Category: Culture
Poverty in America . . . Anywhere Really
A good article from the Opinionator from the New York Times.
Poverty in America Is Mainstream
By MARK R. RANK | The New York Times | Nov 2, 2013Contrary to popular belief, the percentage of the population that directly encounters poverty is exceedingly high. My research indicates that nearly 40 percent of Americans between the ages of 25 and 60 will experience at least one year below the official poverty line during that period ($23,492 for a family of four), and 54 percent will spend a year in poverty or near poverty (below 150 percent of the poverty line).
Even more astounding, if we add in related conditions like welfare use, near-poverty and unemployment, four out of five Americans will encounter one or more of these events.
The solutions to poverty are to be found in what is important for the health of any family — having a job that pays a decent wage, having the support of good health and child care and having access to a first-rate education. Yet these policies will become a reality only when we begin to truly understand that poverty is an issue of us, rather than an issue of them.
Is that Something or Nothing?
David Letterman used to do a bit with Paul where they would raise the curtain on stage, see a thing, and then discuss if that is “something or nothing?” I also enjoyed the bit, “Will if Float?” Dave hasn’t done either of those bits in a long time. A tech friend of mine explained to me last year that Google has changed what people think is worth “paying for” and that their strategy of “some stuff for free and some you pay for,” even if it is “ad words,” has changed the behavior of what content or services that a person would pay for. When you think about it, Google just picked up the business model of Big Box Stores that sell a little of everything at such low prices that it has driven down the costs and the expectations of said product.
My companion and I create and self publish a little service called, Sacred Steps: Children’s Sermon Journal. It is a weekly document to assist those that are following the Lectionary readings each week in their worship experiences and are working to prepare a “children’s sermon” from one of those texts. We utilize another great site for study, Textweek.com, as a beginning place for some of our thinking and writing. My companion is a First Testament biblical scholar, so most of her words are her own about the First Testament texts. SSCSJ is unlike other options in this area, but it is something that few would “pay for.” We’ve tried subscriptions and will move to an ebook model when Advent begins this year. We have a few subscribers. No worries. It is not a primary income stream. I’m thinking about this today after reading an opinion piece from the New York Times this morning. I won’t completely rip off his words, but borrow a paragraphs for exposure and link to the article.
Slaves of the Internet, Unite!
by Tim Kreider | Opinion/The New York TimesPracticalities aside, money is also how our culture defines value, and being told that what you do is of no ($0.00) value to the society you live in is, frankly, demoralizing. Even sort of insulting. And of course when you live in a culture that treats your work as frivolous you can’t help but internalize some of that devaluation and think of yourself as something less than a bona fide grown-up.