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HQ799.7 .D73 2006
May. 3rd, 2007 10:39 pmThe above is the LC call number, in our system at least, for the book Strapped, by Tamara Draut, that I'm currently reading.
It reminds me a bit of Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, in that both books make valid points about economic inequalities, government attitudes towards business regulation, and the changing face of our economy. I'm sympathetic to the individuals profiled in both books.
But in both cases, some comments by the narrators induce a deep, "huh?" in me.
The huh comes in when it gets to bits like saying that credit card debt incurred to attend a friend's out of state wedding is not discretionary debt, but part of survival debt, because the friend will drop you if you don't attend their wedding.
No, that's not a friend. A real friend would understand if you said, "I've got $30 in my checking account and $700 a month in student loan and credit card debt, I can't make it. Hope we can have dinner with your new spouse if you're in town, best, love, here's a lovely handmade gift in lieu of money I can't afford right now."
My big "huh" in Nickel and Dimed came when the author went and bought some new item of work apparel for her low-paying waitress job. I think she bought it at the Gap. It wasn't a dress shirt, that would be sorta understandable, as second hand dress shirts are a chancy business. I think it was a belt. It cost over $30.
If you're really broke and on a tight budget, you do not buy a $30 belt new. You go see what you can get at Goodwill/Salvation Army/a decent consignment shop. Or possibly, if you have access to none of the above, Target.
For much of my life, my family was poor enough to qualify for government assistance. Reading these explorations of money issues is difficult because I have to keep reminding myself that the point of orientation for the average reader of the book is different than it is for me.
It reminds me a bit of Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, in that both books make valid points about economic inequalities, government attitudes towards business regulation, and the changing face of our economy. I'm sympathetic to the individuals profiled in both books.
But in both cases, some comments by the narrators induce a deep, "huh?" in me.
The huh comes in when it gets to bits like saying that credit card debt incurred to attend a friend's out of state wedding is not discretionary debt, but part of survival debt, because the friend will drop you if you don't attend their wedding.
No, that's not a friend. A real friend would understand if you said, "I've got $30 in my checking account and $700 a month in student loan and credit card debt, I can't make it. Hope we can have dinner with your new spouse if you're in town, best, love, here's a lovely handmade gift in lieu of money I can't afford right now."
My big "huh" in Nickel and Dimed came when the author went and bought some new item of work apparel for her low-paying waitress job. I think she bought it at the Gap. It wasn't a dress shirt, that would be sorta understandable, as second hand dress shirts are a chancy business. I think it was a belt. It cost over $30.
If you're really broke and on a tight budget, you do not buy a $30 belt new. You go see what you can get at Goodwill/Salvation Army/a decent consignment shop. Or possibly, if you have access to none of the above, Target.
For much of my life, my family was poor enough to qualify for government assistance. Reading these explorations of money issues is difficult because I have to keep reminding myself that the point of orientation for the average reader of the book is different than it is for me.
