The film's owner announced that Lake was an old man, a single widower with no children, and a carpenter with 40 years of experience.
Blake almost had an accident because of a heart problem and temporarily lost his ability to work. He was about to apply for employment support allowance, but was rejected by the assessor. The conditions for initiating the appeal were very harsh. Being punished for meeting the prescribed behavioral requirements may be reduced to applying for special hardship subsidies.
Blake doesn't know how to surf the Internet, and he doesn't have a computer at home. Smartphones, electronic resumes, and video resumes are even more unreal for him. He is a dying "front wave" on the beach, a generation that is about to be abandoned by the times.
Western developed countries have always been known for their high welfare, and the people of the third world are envious.
"I Am Black" exposed the vain side of British welfare policy.
Cumbersome procedures, protracted procedures, bureaucratic style, and quite unfriendly to the lower-level people.
Saying that it is strictly abiding by the rules and regulations is actually impersonal and lacking empathy; saying that it is giving relief and help is actually setting up obstacles artificially.
Black's stipend application journey became an endless loop, the government played a "dead you" game, and he decided not to be accompanied because he believed that losing self-esteem was losing everything.
He protested with graffiti on the outer wall of the welfare office, which aroused the solidarity of onlookers.
But can anything be changed?
I am not a customer, not a customer, not a service user,
I am not a lazy man, nor a thief, nor a beggar thief,
I'm not a string of social security numbers, not a piece of data on a screen,
I pay my taxes on time, a lot of points, and I'm very proud of it,
I do not bow down to the powerful, I treat my neighbors sincerely, and I do my best to lend a helping hand,
I do not accept nor seek alms,
My name is Daniel Black, and I'm a decent man, not a begging dog,
I hereby claim my rights that belong to me,
and ask you to treat me with respect,
I, Daniel Black, am a citizen,
No extravagance, no compromise.
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