Ehrenreich And The Ables

Some Americans are lucky and do not have to rely on their families to help them after they get their own jobs. However, this is not a possibility for the working class poor. Many of Ehrenreich’s fellow workers rely heavily on family to meet their basic needs of housing, food, and help with childcare. Many Americans will put excessive demands on the family unit before going to the government for help. Ehrenreich only had herself to take care of. Many of her coworkers had to go home and take care of their children and household.

A question one might ask themselves; why would two authors write a book on the working poor? This topic is of high importance but people in the United States do not seem to understand. The census taken in 2012 tells us 46.5 million people in the United States are living in poverty and 20.4 million people are living in deep poverty which is where income is 50% lower than the poverty line. 80% of humanity living in the United States lives on $10 a day; that is over half of the people living in poverty, and they are hardly being able to provide for themselves. Working class is the majority in the United States which makes this topic very important. When 80% of the U.S. population is considered the working poor, and they live below the poverty

In the movie Perfect Sisters, the theory that best applies is strain theory. According to Siegel and Welsh (2012) “strain theory suggests that while most people share similar values and goals, such as a good education, a nice home, a great car, and stylish clothes, the ability to achieve these personal goals is stratified by socioeconomic class. While the affluent may live out the ‘American Dream,’ the poor are shut out from achieving their goals. Because poor kids can’t always get what they want, they begin to feel frustrated and angry, a condition referred to as strain.” Sandra and Beth were discontent that their mother could not keep a job due to her alcohol dependence. They were upset that the mother kept spending money on alcohol. Leaving them with money troubles. Both became irritated that their friends had better materialistic items than they did. For example, Ashley, the popular girl in school, had big house and hosted big parties. Sandra admits to her that she is sort of jealous of her lifestyle and popularity. Sandra wants to be popular but doesn’t have financial means to obtain such status therefore; she dresses provocative to achieve popularity. Both teens previously talked to their aunt Martha who is “loaded” about moving in with her but she declined. They talked with their father about his obligation he has as their biological father but he lets them know he has a family and can’t take the girls in. They called social services but can’t get any help from them

Ehrenreich states in the book that a “person with every advantage that ethnicity and education, health and motivation can” and will be able to survive in America (10). In America, there are certain advantages one has to get by and survive, yet not everyone gets to take that advantage.

Taking a tour of any historical or famous American’s home provides a sobering window to the past in several ways. While some give off a sense of luxury of a bygone period of their past, it doesn’t take long to realize these dwellings lacked the basic amenities – hot water, plumbing, and electricity. To ponder the vast and incredible improvements that America has achieved over the last century would easily amaze these historic figures. Today it is possible for the poor in America to live at a standard that previous generations of similar means simply could not afford. The level of comfort poor Americans experience in today’s society far exceeds that of prior generations, creating a class that have no clear incentive to improve their

I have to agree with Ehrenreich that there is no job unskilled. Even jobs that require simple tasks still requires the employee attention and practice to master perfection. I thought Ehrenreich did well while working in low-wage jobs. She is a good observer. Looking for a shelter, safe place to sleep can be difficult especially for a woman. I think the way welfare works in this country is obsolete in somehow unfair. The poor is limited by politicians regulations. The government does not help. The government as is usual allures people. Ehrenreich project shows the welfare problem on her book. From her book, I assume how much taxes the rich, the poor are or aren’t paying. With Ehrenreich project, I learned how little I know about how the poor

The families in both stories find themselves in situations where their financial situations fail to support their lofty views of themselves and their position. For Paul, his family repeatedly sought money as there was “…not nearly enough for the position they had to keep up.” (Lawrence, 1933/2013, p. 174), neither parent ever made enough despite both working. Also, Trevor’s family struggled since “his father, a former architect and present clerk, had ‘come down in the world’” (Greene, 1954/n.d., p. 1), therefore making less money and causing the family to be looked down upon. The lack of wealth causes more distress for these families than in the case of unmaterialistic ones, resulting in the drama played out by the family’s

Before reading the excerpts from “The Overspent American” I was not familiar with Juliet Schor’s work. While reading however, I saw that her views were different from many of the other authors that we have read so far. When I had finished the reading I found the reading enjoyable and fascinating. The reason that her writing intrigued me was because of her multiple perspectives while writing. Not only does she concentrate on the economics of American people, but she also uses a sociologist lens to show the purchasing habits of our culture. “The Overspent American” focuses on how we as a society have changed our spending patterns from the past. During the 1950s the phrase “keeping up with the Jones’” was coined and it represented Americans trying to outspend their neighbors and friends. For example, my friend buys a boat and I also need to buy a boat to make sure my friends saw me as being wealthy. Today our society as changed in many ways but Schor finds that our spending habits have altered the most since the 1950s. By analyzing and evaluating her work, one can see how Americans spending habits have changed over time and how our economics have been overtaken by television and broadcast media.

