Thursday, November 11, 2010
The Merchant of Venice…A Theatre Novice’s Review
Performance Locale: Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44th Street N.Y.C.
Performance Date: 11/04/2010
Written By: William Shakespeare, published 1623
Director: Daniel Sullivan
Executive Producer: Joey Parnes
Starring: Al Pacino as “Shylock”
Kim M.Cotton in place of Lily Rabe as “Portia”
David Harbour as “Bassanio” Byron Jennings as “Antonio”
Seth Numrich as “Lorenzo Jesse L.Martin as “Gratiano”
Peter F. James as “Salerio” Marsha S. Blake as “Narissa”
The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare’s most controversial tragicomedy plays. Shakespeare artfully blends serious and humorous elements of the storyline throughout the play. There exists an overarching theme of hate, prejudice and anti-Semitic sympathy, but also brings in the themes of love and betrayal, virtue and vice, and forgiveness and revenge.
Setting:The play shifts between Venice, Italy where the character of Antonio resides, to Belmont, Italy where the female lead character Portia resides. The time period is early Renaissance.
Plot:The major conflict of the play concerns the forfeit of a loan contract between the Jewish moneylender Shylock, and Antonio, an anti-Semitic Christian merchant. The penalty of nonpayment is to be paid with a pound of Antonio’s flesh, which Shylock himself will carve out and collect. Antonio indebted himself to Shylock in the amount of 3,000 ducats for the benefit of his “friend” Bassanio.
It is apparent that Antonio is in love with Bassanio, though he knows Bassanio is in love with a woman named “Portia”. The 3,000 ducats in fact, Bassanio begged Antonio for, in order to woo Portia. What is not made apparent is whether Antonio and Bassanio are or ever had been lovers, or if Antonio merely plays with Antonio’s affections in order to make gain.
When Bassanio, victorious in his attempt to engage himself to Portia, appears merry and joyous, Bassanio receives a letter in which Antonio pleads for his return, so he may see Bassanio one last time before he is made to repay the debt he has defaulted on. Comedic action ensues when Portia and her maid Narissa, engaged to Bassanio’s friend Gratiano, costume themselves as men in order to carry out a plan to save Antonio. The women trick their betrothed into returning the rings the women had gifted each of the men in celebration of their love, with the instruction to never let it part from the finger on which they placed it.
The women are successful in saving Antonio from Shylock’s knife and scale. Portia is able to manipulate the law in such a manner that Antonio is able to make a demand from Shylock to convert to Christianity. Shylock is made to go through the motions of conversion, but puts his yarmulke on the moment the conversion ceremony is completed, in defiance of authority for which he risks his life. Bassanio and Gratiano learn of their fiancés actions and are chastised for parting with their rings. The play ends with all of the couples moving forward in their lives together, with the knowledge of the preceding events surely forever ingrained in their minds.
Sub-Plot:As an off-shoot storyline, Shylock’s daughter Jessica falls in love with a Christian man Lorenzo, a part of Bassanio’s group of friends. She steals Shylock’s money and elopes with Lorenzo, agreeing to convert her faith to Christianity in order to marry him. This of course incenses her father, a man who has suffered much humiliation and abuse from Christians.
Critique
Acting:All of the actors played their parts very well. There were no mistakes or break in willing suspension of disbelief due to their fault.
Set Design:I am not sure I understood the director’s vision in regard to the set design. The only scenery onstage was moving metal frames and staircases. It was distracting.
Costuming:The actors were dressed in 19th century attire which did not fit the time period of the play. This was also distracting.
Lighting & Sound:The actors were easily heard, and the lighting must have been appropriate for I didn’t even take notice of it.
Final Thoughts:My overall impression of the performance was very positive. I enjoyed having the opportunity to watch Mr. Pacino perform live. At the very beginning of the play I was worried I wouldn’t understand the Elizabethan language used in the dialogue. But very soon into the play I didn’t even notice it any longer. However, it is to the credit of the actors that I was able to comprehend Mr. Shakespeare’s words. I highly doubt that I would be able to make much sense of the play in written form. In reviewing the information provided in the class textbook, it is hard to determine for sure if this play would be classified as having a climactic or episodic structure, as it has some qualities from each type. It is interesting to note that the play was used as part of Nazi propaganda during Hitler’s regime.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Women, Cars & Rationalization
ARTICLE ONE REPLY:
Helene Lawson’s article, Attacking Nicely: Women Selling Cars, illustrates the difference between how males and females experience the world. Young girls are socialized as to how to act and even think and feel. Females are taught to place importance on taking the needs of others into consideration, and to maintain honesty in relations. This societal grooming is not diluted through the following years of maturation, but instead becomes firmly solidified as a part of a woman’s self image.
Lawson’s article presents the idea that in a field historically dominated by males, women have changed the business of selling cars. As an inherent aspect of the profession, car salespeople are involved in situations laced with dishonesty, distrust, and immoral dealings. It is understood that salespeople deal with these issues in multiple ways. They may choose to focus on monetary goals, suppress any reflection of ethicality, claim innocence through feigned unawareness, justify behavior as acting in obedience to superiors, or lastly blame the customer for any negative interaction.
Lawson depicts how females adapt to an incompatible status through the method of role making. The addition of women into the field of car sales is generally not well received by men. The interactions between co-workers of opposite genders are expected to remain an area of conflict until there is a more gender balanced ratio. More important than co-worker relationships, is the ability to overcome the negative reception female salespeople often receive when dealing with male customers. In order to overcome this prejudice and make sales Lawson asserts that the saleswomen adapt to the following roles: Innocents, Ladies, Tough Guys, Reformers and Retreaters. This role adaptation is an aspect of how women have changed the business of selling cars. Lawson proposes that in these roles, women make use of their personalities and socialized female gender traits to sell cars. The female socialization experience provides saleswomen a higher level of introspection and different value perspectives than their male counterparts, which has been found to be a positive moderating influence on the interactions between salespersons and customers.
