I drive around the local neighborhoods, where a vast majority of the residence are well below the U.S. poverty guidelines, therefore schools are title one schools meaning over seventy percent of students meet the free or reduced lunch. Its raining this particular time, the radio is playing "The Greatest" by Cat Powers...a song about always feeling as though one must be the greatest at everything. I see homes falling apart, yards a mess, the kind in which you can't quite distinguish if the owners are having a year round garage sale...and yet, the same homes have huge well decorated gazebos, Escalades and Beamers in the drive. I can't help but wonder whats in side those houses. Those same houses, and residents of said houses have their children on free and reduced lunches. This would have to mean, that the yearly income of these household members, do not meet federal guidelines of above poverty.
When did this come about? The feeling that plagues most our American society. That we must all be the greatest and being the greatest is defined by social standards. The greatest are those who possess the most, most money, biggest tv's, highly priced electronics, which all fundamentally do the same things. Have you even stopped to notice that your Ipod touch, IPhone and Ipad all technically DO the same crap? Is it a necessity to own all three? If it is, then why? Why do we feel this way? Have we been conditioned to feel as though every cent that comes into our home must be dumped into the latest and greatest to ensure we stay on top? Are we seriously defining ourselves as a person based on what material possessions we own? Have we stopped to consider that our economic failure stems from our need to feed this status? We dump money, we no longer save we rather spend on wants not needs. In past generations, people knew the value, that's right...value of a dollar. Regardless of today's cost of living, it's as if we go looking for more ways to waste our money.
I recently did a report for a class about student diversity and how social class defines us. Growing up, your parents socialized you to be in a certain class...its inevitable. Your parents are the first to socialize you. They pretty much control everyone you encounter and everything you do. I feel as though from a very young age, I had to have the best of everything and I was nothing or not a productive citizen if I had nothing to show...I dont blame anyone for this. I think my parents wanted the best for me and as a result showered me with everything. I wasn't a spoiled child, but never went without and had way more than a child needs. Both my parents have enough money to never complain about a lack of.
Let me paint a picture...a beautiful family gathered around on a recently brick paved patio. Everyone has a ipod in hand ranging from generation one to generation who cares...so this family, with all their ipods in hand are discussing their music choices. One pulls out speakers that connect to ipods and sits said speakers on the patio table. So now, we have each family member taking turns playing music on the speakers for all to hear and comparing choices...you would think this could be great family bonding time however I was the ONLY family member without an ipod. I was mid twenties at this time, hadn't seen this side of the family in some time...and always felt distant partially do to this exact type of scenario. I must say they had great taste in music however one family member looks to me and says, "Ashley, you don't have an ipod?" as if, I was nothing without one, as if, it was so odd to not have one and as if, it was an impossibility like...really? could it be, someone in this world didn't have an ipod! I felt about the size of a pea. I felt knocked down the status ladder. I wanted to say, "Yes that's right, I have no money and what little money I have cannot go towards an ipod...so sorry to disappoint." That's right, once more in some form or fashion I felt like I had disappointed them. Simply due to not having enough. It's sad isn't it.
