Seems that I keep reading about the growing gap between the haves and have not's. For a bit, I agreed. The rich keep getting richer. But then I thought about it. I'm a have. I make good money, own a home and car, have cool stuff. I'm not rich, but I'm in good shape. So is almost everyone I know. Friends, family, etc.
Then I looked at the people living around me. I suspect that they would be considered: Have not's. And my drive to work goes right through havenotville. I started thinking. There is a have not...with 3 kids. They live right across the street from me. And, judging by how they live, they have always been have not’s. And yet, despite not having enough for themselves, they brought 3 more have not’s into the world. Nothing really changed. No greedy rich people screwed them over. The number of have not’s increased simply because they made more of them...themselves. They created 3 have not’s, essentially from nowhere.
More so, those three new kids have a high chance of staying have not’s. Their folks have no money, so they will likely lack education. And the parents have a high probability of not being very educated themselves, so they won’t pass any of that on. So, there is a good chance that those kids will grow into adults who each create their own family of have not’s.
Now, I know that this isn’t the only factor in the equation. But it is a factor that never get’s mentioned. It is at all possible that the gap is growing because the have not’s are populating it?
It’s something that I feel covers several categories. We have lots of kids with no health care? How many of them were BORN into that? How many parents chose to bring a child into the world whom was uninsured from day one?
It seems the media mostly looks to the government and companies to blame for our poor. No one is looking at the poor and asking “If your life was so precarious before, why did you bring a child into it? And moreover, why did you likely bring more than one?”
Again, I know it’s not the only factor. And probably not the main factor. But like with any problem, all problems should be addressed. And so long as no one is looking at those issues and statistics, how is it supposed to be fixed?
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5 comments:
It sounds like a solid theory, at least from my have sensibility. One thing that bugs me is when a family is disappointed one of their kids didn't make it, or turned to a life of crime, or somehow didn't become a football player.
I'm sure that many people have kids because it's their god damned right, or because they don't use condoms because it's too expensive, or just plain backwards religious beliefs.
Is it possible that part of the issue is that the "have nots" don't see their lives as bad? Yes, they have less money than others, but many are thankful for what they've got. In some ways, some of them may think their lives are better than those with money. They may perceive most people with money as morally corrupt, and they perceive themselves as better than that.
On another note, one of the straight truths is that some less-than-scrupulous "have nots" have multiple children simply to increase their welfare checks. That's a horrible thing to say, but it's true in some cases.
Finally, I do believe that everyone is entitled to have children (at least one child no matter what). However, they should do it responsibly. If they can not provide for more than one child themselves, then they seriously need to look at the burden they are putting on society.
Just some of my random thoughts.
The Irredeemable Shag
To your first point, Shag, those folks aren't, in my mind, have not's. If they are truly happy with life, they aren't the ones pushing the government (and thus the Haves) to give them free stuff.
Nor am I talking about folks that ask the government for a temporary leg up so that they came become a Have.
So, I guess your essential question is: Why do “have-not’s” continue to have more children?
I’ve thought about this and have some theories:
1. They have more children because they have less education. In a study I looked up, the ‘have-not’s’ attributed their own economic situation partly due to a lack of education. (This can be a self-perpetuating lifestyle; your parent’s were uneducated, therefore, you had less opportunity, and are now less educated although the amount of scholarship money available for this particular population is staggaring). You touched on this already.
2. They have more children because they’re more irresponsible.(Partly due to that upbringing again) You’ve touched on this as well (or others have).
3. The part I see in the area I live in, is that they have more children because of cultural influences. There is a large Hispanic population where I live. The expectation of some of the first and second generation immigrants (and I use that term loosely) is that girls age 16-18 should be married, and start having children. I actually have a student who is 18, and a senior. She’s been married for almost a year, and just found out she’s pregnant. She will have at most, a high school education. Her husband also boasts a diploma (at least it’s not a GED). What kind of future will their child have?
At the same time, it irks me to see the “have-not’s” living in HUD or Section 8 housing and driving Escalades and Mustangs. They actually have nicer stuff than I do! I saw this in Hawaii when I was there last year as well, so I know it’s not only in my area.
One word:
Idiocracy
Watch this movie.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/
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