Anxiety and poverty intertwined: Wang Ying's British observation

China Well -off Network Exclusive Specialty

Text ｜ "Well -off" · China Well -off reporter Su Feng

Wang Yan has been volunteer in the "Food Bank" in the UK for a long time; riding in the countryside in the UK and growing vegetables; visiting the nursing home and seeing another life.

Inflation in the quagmire, shortage of food, energy crisis ... After experiencing Brexit, new crowns and sealing, Britain in 2022 deeply trapped the quagmire. Picture/Interviewee provided

When it comes to Britain, maybe you will think of Wang Erde's sentence "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

Today, how many people have the intention to look up at the starry sky?

After the Brexit, New Crown and Casting, Britain in 2022 deeply trapped the quagmire -inflation, food shortage, energy crisis ... followed by the high bills in the hands of residents, and surprised the price when shopping in the supermarket. Essence

In a foreign country, how to explore the subtle veins of Britain? How to view the lives of ordinary people? 2022 is the 12th year of writer Wang Ying's move to the UK. Earlier, she was a reporter and a documentary director; since then, she has been "London Drifting" and immigrants.

Wang Yan entered the Labor Party and joined the Food Bank. In the first scene, he asked about the reason for Brexit, industrialization, oil crisis, etc., which led to the middle income level lags behind economic growth and prices soared; A generation.

Refugee crisis, European referendum, and the label of "racists" for "racists". How do these international news hotspots be contacted with us today?

Wang Yan shared her observation: "When the person you face becomes real and specific, any kind of label is rude when the person you face has a multi -facetity like a prism."

Anxiety

Recently, "Reading alone" published Wang Ying's new book "Poverty: Poverty: Wang Ying's British Watch".

As a non -fictional work -living in low -rent housing, visiting second -hand stores, walking into a rural social club ... Wang Ying observes British society, people's livelihood and culture from the real situation of living in the UK. Her eyes touched a series of social issues such as family, pension, and medical care, thereby reflecting on the impact of globalization and revealing the truth behind global monopoly capitalism.

The word "anxiety" was repeatedly mentioned in the book "Poverty" four times. What is the anxiety in a foreign country? How to overcome it?

"The colorful fudge in the large bottle seemed to appease her anxiety. She grabbed a handy sugar and stuffed them into her coat pocket without hesitation."

——The "anxiety" is a daily state of describing Alzheimer's disease.

"The kind of anxiety of" it seems to have lost everything, and even the local culture and the country's benefits are lost. "

——The "anxiety" is a kind of concern that Brexitists are divided into immigrants by social benefits and local culture may become mild.

"The first two years to Britain, especially the days when London drifted, I was almost eaten by this anxiety. The upper body was hollow, leaving two legs, like fallen leaves, drifting with the wind."

——The "anxiety" is a state of anxiety as a foreign country who is new to a foreign country.

"Every small object: the taste of canned food, the taste of soap, the taste of grass paper ... constitutes a material life in a certain period. This kind of life is full of scarceness and anxiety, but also implies a faint tenderness and hope."

——The last "anxiety" occurred during the epidemic period, and nearby residents delivered food to low -income people in need, thereby alleviating their inner anxiety.

As for the most anxious issue at present, "I am learning English writing. Although I have received support from the British National Writing Center, I still have far from my mother tongue level, so there will be some anxiety from time to time!"

We are from poverty

Wang Yan said that in the UK, the poor are not the culprits of poverty, but their products. George Orwell said: "Dust is the most snobbish. When you dressed brightly, it retreated to the three houses.

For the British, Wang Ying's confusion is about survival: how can a person who cannot keep up with the speed in an old -fashioned capitalist society that constantly fails and can only continue to operate, how can you live with dignity? "Many of my life tragedies are probably caused by poverty. For example, if you don't want to put more butter, the roasted cake is like toast; for example, picking a boyfriend dare not pick expensive, picking and picking all" Nightingale Song " Pamentable version; for example, I can't make up the determination to buy an electric toothbrush. As a result, the dental replenishment is dedicated to the dentist, which is equivalent to five electric toothbrushes and a French meal with a meal of one meal of London Mountain ... "

When all human beings, from health to dignity, can be sold for the price, British reality is given another answer.

