Mr. David K. Shipler's The Working Poor and Dr. David Hilfiker's Urban Injustice: How Ghettos Happen, and other such engaging books, accompanied me this past summer as I thought about the issue of poverty. I revisited these two books (and many others) and thought I should post a review.
Hilfiker gives me the impression that what needs to be done is to tweak the social system and everything else will be calibrated. I am not sure if poor people will definitely not malinger or deliberately take advantage of loopholes. I do not know if the Finnish welfare system will work here, but I am more certain that many things in life, unfortunately, fall along ethnic lines. I used to think that only certain ethnic groups think in terms of "this/these are us/ours, and the rest are not." But I realize that from a sociological perspective, this mentality is pretty much universal across many ethnic groups. It is one of the easiest ways for people to create a group identity. Thus, given their common ancestral background, it might be why the Finnish think why they should help one another. Countries like the United States, which is really a gathering of different ethnic groups, have to work on a more challenging goal of building national ideals. Many citizens of the United States do share and pursue an "ideal"-- the American Dream. But I think it is more of a concept where each individual chases his/her own desires individually, instead of as a team or collective body. This is at least how my peers think of it, that it is all about themselves and for different materialistic possessions.
Shipler offers a much more in-depth interpretation to the chronic problem of poverty. I see a spiral so deep, I am not sure if we should be happy because the causes have been found or sad because the problem is so severe. Both books highlight the importance of education. If one cannot read, one does not know how to file a tax return. If one cannot write, one cannot get a job that can elevate her or him out of the minimum wage zone. As I recall a friend’s Teach for America experience, I start to consider more seriously how education features in the social equation.
Note: for those of you who are still debating over whom you should cast your vote for tomorrow, this post shouldn't sway you either way (although it is not entirely free from political philosophies). Either way you look at it, poverty is a real and complex issue. For those who have asked my opinion on this election, my position is still the same: Vote with a clear conscience today, live with your decision tomorrow.
4 comments:
Ivan,
I appreciate so much all of the blogging you have done this semester. It has been great reading along with some of your thoughts.
I have not read either of these books that you mention, but it is nice to be able to hear some of your reflections. Poverty exists as such a deeply entrenched system in our world, the spiral that Shipler describes. At the same time, I find it rather easy to become comfortable with its existence. Its groans have become a neutral tone accompanying our every day, so regular and consistent that I easily become accustomed to, familiar with, and indifferent to its presence.
I appreciate your bringing attention to the difficulty of ethnic differences and how it impedes our ability to bring about collective action. I wonder what this means for a globalized world. As society becomes more and more specialized, will poverty deepen? Will it become more and more difficult to bring about collective change? Diversity bring so much beauty and creativity to communities. How can we work together to create a culture in which everyone feels invested?
I look forward to speaking with you more about these things. Out of curiosity, did you intentionally spend time thinking about "poverty" this summer? What did that looks like, what did you come away with?
Rebecca
It's an interesting idea to say that the Finnish may have a less difficult time due to (real or perceived) common ancestry. Would strong in-group out-group identities in America then be dragging us down somewhat? I could see such divisions as guiding us into thinking that our goals are mutually exclusive, perhaps, and inhibiting our ability to lift each other out of the hard spots we encounter.
Rebecca,
Thanks for the comment! It was very nice exchanging notes on social issues with you last Thursday dinner; I am sure your Thailand semester will show you more. Anyway, I read pretty extensively on poverty this past summer mainly for the research I am doing. I wonder if poverty is a “generic” issue, like a particular flu strain. I kind of lean toward thinking that different situations unique to a specific location add up to form the poverty equation. Of course we can broadly say it is because of our fallen nature in this broken world. We still have a lunch discussion sometime this week or next, we will cover more then. :)
Hi Sean,
I am trilled to read your comment! I am neither an American nor Finnish, so I study the issue of poverty (particularly of this country) from an outsider’s perspective. Unfortunately, I wish I had a more thorough understanding of the Finnish welfare system to engage in a more comprehensive dialogue with you. The Finnish example is actually used by Hilfiker in his book. I actually had a brief chat with him in D.C. last spring. He’s a wonderful gentlemen and I respect the things he’s doing in his community. His past clinical experience as a medical doctor, which I do not have, shaped the way he conceives issues like poverty.
I think the issue of poverty is a very complex one in this country. Race and ethnicity do play a role in making poverty even messier. I was thinking perhaps the Finnish, or even some other European countries, are more willing to embrace a welfare system because they see one another as “one.” There seems to be plenty of evidence suggesting that a lack of sufficient interaction between races and ethnic groups contributes to the perception that recipients of poverty assistance are simply unwilling to work. Thus, my thought if the Finnish system would work in the United States.
The Service-Learning Center uses this web space to bring some of our office discussions online to our wider community. We are glad you are reading with us as we think deeply about issues we care for, and explore creatively ways to address social inequalities. Sean, out of curiosity, how did you chance upon this blog?
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