I had to watch this video in my child development class this semester. I thought it was such a good video because it really opened your eyes and showed you that you don't actually have to live on the street or under a bridge to be considered poor like some people may think. I feel so bad for the people that live in that town. It makes since what they say about being stuck there. Since the city doesn't offer very many good jobs that pay well and have good benefits it's hard to pay the bills while at the same time save money to be able to move to a different place. It was crazy to me how often it seemed people got laid off there. I mean, even the man who had a bachelors degree had to go out of town to find a job and he eventually got laid off from that one too. And the woman, Adrielys, seemed extremely depressed. It was like she basically had no hope left for any type of a better life. I absolutely could not believe that she said having her son crushed all her dreams. What if he sees this video some day, how is that going to make him feel? I just was so shocked a mother could say that about her child. This town is a true example of a cycle of poverty. And it's like once the adult gets to the point of giving up and just accepting that life and makes no effort to keep trying to better themself, the children see that and they grow up with that and are comfortable with that so a lot of the times that is how they are going to end up living because that's what they are use to and it's ok to them. Another thing that shocked me was the graduation rate is only 68%. That is such a low percent of people to finish high school. Then that is going to make it even that much harder to find any kind of job let alone a decent job that would support a family and supply insurance. Also, they mentioned how high the crime rate has gotten and those kids that aren't graduating high school are more likely to start committing crimes as well. The one guy said that people will be breaking into someone's home just so they can eat which is so horribly sad. And you can't even begin to judge that person because we don't even know what we would do unless we were put in that position and to go without eating for days at a time. I mean damn some people get pissy if they miss one meal out of the day. This little video really is an eye opener and it makes at least me think of how lucky I truly am. I might stress about paying my phone bill or worry about getting a homework assignment done but those people would love to just have to worry about things like that, so we need to just be grateful of what we do have and not judge the poor people we see because we don't know their situation. I mean, they could be way more educated than any of us and just hit a real rough spot. -mybabygirl004
MyBabyGirl totally agree with you here...the dimensions of poverty are far reaching and more than what most individuals are aware. Some even see deviance in these people until they gain a more social problem view....like you insight. BeenThereandDoneThat004
I thought this video really brought me to reality, it can happen to you, it can happen to anybody. Poverty is a scary thing, and it really devalues the person of their actual worth. It will ruin your family and your self image. I am happy they were working except one thing that I do not like at all is all these companies do not understand how bad these people need jobs. They need to keep their jobs and skills for other jobs. When I saw in that video that a couple people got laid off and they have children that scared me. It is scary to think I do not have a home to go to or food and things like that which make people feel comfortable and make people feel at home. I think education is just expensive especially college tuition but what is sad is that they cannot afford college so they do not go to college. These people are smart and capable of going to college its just without education in your past its hard to think good thoughts about yourself. One person was paid less at Walmart and then got laid off. Yet her son has asthma and she cannot afford a doctor. It is very sad to watch people have hardships financially. I think that we should put our tax money to helping those who do not have healthcare or schooling. That would just make everything easier.
I agree this video is definitely an eye opener and there are so many things that are extremely sad and disheartening. Especially at the end where it recapped a few months later that two of them had been laid off already and are still struggling just to make ends meet. It really does make you think about your own life and trying not to take what we have for granted. I definitely know how easy it would be for me to end up in a position like that if something changed with my income just slightly. I make ends meet, but only as long as things stay the way they are now. Which is another reason it's so hard to move up in life and save money. Hopefully we can see a change in the future where people can actually life on a working wage. -chillato004
I agree that this video does put our own problems into perspective. Have we ever truly been hungry or not known from where our next meal is coming? I can't imagine thinking that breaking into someone's home is the best solution to obtaining my next meal. I'm not judging, just grateful that I've never had to be in that position. ~happilycurious004
It's crazy when a whole company or an entire branch of a company closes in an area. 700 people is so many people to have lost their jobs, and the same thing is happening around here in Peoria. There are so many people continuously being laid off from Caterpillar in this area and it can definitely be devastating to individuals and the community. It's so true that even though your income changes, your bills pretty much don't change. I see that in my everyday life too being a server, you can never really guarantee making a certain amount of money. It's so sad that that women was fired for being a good mother and being there for her son when he needed her. In my opinion, that should not be allowed. Your employer should work with you, everyone is a human with individual lives and struggles. I understand it's business, but you just can't treat people like that. Just like the guy who served in the army. There are many many people who could never go through what they go through just to train to serve our country, let alone actually serving in a war. For him to condescendingly ask, "is that all you've done?" is extremely rude and disrespectful. It's also sad that kids growing up in a household where they are struggling with money suffer and have to grow up faster and be responsible for themselves. More companies should provide affordable health care for their employees. I'm still on my mom's health insurance and it's expensive for her so she doesn't want to pay for it anymore, but she also knows I can't really get it where I work, and she doesn't want me to be without either. Especially with it being against the law now to not have health insurance. There are just so many elements of struggling with money that is so sad and something definitely needs to change within society so everyone that is working can afford to live and we wouldn't have to help them out with so many programs because a working wage would be enough to live without extreme stress or uncertainty. -chillato004
Yes, you are so right. It is happening in our own community. If Caterpillar was to ever fully close I feel Peoria would definitely face very hard times. The part he mentioned about them asking him is that all he has done was heartbreaking. How dare you chop putting your life on the line for every single one of us as “is that all you have done?” I couldn’t even imagine how that must have hurt. It has become so hard to just live life as far as financially. You make more money to pay more money to never have enough money. Then you waste your life trying to work your butt off to live a good life while really your life is passing you by and you’re missing out on so much of it because you’re working so hard to make it a good one. It is a vicious cycle. I wish I had an easy cure for it. -mysonmyworld004
I really agree with you on how that woman should not have lost her job because she had to go take care of her son. Like what was she suppose to do? Just let him have asthma attack and possible die. People do need to understand that situations do come up and there is nothing we can do about that. Also, I do think the working minimum wage should be higher. When the cost of living goes up so should minimum wage. Yea, people that have low paying jobs may not be able to do as much or afford to go out like people with better jobs but there is no reason that they shouldn't be able to take care of themselves. They should not have to choose with bills go left unpaid this month. So sad. -mybabygirl004
In some parts of what you were expressing, I did agree with some. I can completely agree with the fact that the employers should be looking beyond and dig a little deeper when it comes to the employees. I see that that the employers seek out for their advantage and their company's advantage to the point where they get selfish and forget about the other things in life. Employers tend to choose expectations over humanity. A fact that I disagree with is when you talked about how society needs to change for everyone to be able to afford a living. I disagree because it is highly impossible. We, as humans, as individuals live in a world where the strong survive. Even if society changed for every person to be able to afford a living, it would not work out and what sounds nice and balanced, would turn out to be chaotic and impossible. -Happy004
It's terrible to have to think that a person's livelihood depends so much on where they work and not the person's capabilities. A company can close and several hundred people can immediately be out of work. Those numbers alone make it difficult for a person to get another job. A lot of the times it is who you know and how high up on the ladder you are that can ensure you get placed with another job. Give 100% every day, do a good job, and be a great person hopefully that with the knowledge you have can help a person into another profession. bdole004
