Although I had the opportunity to experience the "99% movement", I decided to take a different approach and seek out people affected by the current economy but are not hanging out downtown in large crowds. I interviewed 3 people who recently lost their jobs and are struggling to stay afloat.
The first interview was with a woman named Latina who worked as a senior office assistant until 6 months ago when she was laid-off. Latina is married with 2 kids. Shortly after being laid-off Latina and her husband Juan applied for a mortgage modification loan through their current lender Bank of America. According to Latina, B of A has taken 5 months to respond only to tell her that her application was misplaced and she will need to reapply. In the meantime, Juan is the only person working and they are beginning to fall behind on their bills. Latina believes that once her unemployment check stops they will be forced to move. Latina believes, "the banks are taking advantage of the poor the same way they did when they designed creative financing to help people become homeowners."
The second interview occurred with a woman named Claudia. Claudia has moved 4 times in the past year, she has lived with family, a small studio apartment, and recently she came close to moving into a shelter. Claudia believes her problems stem from the current job market, most jobs she comes across are temporary assignments with no benefits. Claudia is 2 classes away from earning her MBA and recently postponed her classes because she has no where to stay. Claudia believes, "the future is grim for everyone regardless of having an education, unless you are rich."
The third interview was with a woman named Akeelah, a single mother with 3 children and receiving some public assistance to help with housing and food. Akeelah works full-time as a maintenance dispatcher. Although Akeelah is receiving some form of public assistance it does not cover gas and electric, gas for her car to get her children to and from school and for her to go to work, and she does not receive assistance for childcare. According to Akeelah, "the poor keep getting poorer, while the rich simply don't care."
According to conflict theory, social problems are caused by class conflict between rich and poor. Karl Marx thought that material and non-material resources separated different groups in society. Marx saw money as the power resource, being a key reason why the wealthy use this to exploit people of lower class, avoid most social problems, and live an overall better life than most.
Jamie PT
Jamie, these stories are a great example of class conflict, and they demonstrate what a great number of Americans are struggling with in this economy. The perspective on conflict theory that you used differs slightly from the one that I took from my experience, but both sides are important. Class conflict can cause social problems, but conversely, social conflict can bring about change. Unfortunately, as your stories demonstrate, the lower classes do not necessarily have the power to bring about such change. As we become social workers, we will be advocating for the underprivileged and empowering them how to advocate for themselves.
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