Local disabled man Jim Elbert finds himself in a frustrating purgatory built by some of the many contradictions of capitalism: Elbert, who grew up in an affluent family, is simultaneously too oppressed to join the workforce and too privileged to take advantage of the benefits that come with being excluded from it.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m not gonna die or anything. My parents are helping with housing. So I’m safe in the most literal sense of the word,” he says. “I just wish I weren’t so goddamn bored and helpless.”
His father, Mitch, is concerned for different reasons.
“Doesn’t he know we all wish we could sit around and do nothing all day? I’ll tell you what, he should focus on finding a job so I don’t have to keep sending him money all the time.”
Jim understands his father’s frustration, though he can’t help but push back.
“When you notice for years that literally no one will give you a shot, it’s demoralizing to keep trying like everything is normal,” he says. “Plus it’s not like I want to be begging for money for the rest of my adult life. Like, oh yeah, I love that my dad begrudgingly supports me!”
When reporters asked Mitch about supplying his son with caretakers and therapists, he balked, saying there’s no way he would be able to afford what Jim is asking for.
Mitch was then informed that many of the services Jim needs would be covered under Medicaid.
He simply replied, “No, we’re not poor!”