I agree that our society sucks. Let's talk about where we are today here in Peoria. I worked for Caterpillar at one point in my life. I was told that we weren't getting laid off because we were distribution at Morton. All the other plant plants were being laid off except ours. I had gotten my house, car and made bills that my checks would cover. Then, I go to work one night and I'm laid off. I drew my unemployment like everyone else but what that did to me and my family was push us to low income housing. I see the pattern starting over again with Caterpillar lay offs and yes, people are now moving into the community that I live. It's a blow to our ego and all you have worked so hard for. This is not just me and them this is us our society that we all live in. One day you're up the next you're down. myboys004
This video really gave a good look at the hardship many individuals face. It is almost a domino effect. Education falls last on peoples list of priorities for many different reasons. Often it is because they are needed to find work as soon as possible to help. Then you have to settle for a lower level job. Eventually the community starts seeing the effects of it and companies start moving out of the area, thus leaving more individuals jobless, while only ruining the community more. Crime rates go up as jobs leave and the community becomes more ruined. Illegal actives fill the vacant homes thus adding more strains to the law abiding citizens who are left. You’re stuck! You don’t have the means to better your situation. You don’t have the money to move. It is truly a sad continuous cycle. This is when you truly must look at the society and not just the individual. Even Victor, who was in the Army and has a bachelor’s degree was still laid off in the end and facing hardships with his family. Another area I felt it really hit on was the gender spectrum of the situation. The single mom was working for just eight dollars and some change an hour. While I would assume that the jobs the men had were paying more than eight dollars an hour. Even though different jobs clearly, it comes down to the opportunity of work offered. With the companies closing there are already not many options to work, then add the lack of education, the lack of experience or training and the lack of flexibility with hours that work for a single mom, there are now even less chances for employment. Although, my situation is nowhere near as bad as hers, I can definitely relate. I may have waited years to return to school but I am so thankful I have the chance now. I believe the determining factor to turn that society or community around is hitting the schooling and or training aspect hard. More individuals getting more education will open more doors. Another area that really spoke volumes is the part when they couple was doing better and they stated they would have to leave because they felt they were being “held down” where they lived. This just adds to the staying in ruins for this city. If when individuals do get better off and instantly want to move out of the community as soon as they can, then it continues to remain the same, instead of having hope in the city and working to improve it. Again, a vicious cycle that seems to be hard to change. -mysonmyworld004
I agree with you It does reflect back to going to education everyone says finish school it will be better and everyone wants to do their own thing. I know for my own self I don’t get finical aid so for me going to a university is harder because I don’t have that money and neither do my parents. So I am taking as many classes as I can at ICC because that’s what I can afford until I can afford going to a university. so I understand where they are coming from on that topic. -Boop004-
This was sad to see these three families living like this. It has to be hard for them to wake up in the morning. Victor said he has to drive three hours a day to and from work because there aren't any jobs in Reading. When you figure gas spent for that drive, plus gas station food, that's a lot of money spent just to get to that job. At the end it was sad to see that he was laid off two months after the video and had to rely on family for help. I'm glad that he and his wife were willing to stick it out together no matter what. I really like Glen's enthusiasm as far as his job and life. He really kept his head up for himself and his daughter Kelsi. Even though he was living on unemployment and in his brothers home that was soon to be forclosed on, he still found it in his heart to volunteer his tiime. Like many other families, it's hard when you work all your life and then one day you're not able to go to that job anymore. Like it was said the bills still come in whether you're working or not. I was happy to read that he was able to go to third shift and keep his job at Mack Truck. Now he's able to spend more time with his daughter. As for Adriely, wow I don't quite know how to take her. When she stated that she got her GED and was wanting to go to college but getting pregnant with her son crushed her dreams, was hard to hear. I understand that we all make mistakes in life, but we have to man up or woman up and fix what we can and try to be positive. I didn't agree with the way she lost her job that she was at for four years, because she had to go care for her son who was having an asthma attack. I also wonder if it was something else other than that incident that caused her to lose her job. All in all I feel bad for her but she also has to change her attitude and start thinking positively, or she'll pass that on to her boys as well. It's sad to see all this going on but it's society that has to be changed or our children won't have a chance. Maybe change can begin with us or me! myboys004
Talking about eye opening …WOW!!! This really showed me that not everyone has everything that you think they have. I knew that not everyone grew up with how I grew up but this really showed me that people have to do their last just to get by day by day. What I noticed in all three families is that the children are what kept all of them going, they work hard, they take that eight dollar an hour job because that is better than nothing. I am sitting here listening to people say that they won’t work a job unless its ten dollars or more. I heard them say in the video that the graduation rate is sixty percent that is just crazy to me my graduating class started off with like 350 and ended with 345 so when I hear that it was so low is just mind blowing. I can see where people might get into the drug dealing because that might be the only way to bring in an income that is a decent amount but at the same time that is illegal. One of the guys went into an interview and told the job that he fought in the war and they looked at him and asked was that all he did and it’s just like seriously? There are people out here that don’t even think twice about going to fight for our county and they had the nerve to ask him that. A LOT of people honor people that fought in the war so for that job to think it was nothing is truly sad. I am not saying it should have got him the job but they could have given him some credit. I don’t have kids and I am still living at home with both of my parents and I have really not had a true struggle like these people did. I was raised to be grateful for what you have because it can be taken away from you as fast as you got it. -Boop004-
I couldn’t believe the interviewer said that about the veteran either! My brother is active duty and his wife got out of the military two years ago. She was really lucky and was able to get a job with a government contractor as a civilian. They have four kids and were really hurting for money before she got the job. It is crazy that we let people who risk their lives for us to live in poverty because we don’t want to give them the opportunity. -DTH004
This video is quite eye opening for many reasons. The video opened up on a town which most the people living in the town are living life day to day and pay check to pay check. This could be a reality for even Peoria if Caterpillar were to just get up and leave Peoria. Caterpillar is a huge party of Peoria and central Illinois economy. Now a days you cannot just a have a GED or a high school diploma and get a job that pays for bills and allows you to live comfortable. Most jobs even lower positions that don’t pay that much you still need at least a two year degree. Places like ICC and other community college really help people get a higher education for less. Even with the education there may be little to no job openings in the area they live. Like the guy in the video has to drive 3 hours to get to work, because they don’t have enough money to move closer to their job. It hard to see people struggle and want to provide everything for their children but cannot. Also brought up in the video was that children are following in their parent footstep and may get stuck in the same place. I thought that was a true statement. The next part in the video talks about a girl who wanted to go to college but did not because she got pregnant and had to start working to support her kid. I was watching a show that covered the youth going back to school after hurricane Katrina. They had wait 2 year after the hurricane to back to school and by that tie many of the girls had a child and may have been pregnant. This kept them from going past high school or even passing high school. Poverty is everywhere around us even in the nicest places. -CFC004
I think this is a topic that every single student should be able to relate to on one level or another. I find that the older I get the closer to this type of outcome becomes more realistic. This may be why my husband and I decided that one of us should have a college degree to ensure that we could have the potential to provide for our family if something were to happen at the factory where my husband works. The working poor is more relevant in our lives on many levels. I grew up in a family where this did happen to us. My father, who owned his own semi and hauled jet fuel for a good company was in an accident where he was run off the road and in turn left partially paralyzed and unable to work or care for himself. My mother had to quit her job and care for him. I was a junior in high school and had 3 siblings at this time. My family went from living a comfortable lifestyle to food stamps and public aid. Why? You would think there would have been a substantial lawsuit and there was. Only the car insurance of the teenagers car that ran my dad off the road just happened to be the same insurance that insured my dads big rig. It was after that accident that we learned to change how we lived. It destroyed my family. I began to work at the local nursing home full time at 16 years old as a CNA. Often missing school to work doubles. It's this type of life lesson that can make a person change their will and push harder to fight against all odds to ensure that this doesn't happen again. I became a teenage mother, but I was lucky. My husband was offered a position at a factory where he has worked his way up to foreman and now twenty years later is stable enough in the company to be able to put me through school. My heart aches for families that have to suffer. I can say that if I did have to work a different shift and miss out on time with my children. I know that they will be ok. It is the fact that I can provide for them that is important not that my time with them isn't but in a short amount it will all work out. bdole004
