Final Essay

Faizi 1

Ibrahim Faizi

Monique Williams

English 1A

22 December 2013

The proverb, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” is simple, yet really powerful. It is used to bring two groups together to stop a common adversary. We, the struggling middle class of America, aren’t putting this knowledge to use in dealing with the problems we have with the rich. We need to be working with the poor instead of pushing them away with false labels. The book, The Rich and the Rest of Us, shares the stories of poor people’s struggles throughout the country. It shows how they are looked down on and sometimes even ignored. Placing stereotypes on those who are struggling with poverty results in the division of everyone at the bottom which is exactly what the wealthy want us to do. By distancing ourselves from people in poverty, we are driving our own selves into poverty and out of being financially successful in America.

By making stereotypes about poor people, the shrinking middle class is mistakenly breaking away from the commonalities it has with the poor. “Like a man with a knife in his back…, the poor have been stabbed with the blade of indifference. With a profusion of affirmation we acknowledge the pain and rush to stop the bleeding. Affirmation…compels us to action”(pg. 72). We walk around not caring about poor people and at the same time condemning them, thinking we are getting away from poverty itself. In reality putting down the poor doesn’t get us any closer to the rich, it only

Faizi 2

sets the bar of poverty lower. We need to realize that we aren’t so different from the poor. Both of us are struggling in an unfair world created by the rich. We are all in debt and can’t provide enough for not only future generations, but also our immediate family. The implanted stereotypes we use on the poor make us feel like we aren’t going to fall into poverty, but that is couldn’t be more false.

Stereotypes like poor people are lazy, on drugs, and taking advantage of us are created by the 1% and placed in our thoughts to prevent us from working with the poor in changing this nation for the better. “Who could forget the President’s stump speeches…of the so-called Chicago welfare queen? Journalists tried-in vain-to find the Cadillac-driving welfare cheat Reagan described who used more than 80 aliases, false addresses, and names of nonexistent or dead husbands to steal $180,000 in government aid”(pg. 77). While president, Ronald Reagan would constantly tell make believe stories like this to defend cuts in programs that aimed in helping the poor. The rich implanted these stereotypes to make us believe that the poor are our enemies. In reality the top 1% are just using this as a distraction, while they get more and more money. To this day, they are still antagonizing the poor so we can pass their hidden agendas, which only benefit them. They are enjoyingly watching both lower classes struggle and fight with each other. Poverty stereotypes are preventing us from seeing that the true enemy is in fact the wealthy of this nation.

The ending of poverty stereotypes can be achieved if workshop-like events are held that allow people from different financial backgrounds to interact with each other

Faizi 3

and find solutions on how to improve living conditions. “If Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, or any other clueless politician who demeans poor folk had joined us during the Prairie Opportunity gathering, they might have garnered a better understanding of what so called poor people really want”(pg. 83). One of the main things holding us back from working with the poor is that we don’t realize how close we are to them. Life is full of struggles that we constantly go through and chances are a lot of people around us, including the people in poverty, have already gone through these same struggles. By giving the poor an outlet and hearing what they have to say we can finally understand who they really are and what they want. These events can be that outlet for not just them, but also all of us struggling in the middle too.

Stereotypes against the poor are preventing us, Americans in the middle class, from realizing that we are in the same boat as people in poverty. That is why it’s essential for poor and middle class Americans to put aside the negative thoughts, created by the rich, about each other and work together to break the tight grip the 1% have on this nation’s wealth. The work Tavis Smiley and Cornel West, the authors of The Rich and the Rest of Us, did in getting the poor noticed is only the first, yet a significant step towards finally creating a fair and just nation for all people in the US. It is now the job of us, the poor and middle class, to take control of this country.

Work Cited:

Smiley, Tavis and Cornel West. The Rich and the Rest of Us. New York: SmileyBooks, 2012. Print.

BΔd Blood

This is a response to the article U.S. Prisons: Myth Vs. Mayhem from Time Magazine. In this article, the author, Frank Trippett, talks about the failure of the U.S. prison system and what little steps are being taken to improve it. Although this article was published in 1980, the problems he talks about are still going on today. I feel like the reason why prisons aren't being changed or improved are because people don’t think about what’s going on in there and owners of prisons are making money off of the current system. They are taking our tax money and aren't doing anything to help prisoners. Also with the more prisoners they get, the more money they make. An overlooked fact this article stated and I didn't realize, is that prisons, instead of helping people, makes some prisoners more damaged. Someone can go in for a small crime and end up doing much worse when they get out because of all of the harsh abuse they go through in there. Prison isn't the best solution to dealing with gang members, but if paired with other things it can ultimately help. I think we should force prisoners to learn in prisons, just like we force kids to go to school. I know prisons have optional classes, but only a few actually go into these classes. Obviously many aren't going to want to learn and not all will, but there is a possibility that some, who normally wouldn't go, might actually get better and like to learn. This education can also be useful to prisoners after they are released from jail. They can use what they learned to prepare for and get jobs. I really liked the alternative punishments that some states were using, especially the one in Mississippi. When someone steals in this state, they are taken to a restitution center, which they pay five dollars a day to stay in, and must pay back those who they stole from. The questions I have are why is it taking so long for prisons to be changed and how are we going to determine who should be let out?

