As we analyze the functions of money, a student raises his hand and wonders why we left off two categories. "What about bribes? It's not the same as spend, save, invest, give away, lend or borrow."
Another student argues that it fits better within the category of "spend." She points out that whether one spends money on influence or a product, it is still spending.
The first student then asks, "Well, what about stealing? Shouldn't that be a category?"
Another student asks, "What's the difference between stealing and investing." He's not joking. He asks about Bernie Madoff and I explain that most investors don't steal and yet he won't drop it.
"Why do rich people who steal millions go to fancy prisons while my brother goes to a ghetto prison for stealing a car?"
Another student jumps in, "Did he have a gun? That could have been armed robbery."
"Why does it matter if he had a gun?"
"Well, it would really scare someone if you had a gun."
"I'm sure people were scared when they lost their entire retirement."
It has me thinking about the ways our nation punishes poor people. If I am rich, I get golden parachutes during an economic crisis. If I'm rich and I donate, I get buildings named in my honor. If I am rich, I can steal and end up spending four years in a fancy prison. My money alone gives me the loudest voice in education reform.
The system is rigged. Seriously rigged. When Wall Street executives get fat bonus checks and seventh grade ELL students are still expected to pass a multiple choice reading exam, there is something wrong with our nation's definition of accountability.
For all the talk about low expectations among low income students, it seems to me that our nation has higher expectations for the poor than we do for the rich. I'm not against wealth. I'm not a socialist. It just seems wrong that those who are born into a challenging circumstance should then be required to live the rest of their lives at a higher ethical standard than those who are born into privilege.
4 comments:
Amen!
I AM a Socialist, and I agree completely. My husband will say flat out (and has been taken to task for it on many occasions) "I hate rich people." A little blunt and without compromise for my taste, but his opinion stems from exactly what you are talking about here.
BTW, Doyle, thanks for visiting my blog! I am always interested in what other educators have to say, and I'll be back here too.
Oops -- just saw that this was written by John, not Doyle. I love this post, however!
Thank you, Suzy. I'll check out your blog now. If Doyle likes it, it's probably pretty good.
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