I suppose I can see both sides of the argument. This is indeed a nation chock full of opportunity, with very few hard and fast obstacles that prevent one from succeeding. Even without a high school diploma, it is very possible to find decent employment (yes, even in this economy) and if you're disciplined enough, you can "make something of your life", by whatever definition you choose. We all know people like this.
On the flipside, your ability to succeed is often shaped by your environment. If the established norm that you grew up observing is living check to check, evictions, WIC, food stamps, dropping out of high school, etc., simply flipping a switch and changing your fate is hardly in minor undertaking.
At the behest of our resident Conservative (you know his name), I recently read the book[1] Scratch Beginnings by Adam Shepard. Shepard, who grew up not far from my hometown in Raleigh, NC, decided to skip the usual Corporate route post-college and conduct an admittedly flawed social experiment. Feeling "disillusioned by the apathy he saw around him and incensed after reading Barbara Ehrenreich's famous works Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch, books that gave him a feeling of hopelessness over the state of the working class in America. Eager to see if he could make something out of nothing, he set out to prove wrong Ehrenreich's theory that those who start at the bottom stay at the bottom, and to see if the American Dream can still be a reality." His words, not mine.
Shepard chose Charleston, South Carolina for no particular reason, and caught a train into town with just $25 to his name. He takes up residence in a run-down homeless shelter, gets clothes from Goodwill, eats courtesy of food stamps, and works odd menial jobs that pay next to nothing. His goal was to have a steady job, a car, a home, and $2,500 in savings by the end of the year. His mission would presumably be to prove that by merely working hard and wanting to succeed badly enough, he could reach his goals without calling home for help, and also without using his degree, his personal contacts, or divulging his middle-classed background.
I'm naturally skeptical, so I picked up this book expecting some ulterior motive. Is Shepard some guy with a Conservative bent doing this to decry gubb'ment programs and "European-style Socialism"? Not at all. The foreword of the book announces that Shepard has no political motive. Of course, this doesn't stop the usual suspects from trying to use this unique experiment to their advantage.
He admits the many flaws of the experiment. He knows that few people "start fresh" in poverty. Most have kids, health problems, debt, etc. He is "starting" at zero, whereas many people are "starting" at negative 4,000. He also acknowledges that the mental reality of having an "escape" at the end of the year makes his motivation different than most since this is only temporary, not his actual "life". With those disclaimers aside, it's much easier to settle in and read the book without your 3rd eye. I don't want to ruin the story for anyone, but I'll simply say it's an easy read that's worth a trip to the library.
It also raises a number of very interesting questions.
Question: If you had to "start at zero" with little money to your name, couldn't use you education, or Rolodex, and were dumped in a strange city, could you "make it"? Taking the whole "experiment" out of the equation, why do you think it's so difficult for people to "make it" out of poverty? How much to gubb'ment programs actually demotivate people to better themselves and "make it out"?
Scratch Beginnings [Official Website]
[1] Yeah, I read. A lot. Don't be fooled by all the TeeVee, cRap music, and Negro Nonsense. I get it in at the library.
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I could "make it" but it would be very hard. "make it" meaning just doing enough to get by. There are many reasons why its hard for people to make it out. Education system is not great. High Crime, Police dont care, and etc. I think government programs motivate most people to do better but these other lazy yet smart motherfuckers just mooch off of Uncle Sam. It doesnt motivate them to do better cause their living free.
Sounds like an interesting book. With enough discipline, I could probably keep my head just above water. Barely.
I think one of the main reasons its hard for people to make it out of poverty is their mindset. For the generational to generational thing, if there's no example of a successful person around, why would a child think any different? Why wouldn't a young woman believe that having as many kids as possible to collect the most food stamps/government assistance is normal, if every other woman around her is the same?
However, like you I can see both sides of the situation.
I read Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed book[1] a while back. I may pick this book up soon. I'm currently on a sci-fi diet.
At the rate that the working poor is saving money . . . I don't know.
The thing is, you will always use your education because you will be thinking differently.
I think these guys are ignore that the rich are taxed differently amongst other issues.
[1] No need to explain, many of your references in your post reveal the bookworm in you.
Its a very flawed experiment because you can't pretend to not have your previous life experiences and education that shape you into the person you are.
They make you more resourceful than the person who grew up in poverty with nothing. That doesn't mean you can't make it and succeed because you were born into poverty.
Once again those first 13-14 years of your life are critical. I'd 'make it' only because of those formative years.
