I’ve been thinking about saviorism and its significance in this course and the work we will be doing in our volunteer organizations. In our work we will no doubt meet “saviors,” people who are fetishizing altruism. Often, the underlying current of the savior complex is the presumption that one is saving people from themselves. It is a statement of power, of privilege, and in service work many people validate their privilege through emotional experience. When one “helps” others, when one claims to provide empowerment, one effectively disempowers. More to the point, when people fail to acknowledge the inherent power dynamics in service work, those who benefit from NGO work are no longer framed as being able to help themselves. Framing may be the most important aspect of this discussion. Community activism is a good thing. These organizations are providing needed service to an unsupported and marginalized population. But just because people are doing good work does not mean that they have not succumbed to a savior complex. The world does not exist to simply satisfy the sentiment of people in positions of power. The problems of the world cannot be solved simply with enthusiasm. But in saviorism the homeless population becomes a subject, an emotional outlet, an object that exercises guilt and a states social position. When people frame themselves as a “savior” they enter into a process of objectification. The problem of homelessness exists because of a system, a system to which we are all to an extent complicit in, and because saviorism is framed a benevolent and well intentioned we don’t critically challenge the ways in which the function of saviorism in perpetuating systems of oppression.

Throughout these past two weeks in class we have already learned and discussed so much that it makes me eager to see what the rest of the semester has in store for us. I have volunteered with the homeless on numerous accounts, but I am interested to learn more about them through this class and our internships. This week in class we focused on a book titled, “Nickel and Dimed” By: Barbara Ehrenreich. I read this book my freshman year for my “Introduction to Sociology” class, but it was nice to reread it with a new perspective and focus. Whenever someone reads something for a second or third time their will always be new things to discover that weren’t noticed the first time. While reading, one of the biggest things that stuck out to me was the unreliable job posts ads. I understood the company’s side saying it is “their insurance policy” in case someone gets hurt or is fired then they always have an applicant to fall back on. However, this is not fair to the people who are genuinely trying to find a job and earn a living. It is also not right for employers to use this to scare their employees by reminding them how easily replaceable they are. There are many shocking stories of different work environments in this book, but this scam grabbed my attention the most. I think it caught my attention the most because I had never heard of company’s doing this prior to reading the book, let alone using it as “insurance.” I hope not only publishing fake ads changes, but all work environments that are not physically, emotionally, or mentally healthy for a person to be working in. Personally though, I do believe unskilled jobs are targeted with unfairness because employers are taking advantage of those who will accept any job.

In general, a class structured with an andragogy style is something I have not had too much experience with. My typical classroom consists of one professor lecturing to an entire class but this class in particular allows me not only to speak my mind but take in others opinions as well. While reading Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, I interpreted the authors comments regarding her financial background as insensitive with a superior attitude towards the homeless or near-homeless. It was not until discussing this book in class where I understood the reasoning for the authors repetitive comments about her socially accepted life. The author was not intending to sound as if she placed herself higher in rank than low-income workers, she was intending to make the readers not only think about this economic issue but realize that society needs to do something in order to make an actual change. This perspective about Ehrenreich’s choice of writing style was not an option for me to consider until listening to others opinions and perceptions in the class discussion.

In class, we discussed the discrepancies with America’s class system. I was already aware of the huge inequalities found within social and economical policies but further discussion and readings have made me no longer blind to these subjects as I have always been taught the issues but never shown what to do in order to change these issues. In the article, “Tenants under Siege: Inside New York City’s Housing Crisis” by Michael Greenberg, the Mayor, Bill de Blasio,  implements certain policies and reforms as an attempt to take legal action to provide a bed for anyone that seeks it. In response to these actions to help the homeless, residents of the city protest the statements of being “connected” to these homeless individuals. These citizens who firmly believe the homeless are not real people who deserve just as equal rights as the wealthy/middle class have been so blind to the realities of human nature that they often deceive the “poor” in order to gain personal interests. I have been blind just as these people but the main difference is I actually see the issues with certain policies and actions completed against the homeless community and I want to use this class to gain more knowledge on the topic/ways to promote good practices that will benefit the homeless/near-homeless.