It is in the Reformer role where women contribute possibly the largest positive change in the business of selling cars. Motivated by interpersonal conflict (due to female socialization) over imposed priorities and the subsequent interactions these priorities engendered, Reformers concentrate on building customer trust. Saleswomen build trust through using sales tactics comprised of honesty, patience, and understanding, which provide a stability of relationship. Women have positively influenced the business of selling cars by providing an alternate definition of success, which delineates keeping one’s personal values, helping to achieve quality of life both at work and in the home.
ARTICLE TWO REPLY:
In Robin Leidner’s article, Over the Counter at McDonald’s, rationalization is defined as the process of making things efficient through rules designed to reduce unexpected events, while increasing control and predictability. While the article on McDonald’s business methods depicts the epitome of rationalization, society is undergoing rationalization every day in many other aspects. At the forefront of societal rationalization is monetary gain. Consumer rationalization has been aided greatly by technological advancement. Technology is defined as a body of knowledge used to create tools, develop skills, and extract or collect materials, or the application of science to meet an objective or solve a problem. The problem technology aids in regard to efficiency is largely related to consumer spending. The use of VISA/debit cards has made the process of spending money much quicker. Instead of wasting valuable spending time at the checkout counter counting out dollars and cents, or writing a check, most people today just zip their VISA/debit card down the slot, press four numbers on the keypad or sign their name, and off they go to the next spending opportunity. This method increases control and predictability since cashiers don’t have to make change, a source of possible error.
Other examples of consumer rationalization include: the addition of self checkout registers in grocery stores, uniformity of store design and product organization (control and predictability), and analyzing consumer spending data for marketing purposes (control and predictability). Technology has rationalized communication through the use of instant messaging, emails, texts, and social sites such as Facebook. By eliminating face to face interaction, time usually spent on obligatory social niceties such as small talk can be omitted, and messages can be conveyed without verbal interruption, as often happens in face to face conversation, thus enhancing control and predictability of information transmission. Technology has rationalized travel through online flight check in and self check in kiosks. Additionally, the bus, subway and train systems all have ride cards available for purchase, which are used as debit cards, speeding up the boarding and spending process.
One of the most disturbing examples of rationalization can be found in the methods used by the food industry of the United States. To speed up maturation and provide a better yield, G.M.O. (genetically modified organisms) are used to grow food products, which are then sold unlabeled as such to consumers who purchase without the benefit of this knowledge. http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_21744.cfm Chemical additives put into foods to prolong shelf life have also been found unsafe. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20383953
Animals are routinely injected with hormones to ensure growth predictability, in both size and speed. There is great concern that the residual hormones found in animal food products are likely harmful to human health and the environment. http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/hormones. Control and predictability (of profits) has taken precedence to consumer health and safety in the food industry. Ironically, some aspects of societal “rationalization” don’t seem rational in the least.
Helene Lawson’s article, Attacking Nicely: Women Selling Cars, illustrates the difference between how males and females experience the world. Young girls are socialized as to how to act and even think and feel. Females are taught to place importance on taking the needs of others into consideration, and to maintain honesty in relations. This societal grooming is not diluted through the following years of maturation, but instead becomes firmly solidified as a part of a woman’s self image.
Lawson’s article presents the idea that in a field historically dominated by males, women have changed the business of selling cars. As an inherent aspect of the profession, car salespeople are involved in situations laced with dishonesty, distrust, and immoral dealings. It is understood that salespeople deal with these issues in multiple ways. They may choose to focus on monetary goals, suppress any reflection of ethicality, claim innocence through feigned unawareness, justify behavior as acting in obedience to superiors, or lastly blame the customer for any negative interaction.
Lawson depicts how females adapt to an incompatible status through the method of role making. The addition of women into the field of car sales is generally not well received by men. The interactions between co-workers of opposite genders are expected to remain an area of conflict until there is a more gender balanced ratio. More important than co-worker relationships, is the ability to overcome the negative reception female salespeople often receive when dealing with male customers. In order to overcome this prejudice and make sales Lawson asserts that the saleswomen adapt to the following roles: Innocents, Ladies, Tough Guys, Reformers and Retreaters. This role adaptation is an aspect of how women have changed the business of selling cars. Lawson proposes that in these roles, women make use of their personalities and socialized female gender traits to sell cars. The female socialization experience provides saleswomen a higher level of introspection and different value perspectives than their male counterparts, which has been found to be a positive moderating influence on the interactions between salespersons and customers.
It is in the Reformer role where women contribute possibly the largest positive change in the business of selling cars. Motivated by interpersonal conflict (due to female socialization) over imposed priorities and the subsequent interactions these priorities engendered, Reformers concentrate on building customer trust. Saleswomen build trust through using sales tactics comprised of honesty, patience, and understanding, which provide a stability of relationship. Women have positively influenced the business of selling cars by providing an alternate definition of success, which delineates keeping one’s personal values, helping to achieve quality of life both at work and in the home.
