I'm always amazed when I hear people suggest that, if someone is living in poverty in this great nation of ours, the fault must be entirely his own. After all, this is supposed to be the land of freedom and opportunity, isn't it? And if someone has enough drive and ambition, he should be able to find some kind of job that can support a decent standard of living, right?
Comments like these serve to indicate just how indoctrinated Americans have become to conservative free-market propaganda. We've been hearing this sort of nonsense since the Reagan years: it wasn't true then, and it certainly isn't true now.
In a country with over 9% unemployment--with rates far worse for minorities and those without college degrees--it simply isn't that easy for people to find jobs at all. And when jobs are available, quite often the salaries that these positions pay barely enable a person to survive, let alone provide adequately for a family. Making matters even worse, at the same time real disposable income dropped 1.7%, food prices have risen 4.8%, health care costs rose 5.4%, and gas prices rose 4.4%.
To hit home on just how hard it is to survive these days on a working class salary, a 33 year old copyrighter named Jenny Nicholson came up with the concept for a computer game called Spent. The game lets you apply for various jobs at different rates of pay, and then shows how the kinds of ordinary expenses that everyone has create a situation in which it is virtually impossible to survive on the kinds of salaries that many Americans depend upon.
If you're one of those people who constantly complain about lazy riff-raff feeding off the public trough or if you're so well off that you never have to think about the price of things like gas or cereal, you might just want to try this program.
It may not turn you into a bleeding-heart liberal overnight, but it might just inspire you to begin questioning some of the "self-evident truths" about the working poor that you always took for granted.
Great Post!
ReplyDeleteThat was a tough game to get through and it really does open your eyes to how many people are living out there these days. Its very sad to see it imagine experiencing it. I cant believe that we are allowing this to continue in our country something really has to be done to change this because it is not safe nor fair.Many families like this end up turning to drugs and violence just to get by and its very sad.
ReplyDeletePlaying that game made me truly see how its like for those to live day by day from paycheck to paycheck. I played that game and ended up making it through the month with $561. By ending up with that amount of money however, I had to risk a lot of sacrifices just to keep myself and the child afloat. After finishing this post, my view on the poorer class and what they have to go through will completely change for the better and for the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteI thought this game was very interesting. It helped me learn how unfortunate some families are today. By the end of the game, i ended up with $36 dollars. It was tough when I had to pick a decision for some of the questions. What I thought was unfair was when I clicked to do the tech job with the word test and it said that i did an insufficient job.
ReplyDeleteThat game was very tricky, especially as a mother of two; I could not wine. When it comes for food, health insurance,housing, forget it.No matter which one I tried it did not work.I believe the key is to get a better education. Hopefully you can get a better pay job.
ReplyDeleteThat game was very tricky,as a mother of two I could not wine.No matter the job I choose it di not work. Especially when it comes to foods, housing, health insurance,transportation.I believe that the key is to try to get more education involve so, hopefully we can get a better job.
ReplyDeleteThat was a good game because that is really what people are going through today. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the end of the month because I kept giving the money up for my kid and for the question about the medication for the mother. But, it shows the harsh realities people are going through about making certain sacrifices. Example, having to miss a kid's play for work. It's sad that people are living this way. It's pretty scary though about some decisions you have to make to just make it through a month.
ReplyDeleteThis is a difficult game to play honestly. The first time i answered all questions truthfully I didn't make it past day 5. The second time I said what i thought would be the best answer to make it a few more days, but it is probably not what I would really do. Nobody knows what they will really do until this situation presents itself so people should not have an opinion and believe that those less fortunate than them deserve it for some reason. This was a good way to try to see things from someone elses view for a little, however it is nowhere near the real thing, and who knows what choices we would make in reality.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very difficult game to play. I never realized the extreme sacrifices that need to be made when living pay check to paycheck. With my first attempt playing this game i was out of money within the first week and a half because I did not sacrifice anything and tried to balance making everyone happy. I wanted to play again in order to see how i would do with a different mindset. I went in with the mindset I have to do whatever will benefit me and my kids even if it meant sacrificing a lot of things in life. With that mindset i made it through the month but it was so hard to think what kind of life that is and how hard that is. It was some of the hardest decisions and this was only a game. It only made me think how people in these situations in real life go through these decisions and how they must feel after making these decisions. Overall i think it was a good game. It was very hard to get through, but it really put you into reality and what people go through on a daily basis.
ReplyDelete-Also Dr. Russo if you could please check your Molloy email I sent you an email regarding tomorrows class
Like everyone above me has mentioned, I played the first time and tried to make the right and easy choices and did not make it past 1 week. I cannot even begin to think what it would be like to have to make some of those decisions, and I'm grateful I don't have to. To say it puts things in perspective is an understatement.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really good game that helped myself and others realize how hard it really is to survive on our own.It's scary to see what people have to sacrifice and go through in order to get through a single month.
ReplyDeleteIt was hard to make it through one month without spending money on things that many people would take for granted. It was hard to sacrifice your child's happiness by not spending money on what they wanted. I can see why many would not have health insurance in order to save money, but you would have to hope that you wouldn't get sick. Each day had its own conflict to face; you had to take it one day at a time. It was a good game that shows the life of what stuggling families have to go through in order to survive.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize how many things I would have to miss because of such a strict budget. It seems as though my child's life and mine are put on hold because of money restrictions. I would have to have some generous and kind friends in order to be relatively happy. Its tough out there to have a job, and a happy life without loosing your mind about money issues and its only becoming more difficult.
ReplyDelete-Megan B.
I ended up playing this game twice. The first time I played it I made it to 17 days with $35, trying to make the imaginary family happy. The second time I followed how my actual family would handle the situations which led me to making it through the month with $103 at the end. I found the game to be a sad reminder of how things are. The game really hit home with the grocery shopping, buying cheap and rationing. The game makes me appreciate what I have more now. Also it gives justice the things I have missed out on in life because the sacrifices that have been made.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I played I actually used my conscience and common scene and it ended very badly, not even making through half the month. After that I made a lot of very tough and bad decisions and made it through the month very easily. This game really showed me how much people with low income struggle all the time. I didn't realze it would be this hard.
ReplyDeleteThis game really hits home. It brings into play anything and everything that can happen, but it is realistic. Such as your car breaking down or $15 for your kids field trip. 'Spent' is a real eye opener for life post-college. It really is tough out there. When it comes to your reading I agree with most of what you say. A lot of neccesities cost have risen and in return make them very hard to use for average 'just tryna get by' people. I disagree with it being hard to find a job though. The only thing hard about finding a job is finding one that will allow you to live comfortably, which is ever American's dream. But there are those people out there that are lazy and just want things handed to them. Without and education, life will be extremly tough and challenging finacially.
ReplyDeleteChris L
This game really makes you think how unfourtante it is for some people. "Spent" really opens your eyes to real life situations and how it can be for the people that have to deal with these type of situations on a daily basis. I agree with what you say, the price of living has increased but people's pay has not. But people can find jobs they just need to be willing to take a pay cut or do something that they don't want to do.
ReplyDeleteI found this game difficult to play because you really need to think about each situation, you need to think about what you will have to sacrafice and what you really need to spend money on. It is hard to imagine having to give up something that you really want to do because you do not have the money to afford it. I can see how stressful this can become on a family who has to make these decisions everyday of their lives.
ReplyDeleteVery sad and a big eye opener!gives you a chance to be in poor families shoes. I didnt make it past a week
ReplyDelete