By the time I was 13 I could read, write, and 'rithmetic well enough to survive. I was mannerly and respectful, and had enough domestic skills to live on my own. Like so many of my current students who are all but doomed to a life of hardship before they stepped into a high school, so many people who struggle were damaged almost beyond repair from the time they were born until they became legal adults. My currently incarcerated former students I all but hold them blameless for their condition because their lives as youths were so chaotic, and of course they controlled very little of that.
People can 'pull themselves up', but lots of folks need help, and some need much more than others. Another essential debate is who's best equipped to provide that help, and who's obligated/charged with providing that help.
You can pull yourself up 'by your bootstraps' if you know what they are and know how to use them. Too many people who struggle know neither, so when they reach for their bootstraps they neither know where to look nor how to use them, thus sadly come up empty.
Vee and Lady M hit the main points I wanted to make. The guy probably had a good stable home that gave him the confidence to succeed. If his college degree is worth a damn, he looks at and understands the world differently than he would with just a HS diploma.
Symphony is correct...very flawed experiment.
Suggested reading: Ruby Payne
"Framework for Understanding Poverty"
Poverty is a vicious cycle...and needs to be looked at with a little more compassion in this society.
I'm not excusing laziness and/or apathy but comparing someone from a middle classe background (or up) with a college degree to a person who grew up in a desperate situation with minimal education is utterly pointless.
Could I start at zero? Hell yes. But the circumstances vary per person...per each situation.
Ruby Payne is extremely respected and has done extensive research on poverty. I'd suggest you read her works.
could i make it if i was just dropped into a city? even though i'm bright and articulate, racism and sexism would be my stumbling blocks especially in the beginning. if i were a man i would be more confident of my ability to survive in a shelter (and still remain looking presentable in order to find work) and more confident of my ability to sleep outdoors if necessary.
the guy who did this experiment was a white male, an obvious advantage when you're trying to get people to help you. as a black person i will admit that when i see a black person on the street i think 'homeless' when i see a disheveled white person i think 'hippie'. if this white guy (who speaks english and looks WASPY) is standing at a day labor site you can guess who is going to get hired first.
once i got over those initial hurdles i think i would be good to go. i've got good computer skills, i know how to use the library, and how to access other public resources. i'm not hampered by the general frustration that accompanies chronic poverty.
the guy who wrote the book has proved what we all know -- that if you're a white male you really have no excuse about the "system". i would like to see this experiment done with a white female, black male, and black female. how would this play out if someone was an immigrant or differently abled?
kmh20s said... "i would like to see this experiment done with a white female"
Read Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed. She's white and not a self-described cocky young white male. It is a pretty decent, engaging read.
I think that it's possible to succeed in such a situation. Though no matter your abilities, the people that you deal with is going to make the difference.
No matter how talented you are/aren't, if no one is willing to open a door for you, then it's pointless.
I would have never gotten into management if it weren't for someone showing me some favor in the long run.
"Hard work" just isn't enough.
There are plenty of people who "work hard" every day, but are overlooked. No one makes it up the ladder without someone reaching down to help.
EG
thanks for this, I haven't read a book in.....a long freakin' time and this might be one that i pick up.
Yeah I would survive. Only because I have a head start on surviving. I have had to "survive" my whole live. The dude that wrote this book was born with means. He may not have been rich, but he had means. He probably still does not know what it is like to have to finish school work before dark because the electricity is off. He probably does not know what it is like to tke birdbaths in the corner gas station restroom because he had no running water. I applaud this dude for doing what he did, but being poor, uneducated and white is totally different from being poor, uneducated and black. But again, with me knowing me, and what I am capable of, there is no doubt I would make it.
"why do you think it's so difficult for people to "make it" out of poverty?"
My answer to this is to watch season 4 of The Wire.
Watch that and you'll realize that some people don't even have 'bootstraps'. nor do they know what 'bootstraps' are.
@Symphony and @adinasi
This is not expirement. Any one of us could do the same thing because we have the skills to do so. He knows how to interview, how to behave, how to act. People aren't poor because they want to be poor, most of the time they don't know how to get out of the hole.
I haven't read the book and probably won't. Another key to this tale is that the guy is white. That alone is worth 4 years of education.
cjames I know any of us could do it. We don't disagree. Do you take issue with the word "experiment"?
I haven't read the book and thats what I characterize his "whatever you want to call it" as -- an experiment. Of course, to go a step more its nothing but a way to say people are lazy and failures because they want to be.
An educated person can't duplicate the mind of an uneducated person born and raised in poverty.
This also implies that making it or living the American Dream is being able to "subsist" (in this case- for a year.) This is a purely economic experiment and doesn't address happiness, passion, psychological endurance, etc.
