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Classism in social services

The Nonprofit Inferiority Complex and Why We Need to Lose It Now

May 4, 2020 by Jonathan Spack Leave a Comment

Here’s a thought exercise you can use to test yourself for the dreaded Nonprofit Inferiority Complex, the internalized idea that nonprofit work is inherently less valuable than other forms of wage labor. How do you feel about the following statements with respect to community-based nonprofits?  1 = strongly disagree; 2 = disagree; 3 = maybe; […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Classism, Classism in Diversity Work, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in Progressive Movement Groups, Classism in social services, Classism in the Economy

Thank You for Being on Time

July 11, 2018 by Nicole Braun 2 Comments

A few months ago, I made an appointment at the low-income clinic to see their therapist. I was hoping to find someone to listen to me – so I could hear my own voice better. The nurse practitioner suggested this as an option since I don’t make much money teaching part time. When I arrived, […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Class and health, Class prejudice, Classism, Classism in social services, Clueless classism, Health care access, Internalized classism Tagged With: classism, health care, stereotypes, working class

Malnourishment: A Case Study on U.S. Food Insecurity

February 15, 2018 by Nicole Braun 2 Comments

The final report of the 1996 World Food Summit states that food security “exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture agrees – at least in theory. […]

Filed Under: Building Economic Alternatives, Class prejudice, Classism, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in Politics, Classism in social services, Classism in the Economy, Poverty, Systemic Classism Tagged With: blaming the victim, budget cuts, low-wage jobs, poverty, public services, stereotypes

Homeless Shelters as Band-Aids: Housing Is a Human Right

December 7, 2017 by Nicole Braun Leave a Comment

From the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Article 25: (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, […]

Filed Under: A World Without Classism, Affordable Housing, Building Economic Alternatives, Class prejudice, Classism, Classism in social services, Classism in the Economy Tagged With: classism, homeless, owning class, poverty, public services

White People with Money: Class, Free Markets & Race in Medicine

April 30, 2015 by Pete Daly 1 Comment

Medical ethics state that everyone be treated equally, but the pressures of the free market and individual prejudices often bend that ethic. [gdlr_quote align=”right” ]The medical students and physicians in training quickly noted the majority of patients are white and wealthy and nicknamed it the “Center for Caucasians and Donors”[/gdlr_quote] Part of the problem is […]

Filed Under: Classism in social services, Poverty, Race and Class Tagged With: classism, health care, race and class, racism

Privatizing Driver’s Ed: a Lesson in Disenfranchisement

January 8, 2015 by Lita Kurth Leave a Comment

When I went to high school in Wisconsin, Driver’s Ed was a required course, first in the classroom where we learned in-depth about rules and safety, and then behind-the-wheel in a room of simulators which offered the physical experience of turning a key, and locating the brake, gas pedal, blinkers, and gear shift. Finally, we […]

Filed Under: Classism in K-12 Education, Classism in social services Tagged With: budget cuts, classism, public school

Spare Some Change? Institutional Change Must Be Guided By Leadership Who Listen

November 20, 2014 by Kendra PeloJoaquin 2 Comments

Many years ago, I worked in a shelter that served chronically homeless women. My organization focused on supporting the rights and self-determination of our clients as we kept the peace and built trusting relationships. Unfortunately, the agencies charged with serving people who are vulnerable and in need of great service are often led by people […]

Filed Under: Classism in social services, Poverty Tagged With: classism, homeless, homeless shelters, poverty

How the non-homeless talk about homeless people

November 19, 2014 by Betsy Leondar-Wright Leave a Comment

I knew it was bad, but I didn’t know it was this bad! I had a chance to ask over 500 people to write down the most classist comment they had ever heard. Because the host was Real Change, Seattle’s wonderful street paper, which is sold by homeless and formerly homeless vendors, lots of the […]

Filed Under: Classism in social services, Poverty Tagged With: classism, homeless, poverty

“Tell me more about your social class”

October 22, 2014 by Yunkyoung Loh 1 Comment

It was a long time ago. The first time that I strongly expressed my opinion about how human behavior varies depending on social class was in a job interview at a car manufacturer in the marketing department. I vividly recall suggesting that the company’s advertisements reflect upper-middle class father figure stereotypes. You know the type, […]

Filed Under: Classism in social services Tagged With: class cultures, classism, internalized classism, therapy

As mental health resources dwindle, where’s a low-income person to go?

