“Why should I work hard if the people who don’t get the benefits?”

Sorry for the politics, I just came home from visiting my parents and I tested the waters with my mom (who is notoriously confrontational if you disagree with her) and I’m processing.

For context, my parents are your classic rich, white, conservative, TBM in a semi-rural area. I grew up parroting them and the church, until I went to Chicago and learned people have other experiences and viewpoints. Mom gets her info from Facebook, believes The Associated Press is a liberal hellscape, you know the type. I’m just relieved that they at least think Trump is mainly an ass (though they agree with some things he’s doing) and aren’t full MAGA.

I’ve known their views for a long time, but I have a hard time wrapping my mind around how people who claim to be charitable and religious carry the stance that if someone else is benefiting off of their work, why should they work? I thought the whole Jesus thing was giving to others without concern for yourself. I really don’t think they know much of anything about how people who aren’t rich and white live though. They don’t think they’re racist, but don’t understand that what they say and do contradicts that. I can give examples if people want them.

They also believe people being able to lean on their government in hard times is bad, if people can’t “work hard” they shouldn’t get things like food/housing/healthcare, Elon Musk had the right idea just not perfect execution, the Department of Education should be abolished, free meals for kids shouldn’t be funded by the USDA (with no input on who SHOULD fund it), etc. Anyway, I just needed to word-vomit this somewhere and I imagine many of you can relate. No hate to anyone’s political beliefs, it’s just the contrast between what the religion claims vs. what’s practiced in the real world that gets me.