Okay, I like to see what people look like, so I went to Ruby Payne’s web site to find her picture. I found a short video clip of her talking about her philosophy. On the video she says that “you have to be able to negotiate different economic environments if you are going to be successful” and that in her research in the business place, “many, many middle-class people get knocked out of promotions to the executive level because they didn’t know the hidden rules of wealth.” Hmmmm. Where do experience and networking come into play?
My introduction to this idea of poverty was through a workshop at my school several years ago, but I remember leaving with the notion that poverty can exist in areas of emotions, spirituality, relationships, and experiences, not just in financial status. I have always known that, but I had never heard it expressed it those terms. A few years later, I attended another workshop led by county personnel at our school. Again, I thought the idea of poverty on different levels was thought-provoking, but I felt uncomfortable with the stereotyping, and there was a lot of that.
As a single parent, I have been close to financial poverty in the past. My children were 3 and 10 when I went back to school to get my undergraduate degree. I was divorced, and although I got child support payments, I could barely put food on the table. Those were hard times, but we survived because I was so frugal. There are many families who live paycheck to paycheck and would be on the street in a few short months if they lost their job or faced a catastrophic illness. There are so many causes of poverty that no generalizations can be made. Gorski said, “Can we assume, for example, that poor white U.S. citizens from Appalachian West Virginia share a mindset and culture with poor Somali refugees who arrived in Minnesota last month?” (p. 2). Even this statement reflects a biased view of West Virginians! I’ve lived in Appalachia, and it is no longer as poverty-stricken as it may have once been.
I have now read several articles by Gorski and I’m drawn to his ideas. I’m looking forward to hearing him speak this week on his own merit and not just in rebuttal to Payne.
