As I’m reading this book, I’m finding Barbara’s attitude toward the working class increasingly troubling. I want to talk about this more in class, and so here are some of the instances that have bothered me most. (I’ll add to this list as we read on.)
- “in the American workplace, the only thing people have to call their own is the tumors they are nourishing and the spare moments they devote to feeding them” (31).
- I can’t even really summarize my thoughts on this one but she writes as if these people don’t have families or lives of their own to value.
- “the Overseas park is a nest of crime and crack, and I am hoping at least for some vibrant multicultural street life” (39).
- I feel like this quote undersells that fact her neighbors are on drugs and committing crimes because of a complete lack of opportunity in their lives. It’s insulting how she sees people of color and jumps to stereotypes, hoping for little bit of “vibrant multicultural street life” to keep her middle-class self entertained.
I agree with your point. It is important that she does do a piece on this topic. It is even important that she goes “undercover” and experience this lifestyle so that she can see the full impact of working minimum wage in America; however, she seems to treat this a times like a game because she knows she has security. I believe that is why she is able to make “jokes” of “vibrant multicultural street life” the way that she does. But again, I agree with you that was not okay.