Let's talk about Poverty
So, the Gene Marks thing is over a week old and I agree that the tone, lack of understanding and platform that it was delivered was off. The criticism that he has gotten has been well deserved. But I think there's a part of the conservation that I think gets overlooked, because it is not as explosive as who, where and why those comments are made. I think this part of the conservation was overlooked when similar questions were raised when Bill Cosby spoken on similar matters.
What do we (as a society, a people) do about the poor!!
There has been several articles about it. The Atlantic, the New York Times and others have covered it. Race and class are traditional hot pots that our society at time touch without over mitts. The natural course of action occurs, someone gets a little burned. When we do talk about it our conservation range from; poor people are simply lazy and it is there f@#$ fault that they are poor, to poverty is an affliction and not there fault. Part of the reason I think we range so greatly in opinion about this is because it the question seems similar to fate vs. free-will questions and how is man governed. We don't want to think that the poor does not have agency in there lives (that's un-American) but at the same time we don't want to dismiss the extreme environment that being poor creates.
We all get affected about this, society at large. This comes into focus for me because I get asked to talk to children that are poor. I get asked to talk to poor black children. Simply because I'm a black professional. I generally speak to them about being exceptional. Ask them to find and culture their inner-Oprah. I'm asked to show them you can get out with skills other then sports, with a hot jump shot or slanging the rock. Biggie, left out a few alternatives. I'm a better alternative... I'm to be emulated. Or I least that is why I think they are asking me to talk to these children. What I'm fighting in these children is a reasonable position of "fuck it!!" I'm poor and there isn't fuck all I can do about it! I'm going to sit in the corner and fold my arms and let that be that.
What I'm looking for along side of the criticism of the Gene Marks and Newt Gingrich is that exceptional-ism does not have to be rare. If one man has done it, so can you. I'm concerned with our criticisms that people in these situations, could hear and believe that we are implying ... your fucked son, and there ain't shit you can do about it.
Let the other side be heard... you can be an exception, your value is not wrapped in dollars and cents but what you can add to this world. We know this to be true and we expect it from you.
What do we (as a society, a people) do about the poor!!
There has been several articles about it. The Atlantic, the New York Times and others have covered it. Race and class are traditional hot pots that our society at time touch without over mitts. The natural course of action occurs, someone gets a little burned. When we do talk about it our conservation range from; poor people are simply lazy and it is there f@#$ fault that they are poor, to poverty is an affliction and not there fault. Part of the reason I think we range so greatly in opinion about this is because it the question seems similar to fate vs. free-will questions and how is man governed. We don't want to think that the poor does not have agency in there lives (that's un-American) but at the same time we don't want to dismiss the extreme environment that being poor creates.
We all get affected about this, society at large. This comes into focus for me because I get asked to talk to children that are poor. I get asked to talk to poor black children. Simply because I'm a black professional. I generally speak to them about being exceptional. Ask them to find and culture their inner-Oprah. I'm asked to show them you can get out with skills other then sports, with a hot jump shot or slanging the rock. Biggie, left out a few alternatives. I'm a better alternative... I'm to be emulated. Or I least that is why I think they are asking me to talk to these children. What I'm fighting in these children is a reasonable position of "fuck it!!" I'm poor and there isn't fuck all I can do about it! I'm going to sit in the corner and fold my arms and let that be that.
What I'm looking for along side of the criticism of the Gene Marks and Newt Gingrich is that exceptional-ism does not have to be rare. If one man has done it, so can you. I'm concerned with our criticisms that people in these situations, could hear and believe that we are implying ... your fucked son, and there ain't shit you can do about it.
Let the other side be heard... you can be an exception, your value is not wrapped in dollars and cents but what you can add to this world. We know this to be true and we expect it from you.
Labels: Gene Marks, Gingrich, poor, rich
posted by djspeak at 12:22 PM
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