So... the internet was abuzz for a few days because some white college grad decided to set off on his own with nothing more than a sleeping bag and 25 bucks in his pocket and 'pull himself up by his bootstraps'. The experiment was to see if, within a year, he could improve his situation to the point where he had: a furnished place to live, a car, and 2500 dollars in the bank. Before the year in his experiment was up, he had a duplex with a roommate, a working truck, and over 5000 dollars saved up. To some folks, Adam Shepard is an inspiration - proof that the American dream isn't dead, and that "Nickel and Dimed" got it wrong. To others... well, here were some of the major criticisms I read about the book (apparently by people who hadn't read it):
1. Ooooh, a college graduate can make it off the streets? That's a revelation how?
He didn't use his college degree when applying for jobs, and the job that he took wasn't one that required even a high school diploma - being a college grad isn't gonna help you as a furniture mover or a day laborer.
2. The experiment isn't valid because: he's white. Of course he had no problem finding a job.
See the jobs he took again - none of them are what one would call reserved for whites-only.
3. The experiment isn't valid because: he didn't have any medical problems. See how an injury throws a kink in his plans and then come back to me!
Actually, he was laid up for a week from work after he broke his toe. The cost of medical help and lost wages threw a major kink in his plans, and he repeatedly stressed how grateful he was that it was only a toe, and acknowledged that had it been something more serious, he would have really been up shit creek.
4. The experiment isn't valid because: he ended it early! He only did it for 10 months and then when he heard there was an illness in his family, he gave up and went home! Let's see how well he would have made it if he'd had to support his sick family member!
This one is definitely by people who hadn't read the book. Aside from the fact that he'd already exceeded his goals when he ended the experiment, in reality, his struggle was just beginning for real. His mother came down with really aggressive cancer, and had nothing but a small disability check to support her. He and his brother took an apartment and moved her in with them to help support her. Oh, and the job he was helping support her with? He got a job at another moving company. The experiment ended up being practice for what his real life threw at him.
It's a quick read, at less than 250 pages. Every once in a while, he slips into white liberal anthropologist mode where he starts talking about how "authentic" and how "real" the people on the streets are, as if anyone living in a middle-class neighborhood is somehow a cardboard cutout. Other than that one criticism, though, I found the book truly inspiring. It wasn't a screed about how lazy poor people are, and the only thing stopping them from not being poor is a willingness to work. It was an ode to hard work and delayed gratification. It emphasized that teaching these concepts is critical to getting people off the streets. He doesn't say that anyone can do it on their own, and doesn't try to say that he did either - he openly acknowledges the help he received from Crisis Ministries, advice from other residents at the homeless shelter where he started out, advice and inspiration from his coworkers who were making it at the moving company. I enjoyed it, if only because it inspired me to keep on track - keep saving, keep paying down debt and keep to my goals. If Shepard can achieve his goals, starting from just 25 bucks and a year to work at it, I can surely achieve my own with a good job, and good house, and a supportive family.
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4 comments:
I've heard about this guy. It sounds like a valid experiment through and through. I can see how some people are skeptical about him being white though.
Here is my take on whiteness and jobs: Being white does have an impact on what jobs you are able to get. He might not have been getting jobs that catered to white people, but the fact that he was white probably didn't hurt any. Nick's friend Jason works in construction and he was telling me that when he got hired at his current company in VA and his previous company in CA he had no problems at all. Also, he said he got promoted really fast compared to some of the other guys who were working there, had been working there for much longer than he, and knew how to do the job better and more efficiently. Jason also doesn't have a college degree, so him being white was the only thing giving him the advantage--according to him.
So, I'm not saying that people who aren't white can't do what he did, just that I can see the "but he was white" argument as well. Him being white probably did work in this guy's favor.
I don't think that makes the experiment any less valid though! There are lots of homeless white people. I see them everyday on my way to work. If they would work hard at something other than standing on corners all day, then I bet they could make it too!
I won't argue with you that being white probably made it a little easier for him to get a job. Just like being a girl made it easier for me to get into college. The arguments re: his race though, implied that no minority (or woman) could do the same thing, and those that do are rare exceptions. I think that's a racist and condescending attitude. I've worked with black women with absent husbands who made it off welfare and were supporting their children just fine, and it was because they were willing to work hard, and were determined to make it work.
And actually, Shepard had a difficult time finding a job until he took the advice of one of the other guys at the shelter. His buddy pointed out that filling out applications wasn't gonna cut it - if an employer was interested in hiring him, they'd call his contact number, hear "Crisis Ministries" and think "Oh, goody! I'm gonna hire a homeless guy!" and that'd be the end of it. So on his friends advice, he tracked down the manager of the moving company he eventually went to work for and told him "I'm the best employee you'll ever find. It'd be a mistake not to hire me." And then he offered to work the first day free to prove himself, which sealed the deal. Attitude, baby. It'll take you far in life. :)
He makes really good points, though, about some of the roadblocks a lot of people born into poverty face in making it out. They haven't been taught important basics like: how to figure out how much extra the interest on a loan is going to cost you; how to read a utility bill; how to create a budget; the beauty of compound interest, etc. More financial education classes in high school, free seminars for those out of high school, etc. would help. It won't help those who aren't willing to work, but it'll help those who are, and don't know where to start in order to save to achieve their goals.
Dude, I definitely think that they should have free classes that would help people become better educated. Not just in those areas though, all areas :). I wish college was free!
And totally. I hear about people taking out loans against there houses or buying stuff with whatever "equity" they have in their house and it's like: Don't you know you're going to be paying interest on that $100.00 dollar purchase for the next 30 years? They just don't understand that things like that probably more than triple the amount of whatever it is they're buying AND that it probably won't even last that long.
So yeah...I think this guys does make some really good points.
Yeah. I'm a heartless conservative, and I think more seminars and free classes on money management, parenting, cooking, DIY home repair, etc would be a wonderful thing.
And bring back trade-school based classes to high schools! Not everyone needs or wants to be a college graduate. They could offer more classes in high school that prepare people for trade jobs, like auto mechanics, general contracting/construction, electrical, bookkeeping, etc, and students who aren't planning on going on to college would actually get something useful out of their high school education. This is something that families in DC have actually requested, that has been largely ignored. We can't make everyone into a doctor, or lawyer, and I really wouldn't want us to either. We CAN do a better job of preparing teenagers for the adult world, and give them skills that will let them leave high school prepared to take a job that hires at far more than flipping burgers at McDonald's would net you. And even if you don't go into a trade job after you finish high school, knowing how to install an electrical outlet, or patch holes in a wall, or basic accounting will save you a lot of money over having to hire a professional.
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