teaching about poverty through images

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This article was downloaded by: [University of Bath] On: 04 October 2014, At: 16:22 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Journal of Poverty Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wpov20 Teaching About Poverty Through Images Alfred Joseph a & Andrea Cerio b a Department of Family Studies and Social Work , Miami University , 104C McGuffey Hall, Oxford, OH, 45056., USA b Miami University , USA Published online: 20 Oct 2008. To cite this article: Alfred Joseph & Andrea Cerio (2000) Teaching About Poverty Through Images, Journal of Poverty, 4:3, 119-123, DOI: 10.1300/J134v04n03_06 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J134v04n03_06 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is

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This article was downloaded by: [University of Bath]On: 04 October 2014, At: 16:22Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH,UK

Journal of PovertyPublication details, including instructions forauthors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wpov20

Teaching About PovertyThrough ImagesAlfred Joseph a & Andrea Cerio ba Department of Family Studies and Social Work ,Miami University , 104C McGuffey Hall, Oxford, OH,45056., USAb Miami University , USAPublished online: 20 Oct 2008.

To cite this article: Alfred Joseph & Andrea Cerio (2000) Teaching About PovertyThrough Images, Journal of Poverty, 4:3, 119-123, DOI: 10.1300/J134v04n03_06

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J134v04n03_06

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all theinformation (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform.However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make norepresentations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness,or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and viewsexpressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, andare not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of theContent should not be relied upon and should be independently verified withprimary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for anylosses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages,and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly orindirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of theContent.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes.Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan,sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is

expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found athttp://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

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THOUGHTS ON POVERTYAND INEQUALITY

Teaching About Poverty Through Images:Poverty Outlaw and Taylor’s Campaign

Alfred JosephAndrea Cerio

Poverty Outlaw: Produced/Directed by Pamela Yates and Peter Kinoy.Skylight Pictures, Inc., 330 West 42nd St.-32nd Floor, New York, NY10036. 60 min. Phone: 212-947-5333. Fax: 212-947-5401.

Taylor’s Campaign: Directed by Richard Cohen. Produced by AmyKofman and Richard Cohen. Distributed by Richard Cohen Films,P. O. Box 1012, Venice, CA 90294. Phone: 310-395-3549. URL:www. richardcohenfilms.com.

Alfred Joseph is Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Studies andSocial Work, Miami University, 104C McGuffey Hall, Oxford, OH 45056.

Andrea Cerio is currently a graduate student at Miami University in the Master’sdegree program in Family and Child Studies.

Journal of Poverty, Vol. 4(3) 2000E 2000 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved. 119

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JOURNAL OF POVERTY120

Conservative politicians and pundits often talk about various‘‘wars’’ going on in this society. One does not have to wait long whilelistening to the radio or watching the television or reading the news torun across some reference to a battle over ‘‘values,’’ ‘‘culture,’’ or‘‘morality.’’ Sometimes the ‘‘war’’ being waged is for the very ‘‘soulof America.’’ Of course, these ‘‘battles’’ are of concern only to thosewho oppose any and all meaningful efforts being made to make this amore open and just society. On the other hand, those with a greatersense of reality and a cursory knowledge of contemporary Americanhistory are concerned about a real war with real casualties and realvictims. The war we are concerned with is the war being waged on thepoor. Poverty Outlaw and Taylor’s Campaign are two movies that speakto the issues that surround this real war being waged in America.

Poverty Outlaw is set in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadel-phia, a multiracial poor working-class neighborhood on the city’snorth side. Like many of America’s inner city neighborhoods, it hasbeen abandoned by commercial, industrial and real estate interests.What is left is a tattered ‘‘safety net’’ that is becoming increasinglyhostile to the very people it is supposed to serve.

The movie follows the activities of the Kensington Welfare RightsUnion over several months as it attempts to address some of the needsof neighborhood people. In short, this movie is about survival and theoppressive social forces that wear away at the mind and body ofcountless people in all the ‘‘Kensingtons’’ around this country and theworld. In one hour this movie will evoke feelings of anger and frustra-tion; it will enlighten and depress you; it will make you feel powerlessand hopeless; but at its conclusion, it will renew your faith in theworking-class and the power of collective social action.

