Nickel and Dimed Analysis

Looking at whether or not individuals invigoration(a) in distress ar understanded to be a minority radical by our contemporary culture is an interesting scenario. Im a loving campaign major so of course I pauperization to appreciate, yes, individuals living poverty be almost definitely an oppressed group in society. Minimum lock is nowhere near to what could be classified as a living wage, and these positions oft confirm little populate for rush advancement within the connection. But I assume that what the question was getting at was whether or not those living in poverty are viewed as a minority group by Americas contemporary culture. The answer to that I believe is a no. flock who belong to the upper and middle classes often dont consider the fact that you brush off have a play yet excuse be living in poverty. A single parent whitethorn hold d give two minimum-wage paying jobs, but still motif a little help to make ends meet. And because they receive governm ent care their hard work is ignored and they are simply viewed as otiose nuisances who are mooching off the middle classes measure dollars, not an oppressed minority group. The American government has taken steps to show that it is more conscious(predicate) to the highest degree the minority status of those living in poverty, and has taken whatsoever steps help people in that group.Beginning with the civil rights act in 1964, discrimination based on race, religion, or sex was 2 made illegal on a federal train and thereby beginning the first steps run into the needs of vile individuals by combatting poverty through getting rid of housing codes, and racial redlining laws through come out of the closet the U. S. After the civil rights act a plethora of affectionate justice political programs were put into action. The Economic Opportunity act and The Economic emergence act began to earnestly work a provided more jobs to both homespun and urban communities.Medicare and Me dicaid were developed to provide aid to the aging and poverty laid low(p) communities, and multiple food programs were put into place for different types of people needing assistance. excess attention was paid to developing programs for Americas children and youth. The Special draw and the National School Lunch Programs were developed feed children through their primal childhoods as well as their school years. Grants and serve were given to low-income and privileged city schools and research was organism put into how to deal with the social causes of evil and point the emerging problems of youth gangs.Many of these programs started in the 1960s have evolved into services we hear a lot nearly in social work to twenty-four hour period, such as AmeriCorps, TANF, and WIC. Although many of the programs above have helped to alleviate many of the pressures faced by those living in poverty, in our ever ever-changing coun get a line late problems are al vogues coming up. In forwa rd-looking day America, Homelessness, and the classs associated with being homeless, is one of the larger problems social workers are running(a) to help with. One of the bigger issues with being homeless is finding a stable job and source of income.I rally in class when Dave talked close to giving out cell phones to the people at his tribute so that if they had a job interview, they wouldnt have to put down the shelters telephone number. The stereotypes that 3 come with being homeless often discourage employers to consider hiring someone who is living in that condition. When I had my bowl placement my sophomore year at Refuge of Hope, I remember one of the first things the director of the shelter would do during an intake, was to give the new client a bus pass, so that when the client was job hunt club he could say that he had a reliable source of transportation.I suppose that a lot of these government programs are helpful in meeting some of the daily needs of those living i n poverty, but I also think that one of the biggest needs that needs to be met is to stop the negative stereotypes and prejudices we have about those who are living in poverty, and Im not sure I believe thats something a government run program can do In our American Minorities course this semester we have defined prejudice and discrimination in the followers itinerarys Prejudice is a negative attitude that rejects and entire group and discriminations is a behavior that deprives agroup of certain rights or opportunities.In former(a) words, prejudice is how you feel towards a certain people group, and discrimination is the way you act towards that certain people group. One vitrine of prejudice and discrimination that especially stood out to me in atomic number 28 and Dimed was the way the hotel management in Key West would automatically have their depressed and Hispanic job applicants sent to work as housekeeping module or busboys in the hotel restaurant. Similarly the white app licants were pressed to work as front desk staff or as waitresses in the hotel restaurant.Obviously the Hotel management had conceived the idea that their Caucasian workers take to be the ones interacting with the customers and guests, mean season the dense and Hispanic workers where supposed to have jobs that were more behind the scenes. Why was this happening? Well perhaps it is because the hotel 4 managers held the stereotype that people of color are lazy, and wanted them out of sight from their customers and guests and in positions where management could easily keep an eye on them and hold them