I love that my kids are learning about issues like the American Dream and unions. But I would really love to see my 15 year old bring home several articles and have to read differing viewpoints on the same idea and form her own opinions based on a more well-rounded approach.
Over the years I've tried hard to not to project my own ideas about controversial issues onto my kids. I want them to see different sides of debates. And I don't want them to immediately agree with me on everything because I am their mother.
So this assignment really rubbed me the wrong way. In it the author explains that a woman who has a small child works at Starbucks. She wants to go to school to broaden her career options, but she has "no hope" of ever being able to go to school because her work schedule changes regularly and she can't schedule college classes because of that. Starbucks doesn't have unions. So Starbucks and other companies not having unions is making people stay poor because they don't offer their employees regular schedules. Because of that, employees can't get an education or ever have any hope of bettering their circumstances. And the American Dream is all a big facade now.
Seriously. People this is why the middle class is shrinking. Reactive thinking. I cannot, I cannot, I cannot.
What happened to innovation and creative problem-solving? How about this lady takes online classes? What about doing a job-share with another employee? How about a babysitting co-op? I get frustrated when people have attitudes like these. I know that these kinds of circumstances can be hard. But there is still hope.
I dated a guy in college who was like this. He worked at the mall. His mom was single and a teacher. She didn't make a lot of money. He insisted that he couldn't get financial aid because he earned too much money working at the mall. So he just had to go to the community college and struggle. His reactive "I'm stuck" thinking was the hardest thing for me to take and I finally decided he wasn't the guy for me. He was super smart, charming and good looking. He had all the potential in the world. But in his mind he was stuck and it drove me nuts.
I dated a guy in college who was like this. He worked at the mall. His mom was single and a teacher. She didn't make a lot of money. He insisted that he couldn't get financial aid because he earned too much money working at the mall. So he just had to go to the community college and struggle. His reactive "I'm stuck" thinking was the hardest thing for me to take and I finally decided he wasn't the guy for me. He was super smart, charming and good looking. He had all the potential in the world. But in his mind he was stuck and it drove me nuts.
I can't help but think that strong families, not unions are the answer. The American Dream is tied to strong family units. Two parent households fare much better socioeconomically. Can you even imagine how much different our society would be if there were no more unwed moms with unwanted pregnancies, and no one had drug or alcohol addictions?
I think all of these things would save our American Dream a lot faster than a union would. We need more missionaries, not more unions.
Somehow Elise didn't think that would make a good English Essay.