ARTICLE TWO REPLY:
In Robin Leidner’s article, Over the Counter at McDonald’s, rationalization is defined as the process of making things efficient through rules designed to reduce unexpected events, while increasing control and predictability. While the article on McDonald’s business methods depicts the epitome of rationalization, society is undergoing rationalization every day in many other aspects. At the forefront of societal rationalization is monetary gain. Consumer rationalization has been aided greatly by technological advancement. Technology is defined as a body of knowledge used to create tools, develop skills, and extract or collect materials, or the application of science to meet an objective or solve a problem. The problem technology aids in regard to efficiency is largely related to consumer spending. The use of VISA/debit cards has made the process of spending money much quicker. Instead of wasting valuable spending time at the checkout counter counting out dollars and cents, or writing a check, most people today just zip their VISA/debit card down the slot, press four numbers on the keypad or sign their name, and off they go to the next spending opportunity. This method increases control and predictability since cashiers don’t have to make change, a source of possible error.
Other examples of consumer rationalization include: the addition of self checkout registers in grocery stores, uniformity of store design and product organization (control and predictability), and analyzing consumer spending data for marketing purposes (control and predictability). Technology has rationalized communication through the use of instant messaging, emails, texts, and social sites such as Facebook. By eliminating face to face interaction, time usually spent on obligatory social niceties such as small talk can be omitted, and messages can be conveyed without verbal interruption, as often happens in face to face conversation, thus enhancing control and predictability of information transmission. Technology has rationalized travel through online flight check in and self check in kiosks. Additionally, the bus, subway and train systems all have ride cards available for purchase, which are used as debit cards, speeding up the boarding and spending process.
One of the most disturbing examples of rationalization can be found in the methods used by the food industry of the United States. To speed up maturation and provide a better yield, G.M.O. (genetically modified organisms) are used to grow food products, which are then sold unlabeled as such to consumers who purchase without the benefit of this knowledge. http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_21744.cfm Chemical additives put into foods to prolong shelf life have also been found unsafe. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20383953
Animals are routinely injected with hormones to ensure growth predictability, in both size and speed. There is great concern that the residual hormones found in animal food products are likely harmful to human health and the environment. http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/hormones. Control and predictability (of profits) has taken precedence to consumer health and safety in the food industry. Ironically, some aspects of societal “rationalization” don’t seem rational in the least.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Inequality
QUESTION ONE:
In his article, “The Importance of Being Beautiful”, Sidney Katz defines person perception as, the many ways in which physical attractiveness-or the lack of it-affects all aspects of one’s life. This definition parallels another well known saying, “perception is reality”. In other words, if someone sees an individual as beautiful, then they must be just that. I agree with Katz that the halo and horns effect does indeed come into play beginning at one’s birth and continues throughout various stages of life. Those graced with the halo effect are assumed to be more generous, trustworthy, sociable, modest, sensitive, interesting, and sexually responsive, simply on the basis of their physical appearance. While those doomed with the horns effect are assumed to be mean, sneaky, dishonest, anti-social, and a poor sport. Just because someone looks beautiful on the outside does not mean they are beautiful on the inside, but that is indeed the general perception.
We are a very superficial society and the halo and horns effect demonstrates that clearly. While life may not be a breeze for every single beautiful person, by and large those of physical appeal have a distinct advantage over those who are not beautiful. It is rare to come across an individual in a power position of a company who does not fit into society’s image of attractiveness. While I agree with Katz that the horns and halo effect does come into play throughout an individual’s life, I don’t necessarily agree that every person would assign beautiful people characteristics of the halo effect. For instance, personally I believe I tend to reverse the roles of the horn and halo effects. Instead of assuming a beautiful person has the characteristics of the halo effect; my first instinct is to the contrary, I assign them the characteristics of the horns effect. Perhaps due to personal life experience of dealing with beautiful people who turned out to be ugly on the inside, or perhaps it is jealousy, I’m not quite certain, maybe a combination of the both. But overall, yes, I believe physically attractive people are shown preference in pretty much every area of American life.
QUESTION TWO:
In his article “The Use of Poverty: The Poor Pay All” Herbert Gans suggests alternatives to fill the functions currently held by the poor. All of which seem quite logical and practical, but unlikely to be implemented in the current capitalist economy of America. Each alternative provided by Gans would end up causing problems for those of affluence. And since those of affluence also hold the power of the nation, it is unlikely for any alternatives like Gans’ to be put in place. I am hard pressed to provide any other specific alternatives of my own. As I related above, those in power make the decisions on how our country operates, so the only way to make change is to change who holds the reins of power. I believe by electing Barack Obama, our nation has made a step in the right direction. It is up to President Obama to follow through on implementing the “Change” we hoped for, the “Change” we still need.
QUESTION THREE:
This assignment, to describe what differences I imagine I would experience in my life, if my race (and my family’s race) changed to black while I was sleeping last night, is the hardest writing prompt I’ve ever received. This assignment has made me look at my life from the perspective of race, which is not something I’m accustomed to doing at this point in my life. As a teenager, I was forced to look at it because of my preference for dating black guys. There were very few black girls in my school or in my boyfriend’s neighborhoods that were accepting of my relationships (not that it was any of their business). The majority were disapproving and very vocal about it, and this was the cause of some altercations.
But looking at my life now, as a 34 year old Caucasian woman married to a Caucasian man race doesn’t often come to mind. My husband and I own a construction business together and upon reflection I realized almost exclusively our customers have been very wealthy Caucasians. Is that because of our race? If we were black would we have been awarded the same jobs? I would like to think so, but I can’t say for sure. Looking at my social circle, the majority is made up of Caucasians also, with some Hispanic and a few Black people as well. Would I still fit in with the same group? I certainly do not believe any of my friends are racist in any way, but it is odd that there isn’t more diversity among our cultures and ethnicities. Would we still live in our predominately Caucasian neighborhood in Jupiter Farms? Would we be accepted by the community? I don’t know. Would my religious beliefs be different? No. Would my parenting style be different? No. Would my ethical and moral beliefs be different? No. There would be no difference in the schools my children currently attend. Would they still have the same friends there? I would like to think so. Would my commitment to my marriage be any different? No.