Changing of the Seasons

We should have compassion for others because as humans we should help each other. It is who we are, I feel like we are wired to feel bad for the people around us and do what we can to make the world better for them. The one quote that reminds me of compassion is “Treat others the way you want to be treated”. I learned this in elementary school, but I don’t remember who or where I heard it from. Nevertheless, I try everyday to follow this quote and help others whenever I can. Just because you don’t have any problems right now, doesn't mean you’ll live without problems or obstacles your whole life. Life can turn around at any moment and as humans we need support from the people around us or we won’t make it in life. It also feel good to help others and it usually doesn’t affect you negatively. With all this being said, I think there is a limit to compassion. Sometimes people need to bear some responsibility to what has happened to them. They, and we, shouldn’t always think they are just victims of bad luck or a bad/unfair world. Also we shouldn’t let people take advantage of our compassion. Unfortunately some people do this and hurt other who are only trying to help them.

Bright Lights

The people who are in power don’t want their children competing with the less fortunate and minorities. They want their kids to be successful like them and to achieve this, they do their best to eliminate the poor from getting in the way of their children. They separate minorities from rich, white kids by placing them in different schools. The minority schools are usually broken down and always overcrowded. The schools are also poorly funded and have limited resources. These kids barely learn anything in here and are way behind in academic level compared to rich children. For instance, some minority children, who are in middle school, have 1st-2nd grade reading levels, while rich kids of the same age have upper high school reading levels. By keeping the minorities out, they make sure their kids get top level jobs.
The poor, meanwhile, have to settle for entry-level jobs. This is a result in the lack of education and skills they receive from the awful schools they went to. The hiring of the poor benefits the rich because it gives them workers for their companies. The jobs the poor receive are ones that nobody wants and they are paid low amounts. Many argue that someone has to do these jobs, so might why not give it to a particular group of people. This is a terrible argument because one of these workers could’ve found the cure for cancer or another cleaner solution to oil if they had a proper education and not tossed into a factory or whatever basic job they have.
The wealthy are afraid that both the poor and minorities are going to take over what the rich believe is theirs. They go through any means necessary to hold the poor down. This includes not only have separated schools, but also by racially judging them, putting the down negatively, and seeing them as lower people. Rather than embrace diversity, they want to keep themselves secluded in a bubble, away from the poor. They don’t see that having diversity around you, helps people think in different ways and learn important, useful things. This benefits everyone, instead of just one group. Also, they separate their children from poor children because they fear their children will be influenced by them and not do what the rich want to do. The rich also think their children might become more like the poor and minorities if they hang out with or talk to them. Obviously not all rich people are like this, but the ones on top rely on these tactics to stay in control.

When Green Meets Red and Red Meets Blue

Even though segregation has been outlawed, there still has been signs of it in schools and classes throughout the U.S. Nowadays though, children aren’t separated by race entirely, but by personality and interests. In classes you see a group of friends bunched up together discussing things not relevant to class material. During non-class time, kids are still hanging out with the same people based on their common interests. This doesn’t seem so bad and I’m not saying kids shouldn’t have a set of friends, but hanging out with the same people can cause kids to be closed minded. Personally I feel like the more people I met and became friends with, the more I my mind thought about different things. If students don’t all connect with each other, they may not learn about important, useful, and/or interesting things that they never thought of. This relates to segregation by race because I’m 100% sure both colored and white children could’ve learned a multitude of thing from each other that would’ve benefited everyone involved if all races went to the same schools.

Disappear (Part 3 Rough Draft)

The failure to keep schools open, along with having both crowded schools and classrooms will cause students to be overlooked and ignored. Teachers won’t have time to explain the material in detail to individual students and answers everyone's questions. Students would be denied one-on-one time with their teachers because of overcrowded classes. For instance, if a child falls behind in class, it would be really tough for the student to catch up without the teachers undivided attention. With smaller classes, teachers would have more time to focus on each student and overcome the issues at hand.

Another negative of this situation would be uncontrollable commotion. Crowded classes would result in lack of order and intense uproar. The noisy environment, brought about by numerous side conversations, causes students to lose focus and get distracted easily. Furthermore, teachers will not be able to teach efficiently without frequent interruptions. Students’ irrelevant arguments become the main focus of the class, which are encouraged by these cluttered workspaces. All around the situation proves to be utter chaos and an unfit learning environment.

On a wider scale campuses will be much more difficult to manage. In the event of an altercation, security guards are obligated to restore order. The common issue of schools frequently shutting down forces an increase in need for staff in active facilities, notably security guards. Generally speaking, a vast number of students migrating to a nearby school produces a demand for insufficient supplies, which doesn’t meet their needs. These disadvantaged students harbor the burden of unfortunate schools. The misconception of saving money in the act of closing schools is nothing more than an illusion.

What I Know Right Now

 After watching the TED video, I don't even know where to begin. From start to finish, Sir Robinson had really great interesting points. One thing I could relate to is the whole idea of wearing a wristwatch. My dad constantly tells me to wear one and I always respond saying it's useless when I have many other things that tell time. There was so many good metaphors Robinson used when comparing education. The one that really got me was when he said current education is like manufacturing where everyone is doing the same basic things(standardized), but it should be like agriculture or organic. He then says that like farmers, education should provide the resources for the student and let them grow their own way. I would like to add that the current educational system, in public education at least, seems to teach kids the basic but then forces them to go either a certain path or gives them limited options. This idea connects to my previous post about the article by Ron Wolk, which also talked about changing current education to fit students needs and interests rather than everyone learn the same things that don't interest any students. The only concern I have with this whole idea is the toughness of executing it, for example what if someone changes their mind and wants to do something else. If they move to that area what if they get overwhelmed and get behind? The German educational system is the closest thing to this idea that I could think of. From what I understand, after 9th grade students can either continue on to 10th-12th grade, go to a trade school, or to a university. In the end, like all things this will probably have some flaws, but I still think this idea is worth a shot and better than the current system of education.