Culture and poverty

Well, the Obama rally was about what you'd expect. He was good, the crowd was pumped, but nothing surprising happened, at least nothing surprising to anybody who's familiar with his speeches from TV. It was interesting to be in the crowd and pick up on the energy in the room (he filled Reunion Arena here in Dallas), but it wasn't all that. Then again, I'm pretty sick today, and forgot to take my Mucinex this morning, so maybe it's just me.

Anyway, the pro-football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith did a great job warming the crowd up. I very much liked what he said about how people had told him as a child that he couldn't accomplish much in football, but he refused to be hobbled by their predictions of failure. Smith went on to tell the audience, which was heavy with young people of all races, that they should look at Obama's success and realize that nothing can hold them back from achieving their dreams except their own unwillingness to believe they can change their lives. It was a great message, energetically delivered.

I was thinking about it just now when, via Jim Manzi, I read this story about a college graduate who spent about a year trying to see how difficult it would be to start with nothing, and achieve some modest stability in his life, defined as having an apartment, a car and $2,500 in savings. Would he be nickel-and-dimed to death? In fact, he quit the experiment before a year was up (there was a medical situation in his family), but he'd exceeded his goals -- and he hadn't used any of his college contacts or anything else to help him get by. Excerpt from an interview with the grad, a guy named Adam Shepard:

Would your project have changed if you'd had child-care payments or been required to report to a probation officer? Wouldn't that have made it much harder?

The question isn't whether I would have been able to succeed. I think it's the attitude that I take in: "I've got child care. I've got a probation officer. I've got all these bills. Now what am I going to do? Am I going to continue to go out to eat and put rims on my Cadillac? Or am I going to make some things happen in my life...?" One guy, who arrived [at the shelter] on a Tuesday had been hit by a car on [the previous] Friday by a drunk driver. He was in a wheelchair. He was totally out of it. He was at the shelter. And I said, "Dude, your life is completely changed." And he said, "Yeah, you're right, but I'm getting the heck out of here." Then there was this other guy who could walk and everything was good in his life, but he was just kind of bumming around, begging on the street corner. To see the attitudes along the way, that is what my story is about.

You made it out of the shelter, got a job, and opened a bank account. Did you meet other people who had similar experiences?

Oh, absolutely. We don't need "Scratch Beginnings" to know that millions of Americans are creating a life for themselves from nothing.... Just as millions of Americans are not getting by. There are both ends of the spectrum.

To meet that guy [in the wheelchair] at the shelter, [makes you wonder] 'Can he get out and go to college and become a doctor?' Maybe, maybe not. I think he can set goals..... You can use your talents. That's why, from the beginning, I set very realistic goals: $2,500, a job, car. This isn't a "rags-to-riches million-dollar" story. This is very realistic. I truly believe, based on what I saw at the shelter ...that anyone can do that.

In another interview, he explains further his secret of how he went from being broke in a homeless shelter, to being on his way to a decent life in less than a year:

Sacrifice was the name of the game — delaying gratification — and I recognized that early on. I had immediately eliminated wants versus needs. Immediately.

Cable? That’s $50 a month and it’s not that difficult to find some good shows on network television.

Cell phone? $100 a month back in my pocket. If I had a business to run, I would need one, but as a mere laborer, it was easy to go without.

Clothes were bought at the Goodwill, and all of my household products were generic brands.

Food was my kryptonite, and I had to pay special attention there. I used to love going out to eat, and when I eat, I eat like a horse. Couldn’t do it, though. Chicken and Rice-A-Roni dinners were substituted for trips out to simple bars and grills ($20 a pop at a minimum). To be honest with you, though, it was more fun to concoct various meals than it was to go out. I bought a book on cheap, easy meals from the Thrift Store and it was like a Bible of sorts for me while I was in Charleston.

It was also fun for me to seek out free entertainment (Charleston had a great weekly city guide). Once I met a few people, that became easier. Cards, basketball, renting movies. How can I have fun and still keep this money in my pocket?

In the end, Shepard says, it pretty much comes down to attitude, and the willingness to sacrifice in the present moment for your long-term good.