A physical difference I can imagine would be the amount of time given to hair care. Growing up my best friend was black, and the amount of time and effort that was required to maintain her hair vastly outweighed mine. She often wouldn’t go swimming at the beach because she had just gotten her hair done, and the salt water would damage the effects of the straightening process. I remember her remarking occasionally to me how I should appreciate how easy my hair was.
Thinking through the aspects of my life it seems that the only major difference I can imagine would be the decisions of others to accept or not accept us into their lives as friends or hire us to handle their construction renovations, and anyone that wouldn’t accept us because of our race is obviously not anyone we would want to associate with anyway.
In his article, “The Importance of Being Beautiful”, Sidney Katz defines person perception as, the many ways in which physical attractiveness-or the lack of it-affects all aspects of one’s life. This definition parallels another well known saying, “perception is reality”. In other words, if someone sees an individual as beautiful, then they must be just that. I agree with Katz that the halo and horns effect does indeed come into play beginning at one’s birth and continues throughout various stages of life. Those graced with the halo effect are assumed to be more generous, trustworthy, sociable, modest, sensitive, interesting, and sexually responsive, simply on the basis of their physical appearance. While those doomed with the horns effect are assumed to be mean, sneaky, dishonest, anti-social, and a poor sport. Just because someone looks beautiful on the outside does not mean they are beautiful on the inside, but that is indeed the general perception.
We are a very superficial society and the halo and horns effect demonstrates that clearly. While life may not be a breeze for every single beautiful person, by and large those of physical appeal have a distinct advantage over those who are not beautiful. It is rare to come across an individual in a power position of a company who does not fit into society’s image of attractiveness. While I agree with Katz that the horns and halo effect does come into play throughout an individual’s life, I don’t necessarily agree that every person would assign beautiful people characteristics of the halo effect. For instance, personally I believe I tend to reverse the roles of the horn and halo effects. Instead of assuming a beautiful person has the characteristics of the halo effect; my first instinct is to the contrary, I assign them the characteristics of the horns effect. Perhaps due to personal life experience of dealing with beautiful people who turned out to be ugly on the inside, or perhaps it is jealousy, I’m not quite certain, maybe a combination of the both. But overall, yes, I believe physically attractive people are shown preference in pretty much every area of American life.
QUESTION TWO:
In his article “The Use of Poverty: The Poor Pay All” Herbert Gans suggests alternatives to fill the functions currently held by the poor. All of which seem quite logical and practical, but unlikely to be implemented in the current capitalist economy of America. Each alternative provided by Gans would end up causing problems for those of affluence. And since those of affluence also hold the power of the nation, it is unlikely for any alternatives like Gans’ to be put in place. I am hard pressed to provide any other specific alternatives of my own. As I related above, those in power make the decisions on how our country operates, so the only way to make change is to change who holds the reins of power. I believe by electing Barack Obama, our nation has made a step in the right direction. It is up to President Obama to follow through on implementing the “Change” we hoped for, the “Change” we still need.
QUESTION THREE:
This assignment, to describe what differences I imagine I would experience in my life, if my race (and my family’s race) changed to black while I was sleeping last night, is the hardest writing prompt I’ve ever received. This assignment has made me look at my life from the perspective of race, which is not something I’m accustomed to doing at this point in my life. As a teenager, I was forced to look at it because of my preference for dating black guys. There were very few black girls in my school or in my boyfriend’s neighborhoods that were accepting of my relationships (not that it was any of their business). The majority were disapproving and very vocal about it, and this was the cause of some altercations.
But looking at my life now, as a 34 year old Caucasian woman married to a Caucasian man race doesn’t often come to mind. My husband and I own a construction business together and upon reflection I realized almost exclusively our customers have been very wealthy Caucasians. Is that because of our race? If we were black would we have been awarded the same jobs? I would like to think so, but I can’t say for sure. Looking at my social circle, the majority is made up of Caucasians also, with some Hispanic and a few Black people as well. Would I still fit in with the same group? I certainly do not believe any of my friends are racist in any way, but it is odd that there isn’t more diversity among our cultures and ethnicities. Would we still live in our predominately Caucasian neighborhood in Jupiter Farms? Would we be accepted by the community? I don’t know. Would my religious beliefs be different? No. Would my parenting style be different? No. Would my ethical and moral beliefs be different? No. There would be no difference in the schools my children currently attend. Would they still have the same friends there? I would like to think so. Would my commitment to my marriage be any different? No.
A physical difference I can imagine would be the amount of time given to hair care. Growing up my best friend was black, and the amount of time and effort that was required to maintain her hair vastly outweighed mine. She often wouldn’t go swimming at the beach because she had just gotten her hair done, and the salt water would damage the effects of the straightening process. I remember her remarking occasionally to me how I should appreciate how easy my hair was.
Thinking through the aspects of my life it seems that the only major difference I can imagine would be the decisions of others to accept or not accept us into their lives as friends or hire us to handle their construction renovations, and anyone that wouldn’t accept us because of our race is obviously not anyone we would want to associate with anyway.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Paid Parental Leave
I firmly believe the United States should adopt parental leave policies similar to those instituted in Europe, as well as the European model of universal health care system. I believe it would greatly benefit children and parents to have the year paid leave for the child’s first year. It has been proven the best caretaker for a baby is its own parent(s). Many negative effects have been linked to placing children in day care for their first year of life. So, why does America refuse to catch up to the rest of the world, in regard to health care and placing value on children? America is supposed to be “Number One”. It is obvious from our societal ills that the status quo just isn’t working. As with every other issue in our country the problem can be traced back to the root issue of money, or actually more specifically greed. It is time for America to open its wallet and invest its resources into a resource beneficial for everyone, our children. It seems America prefers to invest time and money to address problems later in life(many times unsuccessfully), than to part with money early on to invest in the future health and well being of child and family. Today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders, wake up America!
