Diversity – Difference
Economic diversity is created the problem of a lack of resources. There are Eight Critical Resources needed to get out of poverty. These eight resources are so important that if a person is missing five out of the eight they will never get out and if by chance they do they will return within a couple years. Here is an interesting fact. Within five years of winning the lottery eighty percent of the lottery winners will be in worse shape than before they won the lottery. Here is another interesting fact; most professional athletes after they leave the sports arena, return to the economic status they were at before they got contracted to play professional sports.
The Eight Critical Resources needed are:
• Financial, we all could use some financial education and financial backing.
• Emotional, the lack of healthy psyche and depends on releasing emotions and resentments.
• Mental, the mental health aspect is sometimes tide to a healthy emotional state. But in poverty area it is most likely tide to addiction.
• Spiritual, we must have a conscious contact with a higher power that we choose to call God.
• Physical, to not be handicapped puts us on a level playing field.
• Support, to have someone who will pick up the individual when they are down emotionally and mentally.
• Know how, what it takes to get something done.
• Relationships, mentors/roles models who will give the needed know how to the individual. Someone who can teach them the hidden secrets.
Interesting enough ninety-five percent of behavioral problems is a result of an individual only having 3 or less of the Eight Critical Resources. If a person only has two or three of the eight resources eighty-five percent will not be able to climb out of poverty.
Some folks have their financial priorities confused. Do you purchase the latest trendy fashions, go out to have fun or do you pay bills? Do you buy drugs, alcohol or pay your bills and save your money?
Because some live in poverty they have a lack of choices. As a result there are the rent to own businesses who charge the poor $1350.00 for a $400.00 television. There are also the payday loans businesses who charge ridiculously high interest rates. Then there are the title loans companies and pawn shops that replace banks. In the Bronx Borough of New York City there are only 3 banks.
I discovered the hidden definition of capitalism for the employer/employee relationship. For the employer it is to get as much work out of the employee for as little wage as possible. For the employee it was to get as much pay out of the employer for as little work as possible. It is my experience that the employers, who pay the least wages, work employee the hardest are the strictest, bordering on the line of worker exploitation, sweat shops for example? But then you take a company like Google they have a place that if you get tense, they have a masseuse on the premises so you can go get a massage while on the clock. That is the extreme difference between a skilled technical worker and the unskilled in the work place.
There is the problem of the language barrier. Because this is the country where dreams come true and freedom still rings, we have an influx of immigrants. Immigrants come to enjoy America, to work hard and make their dreams come true. But they sometimes don’t speak English. It is very hard to get a fair shake if you can’t understand and communicate with your opponent. Now let us look at the hidden secret of “formal versus casual” language. Formal language is the language of the middle class. Some may call it talking proper, talking white or just plain good grammar. But this is the language of the work place. We cannot get hired with casual talk during the interview process with a stranger or even sometimes a friend in a casual environment. The employer and your friend want his business to be professionally run. The business’ clients want the service or product they receive to be handled professionally.
Poverty is relative. What constitutes poverty here in America maybe middle class in Mexico. There is a difference between poverty in the city and its counterpart poverty in rural area. Poverty occurs in all races. There are more Caucasians that suffer from poverty than minorities, for the simple fact that. There are 308,710,263 people in America. Caucasians are 211,460,626, the majority race in the United States.
But, remember one in five children live in poverty. Children are our most valuable resource let us be thoughtful to take care to give them the best future possible because they will give us the best futures possible.
There are five reasons for poverty. Here is a list of the five reasons:
• The educational level of the mother is crucial, the higher the educational level of the mother the better chance for the child to not live in poverty.
• The family structure is crucial because that can provide the needed support, the knowhow and the other critical resources needed to beat poverty. The persons living in the family must be able to contribute to the best mental and emotional health of each member.
• Immigration is passage to this great country but it also negated due to the language.
• Are the poor speaking English? Are we using formal or casual language in the business arena?
• Addiction has broken the stronghold of families living in poverty. Addiction is breaking down the strongholds of middle class families today. There is a show on A&E called “Addiction” . This is a show on alcohol and drug interventions of immediate family members in middle class families. Electricity bills are not getting paid on time if at all, because of drug and alcohol addiction. Drug addiction is a major reason for the “Payday Loan” business. Parents can’t keep a job or just plain can’t go to work because the drug addiction has a grip on the.
Generational and situation poverty are different. Generational poverty means two or more generations in poverty. If the family is in poverty for four generations, the likelihood of getting out of poverty is a five percent probability, there is probably no escaping.
Teach your kids, they must know the hidden rules.
• Your business attire must look middle class.
• Your manners must be sharp. Buy an etiquette book.
• You speech must be articulate and correct in grammar.
Save the casual look, talk and etiquette for home and play. Code switching – Ebonics versus proper English. Know how to switch from “What’s happening? to How are you?”
Schools operate from middle class norms and values. Know the hidden rules.
The poor think about survival. The poor fight just to survive. Because the poor don’t have many material belongings then relationships become very important and people become belongings. On that same level of thinking the middle class think instead of about survival, about their work ethic. Work is the single most import thing in their lives. Their achievement depends on how hard and how much they work, their work ethic. There are teachers who in thirty years of teaching have only taken 3 to 4 days off work. Material security is important to the middle class. On top of the priority list is the purchase of a home. The middle class will work two jobs and have no entertainment and eat the basics foods for a period of time to save up the down payment for that home. Parents will make a wedding gift the down payment for a new home to the newlyweds. On this level of thinking the wealthy will think politics and what political campaign are they going to make a contribution to. Do they have the connections to increase their financial worth. That is why it is important to the wealthy to get their children into the Ivey League schools because of the quality of education, but more importantly because of the social connections they will make and the financial opportunities that come with these social connections.
Think about this, the poor think as it relates to food and eating. “Did you get enough to eat?” The middle class ask “Did you like it?” The wealthy ask “Did the wine go well with the food?” There are cultural differences in poverty. This study is cross cultural.
The kids of poverty must not be excused neither scolded. We must teach them. To get out of poverty there must sometimes be sacrifices of relationships. Sometimes we must leave friends and fun to get things done. Critical mass the number of things it takes to make change. Forty percent has to go one way to become critical mass. We must teach that there are two sets of rules. For instance fighting in business or school is strictly prohibited. But in the barrio or ghetto there are very few times when you do not fight to save face or resolve conflict. For example when playing football the rules say that tackling is part of the game. But in basketball you will be penalized for tackling the person with the ball. There are two sets of rules learn them.
Two things that help move a person out of poverty is education and relationships. Looking back the two most important of the eight critical resources are knowhow and relationships. “No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship, and mutual respect.” Dr. James Comer
Let us look at the cultivation of this subject. Look for two movies to rent “Freedom Writer” with Hillary Swank , “Million Dollar Baby” with Hillary Swank and Clint Eastwood also “Stand and Deliver” with Edward Olmos
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