My mother worked multiple jobs when I was younger for years to make ends meet and was laid off a couple times. It makes a big difference when there is a steady income to all of a sudden nothing. I started working too at a young age, even moving out at the age of 17 it did not give much chance for an education then trying to work full time. But it does give you more of the will to fight against all of the odds and make a better life for yourself. I am working as a CNA now, and yes the pay could be a lot worst but it still is only just enough to get us by. Being a single mother I have to put in a lot of doubles to get us by. It has taken me couple of years but I am officially half way through a bachelor in science of nursing. – JustMe1989004
I know that I can relate to this issue. My mother lead our household and when she got out of the military after having my brother our finances changed. We moved to Peoria and our struggles began. Peoria, however, did have rising opportunities that I attribute a lot to Caterpillar being located here. Today I see many jobs that have been lost due to Caterpillar's recent overhall. This video shows an example of the result of businesses with much invested in cities, like the investments of CAT here, and how the cities decline when those businesses fall. When in poverty family stability, health, education, etc all take a hit unless the financial issues are solved in a timely manner. -004kylegoldheart
The video showed the hardships and struggles of the families. The families faced difficulties not because they were poorly educated or because they didn’t want to make a living, but because of the illnesses and happenings in their families; also society alone. The mother that lost her job because of her sons being ill and having incidents in school and daycare; causing her to leave work and resulting in the loss of her job. Sure the employers could give a little mercy, but that’s the price that comes with the job. The people are struggling and having a difficult time in their lives, but a part that truly captivated my attention; may I say, truly inspired me, was the man that through it all, his destitution, he still found faith and a sense of hope. He seeked optimism through God and what most people would do is ask why and blame God, he did the opposite, he found a little bit of life even in poverty. Watching the video on the working poor and the families in poverty was enthralling. It made me stop and look around me, at what I had; the people around me, the things around me, and the fortunate life that surrounded me. I’ve never had to relate to what reality they were living, but it took me back to when I visited 3rd world countries and when I visited Vietnam. It is very similar in Vietnam. The people who work and try their best don’t get the benefit they deserve because the cruelty of life hits them like and truck speeding at them. The crime rate there is very high too. People there often commit crimes not for reasons such as; robbery, rape, or murder because they want to but for reasons that they are desperate and need to somehow survive. The same reason is comparable to the reasons for crime in Reading. The video the crimes in Reading. Some of the crimes mentioned were rape, robbery, and murder. The man talked about how Reading has changed; people use to talk to each other, but it changed into people being scared of each other and being on the look out, knowing their surroundings all the time and never letting their guard down because of the fact that the poverty rate is so high that the crime rate rises. Another minor thing that I recognized were the people that were selected looked wider than average. Reasoning for that could be the fact that they have to eat out at fast food restaurants which would result in weight gain. The people have irregular schedules and can’t always be at home for family dinners with home cooked meals. Overall, the video showed a small part of society that needs to be seen. The city of Reading is just a small area of the United States. The city is complete with serious deprivation, high crime rates, and a high rates of people suffering from depression. -Happy004
We had to watch this in a children psychology class I took last semester. It really gives you a good outlook on how society and the economy can really affect anyone. It so easy to be a family who is living decent one year then the next not have much to show the following year. There is so many different things that can affect the income we earn and how we survive if it’s being laid off or having health issues. I, myself had personal faced both. Growing up there was a point in time we had 13 people living in a three-bedroom hardly making ends meet, my mother had to work 2 sometimes 3 jobs for many years throughout my teenage years to make the ends meet. There were more than a few times we had to sleep four people to a bed just so everyone had a bed to sleep in, we never had much but it did make my family close and it taught me how to keep my head up in tough times and go for what I want. Now that I am a single mother, we live in a "ok" neighborhood but we still struggle. I have to work a lot of doubles to pay the bills, then adding school in the mix does not always give me very much time to spend with my daughter. But I am thankful that I can say my daughter and I have a car that is reliable we have a place to stay that will be there next month, and that's something this video really shows just how many of us don't always get that. -JustMe1989004
This video is a glimpse into what life is like for the working poor, the struggles they face and the seemingly endless cycle of poverty to which they are confined. The three families highlighted run the gamut as far as age, ethnicity and marital status. Glen, a divorced father; living in his brother’s house (which is being foreclosed). While unemployed he volunteered at the food pantry to occupy his time. Glen spoke of his faith and how he wants his family to have hope again. Glen was able to find work, however his job is second shift, which takes time away from spending it with his daughter. Because of this, his daughter spent time with her aunt while Glen was working. As time passed, Glen was able to move to third shift, which allowed him time to spend with his daughter. Victor, a US Veteran, married and father of two struggled to find work when returning to civilian life. He joined the military to get out of Reading PA and found himself right back in the same place he tried to escape. He and his wife both work, sometimes several jobs, and still can’t make ends meet. They lost their house to foreclosure in 08 and needed to rely on food stamps. Victor earned his bachelors degree through the military. He was able to obtain a management job. He and his family appeared to be in an upswing with hopes of getting out of poverty. Sadly, Victor was laid off from his management job and had to move. Adrielys, a single mother of two, high school drop out. Her child has a medical condition, which resulted in job loss due to absences. She struggles with daycare and insurance for her children. The county provides funding for her children to attend daycare. Without this funding, she would not be able to provide daycare for her children. She hopes to be an RN one day, however, she acknowledges that this is a long shot. She said that her dreams have already come true as she has a working car and lives in a good neighborhood. After losing her most recent job, Adrielys and her children had to move. We can look at this a couple of different ways. We could blame the poor and assume that these three families choose to be poor. They choose to stay where there is no work. They choose to be uneducated and they choose to rely on government assistance. None of which I believe. OR …. We can look at these three families and blame society for their situations. This area suffered a significant loss with the closure of AT&T and many people lost their jobs. When you live in a company town and the company closes, what happens to the town? What job opportunities are left for those families who remain? These families deserve more. ~happilycurious004
This video does show that poverty is perpetuated in certain area of our country. There are many Reading PA’s in America. Due to companies moving their production plants to China, South America and parts of Africa. You ask some good questions and the answers to those question are like the three families in the video. Hard to solve without breaking the cycle we play apart in, buying goods from companies that ship jobs to China, South America and other countries. Buckrogers004
This video definitely showed the vicious cycle of poverty. Many adults in Reading did not even graduate high school leading to a current graduation rate of sixty-eight percent. The children of this city have lost their appreciation for education. This helps keep these people in poverty because it is shown that having a good education is vital to getting a good job in this economy. It is sad that these kids are being shown that dropping out is okay because it sets them up for failure. The other part of the cycle of poverty that is shown is that once you run out of money expenses just put you further and further into debt. Like the man who said his normal bills got paid but he could never get to the mortgage. He was packing up all of his belongings preparing to be removed from his home. Once someone starts to fall behind it is almost impossible to catch back up on your own. The woman with the two kids showed how single mothers are struggling to keep their families afloat. We talked about how single mother households are the ones that are in the most poverty and this video showed a very major reason for this. When there is only one parent when the child gets sick they have to stay home. A traditional nuclear family would be able to have the other parent stay with the child. But for that woman she lost her job at Lowes because of her son’s asthma attack. Losing her job forced her into an even worse financial situation because she dropped two dollars an hour in pay. I think other than the obvious reason of only being one income, I think child sickness greatly affects the poverty level for single mother households. When you are the only parent you don’t have the ability to care for a sick child and be at work. -DTH004