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Working Poor: A Book Critique
In 1997, while many Americans appeared to be enjoying the benefits of a soaring economy, author David K. Shipler was on a quest to unveil a faction of society that was hidden in plain sight, America’s working poor. Shipler set out to bring to light the forgotten America, those living at or under the federal government’s official poverty line, employed yet still struggling to survive, day by day. In hopes of vanquishing the invisibility cloak that obscured a large portion of American society, Shipler dedicated six years of his life to conducting fieldwork which would eventually provide the heart wrenching personal stories throughout his book, The Working Poor Invisible in America. Shipler’s chosen field research method of interview combined with observation granted him access into the inner lives of eight families tumbling about in poverty’s cycle. This method bestowed on his readers’ eyes the ability with which to see the invisible America. He takes readers on a journey into the world of the working poor to witness their ever present, exhausting struggles. His entrance into the workplaces, homes, personal thoughts and feelings of the working poor provides the reader with a level of insight which likely could not have been achieved any other way.
While standing in line at the grocery store watching a customer pay for her groceries with food stamps, Mrs. Middle Class American thinks to herself, “Why doesn’t she get a job and stop living off the taxes taken out of my paychecks?”, this said from the comfortable vantage point provided to the observer wearing a pair of $125.00 shoes. Mrs. Middle Class America self righteously calls another person’s work ethic and character into question without knowing anything about her. Such a remark is a true display of the type of ignorance that furthers stereotypes such as those “on food-stamps” as a picture of a lazy good for nothing, sitting at home watching TV all day while sucking the welfare system dry.
Contrary to this stereotype, many times the customer in line paying with food stamps does indeed work hard, sometimes working two jobs and yet still can’t earn enough money to provide for her family. How can that be? After all, this is the land of The American dream, where success, fame and wealth are available to all through wise thriftiness and hard work, right? No, unfortunately the American Dream is but a ghost of the past.
There is no one specific problem that is the root of the noxious and invasive vine that is working class poverty. It is instead a combination of financial, psychological, health, and societal issues which when tangled together compound the effects of all. This vine winds its way throughout the lives of the unfortunate, often times binding so tightly around those relegated into the class of the working poor, it is nearly impossible for them to break free. Shipler illustrates the dilemma of the winding vine perfectly when he states, “Poverty leads to health and housing problems. Poor health and housing lead to cognitive deficiencies and school problems. Educational failure leads to poverty. (228) Imagine that a family is suddenly forced to move from a comfortable apartment to a much less expensive and poorly maintained apartment due to job and income loss. In the new residence there is untreated mold growing inside the walls and ceiling, which exacerbates the asthmatic condition of a child in the family. The asthma problems he continually suffers at home keep him up wheezing and coughing much of the night causing him to fall asleep often in school. Sleeping in school causes him to miss important lessons, which leads to academic failure, academic failure is linked to poverty, and around and around the cycle of poverty goes.
Identical problems experienced by those of both middle and lower class often prove to have much more serious consequences to those of the latter status. For example, when a person of middle class status gets a flat tire while driving to work, it is usually an inconvenience that slows him down a bit. But, after a call to AAA from his cell phone, Mr. Middle Class America thanks the AAA worker for putting on the spare tire, and is soon back on the road headed to the office. Conversely, when a person of the working poor experiences the same delay due to public transportation issues, it often times can be cause for employment termination. Those working in low wage jobs with a high rate of turnover, such as the fast food industry, are not valued or afforded the same degrees of leniency and understanding by those in management positions that most professionals would receive in the same situation.
An ironic example of another hardship faced by those of the working poor is the statistical imbalance of income tax audits conducted by the Internal Revenue Service. Ever since the Earned Income Tax credit was instituted in 1999, the working class poor have had higher numbers of audits than individuals of higher tax brackets. Republican congressional leaders fearing the working poor were abusing the earned income tax credit program instigated the increase of audits. The working poor have also been financially taken advantage of by those playing on their fears and ignorance of the I.R.S. This advantage allows companies to charge excessively high fees for income tax preparation and filing services. These firms also offer additional services such as issuance of temporary bank accounts and preloaded ATM cards for the deposit of tax return checks. These services are specifically designed for low wage earners without personal bank accounts. Most banks require account holders to maintain high balance minimums, and assess fees when an account falls below the required minimum balance. This practice makes it unlikely for low wage earners to open bank accounts. These tax firms are happy to provide these additional services to those with no bank accounts, at an additional fee of course.
The large tax firm H&R Block has taken advantage of low wage clients by using underhanded advertising schemes, such as was implemented in their Rapid Refund Program to obscure the true nature of the program. The slick wording of the program made it less than apparent that it was actually a short term loan that came with an extremely high interest rate. Although H&R Block was required by law to disclose the loan interest rate on documents signed by their client, the agents were not required to explain the forms unless requested by the client. Often times the explanation given to the clients still left them confused about how much was being charged to receive their tax refund money.
