Implementing an
Effective Approach
by
Dominique Bobineaux
Young people of
today’s America are overwhelmed with the daunting task of trying to establish
their livelihood while simultaneously trying to get a decent education (that is
becoming increasingly expensive and eventually unattainable), work a low paying
job (usually at minimum wage with hopes to climb the ladder to a more lucrative
position), and trying to develop into involved and conducive citizens. This is
all done to supplement the “American Dream” that has been repeatedly trodden
into our subconscious since grammar school as a promise to a better life that
is poverty free; a dream, and or promise, that is no longer valid for the
American people. “What happened to the American Dream—the one we've heard about
since kindergarten, the one we’ve read about and were indoctrinated to believe
in—the ever-so-plausible happy ending that could be secured with nothing more
than a little sweat and dogged determination?” (33). Young people are expected
to have a degree from a 4-year university in order to get a decent job that has
so fallaciously been promised, yet tuition has become so expensive and
financial assistance so scarce, education itself has become impossible to
conquer. Jobs today are in short supply, and because the unemployment pool is
so vast, the competition is even more aggressive; as a result, the average bachelors
or masters’ degree often times have extreme difficulty finding jobs. “The
presumed scenario is that you follow all the rules. Everybody knows you can’t
be successful in these modern times without a college education. So you enroll
in college…With expectations of a fantastic job that matches your fantastic
skills…Then, reality hits; you can’t find a job in this Recession Economy or
the one you secured has been snatched away” (33) With the lack of access to
good paying jobs, comes the threat of being impoverished and unable to support
oneself or one’s family. These issues, among others pose a huge threat to young
people attempting to provide for themselves; so much so, that many aren't
aiming to become wealthy or achieve this phantom “American Dream”, many are
just fighting to make ends meet. Although, arguably enough there are many
issues that young people of today face, finding a constructive approach to
addressing these issues is another problem. In order for young people to engage
themselves as citizens of this country, so that they may act accordingly and
beneficially they must ascend upon the issues with a strategic plan and be well
prepared.
As a part of being well prepared,
young people must arm themselves with intellectual armor, question the motives
of government officials, and strategize a constructive approach towards
addressing the issues that face them. Let’s first discuss intellectual armor.
In order to address any issue that has a direct effect on an individual or
group, the individual or group should be well versed on the issue itself.
Knowing what the issue is, who or what is causing the issue, who is already
making strides to resolve the issue, and the governments standpoint on and involvement
with the issue is all apart of intellectual armor. Intellectual armor ensures
that the individual or group is aware of how this issue is causing problems and
therefore can effectively offer solutions; in example, addressing poverty in
its own right involves many factors, having a complete or in some measure, an
understanding of the subject will assist in addressing the matter and
eventually contribute to implementing an effective approach. In the book The Rich and the Rest of US by Cornel
West and Tavis Smiley, the growing problem of poverty was addressed as well as
ideas on how to address this predicament that is affecting millions of
Americans on a daily and continuous basis. “To get out of this economic mess,
we must thoroughly dissect the missing pieces that placed almost 50 million of
us in this calamitous position…Lastly, we must map out a bold and courageous
path for change—by all means necessary” (39). Today, many young people who are
impoverished or have been impoverished have an understanding of the many
factors that contributed to that circumstance. “Dismantling the safety net” is
an issue that involves poverty and young people. There are some government
assistance programs available to low-income and impoverished families, such as,
WIC, welfare programs, food stamps, TANF etc. These programs are considered
social and economic safety nets. There are many arguments that are in agreement
to dismantle these safety nets and would like exonerate them completely;
instead there are many efforts to ensure difficulty for those receiving the
services. Some of these efforts come in the form of heavy regulations such as,
how many people can live in your home and under certain terms, only 1 child can
be included in some services even if there are multiple in the home, etc. These
regulations may be the result in denial for some families and ultimately a
catapult further into poverty because they are deemed ineligible for public
assistance. This is an example of an issue involving millions of young people,
and also an example of a situation that needs immediate improvement; In this
example, Young people can begin to engage themselves by learning both arguments
in the situation because it involves them directly, but most importantly they
should also become engaged in issues that involve them indirectly as well.
For issues that indirectly, but in some
way still have an affect on the lives of young people, it may be difficult to
become engaged in the matter. When this occurs, the results may be decreased
voting on certain laws or measures that may or may not prove beneficial for the
public. An example of this would be the California Proposition 37, Mandatory
Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food that was on the November 2012 ballot;
the proposition did not pass due to insufficient amount of “yes” votes. At a
glance, it seemed as though a good idea that companies that produce food should
be required to label if the food is genetically engineered or not. In contrast,
many consequences that would result from this proposition were not well known
amongst the average young person, for example, the increase in grocery costs,
tax increases, and shakedown lawsuits making lawyers wealthier. Unless young
people actively search for and demand answers, they will not be well-informed
about the topic at hand. Although there are two sides to the argument, if there
were more involvement from the public, specifically young people, drastic
changes can possibly be made. Another issue that may indirectly affect young
people but is still important to know about is corporate welfare. Corporate
welfare is defined as tax breaks or subsidies given by the government to
profit-making companies. An example of this would be when Obama bailed out
Solyndra, a solar power company, with a $527 million bailout loan in 2009. On
the face of it, it appeared as though President Obama was attempting to sustain
the expansion of the green economy and contribute to growing more jobs. Later
the company went bankrupt and refused to pay back the loan that was given from
the government in effort to keep the company afloat. This has caused tax payers
millions of dollars to support these companies that have received so many tax
breaks and government loans. Young people may not have viewed this bailout as a
posable threat, at first, but the effects trickle down later in the form of a
higher deficit and other consequent backlashes that the public will have to pay
for. “We have the resources, experience, and knowledge to virtually eliminate
poverty, especially long-term poverty, but we do not yet have the political
will” (46). If young people position themselves in a way that will show
government officials and corporations that they are paying attention and insist
that there be more government involvement in matters that are negatively
impacting them, then some progressive changes can be made. By doing this, young
people can take initiative and respond constructively to the issues that
surround their daily lives.
