Michael Che of Saturday Night Live called out the cut-off of SNAP benefits, and he didn’t hold back.
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The 42-year-old comedian is known for edgy humor on the NBC sketch comedy series, where he and “Weekend Update” cohost Colin Jost poke fun at the absurdity of the current news cycle. But this time, he’s not joking around.
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Following the US government shutdown, which began on Oct. 1 and became the second-longest shutdown in American history last month, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has “run dry.”
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The Trump administration claimed reserve funds were not “legally available” to fund November benefits, and more than 40 million Americans who rely on the program will go without aid starting Nov. 1.
In a Nov. 1 Instagram post, Michael shared how the “snap freeze is really fucked up.”
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“i keep seeing a lotta racist videos celebrating (mostly black) families not being able to buy groceries.. theres this weird idea that since some people have taken advantage of welfare benefits in the hood, NOBODY should receive help, at all..?” Michael said.
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He continued, “this country is built on greedy motherfuckers taking shortcuts and gaming the system to their benefit, but for some reason, when poor people find a way to turn nickel into a dime, they’re judged more severely, especially blacks.”
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“i kno the whole hustle is to hate each other here so we can fight in the comments and up our engagements.. but lets draw the line at feeding the poor,” he added, sharing his own experiences with receiving benefits. “i grew up on free cheese and powdered milk and waiting for your friends to leave the store so they wont see me pay with stamps.. that shit aint as glamorous as it sounds. i promise.”
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In the comments, there was a resounding reaction to Michael’s comments, with a handful of comedians and fellow SNL alums in agreement.
Other people shared how SNAP benefits affected their families.
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And others were justifiably pissed off by the SNAP freeze, as seen in the comments and this Reddit thread. One user wrote, “I fucking hate anyone that makes being poor a failure of the individual rather than a failure of the system.”
“Majority of SNAP recipients literally work like everyone else. All you see is people celebrating because they think recipients are living off the system, too lazy, want handouts, etc. when that’s the minority of the population on these benefits,” one person wrote on Reddit.
“The crazy thing is that most of the SNAP benefits go to… white people. Because this country is like 70% white. So yeah, poor urban POCs do use SNAP but so do rural and suburban White people.. I wish that Trump literally taking away the ability to buy groceries from some 40 million Americans would make people wake up, but apparently that man can do anything and get away with it..,” another user wrote.
Another user said, “This is absolutely a class war. For centuries rich people have spent every dime they have to ensure their spot in the very exclusive club of greedy war mongers. They’ve sold out their own people, had innocent people killed for their gluttony, they have gone out of their way to make sure the lower class stays enslaved and sick and hungry in order to keep them under control.”
And finally, this person said what we’re all thinking because Michael Che was serious, and “didn’t slip not one joke into this” Instagram post.
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What do you think about Michael’s comments on SNAP benefits being cut off? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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Contents
- Michael Che of Saturday Night Live called out the cut-off of SNAP benefits, and he didn’t hold back.
- The 42-year-old comedian is known for edgy humor on the NBC sketch comedy series, where he and “Weekend Update” cohost Colin Jost poke fun at the absurdity of the current news cycle. But this time, he’s not joking around.
- Following the US government shutdown, which began on Oct. 1 and became the second-longest shutdown in American history last month, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has “run dry.”
- In a Nov. 1 Instagram post, Michael shared how the “snap freeze is really fucked up.”
- “i keep seeing a lotta racist videos celebrating (mostly black) families not being able to buy groceries.. theres this weird idea that since some people have taken advantage of welfare benefits in the hood, NOBODY should receive help, at all..?” Michael said.
- He continued, “this country is built on greedy motherfuckers taking shortcuts and gaming the system to their benefit, but for some reason, when poor people find a way to turn nickel into a dime, they’re judged more severely, especially blacks.”
- “i kno the whole hustle is to hate each other here so we can fight in the comments and up our engagements.. but lets draw the line at feeding the poor,” he added, sharing his own experiences with receiving benefits. “i grew up on free cheese and powdered milk and waiting for your friends to leave the store so they wont see me pay with stamps.. that shit aint as glamorous as it sounds. i promise.”
- In the comments, there was a resounding reaction to Michael’s comments, with a handful of comedians and fellow SNL alums in agreement.
- Other people shared how SNAP benefits affected their families.
- And others were justifiably pissed off by the SNAP freeze, as seen in the comments and this Reddit thread. One user wrote, “I fucking hate anyone that makes being poor a failure of the individual rather than a failure of the system.”
- “Majority of SNAP recipients literally work like everyone else. All you see is people celebrating because they think recipients are living off the system, too lazy, want handouts, etc. when that’s the minority of the population on these benefits,” one person wrote on Reddit.
- “The crazy thing is that most of the SNAP benefits go to… white people. Because this country is like 70% white. So yeah, poor urban POCs do use SNAP but so do rural and suburban White people.. I wish that Trump literally taking away the ability to buy groceries from some 40 million Americans would make people wake up, but apparently that man can do anything and get away with it..,” another user wrote.
- Another user said, “This is absolutely a class war. For centuries rich people have spent every dime they have to ensure their spot in the very exclusive club of greedy war mongers. They’ve sold out their own people, had innocent people killed for their gluttony, they have gone out of their way to make sure the lower class stays enslaved and sick and hungry in order to keep them under control.”
- And finally, this person said what we’re all thinking because Michael Che was serious, and “didn’t slip not one joke into this” Instagram post.
- What do you think about Michael’s comments on SNAP benefits being cut off? Share your thoughts in the comments.