October 22, 2014 by Suzanne Zilber Leave a Comment

When I went through training to be a counseling psychologist is the late 1980’s, we covered every diversity dimension except for class and disability.  While I had been concerned about class issues my whole life, I became acutely aware of how this played out in therapy work when I worked at the counseling center at Iowa […]

Filed Under: Classism in social services

Working Class Counseling: An Uncensored Conversation

October 22, 2014 by Fisher Lavell 1 Comment

I hadn’t seen my cousin Earl in 30 years, but I knew right away that he was a straight-shooter like the rest of my family. “No offense,” he told me as I visited with him and his wife, Brenda, at a Smitty’s Restaurant near his home in Alberta, Canada. “But I think your whole profession, […]

Filed Under: Classism in social services Tagged With: therapy, working class

WANTED: Hospitals That Fully Serve Their Communities

April 8, 2014 by Maynard Seider Leave a Comment

What happens to a poor, working class rural community when its hospital closes  —  with three days notice?  That’s what residents of North Adams, Massachusetts and surrounding towns have been trying to figure out since the North Adams Regional Hospital closed its doors on March 28th.   While local and state politicians scurried to at least […]

Filed Under: Classism in Politics, Classism in social services Tagged With: budget cuts, classism, health care

Groveling for the Greater Good

January 5, 2014 by Polly Trout 1 Comment

I’ve been fundraising for nonprofits for 15 years now, mostly for homeless youth and families. When I started fundraising, my bible was the now classic “Fundraising for Social Change” by Kim Klein. Klein taught grassroots fundraising strategies that were developed during the 1970’s, the peak of middle-class prosperity in the U.S. These strategies are ethical […]

Filed Under: Classism in social services, Philanthropy and Classism Tagged With: budget cuts, classism, donors, fundraising, money, poverty, public services

Who Is Stressed Out?

November 25, 2012 by Amy Mazur 1 Comment

I regularly facilitate a Stressed Out! workshop for Job Seekers in a non-profit organization serving a wide range of customers and clients in search of meaningful and self-sustaining work. The clients I typically present to are college educated adults who have had some work experience, and are accustomed to the everyday stressors one experiences in […]

Filed Under: Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in social services, Workplace classism Tagged With: immigrants, learning from poor people, low-wage jobs, poverty

Shame, School Lunch, and Passing

August 20, 2012 by Lita Kurth 9 Comments

When I was in sixth grade, my family was eligible for free school lunches. I attended a small country school, without much class diversity, mostly farmers, some without indoor toilets in their homes. Even so, when I gave my lunch ticket to the student appointed to collect them, I noticed and she noticed that there […]

Filed Under: Class and Disability, Class cultures, Classism among Kids, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in K-12 Education, Classism in social services, Money, Poverty Tagged With: California Schools, charity, education, entitlement programs, Helping the Poor, kids, money, poverty, public school, public services, School Lunch Program, stigma

Anatomy of a cross-class breakdown at a youth shelter

July 26, 2012 by Polly Trout 6 Comments

Last spring my friend J got a job at a shelter for homeless young adults. She has an associate’s degree in Social and Human Services and is working on completing her B.A. She is smart, hardworking, compassionate, and skillful. She has great recommendations from other nonprofits. Additionally, she spent time at this same shelter back […]

Filed Under: Classism in social services, Classism in the Economy, Workplace classism Tagged With: classism, homelessness, low-wage jobs, management, working class, workplace classism

“Is This for a Rental?”

July 13, 2012 by Lita Kurth 2 Comments

Ever gone to a hardware store to buy a toilet, sink, or door and have the salesperson ask, “Is this for yourself, or for a rental?”? We all know that if it’s for ourselves, the owners of property, we’ll be wanting something nicer, better-made, more durable, more functional and often more efficient. If it’s for […]

Filed Under: Classism, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in social services, Classism in the Economy, Money, Politics and Class, Poverty Tagged With: anti-smoking laws, class cultures, class discrimination, Class Matters, classism, home ownership, housing laws, kids, leases, low-wage jobs, owning class, renters, renters' rights, smoking, Working Class Studies Association

The Class Nightmare of Disability

February 8, 2012 by Jan Innes 9 Comments

Seeking instant invisibility? Displacement from society? Separation from the shared life expectations of friends, family and colleagues? If so, become disabled. Visible or invisible, commonly recognized or incomprehensible, causing odd tics or socially-unacceptable behaviors, your disability will likely make you actively ignored by others or looked at like a circus freak. (“Mommy, why is that […]

Filed Under: Class and Disability, Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in social services, Classism in the Economy, Poverty Tagged With: classism, disabilities, downward mobility, poverty, public services

Speaking of human rights, how many violations have I encountered in my life?

October 13, 2011 by "Kitty Corey" 1 Comment

We never had enough food for all five children in our house and I don`t remember ever having an orange. My earliest memories are of a drunken father beating my mother and then in turn my mother yelling at me that I was ugly and I had the ugliest disposition she ever saw. After my […]

Filed Under: Classism in Everyday Life, Classism in social services, Gender Class Intersections, Money, Poverty Tagged With: bullying, human rights, low-wage jobs, poverty, welfare

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