ABSTRACT
We are two nations. One of them is familiar. It comprises the vast majority of the population—working-class and middle-class people who earn a decent living and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Although their level of affluence varies considerably, previous chapters have shown that they usually possess the resources necessary to deal with personal crises. Thus, when faced with a failed marriage, a pregnant daughter, a needed auto repair, a cavity, or any of the other tribulations and difficulties of modern life, they have a range of effective choices. The other nation is unfamiliar. Yet hand-lettered signs, “Will work for food,” announce it. So does being accosted by a panhandler: “Can you spare some change?” So do those who walk the street: the drunk, the mentally ill, possessed by their peculiar demons. Such behavior suggests they have become so poor and so desperate that they are willing to debase themselves in public. This response is inexplicable to most people. But not every member of this unfamiliar nation displays extreme behavior. Many work, often fall-time. Many are aged. Many are children. All live poorly in America. Recall the Class Structure Hypothesis from Chapter 1: “The poor have fewer choices and find it harder to solve their personal dilemmas compared to members of other social classes.” Coping is often the best they can do.