A better economic experiment for a guy like Shepard would be to not start at zero but start with $10,000 in his pocket and see if he can make a hundred thousand. Or take $100,000 and see if he can make a million in a year.
You can't be debt free and educated and simulate the poor/uneducated. It's a false hypothesis.
The same goes for war veterans. There are psychological impacts that poverty and war inflict that are more challenging to overcome.
I was able to pull myself by my bootstraps because I had people in my life who gave a damn. Teachers and mentors who saw something in me and pulled it out. Even when I resisted, I was still pushed to value education and think beyond my current circumstances.
Co-sign w/Dirty Red. My mother and I were homeless for a while when I was kid. I remember food stamps and canned peanut butter. I could survive because I always have.
Excellent comments by all.
I'd like to think that I could keep my head about water because I can present myself as a 'non-threatening negress'. However, the grind of just getting by can be daunting.
In the case of Adam Shepard, being young, male, healthy and white gives him an additional 1000 points from jump street. I echo other commenters who would like to see the 'experiment' replicated with a different individual.
**In the case of Adam Shepard, being young, male, healthy and white gives him an additional 1000 points from jump street. I echo other commenters who would like to see the 'experiment' replicated with a different individual.**
Agreed. And I don't mean to sound like a cougar, but being relatively attractive and in good physical shape doesn't hurt either.
i must add something else that really causes an uneven playing field when comparing this guys to normal poverty-stricken folks. that is the fact that this guy had himself alone to look out for/ provide for. even if someone who comes from a cycle of poverty doesn't have kids, there is still the expectation and duty to help support others- be it parents, siblings, grandparents, etc. there's no pure looking out for #1. heck, if that were an option, i think there'd be a lot more folks living and doing well.
Spool 32 got on me when this guy's book first popped up on this blog when I said homeboy's success was in part due to "white privilege" and I still stand by that.
Would I be able to make it--not gonna lie to you. It'd be difficult VERY difficult for me just because I've lead a relatively comfortable life. So I'd have some personal struggles, or rather internal ones to overcome. I think combined with other societal barriers that it wouldn't quite as easy either.
As some of the others said, grinding poverty is an endless "crawl" that seems circular and inescapable. The fact that homeboy knew this was temporary makes is wayyyy easier. Just like last year, I went camping for the first time with my youth group out to CreationFest up in Pennsylvania: Four Days and three nights with no shower, and hot funky smelly adolescents who like playing in mud; port-a-potties, shitty food. To some that works, but for me, I knew it was temporary which made the whole experience fun, for a little bit.
I was about to watch the youtube clip, then Glenn Beck appeared on the screen.
I'll pass.
I don't think government programs de-motivate people necessarily. I think people have a negative sense of entitlement. Na'im Akbar said in Breaking The Chains of Psychological Slavery that this non-affinity toward work in the black community stems from slavery where work was associated with chattel bondage and a whole system of dehumanization, desexualization and deracination.
Why in the world would I want to work?!?! (Okay, that's a loaded question, but you get my point)
So, there is this weird mindset about the government "owing" black people. That's why the plethora of nationwide texts that went out shortly after November 4, 2008 were saying "To All the white people: please report to the nearest cotton field for orientation." I mean, that was a work based dig at the whole idea of...well...work. I mean, how many black people do you know who joked amongst ourselves about either taking off from work Nov. 5th or most certainly scheduling off work for January 20th.
It's all a bit interesting to me.
Having the mentality to 'pull yourself up by your own bootstraps' is a big help ofcourse. But...this man doesn't take into consideration that when you have very little resources other than your own talent/education/background/experience one unforeseen incident can pull you under. My parents have been trying to defy poverty for a long time, my dad's a very hard worker, my mum has kept working even when she shouldn't have because of her health and they keep having these things happen to them that pull them under again. Simple things like having to get your car fixed because it broke down, basically all things that break down unexpectedly. Last year their roof gave in because of storm damage but the insurance company refused to pay. Things like that; they can pull you under real easy when money is tight.
@vanilla latte and monie,
Ruby Payne's book was required reading at my previous school; 'The Wire' Season 4 was so close to my education reality, I can say I've taught every one of those brothas.
Just like great football coaches put their players in position to make plays, our most dire men and women, although talented, must have the environment and tools to 'make plays.' One of my biggest fears is when my incarcerated former students are released, will there be the support systems and assistance available for them to 'make plays.'
There was no "flaw" in the experiment as it was done in the only manner possible.
The flaw is the mindset that as a white male you must prove to others that you've earned your keep. Further, you must prove this by detaching yourself from any inherent advantages you have as a white male. Of course, one can't actually do this and so the attempt at "pulling yourself up by the bootstraps" is greeted with indifference at best and charges of insensitivity and racism towards PoC at its worst.
