Taking a Leap of Faith: Macro and Micro Responsibilites of a Social Worker in Fighting Poverty

Not once did I ever believe that the poverty plague would hit so close to home. Over the course of five long years, my good friend, Mark, struggled endlessly to find his place in a world that rejected him for his mental disability.  On account of not receiving enough oxygen at birth, Mark is forced to live with physical and mental conditions that often separate him from both the social and work-related realms of society. From his rapid fire stuttering speech patterns and low IQ, to his poor hygiene and the inability to differentiate his friends from his enemies, Mark has been and continues to be placed into a sociological, psychological, and even financial standstill. With the untimely divorce of his parents after 15+ years of marriage, Mark was forced to make it on his own even though he was not well-equipped with the appropriate set of tools to do so. As a result, bouts of homelessness became his reality in between his search for a steady job. Now at 26 years of age, Mark is receiving much needed assistance from a social worker, who continues to provide him with the skills necessary to live a modest and comfortable lifestyle. Over the past few months, Mark has learned what it means to be independent and self-sustaining in a world where embracing individualism becomes crucial to one's survival.  This brief synopsis of Mark's story is a clear example of a micro scenario that social workers are confronted with on a daily basis. By being aware of and understanding the problems associated with poverty that are faced by individuals on a micro level, social workers then have the means to attack issues of poverty on a grander scale (macro), a level that is critical in winning the fight against poverty once and for all.

The problem, however, is that social workers (at least, in this day and age), never seem to move beyond the micro level of change. Granted, helping individuals to rise above their poverty-stricken lives one person (or family) at a time does bring us closer to the war on poverty finish line, but it will not help us win the race. Becoming victorious in this way not only requires a thorough understanding of micro-level techniques, but also requires professional social workers to tackle their fears of the unknown by being public advocates for change. In short, remaining "silent" on the macro level (as many social workers currently do and have done so for decades) stagnates our ability as social workers to create meaningful change not only throughout the U.S., but also within parts of the world that are hit hardest by poverty.  According to author, Rachel L. West, a potential reason for this inability in present day social workers to advocate for their clients on a political level "involves schools not doing enough to teach students their options for a future career." Rather than present students with a plethora of branches that are a significant part of the social work tree, for example, students are, instead, shown only a few of the major branches (Mental Health, Community Organizing, etc.) without any opportunity to explore other important options. In truth, this is one problem that must be addressed if advocacy on the macro-level is to become commonplace once again.

There is also this blatant fear of change that corrupts the hearts of social workers, their clients, and especially policy makers.  The latter of the three, in particular, are often so caught up with whether a proposed policy will be effective in the long run that the policy, itself, never even manages to get its foot in the door of poverty, let alone past it.  The issue, in this case, may involve the financial aspects of approving proposals made by social workers. Policy makers want to be absolutely certain that a given policy proposal will be successful before making the decision to provide the necessary funding. What they fail to realize, however, is that taking a genuine "leap of faith" rather than a "leap of scientific fact" is often necessary in promoting true change.

 

Providing people with feelings of empowerment on a global scale is one specific element of taking this "leap of faith".

More than 40 years ago, American citizens took their leap of faith in creating, developing, and publicly promoting widespread protests for the Civil Rights Movement, the War on Vietnam, and other government-related issues, much to their success. They not only created meaningful change, but also managed to firmly cement themselves in the cobblestone of American history. With the state of poverty the way it is currently, there is no excuse for social workers and citizens alike to refrain from uniting once again. Impoverished children, also known as our world's future, have been waiting for quite some time to see themselves rescued from their conditions, being that they are the poorest group in America to date.  With that said, do we, as social workers, have the right to deny these children their right to a healthy and successful livelihood by clinging to what is known, whilst fearing the unknown? Are we, in fact, guilty of being both part of the solution to ending poverty, as well as part of the problem in letting it continue?  In the end, to answer any one of these questions accurately and with confidence, it becomes imperative that we, as social workers, make the effort to clearly identify the fears of both clients and policy makers if any further progress is to be made in winning that dreaded poverty triathlon.


 http://cmatthewhawkinssw.blogspot.com/2012/09/are-social-workers-agents-of-status-quo.html

Professor Hawkins' blog post that poses the question of whether social workers are more concerned with being agents for widespread social change, or if their goal is to simply abide by the status quo of their respective agency.

http://cmatthewhawkinssw.blogspot.com/2013/03/social-workers-as-change-agents.html

Professor Hawkins' blog post that speaks of social workers as being "change agents" and how it often takes a substantial "leap of faith" in order to initiate a quality sense of change with respect to poverty.

http://www.socialworkhelper.com/2013/08/29/importance-social-work-politics-social-workers-call-arms/

Policy Staff Writer, Lydia Long, discusses the processes of "uniting" social workers together in order to develop more effective ways of serving client needs. 

http://www.socialworkhelper.com/2013/05/30/what-happened-to-social-workers-dominating-politics-and-civil-rights/

Author, Rachel L. West, explains an all-important shift in the social work field from public policy, to clinical/therapeutic work, as well as the reason behind such a shift.