In our discussion last Wednesday, I remember that we made distinction between Ehrenreich’s approach to investigating the predicaments of poverty and those utilized by ethnographers. In contrast to the way in which Ehrenreich wrote mostly about her own experiences in Nickel and Dimed, some of us argued that ethnographers seem to focus more on describing the experiences of their “subjects” than their own stories. We ultimately seemed to conclude that ethnographers’ investigative methods are superior to the “let me try that” style of investigative journalism employed by Ehrenreich because it is probably more conducive to capturing the “truth” of realities such as poverty and homelessness.
Yet, according to Gans in “Positive Functions of Poverty,” we could also argue that the two seemingly contrasted approaches share an important similarity in that they are both modes through which middle or upper class professionals benefit from the predicaments of poverty. This argument might then lead us to question the morality of anthropology—how can those in more privileged circumstances approach anthropology or investigative journalism tactfully and justly? I think that we alluded to similar inquiries in our discussion on Wednesday too, and from what I remember, Professor Spickard brought up the utilitarian perspective as a means of determining morality in anthropology or investigative journalism, meaning that a work of anthropology can be justified if it ultimately benefits more people than it harms (like an ends justify means sort of reasoning).
I like the utilitarian perspective because it evaluates overall social benefit, but I also find the way it which it might encourage people to live over-examined lives problematic. For example, should a musical artist who creates disturbing music videos steer away from doing so because he might be initiating more societal harm than good; should a tattoo artist decide to pursue another profession on the grounds that they ultimately capitalize on other peoples’ hapless searches for meaning in their lives? To bring this back to our discussion, isn’t an anthropologist’s obvious motivation to pursue their craft enough of a justification?

I would like to take this time to write about the character Holly in the book, Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehreneich. Ehreneich described her as “twenty-three, has been married for almost a year, and manages to feed her husband, herself, and an elderly relative on $30-450 a week” (Ehreneich, 95). Holly was also in an extremely unhealthy condition and admitted to being pregnant. Is there anyone taking care of her? I finished that chapter feeling angry at Holly for some reason. I wanted to shake her and yell, “Why are you putting up with this?” Then I realized that she does not have an option. Ehreneich struggled with the fact that no matter what she did or said, she could not help Holly. “She’s going to keep going until you pry the last cleaning rag from her cold, dead hands” (Ehreneich, 111).

While both men and women suffer in poverty, women have less resources to cope. According to the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, women in poverty “are likely to be the last to eat, the ones least likely to access healthcare, and routinely trapped in time-consuming, unpaid domestic tasks.” They have more limited options to work, and education may be out of the question. Holly’s life was an exact example of this struggle. Women in poverty face extra marginalization. Their voices are rarely heard.

It is frustrating because these women, like Holly, work and work until they literally have nothing left and it almost never makes a difference. I consider myself a positive person, but I could not think of anything that could make Holly’s situation better. These women are trapped in this position.

We’re only two weeks in and I feel as if my knowledge of American homelessness has already changed and evolved drastically. It is not that I wasn’t aware of the inequalities in our social system before, but I had never sat down and really examined the shocking  numbers that accompany our widespread issues of poverty. I have lived in an incredibly small town my whole life, away from practically any indicators of homelessness. Driving into the nearest city of Portland always provided a stark contrast to what I was used to. In a place where there are many people visibly living homeless I never really knew what had led them to that point or what help they were being provided. After reading Nickel and Dimed and learning about the deep cracks in our social safety net propelling the cyclical pattern of poverty, I am more curious now about how Portland, in particular, is aiding their homeless population. My dad is a firefighter for the city and works in an area where there are countless RVs and campers that litter the streets, filled with people who don’t have anywhere else to stay. Recently the city has put more of an effort into ridding these areas of the “transients” as the firefighters call them. To me, this doesn’t seem productive. Where do they go? What help are they being given? On the other hand, Portland has instated new tent and tiny home cities where people can stay the night and get off of the streets. It appears  the city is perhaps conflicted about what to do, and maybe that is how all of the U.S. is feeling. Cities and states want to provide safe communities for their constituents, but the ones they are willing to help the most are those at the top, by encouraging gentrification, by pushing the homeless to the outskirts, and by increasing housing costs (as Portland certainly is). As discouraging as this is, I am excited for the remainder of this class because I think it will provide us with a more personal, realistic, and critical view of the inequalities in America we typically like to avoid.

