2 posts tagged “classism”

View other items tagged “classism:” Photos, Audio, Videos, Books or Links. View “classism” on Vox.

"I'm from the hood, stupid, what types of facts are those?" - Shawn Carter

To be honest, after a second perusal of Ruby Payne's A Framework for Understanding Poverty I'm not sure how I feel about it. Two years ago when I first blogged about the book I had this to say. Oh, the days when I was a fiery leftist blogger.... I still feel Payne overly generalizes a very large, exploited population whose absent voice in a book such as this speaks volumes. I still feel it is inherently absurd to think you can understand poverty, the lifestyles of many people in poverty, or other such deeply complex and malleable concepts by reading a book. I still feel that the myriad holes in Payne's argument makes it as useful as a two-dollar bill in the vending machines on the first floor of Guyton. However, I do hear more of what Payne was trying to get across after having taught for two years in one of the poorest places in the nation.


Payne rubs me the wrong way on p. 38 with her ridiculous self-assessment that she encourages readers to take to see if they could survive in poverty. Things such as knowing which churches or sides of town have the best rummage sales and living without electricity or a phone are more commonplace for our homeless population--not those in poverty. In actuality, many people in poverty try to live outside of their means through extrinsic markers of financial freedom such as name-brand clothing and sneakers or expensive and multi-faceted cell phones. What's more, Payne's list on p. 167 of the causes of poverty should have placed more emphasis on the exploitation and political/ economic structures that keep people in poverty where they are. Surely, personal choices play a part in keeping people impoverished but the personal choices one views themselves as having are largely dictated by those superstructures that may prevent an individual from seeing themselves as even having choices given the circumstances that they daily face.

I shall give credit where credit is due, however. I feel that some of the practices that Payne describes are right on the money. An example of this is the roundabout storytelling of many people in poverty. The storytelling does not go start-middle-end. It more often goes end, preceding detail, preceding detail, preceding detail, starting point. Those who have encountered this personally will know what I mean. Additionally, I think that Payne is spot on when she says that school is the only place where young people in poverty can learn to become middle class (notwithstanding television and Internet exposure though, since those are not places). Students in Mississippi generally see teachers as individuals who have "made it"--to the middle class, of course. We have salaries. We drive nice, new cars (often). We live on the good side of town. We have lots of business casual and dressy clothing. We speak properly and have college degrees. Students who seek similar lives will look to us for cues on achieving their goals. The tougher question, however, is whether or not middle class is anything to aspire to be at all.

2 comments Tags: poverty, class, stereotypes, classism, ruby payne

"If you scared, get a dog!" - Earl Simmons

A couple days ago a man who works for the Mercer County government was stabbed multiple times in the parking lot across the street from the Mercer County Administrative Building. He'll survive. He's already out of the hospital, actually. The building, unlike most city, county, state, and federal government buildings, is not located in downtown Trenton. It's located around the corner from my house. I can actually see it from my doorway. Take a look: 


Anywho, immediately following the stabbing county officials and law enforcement agents stepped up security in the area (the parking lot is already under surveillance from a private security firm). When I drove by yesterday on my way to get some medicine for my throat I noticed a Mercer County Sheriff's SUV parked right in front of the parking lot across from the main entrance to the county administrative building. That may deter folk. May not. People have definitely been stabbed and shot to death in front of or across the street from police headquarters, precincts, city hall, etc. in the past few years.

This article from today's Trenton Times about a hastily assembled meeting organized by county officials for county workers was bothering for me as a lifelong Trentonian (don't count college and my time in the south) and neighborhood resident. A few quotes:

                             "One employee said he'd worked for the county for more than 20 years and 

                             never heard of any problems at the lot, making the attack all the more surprising.

                             County officials said they have searched their records and not found any record 

                             of violent crime at the site, though in the past two days a few employees have 

                             reported past incidents officials had not known about."

This neighborhood of South Trenton is def not the most violent part of Trenton, in my opinion. Most Trentonians would concur. Still there was a shooting last week just outside a nightclub down the street from the Mercer County Administrative Building. Also, as you go deeper into South Trenton coming towards my house the neighborhood generally gets progressively poorer and more dangerous. I continue:

                            "I know two people who work with me who have had something said to them (by 

                            strangers in the lot), as have I," one woman told Sheriff Kevin Larkin during the 

                            information session. "After 5 p.m., it's another world."

Another world? Really? Mind you, at 5 p.m. for much of the year it's not even dark yet. Even if it was I could never categorize it as "another world." Perhaps another world from the more idyllic suburbs many government workers who work in Trenton live in. Perhaps. Also, note the fact that both the county executive (essentially the mayor of this county which includes Trenton, Princeton [yes, where the University is], and office buildings or headquarters for various major firms ranging from Merrill Lynch to Bristol Myers-Squibb to Johnson & Johnson) and the county sheriff. The big dogs. One more:

                            "One employee asked whether the county offices could be relocated outside of 

                            Trenton. Larkin said he believed they could not because Trenton is the county seat."

Very disappointing that that proposal is even part of the conversation. Very. Places with comparatively high levels of concentrated poverty and low-quality educational systems where violence is more culturally accepted as inevitable usually are...more violent. Want to fix it? Fix Trenton Public Schools. Hire more Trentonians for jobs in our biggest employment sector: government work. Respond intelligently, creatively, and effectively to crime in Trenton. Take a look at what the county government's response to this lone incident included:

                     * Placing a Mercer County sheriff vehicle in front of the parking lot.

                     * Patching up holes in a fence of the parking lot making it harder to access.

                     * Clearing brush along the back of the lot making it harder for intruders to get in or "lie in wait."

                     * Placement of NEW, DIGITAL CAMEREAS in the lot to replace older cameras that produced "grainy 

                      images."

                     * Closure of a back entrance and pedestrian walkway to discourage pedestrians (note: mostly poor and     

                      working class Trentonians of color) from walking through the lot.

                     * Potentially monitoring the use of the back entrance so people who aren't supposed to be in the lot 

                      aren't in the lot.

                     * Issuance of pamphlets on personal safety to government employees.

                     * Issuance of HIGH-PITCHED MOBILE ALARM DEVICES to government employees.

                     * Reviewing conditions around the administrative building and addressing employee needs in an 

                     adjacent building. 

                     * Cleaning up the county-owned Millyard Park behind the administrative building (apparently, currently 

                     government employees are scared to eat lunch in the tiny park because it has benches and a 

                     fountain...some locals supposedly use the area as an "OUTDOOR SHOWER AND BATHROOM.")

                     * Assigning personnel from the sheriff's department and/or park rangers to monitor the park and having 

                     more concerts in the park to encourage its "proper use."


Whew...did you get all that? Wonder what the response to the shooting down the street was? Oh right. NOTHING AT ALL.

Post a comment Tags: government, crime, violence, image, racism, press, trenton, stereotypes …