Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Where they are now
I was not at all surprised that the naive outlook of the Brothers did not amount to much of anything years after the initial interviews. While I think its a good thing to have hope that one can achieve whatever they put their sights to, I also think that its important to be realistic about the social construction that surrounds you. Reading the first few chapters, I thought that the Brothers would probably amount to more than the Hangers but in reality both of the groups were mostly stuck in poverty. What do you think the solution is to getting out of poverty if it does not lie in completing high school, having a positive attitude, and a good work ethic? Is there ever any escaping it once you are in it?
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I agree - the outcome for the Brothers was disheartening, but not unexpected. Chapter 11 does speak to some potential solutions to the cycle of poverty, but mostly on the structural level (different education reform strategies, etc). It does seem that there is only so much a person can do to attempt to change their situation. I think one of the most important things they can do with their agency is gather knowledge and awareness about the structures in which they live. The more one knows about the structural forces that push them toward failure, the better equipped they are to make specific efforts for positive change. A blindly positive attitude and good work ethic, as Katie mentioned, can only take you so far if you are oblivious to the myriad of structural constraints you are affected by. Individuals who are born into poverty and manage to escape and increase their socioeconomic status have had at least one lucky break. An awareness of the system can increase the likelihood that you will have the tools to take advantage of the lucky break when(/if?) it comes.
ReplyDeleteMacLeod suggests that both the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers blame themselves, instead of the unfair social structure, for their lack of success in life. At first, I was surprised that the boys who operated within this system could not recognize the inequalities they faced and how they felt they had responsibility for their success or failure. However, I think failure to recognize one’s own social system affects everyone. For example, I hear so often from other women that women are no longer disadvantaged, that we are completely equal to men, despite the gender pay gap and absence of women in corporate and governmental positions of power. I never remember my parents telling me about gender inequality. In fact, my well educated parents showed me princess videos and asked me when my prince would be arriving. I would argue that they really didn’t understand the values that I would be taught through this exposure. I did not really understand gender inequality until I studied it in a class, yet I had been operating within this system my whole life.
ReplyDeleteMacLeod describes how schools, however, are taught to promote the achievement ideology, not debunk it, because it may provide incentive to work harder and does not completely crush their dreams. Also, these vary teachers may have experiences that for them hold that hard work brings about social mobility. Thus, parents do not understand the barriers to social mobility to teach their children, and schools are choosing to promote false ideals. Thus, I am not sure how people like the Hallway Hangers and the Brothers can ever understand their social location, which as Brenna suggests is probably one of the best ways to actually achieve mobility.