Regardless of the indirect or direct
effect that an issue may have on an individual, it is still imperative that an
individual remain well-informed on the events that are taking place on a
national and international level. Staying well-informed and active with worldly
events might seem a bit impossible because young people have been burdened with
the troublesome tasks of daily life; however, if young people want to make an
effort to make positive changes that will not only benefit their lives but the
lives of their peers. This brings us to another helpful benefit that young
people need in order to engage themselves as citizens of this country and position
themselves in a way that they can respond constructively; Self-motivation.
Instead of choosing to follow the social constructs that rule society and just
accepting how things are, young people need to find it in themselves to
motivate and push for better outcomes. After all, the young people are our
future and if they do not fight for a better tomorrow, what hope will be left
for the newer generations of young people? Self-motivation can position young
people to produce constructive contributions to this nation and in time
implement an effective plan with a positive approach that produces a beneficial
outcome for all of humanity. A current event that comes to mind is the current
state of healthcare; the affordable healthcare act that will benefit millions
but also increase or raise the debt ceiling. This is an event that will impact
millions of young people, yet the government shut down because of this
healthcare act. Young people should be motivated enough to discover the facts
about the healthcare act and how it will benefit or possibly impact them. Young
people should also be motivated to research the government’s standpoint about
this act and why they shut down. On October 16, 2013 the government shutdown,
initially with no intentions of negotiating. The shutdown lasted for 16 days
and many services, national parks and divisions were closed because of it. The
argument was this; the opponents of the already passed healthcare law argue
that the law will hurt employers financially and that the imposed taxes in the
new law will ultimately be sending jobs overseas to cut costs. There was much
confusion surrounding the facts about the healthcare law and why the government
was fighting over the law. Because of this confusion, the public responded negatively
towards the law and the government for lack of knowledge about the entire
situation. This example proves that young people should become motivated enough
to become more involved in the events that are taking place within the nation.
Without motivation, there is no stimulus to understand the situation and
therefor respond accordingly. This can spiral into a negative impact and have
horrid outcomes such as rioting and destruction of property, etc. The idea here is that young people with enough
audacity to challenge the issues within the nation that are directly and
inadvertently indirectly impacting them, have the self-motivation needed to
conceive and implement a constructive and effective plan that will yield a
productive and beneficial outcome. With self-motivation comes the urge to want
to become more involved with the community and possibly empower others to
overcome the issues that are deterrent of young people.
Involvement within the community can
prove to be beneficial in multiple ways. When a community comes together,
united for a cause, the outcome can have a tremendous effect. If young people
come together, to say, battle politics and fight for issues that aren’t being
addressed by government or are a direct result of government neglect, there combined
voices can be heard and clear a path towards making a change. Without this
united effort, young people stand alone and therefore have little to no
effective conclusion. “The greatest threat to America’s national security comes
from no enemy without but from our own failure to protect, invest in, and
educate all of our children who make up all of our futures in this global
economy” (49). When young people become involved within the community, they are
able to share their stories, find ways to improve immediate and gradual issues,
and help one another by giving support. These pieces are an important part to
the larger puzzle; the communities that make up the nation and are suffering
from the daily problems that threatens millions. Let’s visit back to the
incessant issue of poverty. Millions nationwide are suffering from this
conundrum, and hundreds of thousands are local. With the collaborative effort
of those within the community to battle this unfortunate predicament that
plagues youth, veterans, elderly, men and women, a revolution can begin. This
revolution is necessary to alter the factors that contribute to the current
state of poverty within this nation, such as, lack of opportunity and funding,
etc. Because poverty effects so many, standing together to fight for immediate
action to be taken to reduce or begin to eliminate poverty can produce
immediate action. Young people should definitely make efforts to become a part
of community outreach projects because more participation will force the
political powers to notice; with this comes improved laws, improved social and
economic programs and services. But if the community and young people do not
demand action by speaking through a unified voice, then why should the
government want to take action if the people do not fight for these benefits?
“The current poverty numbers constitute a state of emergency in America, which
means that ending poverty must become a top agenda item for all political
leaders” (45). Involvement within the community calls for much responsibility,
and the young people who embrace self-motivation and intellectual armor will
indeed be able to accept that responsibility. By accepting this responsibility
that is required communal outreach, young people come closer to addressing the
current state of affairs within the nation and responding to them effectively.