The best lesson this kid should take away from all this is to dispense with his own rotten liberalism.
@Sym.....sorry bro.... I was agreeing with you.
Interesting comments here.
One note: the author freely admits this is a flawed "experiment" from the jump. By getting that out of the way early, you can simply enjoy the story for what it is. Trust me, I picked up this book expecting an ulterior motive, there wasn't one.
I don't want to give too much away, but I don't think the fact that he was white benefitted him much. Perhaps his sunny outlook (he had a clearly defined goal, as well as an exit plan) and desire to not fail (he did plan this as a book from the start, albeit without a deal initially) helped him succeed moreso than his pigment. You really need to read the book.
Again, I'm not saying that a white dude wouldn't have some built-in advantages in this scenario, but he didn't really seem to benefit given his circumstances.
I'll admit I'm a bit shocked that Spool, who recommended and lent me his book (my library's copies were all checked out) hasn't chimed in yet.
@ adinasi
My younger sister is a kindergarten teacher who studied the writings of Ruby Payne while working on her masters. She recommended Ms. Payne to me.
And I have a family member who grew up in poverty with a bipolar mother.
He spent 7 years in jail and has been out almost 2 years. My sister helped to shed some light on a few things based on Payne's research. I was angry and annoyed with this family member for not "doing more" since his release. Now I have some insight and more compassion for the situation.
Even with a support system there's no guarantee folks from this type of background will succeed--let alone function in any "normal" way.
__________________________________
In response to comments on race...poverty is poverty...across the board the effects are brutal.
A hungry baby or chronically ill individual without health care is the same regardless of pigment.
I worked in a government agency and I'll say this: if you go to school, you lose benefits however, if you get a part-time job you didn't. I don't know if this is still true but those were the facts.
Speaking as a woman, I definitely could make it.
Hi.
This isn't an academic subject for me. I'm way below zero, and it isn't the first time.
When people try to pigeonhole me and define why I'm poor, it's insulting.
There are a multitude of reasons why I and many like me are down. Everyone I talk to in the unemployment office, at the bus stop, in the free clinics, at the shelters, all have a ton of reasons why they're down.
One thing I can tell you is that being ridiculed and subjected to questioning about my circumstance does nothing to help me. I know what it takes to succeed, and in between failures I often do. Being trusted, given a chance to succeed, has always led me to do better and give my employers, my family, and my friends all of my heart in my endeavors.
Being treated like a criminal, because of past mistakes, simply hurts me, and shuts the door on any opportunity for the people who could give me a chance to develop themselves.
When you alienate someone else because of their past, their race, their gender, or any other difference in the human condition, you're losing out. You are in effect denying your own fallibility.
We deny so much based on credit, but fail to understand that no one intends to default on their promises. Denying someone employment because they couldn't afford to pay a bill simply ensures that they will not be able to pay that bill very soon.
Denying people who have been convicted of crimes any opportunity for a new start simply ensures that they will return to crime.
Starting from zero with perfect or negligible credit is no test. It's just simply what all of us without trust funds did after high school or college. The author of this book had a good idea to get published with, and now he's well above zero. Bravo.
But what about the fifty year old woman who's laid off and sees her 401k taken to make the mortgage payment? What about the alcoholic who never receives treatment, only bad marks on their record? What about the young black male in an all white town? Can Adam Shepard trade places with these people and then write another trendy book for us to read?
The hard part about this Ayn Randian approach to self determinism is that it assumes a certain demographic. What the hell would a middle class white male know about anyone else? Nothing, until you are removed from that situation and forced to understand, Clockwork Orange style, with your eyes wide open and staring at the true facts of life in the the good old U.S. of A.
Instead of reading about it on the internet, I'd like to invite you to come down to the shelter, the library, the bus stop, the unemployment line, and see what the people who are struggling to make it up deal with. Then stop by the inner city churches, and see how they're helping. Go to the aid outreach centers, and see what they can do for people. And while you're at it stop by the cheap bars and corner stores to see the ones who've finally given up.
Then you'll understand there's no way to answer the problem in a few hundred pages of post graduate self indulgence.
@ Anonymous,
Sometimes all you can say is ouch!
I have been unemployed, it's humiliating and angering at the same time.
I realize even as a BM that I have some built in privilege. I see it when I'm on work-study doin physical labor (maybe that's why I chose it) I see it in the dichotomy of how the blue collar ppl are perceived.
I see it as one of the few BM's on the entire campus.
