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The Help and social justice
Aug. 27th, 2011 12:59 amI saw The Help again tonight, and it has me up late thinking thinky thoughts.
( cut for spoilers + politics )
What really drove this point home to me, though, was a sign I saw walking home, for a college loan foundation. It had an Afro-American staring up in rapt curiosity at floating chemical symbols. And I was actually reduced to tears, because I care deeply about education. I actually think university education through the bachelors degree at a state school is basically a right, given good enough grades and work ethic and all. It really shouldn't depend on family finances. It does, of course. And loans is not always the answer. But I was moved by how much better it was, to give all families a decent way to finance an education if need be so they don't have to depend on charity. Loans, for all their imperfection, don't put someone else in charge of a decision that should be yours. Charity does. I actually teared up a bit at seeing that sign.
I really hope people will remember this when we think about politics. Because politics matters. To bring down the debt you cut back spending, and the argument seems to be that if the government does not provide things and there's less taxes collected people will give more to charity. Problem is, charity means some individual gets to decide if you get the money you need. Charity is no replacement for a society where there's an even enough distribution of resources so a hard-working couple who save up for a decade can actually afford to send a child to college. Two of them, even, because sometimes the working poor have kids. If you make reasonably good choices and still can't meet a reasonable level of expenses - well, it's not charity you need. It's justice.
I'm not saying that the government gets everything right. Far from it. But But this idea that if we just let private charity take over everything would be hunky-dory? Well, charity is great for a crunch. Charity is better than the lack thereof. But it's also more than a bit insulting, and it's no replacement for a fiar and well-regulated society. Today kind of drove that home.
( cut for spoilers + politics )
What really drove this point home to me, though, was a sign I saw walking home, for a college loan foundation. It had an Afro-American staring up in rapt curiosity at floating chemical symbols. And I was actually reduced to tears, because I care deeply about education. I actually think university education through the bachelors degree at a state school is basically a right, given good enough grades and work ethic and all. It really shouldn't depend on family finances. It does, of course. And loans is not always the answer. But I was moved by how much better it was, to give all families a decent way to finance an education if need be so they don't have to depend on charity. Loans, for all their imperfection, don't put someone else in charge of a decision that should be yours. Charity does. I actually teared up a bit at seeing that sign.
I really hope people will remember this when we think about politics. Because politics matters. To bring down the debt you cut back spending, and the argument seems to be that if the government does not provide things and there's less taxes collected people will give more to charity. Problem is, charity means some individual gets to decide if you get the money you need. Charity is no replacement for a society where there's an even enough distribution of resources so a hard-working couple who save up for a decade can actually afford to send a child to college. Two of them, even, because sometimes the working poor have kids. If you make reasonably good choices and still can't meet a reasonable level of expenses - well, it's not charity you need. It's justice.
I'm not saying that the government gets everything right. Far from it. But But this idea that if we just let private charity take over everything would be hunky-dory? Well, charity is great for a crunch. Charity is better than the lack thereof. But it's also more than a bit insulting, and it's no replacement for a fiar and well-regulated society. Today kind of drove that home.
