Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Call The Law

Do you have generational poverty in your family? I'm not talking about family members who don't spend their money well. I'm talking true poverty. Bob is one of ten siblings. Their mother died young and their dad went on to marry several more times. Along the way there came two half siblings and a step sibling. That's where the family acquired a pocket of true generational poverty. It was in the family when I married Bob 54 years ago and I have no doubt it will be there in another 54 years. It's absolutely the hardest work ever lifting people out of this kind of poverty.

We visited this family through the years and never worried about finding them. You just drove until you found a house with a big dog tied to the front porch; at least one non running vehicle in the front yard; black garbage bags of trash on the porch and out in the yard (it's not a lawn), and assorted empty alcohol containers scattered around. There well may be a shouting match going on out in the yard among multiple generations of family that pool their resources and live together. It's quite common to hear someone shout "CALL THE LAW!" That's our family.

People are wondering what's going on with the 2016 election. A must read is the book 'Hillbilly Elegy' by J.D. Vance. I'm actually listening to the audible version, with the author as narrator. You will have a much better understanding of why white blue collar people are flocking to Donald Trump. He speaks their language.

Listening to this book takes me back to think about our family. I totally understand now. Both political parties have missed it with these people.

I hope you will read the book.

15 comments:

  1. The top 1% have most of the money so that leaves very little for the rest of us. People end up with very poor paying jobs and lose hope. the system we have now is not fair.

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    1. Unfortunately, I don't see any of that changing in my lifetime.

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  2. I don't have any poor people in my family but all of the Trump supporters I know (about 8) have one thing in common: just a high school education, but all have decent jobs.

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    1. Unfortunately the same mind set if not confined to white blue collar poverty. One of our family has a good job now but the mindset has not changed. A lot of anger. Only knows how to express himself by yelling in someone's face. Thinks guns make him tough etc.

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  3. As an educator I encountered many families in generational poverty. It's so discouraging. I also have redneck white guys in my family. I know all about these folks that are especially glad that they don't have to be "politically correct".

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    1. This author quotes someone saying "teachers are expected to shepherd children then send them home to be raised by wolves."

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  4. I too saw this throughout my career as an educator. Discouraging in that I continued to believe that education could break the cycle long after it became obvious it would really take more than that. Sometimes I found myself in a culture of anti-education. To suggest that one's child might have potential for a better life was seen as a put down of the parents.

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    1. Absolutely. Bob's twin thought children ought to work (as in dig ditches.) he was not open in any way to higher education. Our 2 kids went to college, both have master's degrees, and both have good paying jobs. Their two children finished school with GREs, one has been to prison, one got vocational training but struggles because he hasn't broken out of that white blue collar anger culture.

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  5. Have never experienced generational poverty but can see why it would be so very difficult a pattern to escape. We most often are what we see and are taught at home. We are lead by example.

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    1. Money doesn't cure generational poverty. You have to socialize their children before you can educate them. Long hard pull for people caught in generational poverty.

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  6. Yes, it must be a long, hard pull for people caught in generational poverty. I saw it as a teacher. The attitude of the young victims, toward education, could only have been passed down from their families. Sad.

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    1. We have 2 pockets of generational poverty in Bob's family, one being Bob's twin. He always worked but he married a woman who was a product of generational poverty. It's a whole different mind set. At his death she was left to live in true poverty. Their children didn't make it out. If I had a nickel for every hour I spent trying to help my sister-in-law over the last 54 years I would be a rich woman. Wasted my breath.

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  7. This sounds very interesting. I'll put it on my library order list.

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