Transcript Nickel-and-Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America

Nickel-and-Dimed: On (Not)
Getting By in America
By Barbara Ehrenreich
1999
The USA’s Welfare System
• 1880s–1890s: Poor people from work yards were moved to poor houses if
they were in search of relief funds.
• 1893–1894: Attempts were made at the first unemployment payments,
but were unsuccessful due to the 1893–1894 recession.
• 1932: The Great Depression had gotten worse. The "Emergency Relief
Act", which gave local governments $300 million, was passed into law.
• 1933: In March 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pushed Congress to
establish the Civilian Conservation Corps.
• 1935: The Social Security Act was passed on June 17, 1935. The bill
included direct relief (cash, food stamps, etc.) and changes for
unemployment insurance.
• 1940: Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC) was established.
• 1964: Johnson’s War on Poverty is underway, and the Economic
Opportunity Act was passed. Commonly known as "the Great Society"
• 1996: Passed under Clinton, the "Personal Responsibility and Work
Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996" becomes law
The USA’s welfare system
• Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Programme.
Retirement Insurance Benefits (RIB), Supplemental Security Income (SSI)a form of payments made by the US Social Security Administration paid
based upon the attainment old age (62 or older).
• Social Security Disability Insurance (SSD)- Income supplements for people
unable to work due to a disability.
• Unemployment insurance – money provided by the state when the worker
has become unemployed when it wasn’t his fault.
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)- provides cash to needy
American families with dependent children.
• Food Stamp Programme- Financial assistance to buy food for people with
low and no income.
How the USA’s welfare system
compares the UK’s
• The UK has: The National Health Service, which provides free
health care to all citizens.
• The Universal Child Benefit- Gives benefits to parents to help
feed and support their children.
• Free School Meals – Provided to children at lunch time and
was paid by the government.
• Laws weren’t passed to do with welfare in the US until the
1930’s, whereas they began in the UK in the 1900’s.
Style of Writing
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First person
In the style of a diary – “When I wake up at 4am.”
Mixed lexis – “Kiddie”, “Oxytocin
References to racism – “I possess certain traits that
might be advantageous – I’m white”.
• References to sexism – “I am ‘baby,’ ‘honey,’
‘Blondie,’ and most commonly, ‘girl.”
Re-casting Task
• Imagine you are an American woman writing to the local
newspaper about your struggles with money, jobs and children. Use
from the beginning of the text up to “ More or less off the land.”
• You should adapt the source material, using your own words as far
as possible without using direct quotations from Ehrenreich’s
original material. Your letter should be approximately 300 – 400
words in length.
• In your adaptation you should:
• Use language appropriately to address purpose and audience
• Write accurately and coherently, applying relevant ideas and
concepts.