Growing up surrounded by poverty often times there are no positive role models of working adults for children to observe and in turn emulate. How can these children be expected to strive for success if it hasn’t been defined for them? Worse than the absence of a positive role model, is exposure to the opposite. Most times poverty stricken areas are filled with drug activity, criminal behavior, and violence. The criminals in the area are often looked upon as role models by the kids in the neighborhood. The drug dealers appear to be the picture of success, having nice cars, nice clothes and plenty of cash; it’s all very enticing to those who are growing up right next to it. Aside from the danger of emulating the dealers is the high likelihood of the emergence drug addiction. A person already dealing with the struggles of poverty who becomes addicted to drugs is effectively solidifying his position in the cycle of poverty.
Emotional and physical abuse is found throughout all levels of society, but is has been found in higher rates in areas of poverty. Abuse suffered in childhood can so damage individuals that they believe their future is devoid of choice, that life is unable to be controlled. Those living with this ingrained belief are laying the foundation for a future of continued abuse, and to staying in the cycle of poverty. This type of thinking leaves no possibility of hope, and without hope, success is nearly impossible.
While a child’s future success in life is dependent on multiple issues, perhaps at the top of this list is the level and quality of education he receives. Schools in poverty stricken areas do not receive the same amount of funding as schools in affluent areas, leaving schools in poorer areas ill equipped of necessary teaching materials, understaffed, and sometimes even staffed with incompetent, insensitive teachers. How can a school be expected to encourage students to excel if it lacks the basic necessary resources with which to provide those students a quality education? Where is the justice for the children who through no fault of their own are denied access to quality education? Those in charge of funding decisions for school districts effectively choose which groups of children will receive a better education, providing opportunity for some while denying it to others. In addition to a poor education, those who grow up in poverty most times are not exposed to situations that would provide them with the necessary skills needed to enter the job market. In addition to “hard skills” such as knowing how to operate a machine relevant to the job, “soft skills” are also required, a set of social skills that would foster an ability to follow orders from superiors willingly, encourage good interaction with coworkers, and good emotional self control.
For those living right on the line of poverty, an act of achievement such as getting a raise in pay can actually feel like punishment. The government formula that calculates the allotment of quantity of food stamps and rental subsidy benefits allowable is based upon the recipient’s income level. So, a slight raise in pay can actually be detrimental to the family budget. Instead of bringing more money into the household, a slight pay raise can decrease the allotment of the recipient’s allowable benefits, which would mean having to pay more out of pocket for food and rent.
The United States federal government defined poverty in 2004 as an income of less than $19,233 for a single adult family with three children. However, this figure should not be considered accurate. The formula used to calculate the definition of poverty was designed over forty years ago, and hasn’t been updated to reflect huge lifestyle changes brought about since its inception. The model set in 1955 used a formula that provided 1/3 of the family income for food budget. This is no longer realistic, since today’s families only spend 1/6 of the family income on food. Further skewing the data of this model is the absence of accounting for a family’s debt to income ratio which indicates how much money of the family budget has to be used to pay previous outstanding debt.
Another challenge faced by the working poor is poor health. America’s private health insurance industry makes it almost impossible for those of lesser financial means to have access to good health insurance. The method of obtaining health insurance through place of employment leaves millions of Americans uninsured and at risk. Only those of considerable financial means or those working for huge companies of considerable financial means are able to obtain sufficient quality health insurance coverage.
So, what is the answer to the dilemma of the working poor? It is a combination of many changes that must be implemented together. Shipler states that to break free from the cycle of poverty an individual must have: clarity of purpose, courageous self esteem, lack of substantial debt, freedom from illness or addiction, a functional family, and help from friends and private or governmental agencies.” (4) This is a long and challenging list. How can we as a society help those of the working poor achieve these goals?
Shipler provides an example of how to help through the cooperation between private industry and nonprofit corporations which produced successful programs to help prepare people for the workplace, while also making the process beneficial to all involved. Another method to help would be the implementation of a universal health care system, which would assure every American access to health insurance coverage, allowing these individuals the ability to receive treatment and medicines to better their health. A combination of services provided by community hospitals, schools, housing authorities, police, social workers, lawyers, doctors and other critical institutions could create an interconnection of services, making the approach to assistance holistic in nature. The creation of this interconnection of services would come through a shift of governmental priorities, a shift that will not be felt until the working poor begin to make their voices heard by voting.
In short, the answer to how to help America’s working poor is that we must all contribute. We must all take responsibility for our part in the health of America’s society. Government must do its part by providing access to good health care and education to all. The business sector must work with the government to provide mutually beneficial opportunities. Individuals must do their part through taking an active role in the voting process so governmental priority change can begin. Individuals must also do their part by working hard, by making a commitment to education and making a commitment to provide a safe, caring home environment.
While standing in line at the grocery store watching a customer pay for her groceries with food stamps, Mrs. Middle Class American thinks to herself, “Why doesn’t she get a job and stop living off the taxes taken out of my paychecks?”, this said from the comfortable vantage point provided to the observer wearing a pair of $125.00 shoes. Mrs. Middle Class America self righteously calls another person’s work ethic and character into question without knowing anything about her. Such a remark is a true display of the type of ignorance that furthers stereotypes such as those “on food-stamps” as a picture of a lazy good for nothing, sitting at home watching TV all day while sucking the welfare system dry.
Contrary to this stereotype, many times the customer in line paying with food stamps does indeed work hard, sometimes working two jobs and yet still can’t earn enough money to provide for her family. How can that be? After all, this is the land of The American dream, where success, fame and wealth are available to all through wise thriftiness and hard work, right? No, unfortunately the American Dream is but a ghost of the past.
