A Culture of Poverty - Term Paper Example

?[Insert Here] [Insert Your Here] [Insert and Number Here] 13 December A Culture of Poverty Many perspectives and opinions surround the issues related to impoverished communities; particularly communities with high populations of Latin- and African-Americans, as well as legal and illegal immigrants. Two articles on the subject serve as reference materials for this paper, which will be used to explore selfishness and greed as underlying problems regarding these communities. It seems Americans enjoy utilizing, or perhaps taking advantage of, low-wage laborers. Communities of middle- and upper-class American citizens where use of service labor is popular, even mandatory to sustain current living conditions, conveyed a high level of discrimination for the very group of individuals that allow them to maintain their lifestyle. Kristen H. Maher (p. 781-806) reported the responses of several interviews conducted with residents and laborers in an upscale community in Irvine, California. The community population was made up of 90 percent Caucasian and 10 percent Asian homeowners in the Ridgewood community of South County in Irvine. Statements made by homeowners were borderline appalling when they described their feelings about Latino service employees—even those who were actual residents due to a live-in type of a situation—utilizing facilities such as the neighborhood pool and park intended for use by residents. The overall sentiment was the homeowners only felt comfortable when these workers were using the facilities with the homeowners’ children present. For example, if a nanny was swimming with the children he or she cared for, it was acceptable for the nanny to be at the pool. Alone, it was “taboo” for the nanny to use the facility alone (Maher). While the regulations of the community were not written, it seems a posting was unnecessary. Their sentiments were felt by the Latinos; those workers who were interviewed shared their uneasiness about using the facilities, even when the children were present, much less going about the neighborhood on their own or with their own families. A couple of the community members said they did not have a problem with their nanny utilizing the facilities, but would probably have concern for anyone the employee would bring into the neighborhood (i.e. family members, friends, etc.) that may pose a potential threat to the safety of the community (Maher). Furthermore, the residents of Ridgewood voiced a strong desire to have a gate installed around the property to keep out the “riff-raff” that they perceive to be nearing their community from outlying areas such as Santa Ana, California, and even North County, where most of the laborers resided (Maher). The opinion of the laborers was that they were “good,” but it is the unknown that these individuals fear. Since the nanny is working, he or she is considered to be a “good guy,” and all others may or may not want to cause problems for the community. The residents wish to remain unscathed from the perceived dangers that lurk closer and closer to Irvine—specifically Ridgewood (Maher). However, what the residents of Ridgewood and many others, who oppose immigration, are failing to recognize is the fact that due to their low wages, these Latinos are unable to lift themselves above the poverty line. They are forced to move closer to their places of employment (i.e. Ridgewood, and other predominantly Caucasian neighborhoods), in order to cut as much cost associated with commuting as possible so what little of their income is left can be used to support their families. Alejandra Marchevsky and Jeanne Theoharis authored a book entitled Not Working: Latina Immigrants, Low-Wage Jobs, and the Failure of Welfare Reform. In the book, they explore the life of a single, Latin-American woman, Myrna Cardenas, who is struggling to make ends meet in order to provide for her three children. Myrna is no different from the service laborers discussed by Maher. She is working two low-wage jobs, one as an overnight shelf-stocker for Target Stores, and also during the day at a plastics factory in Orange County in Southern California. Her family’s income was well below the poverty line at the time the story was written, and she hardly had enough time to sleep, much less properly tend to her children. Once she was able to receive some government support, in the form of food stamps and cash aid, after proving she was a legal U.S. citizen, she was still bringing in a total amount below the poverty line and struggling to provide for her family—still forced to work two jobs (Marchevsky and Theoharis). Therefore, the problem is not with the immigrants coming to America, but with the treatment and lack of social services offered to these families. Many members of the Latino community are in the country legally, but still face the same discrimination as their undocumented counterparts (Marchevsky and Theoharis). In 1994, California successfully passed Proposition 187, which removed access to social services such as healthcare and education to undocumented workers. The problem with this is actually a matter of safety. These low-wage nannies are now caring for their employers’ children, many of whom do not have access to health insurance. Even Myrna reported that she was not considered full-time, meaning she was ineligible for benefits at either of her two large organization employers. The children are now exposed to illness through a nanny who may or may not be sick and is unable to seek appropriate medical treatment or be proactive in their healthcare needs. Several anti-immigration groups argue that immigrants are filling up the hospitals. They are filling up the hospitals because they do not have health insurance. Typically, they will only seek treatment for their children’s needs, and in some cases it is only when the child is showing extreme symptoms. The parents are not home enough to catch illness early enough, since they are forced to work—in most cases two jobs—outside of the home, basically neglecting their own children to care for those of their employers. In a sense, they are working to care for their families, but in actuality they may be doing more harm than good; particularly in cases like Myrna where she is the sole legal guardian of her children. Thus, it appears as though America has not come very far in the last few decades. Discrimination, though aimed at a different community, is still rampant. Communities and organizations require the services of low-wage laborers, but do not wish to reciprocate with some form of a health plan or even allow them to utilize facilities within the neighborhoods in which they spend a majority of their time. When laborers are kept as laborers and not allowed to better themselves, the communities employing the laborers will soon become the minority, if they are not already in many areas. Therefore, the overall quality of the country will turn to that equivalent of the areas where the immigrants are immigrating from—nothing will have changed. Works Cited Maher, Kristen H. "Borders and Social Distinction in the Global Suburb." American Quarterly. 56.3 (2004): 781-806. Print. Marchevsky, Alejandra, and Jeanne Theoharis. Not Working: Latina Immigrants, Low-Wage Jobs, and the Failure of Welfare Reform. New York: NYU Press, 2006. Print. Read More