As the movie starts, it quickly becomes apparent that poor peopleand their activities are of particular concern to those in authority. It isinstructive to the uninitiated to see how the arms of the state (in thiscase, the police and children’s services) react to people who try toempower themselves. Daily we are bombarded with messages aboutpoor people and how they may lack the desire and motivation to takeadvantage of ‘‘opportunities’’ that might pull them out of poverty. Theimplication is that if they would only get up and take control of theirlives they could bring about a positive change in their situation. Thismovie is about people doing exactly that. But in the real world, theyare confronted by the state. We see poor men and women of Kensing-

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ton taking over abandoned buildings in order to use them as homes forthe homeless and places where children can have a safe and nurturingplace to play. The response from officialdom could have been support-ive, but it was not. The people were arrested and faced with possibleimprisonment for up to ten years. When the Union starts a tent city forthe homeless on an abandoned lot overrun with weeds and refuse, themembers quickly come under the watchful eyes of the police. Not longafterwards the tent city residents become victims of a campaign ofdirty tricks designed to intimidate and scare away potential supporters.In fact, almost every act of survival on the part of the Union and itssupporters is met by overt and covert acts of resistance on the part ofthe state. While the police are usually the first wave of shock troopssent, the state has a deep arsenal. Child protective and human servicesofficials are used to pressure some of the women involved in the tentcity project. Some children are actually taken into custody and otherwomen have their cases ‘‘reviewed.’’

The strength of Poverty Outlaw is its effective portrayal of the dayto day struggles of impoverished people. It shows people struggling toovercome feelings of isolation, suspicion, and the powerful socialforce of racism. The film does a good job in contradicting some of thewidely held negative stereotypes that exist in our society about thepoor. It does so while not idealizing or making saints of those in-volved. It shows people sharing and sacrificing for the benefit ofothers, but it also shows that some people will be ‘‘lost to the streets’’where they engage in petty criminal and self-destructive behavior.This war is not without casualties. Poverty Outlaw is well worthseeing.

Taylor’s Campaign, like Poverty Outlaw, tackles serious issues con-cerning the plight of poor and homeless people. This movie revolvesaround the campaign of a formerly homeless man named Taylor to getelected to the city council of Santa Monica, California. Taylor wants tobecome an advocate for the homeless. Through the course of themovie, we are introduced to his ‘‘constituency.’’ They are given thechance to voice their concerns, fears and hopes. They speak with greatwisdom about the true nature of 20th century capitalist America. Theyhave uncovered the myths and contradictions of our society. Theyknow all about ‘‘equal treatment before the law.’’ They understandthat when people tell them they will give them a job that the job mayor may not be there when they show up. They know the truth about the

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homeless shelters; they understand the ‘‘complicated’’ relationshipbetween the lack of affordable housing and homelessness. They havealso unlocked the ‘‘mystery’’ surrounding poverty, underemploymentand unemployment. Because they have unlocked this mystery, theyknow that people without jobs or people with low-paying jobs tend toface more hardships than people with high-paying jobs. They realizethat contrary to what you may have learned in civics classes, peoplewith high incomes experience more ‘‘democracy’’ than those at thebottom.

Like Poverty Outlaw, this movie also deals effectively with the roleof the state in dealing with the poor. The homeless are constantlyunder surveillance by the police. They are constant objects of harass-ment. The threat of arrest is ever present. The message being sent isobvious: if you are poor and homeless you are potentially, if notalready, a criminal. While both movies expose the true character of thestate, Taylor’s Campaign also exposes the hold that the anti-poorideology has on the general population. This movie says as muchabout the nature of American society as it does about the poor. Wheth-er it is the tourist couple complaining about the poor interfering withtheir ability to enjoy the sunset, the two young males who believe thatmaybe the poor should be allowed to perish if they can’t ‘‘make it’’ ontheir own, or the city councilpersons who want to introduce legislationto make it unlawful to publicly feed people, examples of society’shostility towards the poor and homeless population are numerous.This movie is very troublesome in a positive sort of way. It will makeviewers question what sort of society would rather invent a dumpsterthat makes it difficult for people to extract food and other life sustain-ing materials instead of providing people with the things that areneeded to live.

One of the weaknesses we saw in Taylor’s Campaign was thesuggestion that reliance on electoral politics can bring about anymeaningful change in the lives of the homeless. In Poverty Outlaw, theaction revolved around people coming together at the grassroots levelto engage in struggle. From this came strength and confidence inthemselves and each other, so even if they ‘‘lost’’ a particular battle,they were actually winning. The system wins if people do nothing orblame each other for their problems. Both of these movies offerunique glances into the lives of people that are oftentimes ignored. For

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at least a little while they are listened to while they tell their story.They are saying things that need to be heard.

These films would be most useful in introductory social work,social welfare policy, or community organization courses. Becauseboth movies show the disproportionate impact that poverty and home-lessness have on minorities and women, they are also appropriate fordiversity and women’s studies classes. Courses dealing with povertyand/or social injustice would be appropriate forums as well.

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