"Poverty" is concerned about the "new poor people" who cannot engage in production and cannot participate in consumption -the older generation of the British -generations who have fully enjoyed the national welfare policy, and believe in the five proverbs of "hard work, persistence, frugality, prudent, and self -reliance" However, "high -priced housing slave", "on -the -job poverty", "chronic unemployed" and "non -house -free elderly" are the basic social reality faced by the low -level British low -class. Today, how can the middle -class families who have left the welfare system to maintain a decent life in the welfare system? Wang Yan kept asking. "I feel that although the world is full of injustice, nature is fair, and the breeze of the field has not been rude to me because of my skin tone and class." In the interview, the reporter talked about the poverty of modern British villages.

Why choose to live in the countryside? Wang Yan said: "The reason why I choose to live in the countryside is to love the British rural scenery and customs. It has a very beautiful and warm side."

As an international financial and commercial center, the large British cities are very expensive. The Conservative Government has to transfer poor households as much as possible to the relatively remote suburbs or villages from the city, thereby leaving some poverty in the village of England.

After the British had implemented democratic socialism after the war, a set of public emergency policies with taxes and benefits were established. Taxpayers must pay 25%of personal income income tax in order to obtain unemployment benefits when they are ill or encountered layoffs. Not only the unemployment relief, but the government also gives housing subsidies for the special situation of each poor.

British cities, such as London, have many "government low -rent housing" that originally belonged to public property. The poor can live in the extremely low monthly rent. These houses were built in accordance with the specifications of two people and two bedrooms, and later became the legal housing standards for Britain today. Many of these houses are in the golden area of ​​the city.

Since the period of Sapur, Britain has been in public resources for public resources. The government's low -rent housing has been sold into private real estate by a large number of cheap housing, or after being bought by a private landlord, it puts on the rental market and has become a profitable house. The rent is very high.

A small number of newly -built low -rent housing cannot keep up with just needs, waiting for the placement to arrange growth dragons, so the National Housing Distribution Department has to wait for the people who have waited too long to go to the countryside. Nevertheless, in the English countryside, rent a two -bedroom house at least 850 pounds a monthly rent, and the money is paid by the government with taxpayers without the source of income sources.

The British Welfare Standard is that the unemployment allowance of single people over 25 years of age is 409.89 pounds/month, husband and wife (cohabitation partner) is 594.04 pounds/month, and disabled children have additional subsidies of 341.92 pounds/month. 35 -hour care of the week can also get additional care subsidies, namely £ 162.92/month. In addition, plus housing subsidies that are not waiting for 700-800 pounds: a couple, the rent and living allowance of the two children can exceed 1,200 pounds per month.

Why are anyone hungry? Because many times, the applicant will wait for five weeks to get the money. Many people have no savings, and they have broken food for less than five weeks. Most of the food banks receive emergency food supply, most of them have encountered the above -mentioned tragedy. Many intellectuals and reformists in the UK believe that the five -week waiting period is too long. Over the years, these people have spent a lot of energy to go to the book council, eager to change this problem.

In addition, British consumption is very high, 120 pounds of electricity heating, 100 pounds of gasoline, £ 50 online, £ 20, and about 300 pounds, etc., every month, unemployment allowances are almost left. In case of home appliances or cars, it needs maintenance (there is no low manual advantage in the UK, and artificially expensive, at least 80-200 pounds of pounds of taxes in a toilet), so the phenomenon of "no money to buy vegetables, food does not belly" " It appeared.

"Fortunately, the British countryside has always been a land gentleman's rich land. The manor mansion and the rich are mostly middle -class. Therefore, the government sets up hundreds of poor people in. The locals generally will not oppose it. Instead, they will establish various rescue societies." Summary.

("Well -off" · China Well -off Exclusive Draft)

This article was published in "Well -off" in early August 2022

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