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“The uses of Poverty: The Poor Pay All,” was enlightened to read about the social phenomenon of poverty that I had never come across. For example, how the poor “buy goods others do not want and thus prolong the economic usefulness,” is an ingenious way to put the unique situation that is addressed in this essay. Although Gangs is using satire to poke playfully at the rich for looking down upon the poor, I conceived from it that both sides need to open their eyes.
When people view this essay, they understand it as something that’s meant to hurt the or, but if you closely read between the lines, it is pointing fingers on both sides, and in the end has a solution for everyone. As we discussed in class, Gangs comes off as striping the empathy for the poor by the facts that he provides. But if you think about it, why would he come so strongly and hold nothing back with a cold, hard truth, If he weren’t trying to say something to the poor and the rich? The fact that half of his essay Is antagonizing the poor Is something that should be thoroughly observed.
As I was reading It myself, I thought hat this was a tactic so that the poor can get up and do something for themselves so that they are not always in the position described in the essay. As far as people were saying in class about how this essay would only be read by the rich, may not necessarily hold up because anyone can get a hold of this essay. It’s meant for the public eye, so I’m pretty sure Gangs knew someone poor out there would read this and probably get a clue as to how society views them and probably do something about it.
There have been many success stories about people from poor art who’ve made it past the point of some people who were born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Hard work and dedication goes a long way, and with a little motivation from this article, almost nothing Is Impossible. My father was born In the village and hardly had any clothes to wear but he worked hard enough that he earned a scholarship all the way from Zanzibar, Africa to the united States. He earned a full ride to Emory university where he earned his degree In computers & Technology, and he is now a proud business owner of a computer shop.
My point with this little anecdote is that, sure, people may be poor and may not have the same resources that the wealthy have, but success doesn’t come from what you have. It comes from what you make of what you have. This is a little beside the point of this essay, but maybe that’s what Gangs was trying to aim at. Readers, who take this essay offensively, should really take a step back and Just think of how much opportunities that have been given to “poor,” such as welfare, free education, and so on.
Is this not enough to get you started so you can dig yourself out of the hole that you may or may not have been born In? There are situations where, of course, you can’t be successful in school because of family reasons, but most people become accustomed to that, and there’s really nothing more the wealthy can do. Also, some of the rich can’t help that they’re rich. Mind you, money doesn’t grow on trees. It’s something that people shouldn’t be maligned either because of what they were born with. And some people can’t stay rich forever, so they work hard to maintain that money.
They should be applauded for their work and success, not be treated any differently Just because they have more money than the usual. Also, many of the rich people give to charity and try to help the poor. There’s only so much the rich can do to help the less. Those in need should meet the rich half way and do something to get out of the situation they’re in. On the other hand, Just because someone is poor doesn’t mean they’re not content or happy about it. This argument can be referred to gypsies or hippies who happily choose to live a life with less than society believes they should have.
This roof of people should be taken special note to because they are a prime example that “less is more. ” We should not categorize everyone into the two terms of “poverty’ or “wealthy’ because some people are Just simply living; not to make money, and not to live by society’s rules. Therefore, they should not be maligned for their life choices either. On a last note, when Gangs discusses the acts of sexual, alcoholic, narcotic, and it is a completely false statement because if anything, the rich tend to engage more in those activities, simply because they have the resources to do so.
As an example, take a look at The Wolf of Wall Street. It is a bio fiction of a rich legend on Wall Street who gets involved in all of the activities listed above. Why? He had the money. Not only should the poor be blamed for these behaviors, but also the affluent because such activities are performed almost equally on both sides. All in all, Gangs has a point in pointing out the wrongs in our society but no social status should burden any other social status or should they be forced to help people who might not even need help.