Snap is a funny word if you look it up. The first thing you have to get past is the fact that the food stamp program in the United States is called the SNAP program, standing for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. That program helps 12.6% of Americans (42 million) get enough to eat. There is evidence that at least another 20 million Americans could be eligible for SNAP, but do not take the benefit. This program, operated by the US Department of Agriculture is a mainstay of the American welfare blanket that protects the less fortunate in the country. It has existed in one form or another for 60 years and peaked during the Great Recession fifteen years ago when 18.8% of the population received the benefits. When you look at the demographics of the recipients you see that about 88% are native born Americans, 63% of whom are white (27% black). Almost 46% of the recipients are single mothers. As I have done some superficial research about SNAP, I have found myself wondering why we no longer hear much about the ills of welfare from Republicans the way we used to. The beneficiaries are spread across all 50 states with the most prolific users being states like New Mexico, Georgia, Nevada, Oregon, New York, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Alabama, Illinois and Massachusetts, so a full range of red, blue and purple states. The $120 billion that we spend on SNAP is only 0.4% of GDP. I’m guessing that as the demographics of the two political parties have morphed, it is less politically viable to be against a program that probably effects 10-20 million of that party’s potential voters. If you are ever looking for something good that comes from politics, that might be at the top of your list.
Snap otherwise is all about breaking something or something trying to bite you, a cracking sound from a sudden movement, or even a sudden and irritable manner from someone. But Snap in the dictionary of slang is also worth noting. If someone says, “Snap!” to you, it is an acknowledgement that they have the same thing or said the same thing or think the same thing as you. I guess that means that in some contexts Snap is just like saying “Word!” I don’t spend a lot of time these days with the young hipster crowd, but I at least know those expressions when I hear them. I also am a regular user of Snapchat, the social media platform that was all the rage a few years ago and is now the province of many a grandparent like me that wants to keep in tune with his kids and grandkids. We have a little Snapchat group that consists of me and Kim, my three kids and their three significant others. I’m guessing most grandparents have some form of this in some social medium or another. It keeps us all connected just a little bit more than we would otherwise be.
This morning I am thinking snap mostly in relation to an elastic wrist bracelet I am wearing for the first time. I just got it yesterday from my granddaughters. They picked up the craft by making Taylor Swift beaded bracelets to share with others at her concerts. Their family household is decidedly liberal in orientation (they do live in hipster central Brooklyn) so the family is very much anti-Trump and pro- Harris, for which I am very glad. Actually, all three of my kids follow in those footsteps, so none of it is \\a surprise. This bracelet is a typically colorful one with multi-faceted beads of pink and dark blue. Then there are contrasting flat white beads with a black letter on each that spell out H-A-R-R-I-S * W-A-L-Z. It’s a very little girl looking bracelet, but I like it nonetheless.
I have a Harris t-shirt in my closet that I have never worn. I had no problem wearing other blue statement t-shirts in past election cycles, but this time feels different for some reason. It’s not much of a mystery that things have gotten more and more divisive among the core base voters of each party. As much as I despise the thought of a Trump core with their MAGA views, I have to admit that I am a member of the Blue core. I say it that way because I was and still am a great admirer of Joe Biden’s, in some ways more so than Barack Obama. While I think Obama was a great choice to be the first black president (he was smooth and pleasant and rarely abrasive, which were necessary qualities to allow otherwise modestly racist citizens to shake off their hidden fears), other than Obamacare it is hard to see that he was able to be quite so transformational for America in his eight years. Biden has moved us in the decidedly right direction in my view and changed America’s path for the better. Obviously, at this point, a reversal to Trump would largely undo most of that course correction, but a Harris presidency has the chance to lock in those changes for several decades. But wearing a Harris t-shirt in the weeks leading up to this election seems less prone to convince anyone and more prone to draw negativism from others of the Red cadre. But the bracelet is subtle and hints of a preference without screaming it. So, I am wearing it and feel; good to be doing so.
If someone asks me about it (someone already has this morning), I will describe a new Harris ad I have seen. It is targeted towards Hispanic men and its in Spanish. It is a young woman talking to her father telling him that she knows he likes Trump for some reason, but that he simply cannot vote for Trump because of all the bad things Trump will do to harm her rights and her quality of life. It is a compelling concept for an ad because it takes a strong base constituency for Harris, young women, and deploys it directly against the target audience that has perhaps not fully thought through the ramifications of a vote for Trump. It may be a macho thing these days to support the strongman, but if you are exposed to the reality of who he is, what he represents, how he acts and what he wants to do to our country, you must be able to conclude that he is not the person you want having responsibility for your daughter’s wellbeing. at least that’s the theory of the ad. Wearing my granddaughters’ bracelet is a solid reminder for me about why I care so much about this election and what I am fighting for. My life won’t change so much if I just tune out the noise for a few more years, but my granddaughter’s lives will, and not for the better. Country and patriotism are fine banners, but granddaughters are a much more real object of concern. I might hesitate to step in front a train for country (though I like to think I still would do so), but I know I would willingly and readily throw myself in front of that train to help my granddaughters.
My bracelet reminds me that my granddaughters and I are on the same page about how we want this country of ours to evolve. We are snap. And then, should I ever forget all that, all I have to do is snap the elastic on the bracelet and it wakes me up and reminds me what I’m fighting for. Snap!