Heads? Tails? Or Both?: The Importance of Structural and Cultural Functions of Poverty

Looks like it's time for a coin flip.  Rep. Paul Ryan has received an ample amount of flack in recent weeks for blaming the current poverty rate on a "tailspin of culture" in America's "inner city" life, a statement that many consider to be nothing more than a blatant use of dog whistle politics.  Granted, for him to simply come out and say that inner cities are rife with African American males who are lazy and have no ambition would have been much worse, but the truth of the matter is that Ryan simply forgot to do his homework on the subject. As with any form of controversy, there are always two sides to a single coin. The coin, in this case, represents poverty as a whole, while its two sides resemble the various cultural and structural functions of poverty.  In truth, Ryan spoke of poverty only in terms of culture (Heads) and, as a result, failed to recognize the all-important structural element (Tails) that many believe holds the key to understanding the roots of poverty within the broader spectrum of American culture.

Heads: The Cultural Side

Ryan's reasoning behind his choice of words may be due, in part, to a larger discussion involving the appeal of "cultural arguments" in American society on controversial topics. According to author William Julius Wilson, such arguments "are more likely to resonate with the broader public because there is this dominant American belief system that associates poverty and welfare with individual initiative." In short, Ryan is embracing the age old concept of an American who is poised to achieve "The American Dream" through a constant level of hard work and dedication. Anyone that falls short of this idea gets the "laziness" and "lack of motivation" labels attached to them, including whole cultures of people. These ideas are frequently reinforced in local news media broadcasts where stories of gunshot violence, drug raids, and burglary incidents are often paired with somber, unflattering, and often, embarrassing imagery of African American youth and families. The same can be said with regard to other forms of media that include, but are not limited to movies, television, and music videos. For example, African American Rap, Hip-Hop, and R&B artists tend to promote overarching themes of the phrase “Get rich quick!”, where becoming a millionaire can be done with little to no effort.  Such media imagery not only generates and promotes racial stereotypes, but also allows one to make the generalization that all African Americans think, act, and behave in ways that are counter intuitive to an honest, hardworking lifestyle. The longer this trend continues within mainstream media, the more likely people will regard it as an accurate descriptor of African American culture.

Tails: The Structural Side

The crux of the current discussion, however, involves the structural functions of poverty which, in truth, have a mixture of racial and non-racial connotations. The racial implications, according to Wilson, are rooted in historical forms of discrimination and segregation that are still considered prominent issues. In a hypothetical letter to Paul Ryan, author Jonathan Capehart wishes to set the record straight with Ryan on the cold hard truth behind inner city life by stating that such a lifestyle is nowhere near accidental, nor is it the result of an unwillingness to work.  Rather, the living conditions of present-day African Americans within impoverished sections of inner cities are essentially the result of generations before them who were subjected to “discriminatory housing policies” such as “redlining,” “restrictive covenants,” and the “departure of manufacturing of commerce from cities.” Not to mention, with the implementation of the Fair Housing Act in 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson, integration of formerly all-white neighborhoods became a reality in the early 70’s, thus leading to instances of “blockbusting” that eventually turned thriving neighborhoods into slums. One might describe the entire process as taking on characteristics of a snowball effect, growing larger and more economically damaging with each new generation. Finally, with each new generation come non-racial structural functions of poverty such as economic changes (rising inflation, economic recession, etc.) and technological innovations (internet, cell phones, etc.).  These functions exist more prominently today as technology, in particular, has played a crucial role in redefining what it means to be a consumer, how interpersonal relationships are formed and/or maintained, and especially, the rate at which information is processed and spread across vast distances.  Not having access to such technology only manages to further alienate those living in near, or absolute poverty from middle-class “normalcy.”

Getting to Know Both Sides

The major point to take away from this discussion is simple. The government must do their homework.  They must refrain from offering black and white solutions to problems that are riddled with grey areas. They must also refrain from making rapid fire generalizations about a specific group of people based on brief glimpses from outside the inner city window. Instead, they must make the attempt to walk inside the city’s door. Once inside, do not simply converse with a fake smile. Speak with each and every individual on a personal level. Get to know their thoughts, feelings, hopes and dreams. Persuade them to show you what the other side of the coin looks like.


http://www.utimes.pitt.edu/?p=18764

University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work Dean, Larry Davis, speaks at a University Club conference on the subject of African American males and how they are portrayed in various forms of media.

http://www.aapss.org/news/2010/06/18/william-julius-wilson-how-cultural-and-structural-forces-interact

William Julius Wilson is interviewed on the subject of how cultural and structural functions of poverty interact with each other, with a special focus on inner city poverty.

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2009/03/how_to_understand_the_culture_of_poverty.2.html

 This article features William Julius Wilson's "revised" version of the "Culture of Poverty" thesis where "victims" of poverty are neither defended, nor are they blamed for their current position within society.

http://www.msnbc.com/melissa-harris-perry/paul-ryan-urban-plight-isnt-cultural

MSNBC Contributor, Jonathan Capehart, writes a "love letter" to Paul Ryan that instructs him on the truth behind inner city life for people of color.