One of my friends questioned what we are doing as a country. He said that my posting was "true to a point" but questioned the I allusion I made to the "teach a man to fish" adage. He said, "I ask, are any of us actively teaching fishing, and patching holes here?" then continued on another post with "This is how we 'help' our fellow Americans. 'Get a job!' 'Get off wellfare' 'Stop asking for healthcare!' 'Stop having kids!' I don't see many fishing poles. . . ."
I LOVE IT! I love the questions, I love the response, I love the his portrayal of the common man's reaction to the downtrodden and American "down on their luck."
Just like all of you, I spend a lot of time observing people, and trying to make a connection with them. It is hard to survive and be successful without making, at the very least, cordial connections. You can't be a successful actor, director, writer, performer, producer, teacher, social worker, police officer, parent, counselor, instructor, animator, etc. without observing people, understanding people, and trying to connect with people. For the most part, in my personal life, I am a solitary person, but I spend my days interacting with people as studies for characters I might write and/or play in a production we are working on.
Throughout my very eclectic experiences I have had professionally, including construction worker, flooring mechanic, horse whisperer (I mean trainer. . .LOL), music therapist, teacher, magnet school director, principal, animator, producer, performer. . . .etc. I have had the fortune of connecting with people of all walks of life and all types of backgrounds. These interactions make my current position as a writer/producer much easier. It also gives me a unique view of the human condition and of how people respond to various challenges and social issues. It has also helped me establish my personal philosophy as a parent, a husband, a businessman, and an American.
Is a fish out of water bound to eventually adapt, or will it just become dinner?
I remember being a middle school teacher in the projects of Paterson and Newark. A part of me wanted to adopt each of my students and expose them to an alternate way of upbringing. Then I would question, what would my bringing them to "the suburbs" (as I was in seventh grade) do for them? Would I be offering them an "easier" life, where there was less fear and therefore less need for the survival skills that they had been developing? Would I be doing more harm than good, by removing them from their natural "habitat"? Conversely, would my classmates in high school been better off if they experienced an exchange program to Barringer High School in Newark for a year? I'd be interested in exploring this further in future blogs and discussions, but it is not relevant in responding to yesterday's comments. Is a fish out of water bound to eventually adapt, like their amphibian cousins, or will that fish just become dinner?
I knew when it was "check day" (the day when the welfare checks arrived). The day after would have my students arrive in school with $150 sneakers, new "bling" and the latest in apparel and accessories. However, when lunchtime came, if they were not on free lunch, they would have a Pepsi and a Ring Ding packed. How were we supposed to expect these kids to have the focus and energy for the rest of the day (forget about the fact that they probably had the same thing for breakfast) with that "Lunch of Champions" The welfare check was spent like my daughter getting a gift card to Target for her birthday. She is not going to spend it in the food aisle or on getting new underwear, sock, or school supplies. She will spend it on a new DS cartridge, or a DVD, or some new Legos. That is OK, because it is a gift, and she is 10. The welfare check, however, is NOT a gift. It was designed to HELP a family get back on their feet and then get OFF welfare and become contributing members of society.
Welfare has become the new "family business."
When I asked my students what they wanted to do when they were older, they would say, "I don't know. Why do I have to do anything? I will probably collect like my mom and grandma." Not unlike the generations of distended-bellied villagers we have been sending our "coffee money" to for generations, welfare has become that free bowl of rice, that is being spent on Nikes, Gold, iPods, and Jay-Zee downloads.
So maybe my friend is right. Maybe we are not doing enough to help those in need. Maybe, as I think about it, we are just throwing "coffee money" at our own problems. Maybe it is time for us to figure out how to fix our roofs, and empower our people to revitalize the American society. We can change the channel when we see the "Save the Children" commercials, or we can figure out a way to make it unnecessary to produce the commercials. I still submit and support, that we need to feed our own before we save the world. Lets continue this discussion until we figure it out. Lets not be like public education, where we discuss topics and change, but never act upon it.
Our country was founded on the actions of a few patriots who moved the colonies to stand up and say "No More." My friends, it is time that we come up with a plan and WE do it.
It's the American Way.
Next Blog - A radical proposal for welfare reform. You guys will "love" this one.
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