No, SNAP Benefits Aren't Mostly Used by Immigrants

[Nevilledog]

https://www.wired.com/story/disinformation-conspiracy-theories-snap-benefits/

No paywall link
https://archive.li/xf4eG

AS ROUGHLY 42 million Americans face the loss of food stamps this weekend, far-right influencers, extremists, and conspiracy theorists are using the crisis to push racist disinformation about who receives these benefits.

As a result of the government shutdown, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not be funded as of November 1, according to a message on the website of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers the program. While this loss of benefits could be catastrophic for millions, that hasn’t stopped the rush of disinformation. A number of conspiracy theorists and right-wing influencers are claiming that immigrants are the main recipients of food stamps, while AI-generated videos on TikTok push racist stereotypes of Black people demanding more benefits.

These claims simply do not align with reality, given that the majority of people who receive SNAP benefits are white Americans, according to data collected by the USDA. The data also shows that deep red states like Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana are among the states with the highest percentage of those in receipt of food stamps.

“These narratives are being circulated to suggest that undeserving groups are getting the bulk of SNAP benefits and therefore to make the suspension of SNAP benefits seem like less of a crisis,” says Tracy Roof, a political scientist at the University of Richmond. “The reality is that the overwhelming majority of recipients of SNAP are people born in the US and many are in families with children or are elderly or disabled. Of those able to work, most do.”

*snip*

[Grins]

1. Can't stand writing like this.

“ A number of conspiracy theorists and right-wing influencers are claiming…”

And then not name names.

Who are they ? And who funds them? And why?

[usonian]

3. bots? NT

[gulliver]

2. This is a chance for Dem leaders to shine or not

Statistics aren't going to do anything but backfire. It amazes me. Somehow we think that saying that data points to whites being the majority recipients of food stamps is a good argument. Somehow we think that saying the majority of food stamps go to red states is a good argument.

SMH, we really need to get some people out there who understand both statistics and rhetoric. A naive, tendentious use of statistics is bad rhetoric. It's a one-two punch of asking to lose the argument.

We're already facing video examples of our lunch getting eaten by Republicans. Our leadership has to be prepared with better video examples. And calling the Republican examples "AI generated" is just another example of someone trying to make an argument for our side and not having the basic ability to make a good argument.

I look, and I still don't see us getting in the game. We need to center our best players, not the ones who touch all the nice feely points with us, but the ones who win arguments.

[usonian]

4. Feeble response.

DAMMIT, The American People deserve a FIGHTING response to these racist lies.

A grassroots revolution is needed for the party to win.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/13244015

And I'LL KEEP POSTING THIS UNTIL I"M BANNED.

[leftstreet]

5. +1

It just ends up reinforcing racism

"But don't you SEE? It's whites who are suffering!"

There's no win in that argument. It's not a gotcha.
It's an unspoken agreement that nonwhites suffering isn't anything to panic about, and it diverts the conversation away from class and wages