'Hidden Hunger'

Just when you think that enough phrases and adjectives have been used to describe the suffering of those who cannot afford to fend for themselves in these dire economic circumstances then along comes another one to mark the next low on the graph of misery. This time it is the phrase 'hidden hunger' and it really does mark a very low notch on the graph.

'Hidden Hunger' describes those who are struggling financially but who are refusing to accept free food from places like Foodbanks because they think it carries a stigma. Taken to an extreme does this mean that we are going to see people dying from hunger or, at the very least, becoming malnourished? All this during the Christmas season when people indulge in an excess of food?

As household debt level soars and people's financial hardship hits a steep curve it seems as if this is being accompanied by a decline in an understanding of the economic realities for many. People who experience helplessness are being blamed and vilified for a situation that is seen as being their fault. The 'haves' no longer acquaint themselves with the great goodness that welfare was meant to provide and stigmatise those who don't have with tags like 'scroungers' and 'skivers'.

What the 'haves' don't realise is that such misfortune as losing one's job can strike anyone and there are no guarantees that you or I will not have to rely on a Foodbank someday.

http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/