This is truly a moment for tears. People looking down on kollel is nothing new. Same as people looking down on anyone trying to be as close to Hashem as they can. The harder you work, the more pressure you get to stop. That is what nisyonos and the yetzer hara have built into the system.
So if people want to talk about kollel families as if they are lowly or uneducated, that will follow them til 120 and I need to learn to let Hashem defend His own. Anyone stupid enough to say that knows inside it is a grueling level of learning and disciline that they probably can’t compete with so better to nullify it (standard defense mechanism by the way)
But now we have a new level of yiredas hadoros. It isn’t just to make the kollel family into something disdainful, we have decide that they are worth celebrating. But not their connection to Hashem, their hasmada and perseverance. Nope. We will celebrate them if they can figure out their finances! Do you even register the weight of your thoughts before you put them out there in public? It’s not Torah immersion that makes us sing, it is freedom from giving them anything for their sad choices. Or just them not taking from anyone even if it’s not you. That is how you talk about people who spend all day learning Torah. And you aren’t ashamed?
Or, I’ll try to judge favorably here, perhaps that is how we deal with all of our friends and aquaintences, right? It’s totally normal to count your tax bill and compare it to your friend’s income. I have no doubt you asked your friend whose child is in sloan kettering if they gave up their take out before grabbing handouts from RCC. And for sure you chastised the battered woman staying in the shalva shelter when you saw her take her kids out for ice cream. Can you imagine using community funds when you have enough money for ice cream!!? And tomchei Shabbos?! Oh I sure hope you get addresses and account numbers before you donated a single dime! I heard they bought clothes at Walmart instead of the thrift shop. Perhaps your cousin should fill you in on what he really did with his tax credit. I think some of it may have gone to his portfolio instead of his kids.
I guess if you treat ALL your friends this way, it isn’t so offensive.