The clip showed three families who lived in Reading PA that are apart of America’s lower class or the working poor. Victor was a military veteran of Iraq with a bachelor’s degree which help him to get a job but was laid off two months later and had to move in with his extended family in order to survive. According to the statics a person with a degree should be making an average income of $47,100. In Reading PA the poverty rate is high. Only 68% of the children graduate from high school in Reading which contributes to the high poverty. When there is high poverty it effects health, values, politics and family life. The second family was a single who had two children. Andrea had her first child at the age of fifteen year old and the second three years later. She stated that her choice to drop out of school was better than that of her friends who parents were on drugs or in prison. This caused her friends to become orphaned and placed into state orphanages. Andrea oldest child has asthma and the youngest child has been diagnosed with ADHD. Andrea chose not to continue with her company supplied health insurance because it was unaffordable for her. Sadly that company fired her because missing time at work because her son was always sick. So in this case you see three of the effects of poverty health, values and family life. The last person that the films talks about is Glen. A single father who served in the military for four years returned to Reading after finishing his tour of duty only to find it hard to get work. He worked as supervisor for a local company for ten or twelve years before he was laid off. During the two years Glen was laid off he volunteered at local the Catholic Church in the food pantry which he used to feed his family. Glenn stated that working at the food pantry kept his faith strong during this time. Later Glenn found a job working an hour from Reading PA on second shift. This was good but it kept him from being with his sixteen year old daughter. At the end of the film it stated that Glenn started working third shift which allowed him to be with his daughter again but had to move in with his extended family until he was able to save money for an apartment. buckrogers004
I was upset and I felt sorry all at once. I was upset because of the conditions. It's unfair when a company can just move out and damage a community the way that Reading was damaged. The man that is now employed by Mac seemes very dedicated to his daughter. It was sad to see that him and his wife was so deeply reliant on their jobs and the rug was just pulled right under them, resulting in the eventual break-up of their family. The young mother between jobs has an even taller mountain to climb. She has two young boys, and on top of that the jobs that she gets pays under ten dollars. And her hope has diminished. And there doesn't seem to be any resolution to her issues. And the military couple just continue to see hard times, but they continue to keep their heads up. I was a little surprised that he choose to move back to the same place that he knows leads to nowhere in education or employment. Their environment and class seems to rule their outlook on life. They seem like they are complacent or accepting of the bad cards that continue to be dealt to them. It's only so far that a person can go before they change their environment all together. DAM004
It’s very sad having to watch people struggle when they really shouldn’t be. One of the families the husband was a veteran and got a degree but that still proves that there isn’t a guarantee in life I liked how they were all positive people about it though even though they know they have it hard I think they know it could be worse and they were all grateful of what they had. to me readings is like Peoria. I don’t feel like you can make it unless you get out and that really is a struggle getting it together and getting out of the city/state. It’s hard growing up in an environment that you feel trapped in. Having kids is a big step and I feel that’s something you have to plan for. It was just sad hearing the one family after having their son they couldn’t pay the bills so they lost their cars and their house. That’s just another element that’s trapping you in the community. -dislikeblogs004
According the Household Income Average map in chapter 11 on Social Class, Pennsylvania is has very diverse income averages across the state. It appears that Reading fell in one of the areas of lowest income averages, which is considered below the national average where families make from $37,092 to $44,873. Reading seamed to have suffered an economic falling similar to Gary, Indiana. Seeing this video I cant help but wonder if Caterpillar's recent "down-sizing" will produce the same results. But the video high-lights that poverty is far from being only a financial issue. Poverty contributes to health problems, martial struggles, crime rates, and education among many other issues. The struggles of these families is a harsh reality for many cities across the U.S. We must ask how does society contributes to these issues and then how does it help to fix the issues. We talked about mobility in class last week as being the ability to get ahead. In communities like Reading families fall victim to a perpetual financial decline as their mobility is disabled by their lack of finances. And this issue just goes round and round. The single mother explaining that she wanted to leave but needs money to do so, however, there are no jobs to get money to leave is an example of limited financial mobility. -004kylgoldheart
This video was very interesting but I know people that live like this so it was not shocking to me that people in the United States are homeless and living below poverty level. the man name Victor in the video talked about serving his country and it not being enough when interviewing for a job. I think that is so sad when people put there lives on the line to protect our freedoms in the United States and we act like it means nothing. The film talked about Reading being the poorest cities in the country of all cities with a population 65,000 or more. They had 700 hundred people lose their job's when AT&T closed down in Reading. Companies closing is happing all over the United States which is putting a lot of people out of work. The video talked about one of the root causes is lack of education. There were three families in this video all good people but having a hard time taking care of their basic needs. It is not easy when you have to decide between a roof over your head or your children having food to eat. Glenn a forty-six year old man with a sixteen year old daughter also his wife and him were not together. Victor had to take a job working second shift to try to have money to provide for his daughter and to try an get a place for them to live. There are people trying to find answers to all the problems that are facing poverty but there has not been a lot of solutions to all of the problems like homeless, lack of education and poverty in America. wonderwoman004
I had to watch this video in my child development class this semester. I thought it was such a good video because it really opened your eyes and showed you that you don't actually have to live on the street or under a bridge to be considered poor like some people may think. I feel so bad for the people that live in that town. It makes since what they say about being stuck there. Since the city doesn't offer very many good jobs that pay well and have good benefits it's hard to pay the bills while at the same time save money to be able to move to a different place. It was crazy to me how often it seemed people got laid off there. I mean, even the man who had a bachelors degree had to go out of town to find a job and he eventually got laid off from that one too. And the woman, Adrielys, seemed extremely depressed. It was like she basically had no hope left for any type of a better life. I absolutely could not believe that she said having her son crushed all her dreams. What if he sees this video some day, how is that going to make him feel? I just was so shocked a mother could say that about her child. This town is a true example of a cycle of poverty. And it's like once the adult gets to the point of giving up and just accepting that life and makes no effort to keep trying to better themself, the children see that and they grow up with that and are comfortable with that so a lot of the times that is how they are going to end up living because that's what they are use to and it's ok to them. Another thing that shocked me was the graduation rate is only 68%. That is such a low percent of people to finish high school. Then that is going to make it even that much harder to find any kind of job let alone a decent job that would support a family and supply insurance. Also, they mentioned how high the crime rate has gotten and those kids that aren't graduating high school are more likely to start committing crimes as well. The one guy said that people will be breaking into someone's home just so they can eat which is so horribly sad. And you can't even begin to judge that person because we don't even know what we would do unless we were put in that position and to go without eating for days at a time. I mean damn some people get pissy if they miss one meal out of the day. This little video really is an eye opener and it makes at least me think of how lucky I truly am. I might stress about paying my phone bill or worry about getting a homework assignment done but those people would love to just have to worry about things like that, so we need to just be grateful of what we do have and not judge the poor people we see because we don't know their situation. I mean, they could be way more educated than any of us and just hit a real rough spot.
