Re: Dispatches,Ch4 tonight ,Growing Up Poor
If everyone in this forum is actually over the stated age of the forum then in my opinion our views on what is poverty and what defines poverty is going to be totally different to today's society on what is poverty and what defines it.
Today's society is a technological society due to the internet. It's popularity pushed wireless technology into the mainstream. WIFI pushed the technology further into the realms of bluetooth technology. This lead to creative thinkers pushing the boundaries of where this new technology can go. You can find it in your cars, your watches, your mobile phones, your televisions, your radios, your music centres, your white goods (fridge/freezer/washing machine), cooker, light bulbs, furniture. Whist us lot over 50 see many of these as luxuries because it is technology we never had when we was children, such technology has become the norm of today's society, it is common place and as such i believe that not having some of this technology can be seen as someone in a situation of poverty.
When my parents went to school, they had what i call 'life skill lessons', how to cook, how to clean, how to sew (mainly for repairing clothing), how to make your own clothing, how to use mechanical tools, how to do basic woodwork and metal work (to be able to repair things). ALL the females in my family that were children from 1910 through to the 40's, my grandparents, my aunties, my mother, they were all taught what would be called 'female' work today, sewing, knitting, cooking, cleaning, how to make your own clothes, make your own curtains, your own towels and drapes. 3 of my aunties never bought their clothes, they made them all because that's what their school taught them to do.
When i went to school in the 70's, such school lessons still existed, i was taught to knit and sew (never had to make any clothing though), how to clean, how to cook. This allowed us to be independent and i could see the same through my parents. My mother would always cook food from fresh ingredients, either from daily shopping to the local shops or from our own garden.
Do schools in today's society still have such lessons? or is all the above now expected to be taught by the child's parents?
As for the topic of poverty, I've been there. It was a time when my parents were divorced and my mother doing her best to feed and clothe us by working two jobs, there were times she was not needed on one of the jobs and suddenly the house income was halved, but still had 3 children to feed and clothe. There were times we could not afford the electric which having an electric meter you had to put coins in, no coins, no electric. Fortunately for us our gas was never turned off. We would have to put pans of water on the cooker so we could have hot water to wash ourselves. this was then used to wash the kitchen cutlery and utensils with a good rinse of cold water. No electric meant no lights. For days we would have to use candles. We had a fire in the living-room but could not afford coal or logs. No electric also meant no television or radio so entertainment in the evenings after doing our homework was playing board games by candle light. Laundry was done by using some kind of large ball that your turned with a handle. Your washing went inside with the water and detergent, close it up then turn the handle. Night times when it was cold due to having no heating, yes we would sleep in our coats, we had to. Then mother would get a second job again and everything would turn to normal until the 2nd job was gone and the cycle repeated. It was tough but as a family we got through it.
Maybe some of you have suffered similar or then maybe not BUT as someone who is heavily involved in technology due to work, seeing how much it is deeply rooted and ingrained into today's society, i can see that removing some of the technology us over 50's see as luxuries, can be seen as being in poverty in today's society.