Earth to all social workers and mental health professionals: People who are disabled, poor, disadvantaged, etc, may not be in the best position in life, but they still don't enjoy being treated like children. Being in a bad position or having made bad choices doesn't necessarily mean that a person is unintelligent or oblivious to reality. And as with the legacy of slavery in this country, being disadvantaged often entails smiling and scraping and pretense of gratitude.

I am not good at that. I was not born to this life and I have this silly idea that all humans are equal. I expect to retain my basic human dignity, even if I've been working in the dirt all day or thumbing my way down the road. I don't care who you are, talking down to me may be tolerated, but it is unlikely to be overlooked. Abuse of power is duly noted, cataloged away, but not all that surprising once you get over the initial shock. Besides, abuse of power has been encountered before, if not by parents, then by abusive spouses or partners. The strategies used there carry over here, too, as do all the same old resentments.

The one thing I have noticed is that people who have been born to this life are totally disillusioned with the concept of justice. They have given up. They don't fight. No, they expect dishonesty and injustice. What is intolerable for me is often business as usual for them. They have no hope in what other people take for granted, however irked they are by its counterpart.

Sometimes one is inclined to agree with them.