Social Justice Blog Seven: Fighting Economic Inequalities and Prejudices

Like always, I've been exposed to so much new, eye-opening information this week in our Social Justice class. I really appreciate that our discussions, class documentaries, and readings provide in-depth, real-life perspectives on different social issues. I like that I'm able to connect these topics to either my personal experiences or situations that I've come across. I'll begin today by talking a bit about instances where I've witnessed classism.

Adams's "Bonds of Sisterhood--Bonds of Oppression" chapter was very relatable to the treatment I've seen of domestic help in the United States and abroad. He hits the nail on the head when he describes the deferential behavior of the employer that "enhances the domestic's inferiority" (Adams, 197). As I read over the account of a domestic worker who was repeatedly undermined and called a "poor, uneducated Mexican," it reminded me of something I have seen personally. When I was younger, there was another Indian woman my mom new who would complain to my mom how Latinos were poor, lazy, etc. This woman hired the same domestic help my mom did (a Nicaraguan woman), and there's no doubt her attitude manifested in her treatment of the help. From what my mom told me this woman would say, it cringed to make me think about her behavior toward the Nicaraguan woman. My mom would get very angry at this woman's comments and repeatedly told her how wrong it is to stereotype and look down on someone else.

Classism is very prevalent in the Indian community in America. Although my family fights against racism and classism, there are members of the community that are quite apathetic. It has always bothered my parents, brother, and myself how so many Indians look down on other people of color and people of lower socioeconomic backgrounds. First of all, as a family, we have a wide range of friends of different ethnicities and backgrounds and the whole concept of prejudice just doesn't register for us. Second, my parents always taught us that being considered a "model minority" doesn't mean that we are in any way better than other people of color.

They always emphasized that just because many members of our community are doctors, engineers, and brokers doesn't mean we are superior to anyone. I really admire my parents for being the genuine and brave people they are. Even if it means speaking out against an off-hand comment at an Indian dinner party with 50 plus people, they will do it. I'm thankful that they taught my brother and myself these good values.

Another one of Adams's chapters I've found interesting was "White Poverty: Politics of Invisibility. It is definitely true that the media focuses a lot more on poverty among minorities than on the economic hardships of poor whites. There is an excerpt in the book discussing the plight of a girl called "white trash" by her black classmates. When I saw the quote, "And no matter how poor she was, she would always be white," (Adams, 202) it got me thinking. When I was younger, I was under the impression that race played more of a role in someone's life than class did, but I later realized that might not always be the case.

It seemed to me that well-off people of color would have it worse than a very poor white person. It really appeared that white privilege could go a long way in helping someone achieve economic success and social acceptance. However, as I got older, I realized this isn't entirely true. There's no clear cut answer regarding who would be better off since it depends on the individual situation. However, there are cases of underserved white communities in America that are looked down upon by others for their poverty and backwardness. Whether it is a mining community in the Appalachian mountains or a trailer community in Alabama, there are many white people who experience abject poverty. White privilege definitely exists, however, it doesn't seem to help all individuals. As social workers, it's vital that we reach out to as many communities as we can.

I"ll conclude today by saying a little bit about the Wal-Mart documentary we watched. From the time I was around 8 years old, my mom switched from shopping at Wal-Mart to shopping at Target. When I asked her why, she told me that Wal-Mart doesn't treat people well. As I got older, I gained a better understanding of what she meant. Before watching the movie, I knew that Wal-Mart exploited factory laborers and didn't provide good health benefits for its employees. However, I wasn't aware of the great extent it took place at. I felt my stomach churning when we watched the section discussing how the company owners removed clock-in hours from employees' records. How disgusting! As it is these people make barely $13,000 a year--aren't they the last people who deserve to be cheated?

For all the people that claim that "hard work" can alleviate poverty, I want to show them this film. Many of the Wal-Mart employees are honest, hard-working employees that are being manipulated by the system. They recieve so little finiancial assistance from the company and are taken advantage of by money-hungry business people. It broke my heart to hear about the woman who worked so many shifts under the condition that she would recieve a management position, only to find out that the employeer was cheating her all this while. It was truly sad to hear how she wished she could have spent that time with her family had she known this would happen.

It is really important for us, as a society, to be aware of the race/class prejudice and economic abuse by corporations in order to eliminate inequalities. The more people that speak out against these injustices, the quicker it will be that such oppression will at least be minimized. In my pursuit of knowledge pertaining to social justice, I try to learn more and more about these social issues every day. The way I see it, if I'm educated about these situations, I'll be better equipped to raise awareness.