginally better than them complaining that poor people had refrigerators in the ‘90’s. Full context was a statistic about how many poor families didn’t have them which should have been taken as a massive indictment on our country because you basically need a fridge to survive and eat reasonably good food at home, right? But they spun it as look at all these dirty, undeserving jerks have an appliance!

@QasimRashid do people not know the amount of phones plans that come with free phones on signing?

@QasimRashid Or maybe someone else bought it for them or maybe they bought it before they were poor or maybe they got it as a free or low cost promotion from their service provider.

@QasimRashid Try to get a job without a mobile phone. If the recruiter doesn't get an answer from a landline they're not going to try again later - they just call the next person on their list.

@QasimRashid
Ridiculing poor people for having a smartphone is one thing.

Mocking about them buying the most expensive brand is another.

Making those companies richer who press the most money out of poor people in other countries isn't a good idea for poor people here. Actually not for anybody here.

@QasimRashid not that I don't agree with you but they could buy an inexpensive android, IPhones are way too expensive..

@QasimRashid

That is a very fair point. in the #uk there is a real issue with #digitalexclusion of poor people and the resulting lack of easy access to #publicservices.

@QasimRashid

Smartphones are ubiquitous now. You can get older, used models for next to nothing.

In many parts of the world (US), 3G and older mobile networks are phased out. So a pre-smartphone may not even work anymore.

@QasimRashid hiii

@QasimRashid most of us wouldn't survive. It was eye opening to get to know people living in their car for years. He was employed, full time. They paid their bills, including cell phone. They had a blog. They couldn't afford first AND last month's rent while staying current on doctor bills, food, clothing, gas, etc. They weren't irresponsible or lazy. Quite the opposite.

@QasimRashid I have a $50 prepay AT&T android Alcatel phone and pay $33 a month for connection. I get 3gb of data a month.

I refuse to get contract phones or to spend a grand on a phone that'll break in 3 years.

@QasimRashid I'm sorry, but you can buy a more powerful Xiaomi for one-third of the iPhone's price. iPhone is still luxurious, like other Apple products, especially in low-standard countries like mine. New iPhone 14 here is more than 1000 euros, and I don't consider that my 250 € Poco X3 Pro is anything near the 1700s.

@QasimRashid The #AvacadoToast argument 🍞

@QasimRashid and you are telling me that someone capable of having enough money to buy a phone, a calling/internet subscription and shower/general health necessities isn’t capable of buying food?

This is like the JK Rowling story, stop making it harder than it is!

@QasimRashid I understand the question to some extent; a new #iPhone is expensive! But not everyone buys new phones outright, nor do they buy them brand new in stock condition. You can probably easily get an #iPhone for $300-$400 if you get one used or refurbished.

@QasimRashid

At this point, dont ever take anyone who defends capitalism, the rich or the status quo seriously period

@QasimRashid When I worked with the homeless their standard response to cops who'd ask how they could afford a cell phone was "I had a landline once, but I got no place to plug it in."
 
https://mastodon.social/users/QasimRashid/statuses/110410186512610880

@QasimRashid
Its so hard to understand that housing costs more than owning a mobile phone.

/sarcasm out

@QasimRashid

@QasimRashid Yeah, so many essential tools and services literally ONLY exist with an online interface now. There are some bus stops where I live where if you can't get online - tough shit! You don't get to know when the bus arrives. This is one of the reasons why some regulatory bodies define internet access in the 21st century as a human right.

@QasimRashid they have a nice iPhone because phone companies often offer them for free for joining up with them. Which, I might add, shows how overpriced they are and how much stupid rich people pay to think they’re some kind of elite.
Monkeys with too much money, guns, and ego.

@QasimRashid

The fortunate adopt so many self-serving false narratives about the poor and unhoused.

"Don't provide help. They'll just waste money on cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol".

Sometimes, that money goes to the phone they use to get that job, keep in touch with family, or keep their place on a waiting list for housing.

It's how social services are delivered nowadays - via phone.

Wish there was a better way to recycle second hand phones to the less fortunate.

@QasimRashid There's also that whole thing about nearly every phone on the market can be purchased outright for less than a month's rent on a one-bedroom apartment, and a month's cell service costs less than one dinner for two at a "$$" tier restaurant.

It's *so* not the '90s anymore, but some folks just can't seem to grasp that.

@QasimRashid people buy cellphones on credit. It's something basic now.

@QasimRashid also iPhone is like two rents. Afaik rents are ongoing costs, while iPhone costs that *once*.

@QasimRashid @RickiTarr Absolutely NOT ironically, those are the same people that build apps that the impoverished are required to use. Imagine subsistence without access to the internet.

@QasimRashid THANK you! I've been trying to tell people this for years. When I was homeless people used to say to me "can't be that homeless if you have a phone". Okay but where does it end? I'm also wearing clothes, is that also not allowed? Do you imagine I live in a cave?

People will use any excuse they can find to hate on the poor.

@QasimRashid

I've been on trips to Africa visiting orphans and vulnerable children living in extreme poverty. They have cell phones. Which I take to be an indication of the importance of being part of the network.

@QasimRashid the definition of poor in the US looks a bit twisted, the price of the latest top model iPhones, that the homeless in the US have, and it's a luxury for some Lebanon where dollar exchange rate is so high, so all top Hezbollah commanders try to destroy the US (and Israel!) with latest iPhone in hand, and they ride Ford truck technicals around so those Sunnis and Christians all see they're alpha males!