The Working Poor: Invisible in America

THE WORKING POOR Invisible in America BY DAVID K. SHIPLER ALFRED A. KNOPF 2004, 320 PAGES, $25.00

At first glance, the title The Working Poor looks like an oxymoron such as "bittersweet" or "deafening silence." After all, in this great land of opportunity, the expectation is that if people are willing to work, they can pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Yet, there is the notion that someone can work and still not make a living. Such is the case with the working poor.

David K. Shipler, a Pulitzer Prize winner, takes a hard look at those whose Sisypbean labor seems to produce pure frustration--unable to advance in their jobs or move above the poverty line into a better and more dignified life.

Shipler lists example after example of individuals who are stuck in poorly paying dead-end jobs. His revealing interviews with them make for fascinating case studies. While a compassionate person, Shipler nonetheless is not some bleeding heart. He places the blame on the individual and society. His myriad observations lead him to conclude that, "For practically every family, then, the ingredients of poverty are part financial and part psychological, part personal, part past and part present."

To make his case, he cites immigrants who live in a ghetto of their own making, thus avoiding the need to learn English. Much like Native Americans, they fail to jump into the mainstream, thus become a people apart. Examples are the Vietnamese in Minnesota and Texas, Latinos in Los Angeles, Hispanics in Florida, and blacks in the inner city ghettos.

Although difficult for outsiders to believe, many are quite satisfied living day to day, having become inured to their situation, unmotivated to "get ahead." Then, too, they tend to be short-range in their views, agreeing with the adage that "An egg today is better than a chicken tomorrow" A number of them are caught in Catch-22 situations. They take out a needed loan at exorbitant interest rates, cash checks at a currency exchange for a hefty fee, buy lottery tickets that offer only one in a million chances of winning, etc.

Moreover, many lack the skills and discipline that employment demands. The government recognizes this and sponsors instructional programs. The task, however, is Herculean. Employers sometimes cooperate, but are reluctant because it has become nearly impossible to fire an incompetent person who has a negative attitude toward work. Despite their being taught how to act during an interview, some will chew gum when answering questions, show no respect for the personnel director, wear a seed cap on backwards, etc. Some do not display the courtesy to call in sick or late when the situation demands it. Even though some government agencies pay the interviewee's traffic tickets (so he/she does not start behind the eight ball), few lasting results are achieved. Some nearly unemployable individuals seem to be "pushing the envelope" backward!

The government sets the poverty threshold at an annual income at or below $18,300 for one adult and three children (seemingly to pre-suppose the single parent syndrome). The overall conclusion is that the problems of the working poor are almost intractable, unless greater concern starts being shown by the participants themselves, employers, government, and the better-off public.

GERALD F. KREYCHE

American Thought Editor

COPYRIGHT 2004 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group