There is no one specific problem that is the root of the noxious and invasive vine that is working class poverty. It is instead a combination of financial, psychological, health, and societal issues which when tangled together compound the effects of all. This vine winds its way throughout the lives of the unfortunate, often times binding so tightly around those relegated into the class of the working poor, it is nearly impossible for them to break free. Shipler illustrates the dilemma of the winding vine perfectly when he states, “Poverty leads to health and housing problems. Poor health and housing lead to cognitive deficiencies and school problems. Educational failure leads to poverty. (228) Imagine that a family is suddenly forced to move from a comfortable apartment to a much less expensive and poorly maintained apartment due to job and income loss. In the new residence there is untreated mold growing inside the walls and ceiling, which exacerbates the asthmatic condition of a child in the family. The asthma problems he continually suffers at home keep him up wheezing and coughing much of the night causing him to fall asleep often in school. Sleeping in school causes him to miss important lessons, which leads to academic failure, academic failure is linked to poverty, and around and around the cycle of poverty goes.
Identical problems experienced by those of both middle and lower class often prove to have much more serious consequences to those of the latter status. For example, when a person of middle class status gets a flat tire while driving to work, it is usually an inconvenience that slows him down a bit. But, after a call to AAA from his cell phone, Mr. Middle Class America thanks the AAA worker for putting on the spare tire, and is soon back on the road headed to the office. Conversely, when a person of the working poor experiences the same delay due to public transportation issues, it often times can be cause for employment termination. Those working in low wage jobs with a high rate of turnover, such as the fast food industry, are not valued or afforded the same degrees of leniency and understanding by those in management positions that most professionals would receive in the same situation.
An ironic example of another hardship faced by those of the working poor is the statistical imbalance of income tax audits conducted by the Internal Revenue Service. Ever since the Earned Income Tax credit was instituted in 1999, the working class poor have had higher numbers of audits than individuals of higher tax brackets. Republican congressional leaders fearing the working poor were abusing the earned income tax credit program instigated the increase of audits. The working poor have also been financially taken advantage of by those playing on their fears and ignorance of the I.R.S. This advantage allows companies to charge excessively high fees for income tax preparation and filing services. These firms also offer additional services such as issuance of temporary bank accounts and preloaded ATM cards for the deposit of tax return checks. These services are specifically designed for low wage earners without personal bank accounts. Most banks require account holders to maintain high balance minimums, and assess fees when an account falls below the required minimum balance. This practice makes it unlikely for low wage earners to open bank accounts. These tax firms are happy to provide these additional services to those with no bank accounts, at an additional fee of course.
The large tax firm H&R Block has taken advantage of low wage clients by using underhanded advertising schemes, such as was implemented in their Rapid Refund Program to obscure the true nature of the program. The slick wording of the program made it less than apparent that it was actually a short term loan that came with an extremely high interest rate. Although H&R Block was required by law to disclose the loan interest rate on documents signed by their client, the agents were not required to explain the forms unless requested by the client. Often times the explanation given to the clients still left them confused about how much was being charged to receive their tax refund money.
Growing up surrounded by poverty often times there are no positive role models of working adults for children to observe and in turn emulate. How can these children be expected to strive for success if it hasn’t been defined for them? Worse than the absence of a positive role model, is exposure to the opposite. Most times poverty stricken areas are filled with drug activity, criminal behavior, and violence. The criminals in the area are often looked upon as role models by the kids in the neighborhood. The drug dealers appear to be the picture of success, having nice cars, nice clothes and plenty of cash; it’s all very enticing to those who are growing up right next to it. Aside from the danger of emulating the dealers is the high likelihood of the emergence drug addiction. A person already dealing with the struggles of poverty who becomes addicted to drugs is effectively solidifying his position in the cycle of poverty.
Emotional and physical abuse is found throughout all levels of society, but is has been found in higher rates in areas of poverty. Abuse suffered in childhood can so damage individuals that they believe their future is devoid of choice, that life is unable to be controlled. Those living with this ingrained belief are laying the foundation for a future of continued abuse, and to staying in the cycle of poverty. This type of thinking leaves no possibility of hope, and without hope, success is nearly impossible.
While a child’s future success in life is dependent on multiple issues, perhaps at the top of this list is the level and quality of education he receives. Schools in poverty stricken areas do not receive the same amount of funding as schools in affluent areas, leaving schools in poorer areas ill equipped of necessary teaching materials, understaffed, and sometimes even staffed with incompetent, insensitive teachers. How can a school be expected to encourage students to excel if it lacks the basic necessary resources with which to provide those students a quality education? Where is the justice for the children who through no fault of their own are denied access to quality education? Those in charge of funding decisions for school districts effectively choose which groups of children will receive a better education, providing opportunity for some while denying it to others. In addition to a poor education, those who grow up in poverty most times are not exposed to situations that would provide them with the necessary skills needed to enter the job market. In addition to “hard skills” such as knowing how to operate a machine relevant to the job, “soft skills” are also required, a set of social skills that would foster an ability to follow orders from superiors willingly, encourage good interaction with coworkers, and good emotional self control.
For those living right on the line of poverty, an act of achievement such as getting a raise in pay can actually feel like punishment. The government formula that calculates the allotment of quantity of food stamps and rental subsidy benefits allowable is based upon the recipient’s income level. So, a slight raise in pay can actually be detrimental to the family budget. Instead of bringing more money into the household, a slight pay raise can decrease the allotment of the recipient’s allowable benefits, which would mean having to pay more out of pocket for food and rent.
The United States federal government defined poverty in 2004 as an income of less than $19,233 for a single adult family with three children. However, this figure should not be considered accurate. The formula used to calculate the definition of poverty was designed over forty years ago, and hasn’t been updated to reflect huge lifestyle changes brought about since its inception. The model set in 1955 used a formula that provided 1/3 of the family income for food budget. This is no longer realistic, since today’s families only spend 1/6 of the family income on food. Further skewing the data of this model is the absence of accounting for a family’s debt to income ratio which indicates how much money of the family budget has to be used to pay previous outstanding debt.
