I used to work at a nonprofit in far Eastern Kentucky, specializing in emergency home repair. We would replace roofs, build stairs and ramps, install new floor systems, the works.
50-150 volunteers would come stay at with us in Appalachia each week. As a staff member, one of my greatest joys was to see people grapple with the idea of American poverty. For many of the youth, and even some of the adult leaders, coming on this mission trip was the first time they had really seen what poverty was like.
RACHEL DAWES
Look beyond your own pain, Bruce.
Rachel gestures at the filthy streets. Down dark alleys-
shadowy figures conduct business.
RACHEL (CONT'D)
This city is rotting.
...the bad people are rich and the good people [are] scared.
What resulted was often as week filled with progressively more frank discussions about poverty. The hands on nature of working inside impoverished homes combined with the newly found comradery of volunteers living together created an uncommon openness.
Staff and volunteers alike openly talked about how troublesome situations such as it a new mother to having to drive herself and her newborn an hour and half each way for repeated checkups. From a hoarder's mobile home cleanliness to a family's preference of a 40'' flat screen over holes in the floor, everything was open for discussion.
During one of these sometimes passionate discussions a red headed youth still in high school calmly approached me and told me a story.
"[Possiblypassino] you know, at first I wondered why the [Jones] had a tanning bed. Here we are in the middle of nowhere Appalachia and they have a tanning bed. We are building steps to their front door for godlessness sakes and they have a tanning bed. It seemed odd. But as the week went on and I got to know one another, I came to learn that Mr. [Jones] had back problems. He couldn't stand for very long and seemed to be in a lot of pain. They did not have enough money to have the surgery. None of the medications would rid him of the pain, but this dumb tanning bed relived him a little bit. I would have never known that if we had not worked in his house for a full week and gotten to know the family."
Have you ever asked saw someone as not really poor because "you know, they all have refrigerators and televisions, don't they?
According to the Atlantic they do. In fact 80% of low income households have a fridge, TV, microwave and a stove. "They can heat food and cool food and watch American Idol, no problem."
America's Toys Are Getting Cheaper While Essentials Are Getting More Expensive
Sources:
Why America's Essentials Are Getting More Expensive While Its Toys Are Getting Cheap
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/05/its-expensive-to-be-poor/361533/
Batman Begins Script
http://www.nolanfans.com/library/pdf/batmanbegins-screenplay.pdf
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