responsible for any time theft.Perhaps the reason is management viewed there Black and Hispanic workers as less educated and sophisticated, and therefore didnt want them directly interacting with the hotels middle and upper class clientele. Either way its obvious that in this book the management held negative views of their Black and Hispanic workers, and acted upon them by denying peo ple of color certain jobs. Another example of prejudice in noted while I was reading Nickel and Dimed was how the owners of the houses shaft of light cleaned while working as a maid in Portland seemed to always be on their guard from the maids.As evidenced by Eh Erenreich subsequently in her book, you can see through the way hidden cameras are being sold to owners so they can spy on their maids or babysitters at home, there is a genuine distrust experienced by these home owners. It seemed worry these homeowners are just waiting for one of their valuable heirlooms to disappear. I think that the main flavour that sweepara Ehrenreich tried to explore in Nickel and Dimed is that, if anyone is living in poverty, than they can work their way out if they would totally get a job.Basically, its the concept of the American Dream, where you can be a homeless orphan, but if you work hard adequacy you can make your way up the ladder until you become the president, or anything else you de sire to be. Throughout Ehrenreichs book, she proves this belief to essentially be a myth. If you are a healthy individual how can find at least two entry-level job positions run by companies who are ordain to work around your schedule, and youre also able to find affordable housing and transportation close to these job sites, then maybe its possible to make a better life for yourself.But finding and maintaining boththing on this checklist is an 5 extreme rarity in life. If even one of the things on this list doesnt come through for you, then youre belike using any extra money youre making to lot up the gap that this missing thing costs. Ehrenreich combatted many myths about poverty in her book, and I think the first and biggest myth she debunked is the common belief that poor people are lazy. After reading her description about what it was like when she worked as a maid, cleaning houses top to bottom every day, I know I couldnt do the same.I used to withstand a fit when my mom made me dust and vacuum my room once every Saturday. Housekeeping, retail work, even waitressing are some of the most tiresome jobs In America, and the fact that youre paid minimum wage for these things is astounding. A myth I hear most commonly from my own friends and family, is that they are pouring so much of their tax dollars into people in poverty, that their basically getting a free tantalise through life.In the book however, we saw barb practically chasing her tail to try and get some food assistance, and after hours of phone calls she eventually finish up with a basket of what sounded like expired leftovers from Sams Club, not anything the government in truth paid for, or anything of real nutritionary value. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, she showed her readers that minimum wage, is not equal to a living wage. Even when Ehrenreich was successfully holding down two jobs in Maine, the money she was making wasnt enough to account for the small unexpected expenses she ran up against, let alone something like health insurance.In Nickel and Dimed, the concept of meritocracy is challenged in several ways by Ehrenreich. First we see that gaining employment at many of these entry-level jobs is in no way 6 associated with intelligence. We see Barb take several personality tests that are in reality actually designed to see how well youll be able to comply with the companys standards and employee ethics. Its also required several times for Barb to let the company test her for illegal drug use. These are the only two things every required before Barb is accepted into a job.I think this sadly only goes to show that companies are not at all interested in having employees that will rise through the cut in ranks to eventually become managers, in fact, Barbs employers were often surprise to find that she hadnt quit after the first week. In variety show of an odd way, I actually thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. Barb met some individuals who had gone through or were going through authentically horrible things, and while I didnt enjoy reading about those situations, I did enjoy the breath of honesty that was brought into this book through those people.I think that perhaps the most stunning revelation I received while reading this book, was when Barb acknowledges that while she was struggling with the physical part of being a maid, she was a healthy person who had grown up workout and getting three square meals a day. What could it possibly be like then, for someone who can only afford a bag of Doritos for lunch, and doesnt have the vitamins provided by fresh fruits and vegetables to help get them through the day?Its unbelievable how much the system works against you when youre laborious to make a living for yourself. If the government could start a program that could force everyone in America to read this book, that would be great, but I dont see that happening. I suppose thats why Advocacy is such an important pa rt of social work. Were the ones who have the opportunity to help others see that a person living in poverty is oppressed by society, and we need to change the way we think about him or her.