ReplyDelete-mybabygirl004
MyBabyGirl totally agree with you here...the dimensions of poverty are far reaching and more than what most individuals are aware. Some even see deviance in these people until they gain a more social problem view....like you insight. BeenThereandDoneThat004
DeleteI thought this video really brought me to reality, it can happen to you, it can happen to anybody. Poverty is a scary thing, and it really devalues the person of their actual worth. It will ruin your family and your self image. I am happy they were working except one thing that I do not like at all is all these companies do not understand how bad these people need jobs. They need to keep their jobs and skills for other jobs. When I saw in that video that a couple people got laid off and they have children that scared me. It is scary to think I do not have a home to go to or food and things like that which make people feel comfortable and make people feel at home. I think education is just expensive especially college tuition but what is sad is that they cannot afford college so they do not go to college. These people are smart and capable of going to college its just without education in your past its hard to think good thoughts about yourself. One person was paid less at Walmart and then got laid off. Yet her son has asthma and she cannot afford a doctor. It is very sad to watch people have hardships financially. I think that we should put our tax money to helping those who do not have healthcare or schooling. That would just make everything easier.
DeleteI agree this video is definitely an eye opener and there are so many things that are extremely sad and disheartening. Especially at the end where it recapped a few months later that two of them had been laid off already and are still struggling just to make ends meet. It really does make you think about your own life and trying not to take what we have for granted. I definitely know how easy it would be for me to end up in a position like that if something changed with my income just slightly. I make ends meet, but only as long as things stay the way they are now. Which is another reason it's so hard to move up in life and save money. Hopefully we can see a change in the future where people can actually life on a working wage.
Delete-chillato004
I agree that this video does put our own problems into perspective. Have we ever truly been hungry or not known from where our next meal is coming? I can't imagine thinking that breaking into someone's home is the best solution to obtaining my next meal. I'm not judging, just grateful that I've never had to be in that position. ~happilycurious004
DeleteIt's crazy when a whole company or an entire branch of a company closes in an area. 700 people is so many people to have lost their jobs, and the same thing is happening around here in Peoria. There are so many people continuously being laid off from Caterpillar in this area and it can definitely be devastating to individuals and the community. It's so true that even though your income changes, your bills pretty much don't change. I see that in my everyday life too being a server, you can never really guarantee making a certain amount of money. It's so sad that that women was fired for being a good mother and being there for her son when he needed her. In my opinion, that should not be allowed. Your employer should work with you, everyone is a human with individual lives and struggles. I understand it's business, but you just can't treat people like that. Just like the guy who served in the army. There are many many people who could never go through what they go through just to train to serve our country, let alone actually serving in a war. For him to condescendingly ask, "is that all you've done?" is extremely rude and disrespectful. It's also sad that kids growing up in a household where they are struggling with money suffer and have to grow up faster and be responsible for themselves. More companies should provide affordable health care for their employees. I'm still on my mom's health insurance and it's expensive for her so she doesn't want to pay for it anymore, but she also knows I can't really get it where I work, and she doesn't want me to be without either. Especially with it being against the law now to not have health insurance. There are just so many elements of struggling with money that is so sad and something definitely needs to change within society so everyone that is working can afford to live and we wouldn't have to help them out with so many programs because a working wage would be enough to live without extreme stress or uncertainty.
ReplyDelete-chillato004
Yes, you are so right. It is happening in our own community. If Caterpillar was to ever fully close I feel Peoria would definitely face very hard times. The part he mentioned about them asking him is that all he has done was heartbreaking. How dare you chop putting your life on the line for every single one of us as “is that all you have done?” I couldn’t even imagine how that must have hurt. It has become so hard to just live life as far as financially. You make more money to pay more money to never have enough money. Then you waste your life trying to work your butt off to live a good life while really your life is passing you by and you’re missing out on so much of it because you’re working so hard to make it a good one. It is a vicious cycle. I wish I had an easy cure for it.
Delete-mysonmyworld004
I really agree with you on how that woman should not have lost her job because she had to go take care of her son. Like what was she suppose to do? Just let him have asthma attack and possible die. People do need to understand that situations do come up and there is nothing we can do about that. Also, I do think the working minimum wage should be higher. When the cost of living goes up so should minimum wage. Yea, people that have low paying jobs may not be able to do as much or afford to go out like people with better jobs but there is no reason that they shouldn't be able to take care of themselves. They should not have to choose with bills go left unpaid this month. So sad.
