My initial reactions from the documentary “ Take It From Me”, was that of empathy for the all individuals shown in the documentary. After watching all the difficult circumstances they faced , my only hope was for them to make it out of their struggling situations. I wanted to personally help each one of them because they were all just trying to make ends meet and create better lives for themselves legally. The first detail I noticed while watching the documentary was that almost all of the participants were either employed with a minimum wage job or attempting to get work. Welfare participants in the media typically are portrayed as lazy or as using the system. However, Abbey and Valentina were doing minimum wage work and they were both still in need of financial assistance. Teresa was on welfare as well but she had lose her job years prior and had not been able to find another one for , which was out of er control. Iyoka choose a school program over the work program, she was able to get a better paying job. However she herself was still financially strained because her husband was not able to find stable work. I notice this same problem still exist today with many individuals needing more financial support for a longer period of time. Although the minimum wage has been increasing, the cost of living …show more content…
For example, Abbey had a third child with Eddy because she felt that the little affection that he did give her was all the support that she had. In addition, it was also easier to stay in a situation that feels familiar and consistent, being with Eddy, especially since everything else in her life was chaotic. Loui’s decision to leave was determined by how he felt in his marriage after his wife, Iyoka found a good paying job. He felt less masculine because he was not the main source of income for the family, and he was not able to help her the way he wanted to
In my opinion, the most interesting part of Labor and Legality was “Meet the Lions”. Learning about each of the ten male Lions was so interesting and insightful. It opened up a new lense in my worldview. Obviously, I have not had experience with undocumented immigrants. I know nothing about what they do to get here, why they come here, etc. By reading personal accounts, my worldview was able to shift in a new direction. Not only do I now see that undocumented immigrants are needed in America, but they are people just like any citizen here. As said before, undocumented immigrants, like the Lions, do the jobs that most Americans do not want to do. Low paying jobs are the ones people steer clear of if they are older than 20 years of age. They are NOT stealing “our” jobs, they are taking the jobs that you do not want. They are hard working people who will work in stench, who will clean the dirtiest of bathrooms, and who will slave in the sun picking tomatoes for a better tomorrow for their families. I know nothing about the politics involved when it comes to immigration, but I do know that it is extremely difficult for an undocumented immigrant to get citizenship. I believe that if they are “found” here, they should be given the right to try to obtain citizenship, especially if they have lived here for so long. In one of the videos
Linda Gordon's article is thoughtful, insightful and highly relevant. As governments slash poverty relief programs at all levels and as welfare-bashing reaches an all-time high, it is instructive to take a step back and look at how the current system developed.
The whole point of this essay is my way of showing the reader using Grunwald’s cites and examples like the personal experiences, Facts and Statistics, and the repetition Grunwald shows that the word welfare has another meaning, the real and true meaning. So the next time you rethink about should you apply for that benefit program or should you inform your friend or cousin about welfare. Do them or yourself a favor and just do it because after reading what I have to say welfare it will always pop up in the back of your head when a person talks about have a bad life or money problems I guarantee
In her research, she spent over 600 hours in welfare offices, speaking to caseworkers, social workers, and welfare recipients and potential recipients themselves. She learned first hand how the Act affected the day to lives of poor women and their families, as well as how it affected the caseworkers who not only had to learn the large number of new rules and regulations required by the Act, but also had to deal on a day to day basis with the repercussions these changes had on the lives of their clients.
Warriors Don 't Cry is a memoir written by Melba Pattillo Beals. It is about the author herself as a young girl named Melba, who grew up in a society of segregation. Nine students, including Beals, have the chance to integrate a white school called Central High. Mobs of white people were against it and would harass them and even try to kill them. Three elements used in this memoir are first point of view, character and plot. Furthermore, Warriors Don 't Cry has the theme of courage.
The article “Back At Square One’: As States Repurpose Welfare Funds, More Families Fall Through Safety Net” was written by Peter S. Goodman. The article is about the struggle that people have all over the United States. Many of these individuals struggle to provide food, a decent place to live, and other common standards of living to their families. Goodman writes of a few women but mainly focuses on a woman named Brianna Butler who is struggling. In the reading there are many struggles she faces such as getting funding and getting help. Her major dilemma is that in order to receive financial assistance she needs to attend a four-week class, but no one will watch her child so she cannot go to the classes, so she does not receive the money. According to the article There are thousands of people who experience daily strife and when the United States economy experienced trouble many businesses had to lay people off and this created an even
Sharon Hays argues that welfare reform policymakers were legislating moral prescriptions for women in poverty who were to take on Welfare aid. I think it could be argued that moral prescriptions on the lives of Welfare recipients was purposeful. Politicians felt Welfare needed to change and help recipients become more self-sufficient over time. This would save money as time went on but would also be a measure of success if less people were on Welfare as time went on. To make Welfare more temporary, inefficiencies had to be addressed and solved. Welfare legislators decided to put the inefficiencies and prescriptions on the recipients themselves and not take into account any other barriers that could be preventing poor individuals and families from getting out of poverty. Moral prescriptions make poverty a cause and solution affair where the cause is moral negligence and the solution is a set of rules and regulations aimed to change morality which will gain people the self-esteem and knowledge to get a job and get out of Welfare.
