A Fruitless Cycle
In a world that virtually revolves around money and what a person has, it is no wonder that not having money can be a problem. Eating food, having shelter, being healthy, these are what is required to even start to survive, let alone live a life. Yet with each passing moment, there are people that go without these necessities. What is surprising is how many of them are hard working citizens who believe that work and good morals will pull them out of this struggle, but so few of them escape. A man named David Shipler recognizes this problem and outlines the fact that hard work and morality do not always get the average citizen ahead, but often times pulls them into a fruitless circle of incessant work and punishment for their efforts in his novel The Working Poor.
Poison
Specifically in the United States of America, the citizens are all told at least once in their life that hard work and good ethics will get them ahead, but as David Shipler’s book details, years of this ideology has begun to poison the mindset of the people.
Within this idea, many will argue that this is the basis of capitalism, and it is, and capitalism can be great within a society because it encourages citizens to work to their fullest–to be better than the next person. However, with this comes judgments to help evaluate those that may become competition, such as, how much money does this person make and are they good at what they do? If a person is “good” at what they do, then the general public believes that they should and could earn more than their counterpart, and that the person who earns less is reaping the harvest of their own inability. As Shipler put it, “if work is a moral value, and if anyone in...society can attain prosperity through work, then the failure to do so is a fall from righteousness… [and] a low wage is somehow the worker’s fault...” (Shipler 5-6).
Over time, citizens have begun to attach ethics to money, a poisonous practice, and if a person cannot earn money, then they must simply be a “bad” person who is “getting what they deserve.” And thus, a sense of reaping what a person sows is further enforced and some turn a blind eye to the fact that these people are doing nothing wrong. If anything, these people are being punished for trying to follow their own version of the American Dream.
In 1931, James Truslow Adams wrote in his book, The Epic of America, “[the American dream] is that dream of a land in which life should be better...with opportunity for each...regardless of social class or circumstances of birth” (King 572-573). Adams’ definition is a dream of prosperity and opportunity that comes from hard work and good ethics, yet as so many fall short, one can begin to wonder if the dream is just that: a dream.
If work and morality are supposed to give everyone a better life, then why is it not working and only applicable to some? It is this mindset that citizens fall into that strengthens these problems to the point where they seem unfixable.
Within this idea, many will argue that this is the basis of capitalism, and it is, and capitalism can be great within a society because it encourages citizens to work to their fullest–to be better than the next person. However, with this comes judgments to help evaluate those that may become competition, such as, how much money does this person make and are they good at what they do? If a person is “good” at what they do, then the general public believes that they should and could earn more than their counterpart, and that the person who earns less is reaping the harvest of their own inability. As Shipler put it, “if work is a moral value, and if anyone in...society can attain prosperity through work, then the failure to do so is a fall from righteousness… [and] a low wage is somehow the worker’s fault...” (Shipler 5-6).
Over time, citizens have begun to attach ethics to money, a poisonous practice, and if a person cannot earn money, then they must simply be a “bad” person who is “getting what they deserve.” And thus, a sense of reaping what a person sows is further enforced and some turn a blind eye to the fact that these people are doing nothing wrong. If anything, these people are being punished for trying to follow their own version of the American Dream. In 1931, James Truslow Adams wrote in his book, The Epic of America, “[the American dream] is that dream of a land in which life should be better...with opportunity for each...regardless of social class or circumstances of birth” (King 572-573). Adams’ definition is a dream of prosperity and opportunity that comes from hard work and good ethics, yet as so many fall short, one can begin to wonder if the dream is just that: a dream.
If work and morality are supposed to give everyone a better life, then why is it not working and only applicable to some? It is this mindset that citizens fall into that strengthens these problems to the point where they seem unfixable.
The Price of Freedom
Average citizens are encouraged to believe that it is morally right to fight for their wages and for their ‘freedom,’ but often times they are shunned for what they have to give up in order to fight for it. As seen in The Working Poor, David Shipler picks one person in particular to focus on: a woman named Caroline.
Caroline, like many other people, is a hard working single mom with a plethora of problems building up at her front door. With an abusive ex-husband she had to escape and increasing costs to help her daughter, she constantly finds herself with no money and in search of as many jobs she can get a hold of. However, as she works more and more with unreliable hours, she finds that she has no time to be there for the daughter she is trying to provide for, and school officials threaten to have her daughter taken from her.
On the topic of these people, Caroline says, “I’m trying to do the best I can and get caught up on little bills. And now I don’t have a job...You pull yourself up and then somebody has to knock you down. [And] if I don’t work, it’s...neglect: not feeding or clothing my child” (Shipler 70).
Caroline is doing the best she can, yet for these officials, it is never good enough since she cannot spend more time with her daughter. With hardly any sleep and no insurance for her own health, her life deteriorates faster than it should as she tries to provide for those that she loves. Caroline is not alone in this situation. There are numbers upon numbers of people across the nation who are scowled at and threatened for not “doing what they are supposed to do” when they are doing everything that they can. If Caroline were to spend more time with her daughter, she would lose what little jobs and money she had, yet if she tries to get more money to feed and clothe her daughter, she is ridiculed for not being present.
Similarly, one mother talked about the safety of her youngest daughter and said, “Childcare for Paulina right now costs me about $400. I’m, like, undecided whether I should make her walk home…making sure she gets home ok, or keep paying the daycare” (Reich 12:30-12:55). For this mother, the daycare ensures the safety of her daughter and gives her peace of mind, but with so many bills, she has to put her own daughter on the list of questionable priorities. If she were to give up the daycare and something were to happen to her daughter, it is quite possible that the mother would be blamed for not ensuring her safety.