The author is able to portray herself as a credible individual by stating her level of education and her experience working low wage jobs. Her education makes her a reliable source because without it, she wouldn't be able to conduct the experiment. To be able to conduct this experiment, she would have to collect data and analyze the data to form a conclusion. Ehrenreich has a “Ph.D. in biology, and [she] didn’t get it by sitting at a desk and fiddling with numbers (3). She has experience going onto the field, collecting data in the real world, so she was able to plan out her experiment, not just as a women, but as a scientist.

The last two sections of Ehrenreich’s narrative provide a personal evaluation of her project and the reactions to her book. She begins with an applause for her successful performance as a low-waged employee. She admits that although she has a Ph.D., manual labor is not as easy as it seems and that no job should be regarded as unskilled. Ehrenreich celebrates the moments in which she thrived at each of the particular workplaces. She praises herself for abiding by the rules that she set at the beginning of the experiment and doing her best to keep a job. Overall, as a worker, she gives herself a grade of B or B plus.

The “American Dream” is based on the fundamental idea that one’s social status, and ultimately their happiness, is deeply rooted in their financial success and the material items they possess. It is often believed that mass consumerism has become an indicator of one’s ability to participate as an elite member of society and ultimately complete the pursuit of happiness. However, groups also object these views of happiness and suggest that happiness is based on far more than material items. One’s perception on the correlation of materialism and the pursuit of happiness is dependent on an individual's experience as a consumer.

"I have run up credit card bills that I didn't know how I would pay off. I recognize when I am engaged in a spending spree, but I often have felt powerless to stop myself. The compulsion to finish the list and to avoid adding other things to the list - by buying them right then - has often been much stronger than the recognition that I didn't have the money to pay for what I was buying" (Spenders Anonymous, n.d.). This excerpt is from the story of a man named Kirk, who is a compulsive buyer. Kirk is not alone; many Americans are controlled by a cycle of working and spending what meager amount they have left to buy luxury items. Sometimes these citizens do not even have the money to pay for what they are buying. Truly, these people are miserable, but the idea that consumerism equals happiness and that they are living free lives is driven into American people since childhood. Consumerism and freedom are key parts of the American dream. The American dream emphasizes hard work and sacrifice, but in return, it promises the possibility of success to everyone, regardless of his or her socioeconomic circumstances. Despite the good intentions behind the ancestral ideal, the American dream has turned into a nightmare.

The main message that is shown throughout Ehrenreich’s investigation and what she was able to write in the book, shows the readers that it’s almost impossible to get by in America if you’re working below minimum wage. “ … with job entry-level jobs advertised at $8 an hour and studio apartments for $400 or less” ( Ehrenreich 122). This example from the book can show that in Minnesota, those prices are the ones being advertised, yet for low-wage workers living in a $400 apartment is not an option which is why Ehrenreich decides to live at a house that belongs to a friend’s friend and came with the agreement to take care of the owner’s cockatiel. This is also able to make an image of what people have to go through just have a roof over their heads

I think Ehrenreich’s purpose is to show the world the unfair treatments that poor people face at their jobs. She went into the experiment thinking that it would be easy, but by the end she realized that to even live under a roof she had to work two jobs. Also, this book could be used to motivate the poor people to demand higher pay at their jobs.

The majority of the the U.S. population identify themselves as being within the middle or working class. The socioeconomic group between the lower and upper classes. is much smaller than most think and is starting to decline. The large increase in income have reshaped the American middle class that most claim to be part of. Today’s higher income of the American middle class family comes from the two-parent income. This income is higher of those of past generations, however, over the past generation, the increase in income for the median-earning family have not resulted in an improved lifestyle. The reason for life not improving for America’s middle class is often misconstrued with over consumption or purchasing of unneeded items and services, but these activities are not the case for the middle class non improved quality of life. Revolving debt and the large increase in life’s fixed expenses such as mortgage, health care, and child care, these factors are the main reasons for the increase in income for middle class families not resulting in an improved life quality.