Classism is a problem in America.
This is nothing new; after all, we all remember the kids in school who were
made fun of for wearing off-brand clothes and shoes, who couldn’t afford to be
a part of certain activities.
I even remember that, for a while in
middle school, people used lines like “You get your clothes from Goodwill” as
an insult. So, classism is something that is so deeply ingrained in our society
that it is simply accepted, even among children, who, by nature, are generally
much more accepting than adults (unless they have been taught to be otherwise).
For instance, there is the luxury apartment building in Manhattan that installed a “poor door” to
separate people who paid less for their rent-controlled apartments from
wealthier residents.
Another such building in Queens installed a “poor fence” to keep residents who paid less
from accessing the entire balcony. That same building also does not allow use
of recreational facilities such as swimming pools and basketball courts by the
residents who pay less.
Imagine having to explain this to
guests who visit your apartment, and how embarrassing that would be. Well, that
is just what these people have to do.
It is reminiscent of Jim Crow laws
in the segregated south, but, this time, the wall is up due to class
rather than race. It is also perfectly legal.
Now, one could argue that anyone who
can afford to live in a luxury apartment building in New York City at all can
hardly be classified as “poor.”
They may be right; after all, the
less you make, and the more government assistance you receive, the worse the
discrimination gets. Want proof? Try buying a car or a home, or getting a loan
if you don’t earn at a certain income level, or if your credit report is less
than perfect.
And who can escape the constant
complaining from the right about people who receive SNAP or other forms of
assistance from the government? In fact, Youngcons.com just published an article shaming a woman
for being on welfare for twelve years.
It goes on and on, and is so deeply
entrenched in the American psyche that it has become a socially acceptable norm
to think less of poor people.
Well, what people who shame poor
people don’t understand is this: poverty is a cycle. It is a cycle that is
very, very hard to break. Most poor people were born into poor families, and
they remain poor for life.
Many poor-shaming types argue that
anyone can pick themselves up out of poverty if they try hard enough, but that
just isn’t true. These days, if you do not go to at least a
two-year college and receive an Associate’s Degree, you aren’t getting a job
that pays above minimum wage.
Minimum wage is barely enough for people to
survive, much less actually save any money on top of monthly expenses. In fact,
most people who work at minimum wage jobs actually qualify for government
programs like SNAP and Medicaid. The only way to get away from that is to go to
college, and college costs money. Money the poor do not have. So, the cycle
continues.
People might also argue that poor
people should be innovative and start their own small business instead of
working for other people. Well, again, have you tried being poor and getting a
loan of any kind, much less a small business loan? It is very hard to do.
Further, thanks to the corporate
takeover of America, small businesses rarely make it; in fact many that have
been around for decades are closing. There was a small convenience store that
had been in my hometown of Rock Hill, SC for five decades that was bulldozed
last year. A massive Quik Trip stands in its place now.
Aside from the survival of the
business itself, there is the survival of the people who want
to start it while it gets off the ground. They live paycheck to paycheck as it
is. So, how do they work to survive and get a business off the ground at the
same time? That doesn’t work.
The thing is, the mantra that poor
people are simply lazy, do not try hard enough, or want to freeload off the
government is simply untrue. Poverty is a cycle, and it is a cycle that is
nearly impossible to break.
So, do what I have done over the
years and thank your lucky stars if you aren’t poor, and, if you are, realize
that it isn’t your fault, no matter how much classism you might experience. If
you make judgments about people who don’t make a certain amount of money, try
to remember that you don’t know their stories, and that it likely is something
they would rectify if they could, but often they can’t. They are just trying to
survive to see another day.
Shannon Barber is a self- described queer
feminist and activist for LGBT rights, women’s rights, and secular rights in
America. She is a lifelong lover of words, though her educational background is
in computer science. She currently writes for 2 liberal websites, and keeps her
own humor blog for lesbians. She hopes to change the world, one mind at a time.