Another challenge faced by the working poor is poor health. America’s private health insurance industry makes it almost impossible for those of lesser financial means to have access to good health insurance. The method of obtaining health insurance through place of employment leaves millions of Americans uninsured and at risk. Only those of considerable financial means or those working for huge companies of considerable financial means are able to obtain sufficient quality health insurance coverage.
So, what is the answer to the dilemma of the working poor? It is a combination of many changes that must be implemented together. Shipler states that to break free from the cycle of poverty an individual must have: clarity of purpose, courageous self esteem, lack of substantial debt, freedom from illness or addiction, a functional family, and help from friends and private or governmental agencies.” (4) This is a long and challenging list. How can we as a society help those of the working poor achieve these goals?
Shipler provides an example of how to help through the cooperation between private industry and nonprofit corporations which produced successful programs to help prepare people for the workplace, while also making the process beneficial to all involved. Another method to help would be the implementation of a universal health care system, which would assure every American access to health insurance coverage, allowing these individuals the ability to receive treatment and medicines to better their health. A combination of services provided by community hospitals, schools, housing authorities, police, social workers, lawyers, doctors and other critical institutions could create an interconnection of services, making the approach to assistance holistic in nature. The creation of this interconnection of services would come through a shift of governmental priorities, a shift that will not be felt until the working poor begin to make their voices heard by voting.
In short, the answer to how to help America’s working poor is that we must all contribute. We must all take responsibility for our part in the health of America’s society. Government must do its part by providing access to good health care and education to all. The business sector must work with the government to provide mutually beneficial opportunities. Individuals must do their part through taking an active role in the voting process so governmental priority change can begin. Individuals must also do their part by working hard, by making a commitment to education and making a commitment to provide a safe, caring home environment.
Health Care Implications
The implications of limited health care delivery to physical and psychological development are ominous at best, at times life threatening. It is sad that as a country we continue to allow around 20,000 Americans to die each year because they can't get the health care they need. (National Academy of Sciences) The preceding statement in itself illustrates how warped our national value system has become.
Another indication of how far our nation’s values have fallen is that the health insurance companies which supposedly exist to provide “health security” to their paying customers award their employees bonuses based on the amount of policy rescissions they are able to make. Insurance companies justify this rescission as protection from fraud. However the insurance companies abuse this authority to routinely rescind policies after a customer has filed a costly claim, scouring the medical records of these customers to find a notation that will allow them to rescind their policy due to “failure to disclose information”. In just such a case Frontline brought this company protocol to the attention of Samuel Nussbaum, M.D., Exec. VP & Chief Medical Officer, WellPoint, and asked him to comment, to which he replied,” Yeah, and I- and I can't speak to that circumstance.” Though the answer is obviously litigious in nature, this writer’s rhetorical question to Dr. Nussbaum is, “Why not?”
It is despicable that our American capitalist system is a part of what makes it possible for these providers of “health security” to accept their customers’ premium checks month after month, and just at the time of greatest need abandon their customers by rescinding their policies leaving them utterly vulnerable, all in the quest of the “almighty buck”. There is no easy fix for the broken health care (and values) system of America. However, it is this writer’s hope that the health care reform process initiated by President Obama will prove successful in bringing all Americans true health security.
Another indication of how far our nation’s values have fallen is that the health insurance companies which supposedly exist to provide “health security” to their paying customers award their employees bonuses based on the amount of policy rescissions they are able to make. Insurance companies justify this rescission as protection from fraud. However the insurance companies abuse this authority to routinely rescind policies after a customer has filed a costly claim, scouring the medical records of these customers to find a notation that will allow them to rescind their policy due to “failure to disclose information”. In just such a case Frontline brought this company protocol to the attention of Samuel Nussbaum, M.D., Exec. VP & Chief Medical Officer, WellPoint, and asked him to comment, to which he replied,” Yeah, and I- and I can't speak to that circumstance.” Though the answer is obviously litigious in nature, this writer’s rhetorical question to Dr. Nussbaum is, “Why not?”
It is despicable that our American capitalist system is a part of what makes it possible for these providers of “health security” to accept their customers’ premium checks month after month, and just at the time of greatest need abandon their customers by rescinding their policies leaving them utterly vulnerable, all in the quest of the “almighty buck”. There is no easy fix for the broken health care (and values) system of America. However, it is this writer’s hope that the health care reform process initiated by President Obama will prove successful in bringing all Americans true health security.
Favorite Story
Unfortunately I am not able to give any example of a favorite story from an elderly person. The only elderly people I had contact with through out my life were my maternal grandparents. They were both immigrants from Estonia. I can only remember them talking about a very few things from their lives growing up and early adulthood. I remember my grandfather "Papi" Kaarel Kaes talking about being a cook for the Army (?)Navy during the Korean War. I remember him talking about peeling hundreds of potatoes. My grandmother "Grama" Emilie Kaes told me how she remembered walking to school in the winter time, when it had snowed so much she would be level to fence tops. I know life was hard in Estonia back in the 1920's when they were both living there. My mother told me that my grama had an uncle who starved to death in Estonia. Papi was always more interested in hearing stories from my brother and I, than he was in telling them to us. Every single time we would go to his house, he would have us come sit near him, smile so big it reached his sparkling blue eyes and heartily say, "Tell me all about it." That is one of my fondest memories of Papi, the fact that he cared about the trivial goings on in our young lives. I miss him very much. He died when Reina was a little younger than 2 years old, so unfortunately she doesn't remember him, which is such a shame...he was wonderful.
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