Etymology
edit
1970s, popularized during Ronald Reagan's 1976 presidential campaign, but not used by Reagan himself.[1]
welfare queen (plural welfare queens)
- (US, derogatory) A woman collecting welfare, seen as doing so out of laziness, rather than genuine need.
1976 February 29, “‘Welfare Queen’ Loses Her Cadillac Limousine”, in The New York Times[2], →ISSN:Miss Taylor, who is 40 years old, has been called Illinois’ “welfare queen” for allegedly defrauding Illinois and other states out of welfare payments while using a number of aliases.
1994, Lisa Jones, Bulletproof Diva: Tales of Race, Sex, and Hair[3], Anchor Books, published 1995, →ISBN:Martin isn't a typecast welfare queen sucking the nation dry, as Thomas seemed to suggest, but a single woman like his own mother, who worked low-paying jobs without benefits to support her family and turned to relatives for help.
1994, Marian Wright Edelman, Measure of Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours, Beacon Press, published 1994, →ISBN, page 113:Welfare queens can't hold a candle to corporate kings in raiding the public purse.
2008, Earl Sewell, If I Were Your Boyfriend, Kimani TRU, published 2008, →ISBN, page 125:[…] You need to go on back to the ghetto and make a bunch of ghetto babies and live off of welfare. I heard that you and your mama were welfare queens.”
See also
edit
References
edit
- ^ Sam Dolnick (2019 May 20) “The Life and Crimes of America’s Original ‘Welfare Queen’”, in The New York Times[1], →ISSN: “Reagan didn’t use the phrase “welfare queen” — he left that to the headline writers. His euphemism was “the woman in Chicago,” but the message was clear.”