Delete-mybabygirl004
In some parts of what you were expressing, I did agree with some. I can completely agree with the fact that the employers should be looking beyond and dig a little deeper when it comes to the employees. I see that that the employers seek out for their advantage and their company's advantage to the point where they get selfish and forget about the other things in life. Employers tend to choose expectations over humanity. A fact that I disagree with is when you talked about how society needs to change for everyone to be able to afford a living. I disagree because it is highly impossible. We, as humans, as individuals live in a world where the strong survive. Even if society changed for every person to be able to afford a living, it would not work out and what sounds nice and balanced, would turn out to be chaotic and impossible. -Happy004
DeleteIt's terrible to have to think that a person's livelihood depends so much on where they work and not the person's capabilities. A company can close and several hundred people can immediately be out of work. Those numbers alone make it difficult for a person to get another job. A lot of the times it is who you know and how high up on the ladder you are that can ensure you get placed with another job. Give 100% every day, do a good job, and be a great person hopefully that with the knowledge you have can help a person into another profession. bdole004
DeleteI agree that our society sucks. Let's talk about where we are today here in Peoria. I worked for Caterpillar at one point in my life. I was told that we weren't getting laid off because we were distribution at Morton. All the other plant plants were being laid off except ours. I had gotten my house, car and made bills that my checks would cover. Then, I go to work one night and I'm laid off. I drew my unemployment like everyone else but what that did to me and my family was push us to low income housing. I see the pattern starting over again with Caterpillar lay offs and yes, people are now moving into the community that I live. It's a blow to our ego and all you have worked so hard for. This is not just me and them this is us our society that we all live in. One day you're up the next you're down. myboys004
DeleteThis video really gave a good look at the hardship many individuals face. It is almost a domino effect. Education falls last on peoples list of priorities for many different reasons. Often it is because they are needed to find work as soon as possible to help. Then you have to settle for a lower level job. Eventually the community starts seeing the effects of it and companies start moving out of the area, thus leaving more individuals jobless, while only ruining the community more. Crime rates go up as jobs leave and the community becomes more ruined. Illegal actives fill the vacant homes thus adding more strains to the law abiding citizens who are left. You’re stuck! You don’t have the means to better your situation. You don’t have the money to move. It is truly a sad continuous cycle. This is when you truly must look at the society and not just the individual. Even Victor, who was in the Army and has a bachelor’s degree was still laid off in the end and facing hardships with his family. Another area I felt it really hit on was the gender spectrum of the situation. The single mom was working for just eight dollars and some change an hour. While I would assume that the jobs the men had were paying more than eight dollars an hour. Even though different jobs clearly, it comes down to the opportunity of work offered. With the companies closing there are already not many options to work, then add the lack of education, the lack of experience or training and the lack of flexibility with hours that work for a single mom, there are now even less chances for employment. Although, my situation is nowhere near as bad as hers, I can definitely relate. I may have waited years to return to school but I am so thankful I have the chance now. I believe the determining factor to turn that society or community around is hitting the schooling and or training aspect hard. More individuals getting more education will open more doors. Another area that really spoke volumes is the part when they couple was doing better and they stated they would have to leave because they felt they were being “held down” where they lived. This just adds to the staying in ruins for this city. If when individuals do get better off and instantly want to move out of the community as soon as they can, then it continues to remain the same, instead of having hope in the city and working to improve it. Again, a vicious cycle that seems to be hard to change.
ReplyDelete-mysonmyworld004
I agree with you It does reflect back to going to education everyone says finish school it will be better and everyone wants to do their own thing. I know for my own self I don’t get finical aid so for me going to a university is harder because I don’t have that money and neither do my parents. So I am taking as many classes as I can at ICC because that’s what I can afford until I can afford going to a university. so I understand where they are coming from on that topic.
Delete-Boop004-
This was sad to see these three families living like this. It has to be hard for them to wake up in the morning. Victor said he has to drive three hours a day to and from work because there aren't any jobs in Reading. When you figure gas spent for that drive, plus gas station food, that's a lot of money spent just to get to that job. At the end it was sad to see that he was laid off two months after the video and had to rely on family for help. I'm glad that he and his wife were willing to stick it out together no matter what. I really like Glen's enthusiasm as far as his job and life. He really kept his head up for himself and his daughter Kelsi. Even though he was living on unemployment and in his brothers home that was soon to be forclosed on, he still found it in his heart to volunteer his tiime. Like many other families, it's hard when you work all your life and then one day you're not able to go to that job anymore. Like it was said the bills still come in whether you're working or not. I was happy to read that he was able to go to third shift and keep his job at Mack Truck. Now he's able to spend more time with his daughter. As for Adriely, wow I don't quite know how to take her. When she stated that she got her GED and was wanting to go to college but getting pregnant with her son crushed her dreams, was hard to hear. I understand that we all make mistakes in life, but we have to man up or woman up and fix what we can and try to be positive. I didn't agree with the way she lost her job that she was at for four years, because she had to go care for her son who was having an asthma attack. I also wonder if it was something else other than that incident that caused her to lose her job. All in all I feel bad for her but she also has to change her attitude and start thinking positively, or she'll pass that on to her boys as well. It's sad to see all this going on but it's society that has to be changed or our children won't have a chance. Maybe change can begin with us or me! myboys004
ReplyDeleteTalking about eye opening …WOW!!! This really showed me that not everyone has everything that you think they have. I knew that not everyone grew up with how I grew up but this really showed me that people have to do their last just to get by day by day. What I noticed in all three families is that the children are what kept all of them going, they work hard, they take that eight dollar an hour job because that is better than nothing. I am sitting here listening to people say that they won’t work a job unless its ten dollars or more. I heard them say in the video that the graduation rate is sixty percent that is just crazy to me my graduating class started off with like 350 and ended with 345 so when I hear that it was so low is just mind blowing. I can see where people might get into the drug dealing because that might be the only way to bring in an income that is a decent amount but at the same time that is illegal. One of the guys went into an interview and told the job that he fought in the war and they looked at him and asked was that all he did and it’s just like seriously? There are people out here that don’t even think twice about going to fight for our county and they had the nerve to ask him that. A LOT of people honor people that fought in the war so for that job to think it was nothing is truly sad. I am not saying it should have got him the job but they could have given him some credit. I don’t have kids and I am still living at home with both of my parents and I have really not had a true struggle like these people did. I was raised to be grateful for what you have because it can be taken away from you as fast as you got it.
ReplyDelete-Boop004-
I couldn’t believe the interviewer said that about the veteran either! My brother is active duty and his wife got out of the military two years ago. She was really lucky and was able to get a job with a government contractor as a civilian. They have four kids and were really hurting for money before she got the job. It is crazy that we let people who risk their lives for us to live in poverty because we don’t want to give them the opportunity.
Delete-DTH004
This video is quite eye opening for many reasons. The video opened up on a town which most the people living in the town are living life day to day and pay check to pay check. This could be a reality for even Peoria if Caterpillar were to just get up and leave Peoria. Caterpillar is a huge party of Peoria and central Illinois economy. Now a days you cannot just a have a GED or a high school diploma and get a job that pays for bills and allows you to live comfortable. Most jobs even lower positions that don’t pay that much you still need at least a two year degree. Places like ICC and other community college really help people get a higher education for less. Even with the education there may be little to no job openings in the area they live. Like the guy in the video has to drive 3 hours to get to work, because they don’t have enough money to move closer to their job. It hard to see people struggle and want to provide everything for their children but cannot. Also brought up in the video was that children are following in their parent footstep and may get stuck in the same place. I thought that was a true statement. The next part in the video talks about a girl who wanted to go to college but did not because she got pregnant and had to start working to support her kid. I was watching a show that covered the youth going back to school after hurricane Katrina. They had wait 2 year after the hurricane to back to school and by that tie many of the girls had a child and may have been pregnant. This kept them from going past high school or even passing high school. Poverty is everywhere around us even in the nicest places.
