America's middle-class

Résumé du document

We have examined throughout the length of this course the fact that America's lower class does not have the ability to voice their political concerns that the wealthier classes have and thus, when focusing on the issue of welfare it is important to realize that most of the policies enacted intend to influence the poor were based on middle- and upper-class perceptions of what is best for them. In other words, if the upper strata of American society believe the poor to be born into misfortune, they would be likely to institute welfare policies that greatly help them achieve upward mobility. However, the truth is that most of middle- and upper-class Americans seem to view the poor with contempt and condemnation, fueled greatly by their belief that the poor simply aren't trying hard enough.

Extraits

[...] The point of all these “typical-day” stories is that on the level of our society, America simply does not seem to value the lives of the poor nearly as much as we value our middle- and upper-class citizens. We seem to take it for granted that low- wage workplaces are held to a lower standard of decency (that is decency between workers and customers, decency of the workplace environment, and decency of managerial conduct), but why as a society do we not seem to care? [...]

[...] Barbara Ehrenreich witnessed this treatment first-hand as she plunged herself into the “invisible” depths of the working class in Florida, Maine, and Minnesota. Her book, Nickel and Dimed, offers both a sociological and intimate perspective on the daily psychological struggles of trying to get by on minimum wage. Although her book is not strewn with statistics, her numerous anecdotes illustrate a general trend that shows how unsympathetic America is to its worst-off citizens. Ehrenreich immediately finds workplace dissatisfaction as she finds that her only chance to sit down in her 8 hour shift is when using the toilet, and she is only allowed to eat in between shifts. [...]

[...] We need a political base that does not punish the poor for moving up in society, but instead assists them in doing so. We have seen throughout multiple readings that politicians have little incentive to reward the poor, but until they institute broad social reform that increases minimum wage and provides the working class with a means of moving up (i.e. providing better education, health care, etc.), then we will be faced with a society whose worst-off members will be further cast into the invisible darkness of poverty and struggle. [...]

[...] From a more sociological perspective though, these changes were probably brought about because of widespread middle- and upper- class disapproval of supposed lower-class values i.e. it was perceived that the poor was mostly composed of African-Americans who were lazy workers and who did not place strong cultural importance on the family structure. It seems evident to me after reading both Weaver and Ehrenreich that America's welfare state is certainly inadequate, yet changes to welfare policies have not affected a great deal of change. [...]

[...] The real problem seems to lie in middle America's perception of the lower-class and their false impression of the upward-mobility they have access to. Ehrenreich showed that even working two jobs as a healthy, English-speaking, white American female is not enough to truly escape poverty, let alone survive it uncomfortably. Thus, if AFDC policies haven't been doing the trick, what will? In my opinion, there seems to be a strong need for a significant increase in federal minimum wage, as housing costs have been rising consistently while welfare benefits have not kept up with rising prices and therefore the costs of surviving. [...]