“Seeing
and Making Culture: Representing the Poor”, an article written by Bell Hooks, also
known as Gloria Watkins, analyses society’s unfair judgements,
misrepresentations and uncritical attributes associated with poverty. Brought
up in a family that could be regarded as poor, she has deep understanding of
the issue at hand. Her insight into the subject is further illuminated by her reading
and interaction with a philosopher, Cornel West, who is apparently an authority
on the subject having written books about it. With the negative connotations
the society imposes on poor people as hopeless, lazy and weak, West tries to convince
Hooks that she is not poor but working class, but to no avail.
Since
her childhood growing up as one of seven children whose breadwinner was a father
on a meagre salary as a post office janitor, Hooks was not ashamed of their
poor situation – neither looking at it with rose-tinted glasses nor letting it stigmatize
her – but she was quite realistic and appreciated such values as courage and
integrity that were instilled into her by her folks. She only became acutely
aware of her poor situation – like most of the society whom she castigates as
having deep-seated prejudices about poverty – when she joined university where
the poor were depicted as “shiftless, mindless, lazy, dishonest, and unworthy”.
These societal prejudices shocked Hooks and it is what she sets out to correct
in this article; not only among the better-off in society, but among the poor
themselves.
This
is in line with the other social consciousness works by the author who has
written extensively on various topics such as race, gender, politics and
popular culture. She grew up in a racially segregated, small Kentucky town
among her poor kith and kin who noted that money and material possessions did
not define a person but rather hard work, honesty and integrity. When she got a
scholarship and loans to attend the elite Stanford University, her parents
worried how she would cater for transportation, books and emergencies. Despite
these hardships, Hooks proceeded to become a reputed scholar and prolific
author having earned a PhD and published many books and essays. For all her
success, she identifies with the “middle-class folks who are connected in
economic responsibility to kinship structures where they provide varying
material support for others” where “the issue is always about money” (Hooks,
432).
Hooks
believes the prejudices associated with the poor negatively impact the actions,
reputation and self-esteem of most poor people. The prejudices are captured in
a situation where the Stanford students “were quick to assume that anything
missing had been taken by the black and Filipina women who worked there”
(Hooks, 433). Dissuading the society from these judgmental stances, she says
that she views the world “in terms of who has money to spend and who does not”.
The author notes that there are poor people who are good and some who are bad,
just like in the rest of the society. Yet, some poor people cheat and steal
because “they also hope to escape the stigma of their class by appearing to
have the trappings of more privileged classes. Poverty in their minds and in
our society as a whole is seen as synonymous with depravity, lack and
worthlessness” (Hooks, 434).
Hooks
tells the poor that they have all the potential and worth like everyone else. Emphasizing the importance of morals and values over economic status, she notes that
everyone can live a worthwhile life. Whether rich or poor, all people deserve
respect and dignity as espoused by various theological teachings. Hooks cites
her own liberatory religious traditions that were in solidarity with the poor
with them being viewed as ready for moral integrity, being encouraged to share
resources with others, and assertion of an individual’s power “to change the
world so that the poor would have their needs met, would have access to
resources, would have justice and beauty in their lives” (Hooks, 434).
But
“progressive intellectuals from rich classes who are themselves obsessed with
gaining material wealth are uncomfortable with the insistence that one can be
poor, yet lead a rich and meaningful life” (Hooks, 436). This is reinforced by
contemporary popular culture which has negative portrayals of the poor. The
lazy and dysfunctional are portrayed as “consumed with longing to be rich, a
longing so intense that it renders them dysfunctional and (sic) willing to
commit all manner of dehumanizing and brutal acts in the name of material gain”
(Hooks, 434). The working poor are portrayed as suffering self-contempt, with a
wit and humor masking ‘the longing to change their lot”.
Yet
the experience and subsequent success of Hooks and other people from a poor
background show that poverty is not necessarily a permanent state and it does
not have certain values attached to it regardless the popular belief. The poor
should not allow themselves to be dehumanized by such negative labels as
depraved, lazy, worthless, dishonest… Indeed, whereas the very rich do not have
to work, the poor have no choice but to work very hard, usually for little pay,
to make ends meet; selflessly sharing it with others in similarly tough
situations.
This
article by Hooks is written in simple, persuasive language suitable to
everybody. It addresses both the poor and the rich in society. The credibility
of the author is depicted in their upbringing and qualifications, making for
good ethos. Employment of popular culture and beliefs as depicted in quotation
of the movie “Pretty Woman” presents and weakens opposing views, bringing out
the strong logos in the work. Pathos is depicted in the article’s imagery and
diction as depicted in the example, “I frequently spent my holidays with the
black women who cleaned in the dormitories. Their world was my world” (Hooks,
431) and use of such euphemisms as “underclass’ and ‘professional-managerial
class”.
In
the materialistic and individualistic society of today, appearances are usually
used to gauge a person’s character. Yet looks can be deceptive. “Taught in a
culture of poverty to be intelligent, honest, to work hard, and always to be a
person of my word,” Hooks effectively calls on the society to shun these
prejudices that unfairly judge, misrepresent and uncritically attribute
individual failing to poverty. In so doing, the society will be responsible and
ensure that the poor live a “meaningful, contented and fulfilled life” in spite
of their circumstances.
Works cited
Hooks,
Bell. “Seeing and Making Culture: Representing the Poor”. From Inquiry to Academic Writing a Text and Reader. Greene, Stuart
and Lidinsky, April. Boston: Bedford, 2008. Print
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