An identity crisis is defined as a period, at which an individual struggles with one's own sense of self. I believe that everyone goes through such a crisis at one point or another; however, I do not feel it is correct to say, everyone goes through this type of crisis entering their first year of college. Now, I am not say that someone can’t have an identity crisis entering college for the first time, for is was made clear in the essay, that some people can indeed, have a sudden realization of either finding or losing one’s self in college. In turn, it is fair to say that most people do develop a sort of crisis when embarking in the college life. It's a time in your life when you experience the world in a new light—and usually on your own.
In today’s America, there are many people who would either be disgusted at the very mention of Welfare or be highly grateful for its existence. I believe that in order for welfare to be more effective in America, there must be reform. From the time of its inceptions in 1935, welfare has lent a helping hand to many in crisis (Constitution Rights Foundation). However, at present many programs within the system are being abused and the people who are in real need are being cheated out of assistance. The year after the creation of welfare unemployment was just about twenty percent (Unemployment Statistics). The need for basic resources to survive was unparallel. Today, many people face the same needs as many did during the 30s. Some issues with
The reality that exists for these individuals is different than that which is assumed by many. People assume that recipients are lazy and that they do not want to work, or that they are very promiscuous women who have children in order to continue receiving help from the government. The realities for these...
...ican welfare system has many flaws and I have identified major problems and possible solutions/policy recommendations. We can’t completely dismiss government assistance because we are a land of the equality of all and should be proud to have services that help the less fortunate. However, we must identify people who misuse and people who become too comfortable. We can’t continue to fall deeper into debt by supporting people who are not making an effort to support themselves. Nonetheless, we should help and assist those who are constantly trying to become educated, skilled, and experienced enough to become self-sufficient. I will close with a quote from the article about welfare helping a lady survive while she was studying. Currently she has a degree and a job as a manager. “I had clear goals,” “I wasn’t raised to sit at home expecting a check to come in the mail.”
Welfare for the poor means minimal support, degrading, humiliation and continued poverty. On the other hand, welfare for the non-poor provides security and are based on legitimacy. The welfare system does not distribute benefits on the base of need but rather on the basis of legitimacy. Poor people are often view as less legitimate as compare to the non-poor. Furthermore, welfare programs for the poor are labeled and can be seen as disgraceful. As stated in the article there is much degradation and humiliations involved in some poor people’s programs that some try greatly to stay off welfare. Some who are qualified for the programs do not take it due to negative indignity and shame that comes along with it. In comparison to welfare programs for the non-poor much protective language is taken to cover up and camouflaged the wording of the programs. Another, important difference between welfare for the poor and welfare for the non-poor are level of government involved. Welfare programs for the non-poor are federally financed and administered with decisions on eligibility and on levels of support made nationally. Programs for the poor are usually supported by federal funds and administered as local programs. I asked my boyfriend what his thoughts were on social security and welfare he responded that they were two completely different programs .He stated
Furthermore, it was publicized by the media that these individuals were from poor backgrounds and had little care or respect for the working class. This is where the thought that being a welfare state was negative, and contributed to the increasing
Robert Longley the author of the article name Welfare Reform in the United States from Handouts to Employment said in his study on welfare reform, “There were no time limits on the payments, and it was not unusual for people to remain on welfare for their entire lives”(Longley). By the mid 1990 's, public view had turned strongly against welfare system. The old system offered no encouragement for recipients to seek employment, the welfare rolls were exploding, and the system was viewed as rewarding and actually perpetuating, rather than reducing poverty in the United States
... I think this project has affected me in a way that I will remember for the rest of my life. Works Cited American Poverty and Welfare Reform. 2002. The 'Secondary' of the Women's Policy Research - Research. http://www.oycf.org/Perspectives/12_063001/American_poverty_reform.htm>.