ReplyDelete-CFC004
I think this is a topic that every single student should be able to relate to on one level or another. I find that the older I get the closer to this type of outcome becomes more realistic. This may be why my husband and I decided that one of us should have a college degree to ensure that we could have the potential to provide for our family if something were to happen at the factory where my husband works. The working poor is more relevant in our lives on many levels. I grew up in a family where this did happen to us. My father, who owned his own semi and hauled jet fuel for a good company was in an accident where he was run off the road and in turn left partially paralyzed and unable to work or care for himself. My mother had to quit her job and care for him. I was a junior in high school and had 3 siblings at this time. My family went from living a comfortable lifestyle to food stamps and public aid. Why? You would think there would have been a substantial lawsuit and there was. Only the car insurance of the teenagers car that ran my dad off the road just happened to be the same insurance that insured my dads big rig. It was after that accident that we learned to change how we lived. It destroyed my family. I began to work at the local nursing home full time at 16 years old as a CNA. Often missing school to work doubles. It's this type of life lesson that can make a person change their will and push harder to fight against all odds to ensure that this doesn't happen again. I became a teenage mother, but I was lucky. My husband was offered a position at a factory where he has worked his way up to foreman and now twenty years later is stable enough in the company to be able to put me through school. My heart aches for families that have to suffer. I can say that if I did have to work a different shift and miss out on time with my children. I know that they will be ok. It is the fact that I can provide for them that is important not that my time with them isn't but in a short amount it will all work out. bdole004
ReplyDeleteMy mother worked multiple jobs when I was younger for years to make ends meet and was laid off a couple times. It makes a big difference when there is a steady income to all of a sudden nothing. I started working too at a young age, even moving out at the age of 17 it did not give much chance for an education then trying to work full time. But it does give you more of the will to fight against all of the odds and make a better life for yourself. I am working as a CNA now, and yes the pay could be a lot worst but it still is only just enough to get us by. Being a single mother I have to put in a lot of doubles to get us by. It has taken me couple of years but I am officially half way through a bachelor in science of nursing. – JustMe1989004
DeleteI know that I can relate to this issue. My mother lead our household and when she got out of the military after having my brother our finances changed. We moved to Peoria and our struggles began. Peoria, however, did have rising opportunities that I attribute a lot to Caterpillar being located here. Today I see many jobs that have been lost due to Caterpillar's recent overhall. This video shows an example of the result of businesses with much invested in cities, like the investments of CAT here, and how the cities decline when those businesses fall. When in poverty family stability, health, education, etc all take a hit unless the financial issues are solved in a timely manner. -004kylegoldheart
DeleteThe video showed the hardships and struggles of the families. The families faced difficulties not because they were poorly educated or because they didn’t want to make a living, but because of the illnesses and happenings in their families; also society alone. The mother that lost her job because of her sons being ill and having incidents in school and daycare; causing her to leave work and resulting in the loss of her job. Sure the employers could give a little mercy, but that’s the price that comes with the job. The people are struggling and having a difficult time in their lives, but a part that truly captivated my attention; may I say, truly inspired me, was the man that through it all, his destitution, he still found faith and a sense of hope. He seeked optimism through God and what most people would do is ask why and blame God, he did the opposite, he found a little bit of life even in poverty. Watching the video on the working poor and the families in poverty was enthralling. It made me stop and look around me, at what I had; the people around me, the things around me, and the fortunate life that surrounded me. I’ve never had to relate to what reality they were living, but it took me back to when I visited 3rd world countries and when I visited Vietnam. It is very similar in Vietnam. The people who work and try their best don’t get the benefit they deserve because the cruelty of life hits them like and truck speeding at them. The crime rate there is very high too. People there often commit crimes not for reasons such as; robbery, rape, or murder because they want to but for reasons that they are desperate and need to somehow survive. The same reason is comparable to the reasons for crime in Reading. The video the crimes in Reading. Some of the crimes mentioned were rape, robbery, and murder. The man talked about how Reading has changed; people use to talk to each other, but it changed into people being scared of each other and being on the look out, knowing their surroundings all the time and never letting their guard down because of the fact that the poverty rate is so high that the crime rate rises. Another minor thing that I recognized were the people that were selected looked wider than average. Reasoning for that could be the fact that they have to eat out at fast food restaurants which would result in weight gain. The people have irregular schedules and can’t always be at home for family dinners with home cooked meals. Overall, the video showed a small part of society that needs to be seen. The city of Reading is just a small area of the United States. The city is complete with serious deprivation, high crime rates, and a high rates of people suffering from depression. -Happy004
ReplyDeleteWe had to watch this in a children psychology class I took last semester. It really gives you a good outlook on how society and the economy can really affect anyone. It so easy to be a family who is living decent one year then the next not have much to show the following year. There is so many different things that can affect the income we earn and how we survive if it’s being laid off or having health issues. I, myself had personal faced both. Growing up there was a point in time we had 13 people living in a three-bedroom hardly making ends meet, my mother had to work 2 sometimes 3 jobs for many years throughout my teenage years to make the ends meet. There were more than a few times we had to sleep four people to a bed just so everyone had a bed to sleep in, we never had much but it did make my family close and it taught me how to keep my head up in tough times and go for what I want. Now that I am a single mother, we live in a "ok" neighborhood but we still struggle. I have to work a lot of doubles to pay the bills, then adding school in the mix does not always give me very much time to spend with my daughter. But I am thankful that I can say my daughter and I have a car that is reliable we have a place to stay that will be there next month, and that's something this video really shows just how many of us don't always get that. -JustMe1989004
ReplyDeleteThis video is a glimpse into what life is like for the working poor, the struggles they face and the seemingly endless cycle of poverty to which they are confined. The three families highlighted run the gamut as far as age, ethnicity and marital status.
ReplyDeleteGlen, a divorced father; living in his brother’s house (which is being foreclosed). While unemployed he volunteered at the food pantry to occupy his time. Glen spoke of his faith and how he wants his family to have hope again. Glen was able to find work, however his job is second shift, which takes time away from spending it with his daughter. Because of this, his daughter spent time with her aunt while Glen was working. As time passed, Glen was able to move to third shift, which allowed him time to spend with his daughter.
Victor, a US Veteran, married and father of two struggled to find work when returning to civilian life. He joined the military to get out of Reading PA and found himself right back in the same place he tried to escape. He and his wife both work, sometimes several jobs, and still can’t make ends meet. They lost their house to foreclosure in 08 and needed to rely on food stamps. Victor earned his bachelors degree through the military. He was able to obtain a management job. He and his family appeared to be in an upswing with hopes of getting out of poverty. Sadly, Victor was laid off from his management job and had to move.
Adrielys, a single mother of two, high school drop out. Her child has a medical condition, which resulted in job loss due to absences. She struggles with daycare and insurance for her children. The county provides funding for her children to attend daycare. Without this funding, she would not be able to provide daycare for her children. She hopes to be an RN one day, however, she acknowledges that this is a long shot. She said that her dreams have already come true as she has a working car and lives in a good neighborhood. After losing her most recent job, Adrielys and her children had to move.
