This is a fascinating site full of little stories about the desperation of many people's lives. (click here) I think a few minutes on the site moves us away from the notion that poor people are lazy or somehow created their own mess. There is actually a cognitive bias (attribution error) which leads us to that kind of judgement. The attribution error biases us to a belief that outside influences caused our own mistakes and hardships while other people cause their own. Ot more formally, we overestimate how much of another person's behavior is explained by their dispositional factors rather than situational factors.
Looking at this site helps to bring my life into perspective. Reading the first few stories makes me realize how lucky I am because I have so many opportunities for the future. Although I am also part of the 99%, there is definitely a variety of people throughout that statistic. And I completely agree that I have judged people in the past thinking that the poor was "lazy" when I didn't know the whole story.
ReplyDeleteThe 99% covers a lot of different categories. These stories definitely let you see how the misconception that all people without jobs do not have them because they are lazy and not searching for a job but I also think there are a lot of misconceptions about the 1%, often times that one 1% in my opinion is attributed with just inheriting their wealth and not having too have had to work hard to get where they are because of their parents. I think often times we as a society stereotype all categories of people based on preconceived notions rather than situation by situation basis.
ReplyDeleteSites like these are a great way to spread awareness of the misfortunes of others which are often created through the failures of the systems. Only through education and awareness would it be possible to change the perspectives and generalizations that people make of the 99%.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed looking around on this site. It is interesting to see how many people are part of the 99%.
ReplyDeleteI think that it's interesting to look at the role of the internet in spreading income inequality awareness. Websites like this offer a great opportunity for individuals to spread their stories and allow others to experience the extent of the problem.
ReplyDeleteThese short stories are pretty emotional. I see a trend of hatred against the "suit wearers" that seems to be a result of the distancing gap between the rich and poor. But I must ask, has the story ever changed? Hasn't there always been a majority of "unlucky" ones who have had to live less financially prosperous lives? The age of Internet blogging, rarely seen a couple decades ago, gives this bunch a great avenue to gain some of that missing support.
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