This course so far has been a great class. I love how small the class is, so it is very personable.  This week the reading was really relatable to my life and it was nice to be able to sit in a circle and just talk as a class and not just be lectured. Nickel and Dimed was an amazing book and took us through the daily struggles to not have money and what it’s like to really not have much to live on. This also made me reflect on my upbringing and current situation. My mother lost her job when I was very young. We did not have much money to live on and eventually lost our house.  By the time I was 3 years old I started living with my grandma. My mother was in and out of jail multiple times so this took a huge tole on my life and my mothers.  She has never recovered from this whole downfall. When she was going through this all she had a car so this book reminded me of my life 100%. She currently lives at a hotel with her boyfriend who works there. They have lived there since I was about 10. This whole situation has been so hard because my mother never had any motivation to get a job due to her not having one for so long. I really want her to read Nickel and Dimed because it related to her life exactly and what she is going through firsthand.

I believe it was last Monday when we briefly got the chance to list some of the 15 functions Herbert J. Gans describes in “The Positive Functions of Poverty”.  He explains how the poor perform these 15 distinct functions for American society . He states the idea that poverty is good in it’s existence because it provides employment for a number of people and other things such as explaining that the poor are used intentionally for medical purposes, trials and tests with new medicines in particular. These were examples shared in class. In his third point he described how certain groups or things they poor do flourish because of the poor themselves. On this list are heroin, cheap liquor, prostitutes and  what i found interesting, Pentecostal Ministers.

I thought to myself what that could mean. I began to reflect on my personal views and conceptions of the Pentecostal church along with my past experiences and I came to several thoughts or inquiries. In my mind, the reason that Pentecostal ministers were intentionally placed on a list of groups that benefit and prosper from the poor would be because of the concept of repentance and forgiveness. Also if the Pentecostal mister conveys the concept that their God is one who will bless, it adds to what they can preach at whoever whenever. I believe ministers use this in their preaching and messages directed towards people who are not in the best of circumstances and Hod is seen as the only answer, as they preach, in getting ones life together.  They speak of a repentance and how one can be forgiven for the situation they are in, which they may interpret as the result of a ungodly life in sin.

Our course will begin January 8th, 2018.  The blog will open shortly thereafter.  You are welcome to explore older posts but they are closed to comments.

— JS

I met a homeless man in uptown Yucaipa, back in November, and he told us a little bit about his story about how he became homeless and no longer had contact with his family. It was a really cold night, and I was wearing shorts by my own choice and therefore was cold, but he took his own jacket off of his back to make sure I was warm. I felt bad because it was my own fault I was cold, yet he didn’t even hesitate to make sure I was warm. We bought him some water and later went on our way. We would see him almost everyday sitting on the same bench, and I hadn’t lately. I was happy to see this outcome for someone in my hometown. This was a post on a Yucaipa facebook page.
“I met Kelly back in October and he was homeless and a drunk. He’d burned all the bridges he ever had with his wife, kids and friends in the community because of his drug and alcohol problems. You probably remember him as the guy who said “good morning or good afternoon or good evening” by the donut shop or liquor store off California and the Blvd.
In January I was able to get him into a rehab. He was ready but so scared. We took this picture on the street in front of the rehab facility. He had the option of 30, 60 or 90 day program and he chose the 90.
He did so good in the rehab house program that they asked him to be a patient/manager of the house.
Yesterday I received a phone call from Kelly asking if I was home and if I’d like a visitor. Uh. Duh!
He showed up with his wife and son and they were out house hunting because they are getting back together and the first thing he had to do after our gigantic hug was to show me his certificate of completion.
He has a new lease on life and he’s clean and sober and has his family back. It was a really good day. So exceedingly proud of Kelly!
To follow more of what I’m doing to help the homeless here in my city please join The Faces of Yucaipa on Facebook.
You can also see videos of Kelly in his transformation on my YouTube channel MARIVB14″

While my last post was on social media harming the homeless issue, this time people actually used social media for good news.