welfare queen
4
9.9
- noun
- /ˈwɛlˌfɛr kwin/
- Slur
:
vividora de la asistencia social (ofensivo)
- Even through the 80s and 90s, you had your welfare queens and Willie Hortons and such.
- Reagan's welfare queen
- urban myths about welfare queens
And one really common one is sort of the welfare queen myth, thanks Reagan, amongst many other atrocities.
- And one really common one is sort of the welfare queen myth, thanks Reagan, amongst many other atrocities.
Examples
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The media often sensationalizes the idea of a welfare queen, painting a picture of someone taking advantage of social services.
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I have a confession: I'm a 47%er "welfare queen." Well, I'm not on welfare per se, just food stamps.
Blog text (12) -
Even if mom is a lazy welfare queen, every kid needs to be raised by his or her mother.
Blog text (15) -
We can complain all we want about the welfare queens.
Blog text (2) -
The Republicans are still running against that mythical welfare queen.
Blog text (31) -
While these stories were hardly representative of the welfare system, some welfare queens were not urban myths.
Academic text (2006) -
When will the wingnuts realize the real welfare queens are in the MIC?
Blog text (6) -
During the same time that the "Black welfare queen" was gaining political traction, an increasing number of Black women, many of whom were mothers, were incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses.
Academic text (2016) -
Many politicians have used the term welfare queen to describe women they believe misuse government assistance.
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Critics argue that labeling a woman as a welfare queen unfairly perpetuates stereotypes about poverty and race.
Synonyms
An insulting name for a person who cheats to get government help
How Accusatory
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituents 'welfare' and 'queen' give a learner a basic clue — a woman prominently associated with welfare benefits — so some general sense can be inferred from the parts. However, the specific derogatory meaning (implying exploitation of benefits and racialized stereotype) is culturally charged and not predictable from the literal words alone, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
Welfare queen began in U.S. news and politics in the 1970s, after stories about a woman accused of using many names and tricks to get extra welfare money. The image of a woman living like a queen on welfare made a strong picture that stuck in people's minds. That's why today welfare queen is a negative name for a woman said to 'cheat' or 'take advantage of' the welfare system, and the label is often unfair.