We can look at this a couple of different ways. We could blame the poor and assume that these three families choose to be poor. They choose to stay where there is no work. They choose to be uneducated and they choose to rely on government assistance. None of which I believe. OR …. We can look at these three families and blame society for their situations. This area suffered a significant loss with the closure of AT&T and many people lost their jobs. When you live in a company town and the company closes, what happens to the town? What job opportunities are left for those families who remain?
These families deserve more. ~happilycurious004
This video does show that poverty is perpetuated in certain area of our country. There are many Reading PA’s in America. Due to companies moving their production plants to China, South America and parts of Africa.
DeleteYou ask some good questions and the answers to those question are like the three families in the video. Hard to solve without breaking the cycle we play apart in, buying goods from companies that ship jobs to China, South America and other countries.
Buckrogers004
This video did shed a light on the big problem of poverty in America. There is so much that is needed in this area. wonderwoman004
DeleteThis video definitely showed the vicious cycle of poverty. Many adults in Reading did not even graduate high school leading to a current graduation rate of sixty-eight percent. The children of this city have lost their appreciation for education. This helps keep these people in poverty because it is shown that having a good education is vital to getting a good job in this economy. It is sad that these kids are being shown that dropping out is okay because it sets them up for failure. The other part of the cycle of poverty that is shown is that once you run out of money expenses just put you further and further into debt. Like the man who said his normal bills got paid but he could never get to the mortgage. He was packing up all of his belongings preparing to be removed from his home. Once someone starts to fall behind it is almost impossible to catch back up on your own. The woman with the two kids showed how single mothers are struggling to keep their families afloat. We talked about how single mother households are the ones that are in the most poverty and this video showed a very major reason for this. When there is only one parent when the child gets sick they have to stay home. A traditional nuclear family would be able to have the other parent stay with the child. But for that woman she lost her job at Lowes because of her son’s asthma attack. Losing her job forced her into an even worse financial situation because she dropped two dollars an hour in pay. I think other than the obvious reason of only being one income, I think child sickness greatly affects the poverty level for single mother households. When you are the only parent you don’t have the ability to care for a sick child and be at work.
ReplyDelete-DTH004
The clip showed three families who lived in Reading PA that are apart of America’s lower class or the working poor.
ReplyDeleteVictor was a military veteran of Iraq with a bachelor’s degree which help him to get a job but was laid off two months later and had to move in with his extended family in order to survive. According to the statics a person with a degree should be making an average income of $47,100. In Reading PA the poverty rate is high. Only 68% of the children graduate from high school in Reading which contributes to the high poverty. When there is high poverty it effects health, values, politics and family life.
The second family was a single who had two children. Andrea had her first child at the age of fifteen year old and the second three years later. She stated that her choice to drop out of school was better than that of her friends who parents were on drugs or in prison. This caused her friends to become orphaned and placed into state orphanages. Andrea oldest child has asthma and the youngest child has been diagnosed with ADHD. Andrea chose not to continue with her company supplied health insurance because it was unaffordable for her. Sadly that company fired her because missing time at work because her son was always sick. So in this case you see three of the effects of poverty health, values and family life.
The last person that the films talks about is Glen. A single father who served in the military for four years returned to Reading after finishing his tour of duty only to find it hard to get work. He worked as supervisor for a local company for ten or twelve years before he was laid off. During the two years Glen was laid off he volunteered at local the Catholic Church in the food pantry which he used to feed his family. Glenn stated that working at the food pantry kept his faith strong during this time. Later Glenn found a job working an hour from Reading PA on second shift. This was good but it kept him from being with his sixteen year old daughter. At the end of the film it stated that Glenn started working third shift which allowed him to be with his daughter again but had to move in with his extended family until he was able to save money for an apartment.
buckrogers004
I was upset and I felt sorry all at once. I was upset because of the conditions. It's unfair when a company can just move out and damage a community the way that Reading was damaged. The man that is now employed by Mac seemes very dedicated to his daughter. It was sad to see that him and his wife was so deeply reliant on their jobs and the rug was just pulled right under them, resulting in the eventual break-up of their family. The young mother between jobs has an even taller mountain to climb. She has two young boys, and on top of that the jobs that she gets pays under ten dollars. And her hope has diminished. And there doesn't seem to be any resolution to her issues. And the military couple just continue to see hard times, but they continue to keep their heads up. I was a little surprised that he choose to move back to the same place that he knows leads to nowhere in education or employment. Their environment and class seems to rule their outlook on life. They seem like they are complacent or accepting of the bad cards that continue to be dealt to them. It's only so far that a person can go before they change their environment all together. DAM004
ReplyDeleteIt’s very sad having to watch people struggle when they really shouldn’t be. One of the families the husband was a veteran and got a degree but that still proves that there isn’t a guarantee in life I liked how they were all positive people about it though even though they know they have it hard I think they know it could be worse and they were all grateful of what they had. to me readings is like Peoria. I don’t feel like you can make it unless you get out and that really is a struggle getting it together and getting out of the city/state. It’s hard growing up in an environment that you feel trapped in. Having kids is a big step and I feel that’s something you have to plan for. It was just sad hearing the one family after having their son they couldn’t pay the bills so they lost their cars and their house. That’s just another element that’s trapping you in the community.
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According the Household Income Average map in chapter 11 on Social Class, Pennsylvania is has very diverse income averages across the state. It appears that Reading fell in one of the areas of lowest income averages, which is considered below the national average where families make from $37,092 to $44,873. Reading seamed to have suffered an economic falling similar to Gary, Indiana. Seeing this video I cant help but wonder if Caterpillar's recent "down-sizing" will produce the same results. But the video high-lights that poverty is far from being only a financial issue. Poverty contributes to health problems, martial struggles, crime rates, and education among many other issues. The struggles of these families is a harsh reality for many cities across the U.S. We must ask how does society contributes to these issues and then how does it help to fix the issues. We talked about mobility in class last week as being the ability to get ahead. In communities like Reading families fall victim to a perpetual financial decline as their mobility is disabled by their lack of finances. And this issue just goes round and round. The single mother explaining that she wanted to leave but needs money to do so, however, there are no jobs to get money to leave is an example of limited financial mobility. -004kylgoldheart
ReplyDeleteThis video was very interesting but I know people that live like this so it was not shocking to me that people in the United States are homeless and living below poverty level. the man name Victor in the video talked about serving his country and it not being enough when interviewing for a job. I think that is so sad when people put there lives on the line to protect our freedoms in the United States and we act like it means nothing. The film talked about Reading being the poorest cities in the country of all cities with a population 65,000 or more. They had 700 hundred people lose their job's when AT&T closed down in Reading. Companies closing is happing all over the United States which is putting a lot of people out of work. The video talked about one of the root causes is lack of education. There were three families in this video all good people but having a hard time taking care of their basic needs. It is not easy when you have to decide between a roof over your head or your children having food to eat. Glenn a forty-six year old man with a sixteen year old daughter also his wife and him were not together. Victor had to take a job working second shift to try to have money to provide for his daughter and to try an get a place for them to live. There are people trying to find answers to all the problems that are facing poverty but there has not been a lot of solutions to all of the problems like homeless, lack of education and poverty in America. wonderwoman004
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