There are times I like the comments more than a blog post, this is one of the those times.
don't most people in poverty have children? Many have their children young, draining all their resources hence have trouble ever getting out of it.
I agree with the earlier commenter who mentioned the psychological aspect of poverty. This should definitely not be underestimated. I know some people who were really enthusiastic and tried to make it out, but different things kept happening and they ended up feeling really wiped out and beaten down. After a long time(usually when they were older) they gave up, not because they got lazy or didn't want to make it anymore - they just didn't have the mental fortitude to keep going.
Uppity also mentioned Black people's current negative attitude towards work and linked it back to our slave past. I agree with that to some extent, but there is also the unfortunate concept some of us have inherited(also from our slave past) that we should be grateful no matter how little we have and that "God will provide" and that "Things will get better if you trust in God." I hear older people especially saying these things a lot and I think some of us have inherited it as well.
I am NOT saying you should not have faith and be a spiritual person especially in times of hardship, but sometimes too much faith will get you nowhere and you simply have to find a concrete, no-nonsense, step-by-step plan to start getting out of poverty.
One of the anonymous' had an interesting point.
Many in poverty are tied to some sort of family "burden."
Being single and poor is probably easier, but dammit, it's an eye opener walking into WalMart and seeing couples with three and four young kids, with the mama looking a mess, and the man lookin' high and tryin to figure out what he was gonna do and watching them push two and three carts full of Ramen Noodles and other kinds of junk food.
Also, being poor doesn't mean starting out at "zero" or necessarily means being homeless.
I wonder would an individual be able to do this "zero" start with at least one kid following behind them and be able to "pursue their happiness."
Many of the people I see down and out are also disadvantaged by their looks. I'm not talking skin color, I'm talking about physical abnormalities which hampers their ability to 'bootstrap' themselves up as easily as someone who actually appears healthy and good-looking.
Of course that's not the case for all of those who are down and out, but for a fairly large portion of people it is. The longer you're in poverty, too, can add to that disadvantage.
The picture of the writer makes him appear as if he had just came back from a hard hike, not a life filled with angst.
Perhaps in certain communities his being white didn't help him any, but if he had been any other color in very certain areas of this country he would probably have been in jail a few times during that year.
And certainly age has alot to do with how able a person is to 'bootstrap' themmselves up.
I do not believe that social mobility is impossible. It is very possible. But still the reality for most people in this country is that they will not escape the economic class into which they were born. For every hip hop artist from the ghetto who becomes a multi-millionaire, there are a thousand equally talented artists who will not escape the ghetto. For every poor immigrant family that arrives in this country and achieves success, there are a thousand families just as hard-working that do not achieve success. Much of social mobility has to do with education and work ethic, but even moreso luck and circumstances. Being in the right place at the right time to take advantage of an opportunity, if indeed an opportunity presents itself to you, has much to do with social mobility.
I side more with Ehrenreich than with Shepard because she gets this and he does not. She understands the difference between situational poverty and generational poverty. She knows that she is only playing a game, but Shepard thinks his game is real. Shepard is an idealist and a dreamer who is not grounded in reality, which is due in large part to his youth and privileged background. Ehrenreich brings a journalistic integrity to her project, while Shepard has no journalistic integrity, and is not a gifted writer like Ehrenreich. Note that Ehrenreich refuses to lie to anyone, although she omits details about her privileged background. Shepard concocts outright lies to achieve his goals and to get a job, and is a dishonest human being. He lies to get into the shelter, thus displacing someone in genuine need. He lies to get the government to cover his rent, food and clothing expenses, and banks the money, rather than donate it back to the shelter. He lies to his friends about his made-up life. His work should not be compared to Ehrenreich, even though I disagree with her left-wing politics. Also Shepard is dishonest in thinking that he does not have a political viewpoint, which is decidedly conservative (and there is nothing wrong with that). I am neither liberal nor conservative, I am a realist. I do not walk through life with rosy-colored blinders on, as Shepard does. He is blind to the benefits of white privilege, youth, good looks, financial literacy, having an educated demeanor, physical and mental health, and having a proper upbringing in a supportive, nurturing environment with loving parents.
It is false that you compare Ehrenreich’s project with Shepard’s project. She was not trying to do what he did. She only stayed one month at various menial jobs to highlight the plight of the working poor to stay afloat financially. She did not have the capitalist goals that Shepard has been indoctrinated to have. I also do not believe that Shepard’s goals are entirely healthy from a spiritual perspective. One cannot pull oneself up by the bootstraps when one does not have boots or straps. One does not need to share Shepard’s capitalistic views or Ehrenreich’s socialist views to be successful in life.
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