Both of these women are just average citizens, but they are forced to choose what is most important: safety of their children, or the freedom America claims to fight for.
Caroline, like many other people, is a hard working single mom with a plethora of problems building up at her front door. With an abusive ex-husband she had to escape and increasing costs to help her daughter, she constantly finds herself with no money and in search of as many jobs she can get a hold of. However, as she works more and more with unreliable hours, she finds that she has no time to be there for the daughter she is trying to provide for, and school officials threaten to have her daughter taken from her.
On the topic of these people, Caroline says, “I’m trying to do the best I can and get caught up on little bills. And now I don’t have a job...You pull yourself up and then somebody has to knock you down. [And] if I don’t work, it’s...neglect: not feeding or clothing my child” (Shipler 70).
Caroline is doing the best she can, yet for these officials, it is never good enough since she cannot spend more time with her daughter. With hardly any sleep and no insurance for her own health, her life deteriorates faster than it should as she tries to provide for those that she loves. Caroline is not alone in this situation. There are numbers upon numbers of people across the nation who are scowled at and threatened for not “doing what they are supposed to do” when they are doing everything that they can. If Caroline were to spend more time with her daughter, she would lose what little jobs and money she had, yet if she tries to get more money to feed and clothe her daughter, she is ridiculed for not being present.
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| "I’m, like, undecided whether I should make her walk home… making sure she gets home ok, or keep paying the daycare" -- Erika from Inequality for All |
Both of these women are just average citizens, but they are forced to choose what is most important: safety of their children, or the freedom America claims to fight for.
Punishment
As David Shipler continues his explanation of the societal ideas about wages and income, he highlights this vicious cycle that these citizens go through, and the punishment that they have to endure for their efforts.
It seems that many different people feel that they know what poverty looks like: homeless, on the street, asking for money, ill dressed or bathed, but people who do not face the stereotypical idea of what poverty is are deemed as well off or doing fine. Yet many of the people who are struggling with a lack of money do not always wear this title on their sleeve; a number of these people have homes and families and jobs from time to time working on the small but essential needs of the country.
However, because these jobs are seen as so insignificant, it is easy for employers to exploit their workers and get away with it. When it came to his job in Walmart, one man recalled the over work and no extra pay he endured and explained that no one ever called it out because, in his words, “People ain’t got no other place to go...There’s no other jobs to be had” (Olsson 615).
Because of the desperation caused by a lack of money, people are willing to put up with the persecutions that come from it if they think it will help them keep their jobs. People do not have money so they look for jobs, then they have jobs that do not pay them enough, but they cannot speak out for better pay because it puts them in jeopardy of not having a job again, and no job means no money.
It is a cycle that many find themselves in, but those who fall below the poverty line find that it is more difficult for them because of the way the government treats them.
One such woman named Christie found that this was the case for her when Shipler writes, “Her low income entitled her to food stamps and a rental subsidy, but whenever she got a little pay raise, government agencies reduced the benefits, and she felt punished for working” (Shipler 40). Christie was struggling more and more and depended on the government for help, yet whenever she was just starting to be able to walk on her own, they pulled out on her and she would fall flat again, causing her to fall in another type of despicable cycle.
Though these people do not fit the stereotype of what it means to be poor, they still find themselves in a never ending cycle of hard work and no pay, leaving them feeling battered and bruised and punished for working.
It seems that many different people feel that they know what poverty looks like: homeless, on the street, asking for money, ill dressed or bathed, but people who do not face the stereotypical idea of what poverty is are deemed as well off or doing fine. Yet many of the people who are struggling with a lack of money do not always wear this title on their sleeve; a number of these people have homes and families and jobs from time to time working on the small but essential needs of the country.
However, because these jobs are seen as so insignificant, it is easy for employers to exploit their workers and get away with it. When it came to his job in Walmart, one man recalled the over work and no extra pay he endured and explained that no one ever called it out because, in his words, “People ain’t got no other place to go...There’s no other jobs to be had” (Olsson 615). Because of the desperation caused by a lack of money, people are willing to put up with the persecutions that come from it if they think it will help them keep their jobs. People do not have money so they look for jobs, then they have jobs that do not pay them enough, but they cannot speak out for better pay because it puts them in jeopardy of not having a job again, and no job means no money.
It is a cycle that many find themselves in, but those who fall below the poverty line find that it is more difficult for them because of the way the government treats them.
One such woman named Christie found that this was the case for her when Shipler writes, “Her low income entitled her to food stamps and a rental subsidy, but whenever she got a little pay raise, government agencies reduced the benefits, and she felt punished for working” (Shipler 40). Christie was struggling more and more and depended on the government for help, yet whenever she was just starting to be able to walk on her own, they pulled out on her and she would fall flat again, causing her to fall in another type of despicable cycle.
Though these people do not fit the stereotype of what it means to be poor, they still find themselves in a never ending cycle of hard work and no pay, leaving them feeling battered and bruised and punished for working.
The Invisible
From person to person and job to job, Shipler describes the lives of the impoverished and the invisible. These people struggle and fight everyday for that dream of a better future, but it does not always help, and many find themselves digging deeper holes for themselves than when they started. These people are not lazy or not trying. Many of them are doing what they and society deem to be right, but their efforts do not get them any farther.
Maybe it is time for the American public to realize that and reevaluate what they think poverty is.
Maybe it is time for the American public to realize that and reevaluate what they think poverty is.
Works Cited
Shipler, David. The Working Poor: Invisible In America. Ney York: Random House, Inc, 2004. Print.
Reich, Robert. Inequality For All. Los Angeles, California. 2013. Video.
Reich, Robert. Inequality For All. Los Angeles, California. 2013. Video.
