Given the likely smattering of people who will read this, I realize I am preaching to the choir.
But I found myself frustrated by certain opinions expressed on Facebook this evening that implied that, and I thought I might sleep better if I wrote down my thoughts instead of having an eloquent yet angry conversation in my head. Here's the gist of that conversation in my head: people think poor people are lazy. They could get a job, but they don't, because it's easier to just ask people (and the government) for free stuff. I disagree with this premise.
Now, I could go into detail about all the poor people I've met or heard of who work two jobs at minimum wage and it's not enough, or the people who have to find a new job every time tourist season ends, or the people who were semi-holding it together until a medical emergency sent them into a tailspin. But for the sake of argument, I don't want to talk about those people. For the sake of argument, let's assume we're talking about a stereotypical welfare recipient who could ostensibly work but instead asks people and the government for free stuff. Even that stereotypical poor person is probably not lazy.
One of the most important things I learned in seminary, in a contextual education class that went along with an internship at a homeless shelter, is that it takes skills to be poor. I never thought of that before! I had always kind of assumed that it takes skills to be rich, and you were poor if you didn't have or use those skills. And it does take skills to be rich. It also takes skills to be poor, and they are very different skill sets.
Twice a month I have office hours in which I meet with people requesting financial aid. Some of them certainly fall into this category of people who could ostensibly work but instead prefer to ask me and the government for free money. To get that free money, this person has probably called every church, charity, and assistance program in the phone book. They probably met with someone at United Way and were turned down and told to try the Methodists. They probably had to find a ride, since if they have a car, it's been out of gas for a while. They probably showed up at my church at 8 to make sure they get on the list for when I start seeing people at 10. If I help them, it will probably be for a week of rent at the cheap motel they're currently staying at, or a quarter of the monthly rent for their apartment. So from my church they will probably continue on this extended scavenger hunt that is their daily life, trying to piece together the next $200 donation toward whatever it is that they need. Oh, and let's work a few job interviews in there too. Not that they are actually planning to go to work (because, remember, for the sake of argument, that's not the kind of person I'm talking about) but just to meet the qualifications to keep receiving aid.
Being poor is hard work. I would suck at being poor. I don't have the skills for it. Being poor, even the stereotypical kind of poor that gets branded "lazy," takes hoop-jumping, and networking, and perseverance, and no small amount of chutzpah.
Would those skills better serve society if they were channeled into an honest-to-goodness, wage-paying, W2-filing job? Sure. Are they the same skills needed in most low-level honest-to-goodness, wage-paying, W2-filing jobs? Maybe some, not all. There are many reasons why people don't get or don't keep jobs, and most of them have to do with the skills they've learned and how they've learned to apply them. Mom never taught you how to be on time for a job? Well, maybe she taught you how to go on a scavenger hunt to get this month's electric bill paid.
Do I know how to change any of this? Heck no. But even if you don't consider something "honest" work, that doesn't mean it's not hard work. Whatever else you may call the poor life, don't call it lazy.
But I found myself frustrated by certain opinions expressed on Facebook this evening that implied that, and I thought I might sleep better if I wrote down my thoughts instead of having an eloquent yet angry conversation in my head. Here's the gist of that conversation in my head: people think poor people are lazy. They could get a job, but they don't, because it's easier to just ask people (and the government) for free stuff. I disagree with this premise.
Now, I could go into detail about all the poor people I've met or heard of who work two jobs at minimum wage and it's not enough, or the people who have to find a new job every time tourist season ends, or the people who were semi-holding it together until a medical emergency sent them into a tailspin. But for the sake of argument, I don't want to talk about those people. For the sake of argument, let's assume we're talking about a stereotypical welfare recipient who could ostensibly work but instead asks people and the government for free stuff. Even that stereotypical poor person is probably not lazy.
One of the most important things I learned in seminary, in a contextual education class that went along with an internship at a homeless shelter, is that it takes skills to be poor. I never thought of that before! I had always kind of assumed that it takes skills to be rich, and you were poor if you didn't have or use those skills. And it does take skills to be rich. It also takes skills to be poor, and they are very different skill sets.
Twice a month I have office hours in which I meet with people requesting financial aid. Some of them certainly fall into this category of people who could ostensibly work but instead prefer to ask me and the government for free money. To get that free money, this person has probably called every church, charity, and assistance program in the phone book. They probably met with someone at United Way and were turned down and told to try the Methodists. They probably had to find a ride, since if they have a car, it's been out of gas for a while. They probably showed up at my church at 8 to make sure they get on the list for when I start seeing people at 10. If I help them, it will probably be for a week of rent at the cheap motel they're currently staying at, or a quarter of the monthly rent for their apartment. So from my church they will probably continue on this extended scavenger hunt that is their daily life, trying to piece together the next $200 donation toward whatever it is that they need. Oh, and let's work a few job interviews in there too. Not that they are actually planning to go to work (because, remember, for the sake of argument, that's not the kind of person I'm talking about) but just to meet the qualifications to keep receiving aid.
Being poor is hard work. I would suck at being poor. I don't have the skills for it. Being poor, even the stereotypical kind of poor that gets branded "lazy," takes hoop-jumping, and networking, and perseverance, and no small amount of chutzpah.
Would those skills better serve society if they were channeled into an honest-to-goodness, wage-paying, W2-filing job? Sure. Are they the same skills needed in most low-level honest-to-goodness, wage-paying, W2-filing jobs? Maybe some, not all. There are many reasons why people don't get or don't keep jobs, and most of them have to do with the skills they've learned and how they've learned to apply them. Mom never taught you how to be on time for a job? Well, maybe she taught you how to go on a scavenger hunt to get this month's electric bill paid.
Do I know how to change any of this? Heck no. But even if you don't consider something "honest" work, that doesn't mean it's not hard work. Whatever else you may call the poor life, don't call it lazy.
No comments:
Post a Comment