It's interesting to see all the stress lines and premature aging in her 32 year old face, mostly caused by the extreme hardship of her ongoing poverty.
Yes, I would say so. I think it's an amazing photograph, as are the others Lange took during her time at that farm...which was a dustbowl at the time, I believe.
Hard to get my head around the fact that two thirds of bankrupcies in the USA are for medical debt. That's a horrifying statistic. Sadly New Zealand is also heading down the line of rising inequality too, in our case the thing that's doing the most damage is housing.
It is a horrifying statistic. And yet, our elected officials (at least most of them, with the exception of a few progressives), are determined to keep the for-profit insurance system in place. I think I read about the rising cost of housing in both Australia and New Zealand...Thanks for keeping us updated on that issue!
Thanks so much for this information...and with links provided, too! It really is all about policy choices, and I only picked the three that I thought illustrated the "crime of being poor" and the direct punishment one receives for that crime—there are so many more. I have written about UBI and in the U.S. there is a "Coalition of Mayors for Basic Income" https://www.mayorsforagi.org, that have conducted successful pilot projects. If UBI were implemented by the federal government, that alone would go a long way to alleviating poverty. I will review the info you provided—thank you, again!
The classic deprivation that ensures that you will always be poor is that which denies you the opportunity to own the roof over your head. To reverse that situation reform of the local planning system is required. It's not going to happen unless the state legislators act.
I most certainly agree. And it is getting increasingly more difficult for anyone to own their own home. I would be interested to learn more about how changes to local planning systems will improve home affordability and access. Zoning to allow multi-family units and affordable housing? I've written about how community land trusts play a part in expanding home ownership.
As always, you're spot on, Joan. My sister declared bankruptcy decades ago due to medical bills. The cycle is vicious. And, politicians will always create their own myths to serve their own purposes.
Thanks, Jan. That "myth thing" about poverty is frustrating because so many people actually believe it...and it is so ingrained in our culture that I think I did, too! When I saw Reagan's words about that woman, I was flabbergasted, but I shouldn't have been. She was such a beautiful woman, too, and only 32 when that picture was taken. And she survived because of the New Deal and government food rations before that. I love what you said "politicians will always create their own myths to serve their own purposes." Unfortunately, so accurate.
That photo is one in a series of 6 that Dorothea Lange took of her. They were exhibited at Gilcrease Museum in 2019 and it was quite fascinating to see the progression, how she got to that shot. Next to her was a car w/out tires - they had been sold in need of money to eat. Lange was part of a government project to record the depression - she was actually on a government trip when she took that photo - the last of the trip. Iconic. Even archetypal. Yet there will always be those who interpret according to their own beliefs.
hey, don't know if you saw that I referenced your Substack in my last post "without shelter". keep up the good work!
At the risk of sounding self-promoting, we published and essay yesterday on this topic and cited you as an excellent resource!
Not self promoting at all--you’re just letting me know! Thank you! I’ll check it out now...
It's interesting to see all the stress lines and premature aging in her 32 year old face, mostly caused by the extreme hardship of her ongoing poverty.
Yes, I would say so. I think it's an amazing photograph, as are the others Lange took during her time at that farm...which was a dustbowl at the time, I believe.
Hard to get my head around the fact that two thirds of bankrupcies in the USA are for medical debt. That's a horrifying statistic. Sadly New Zealand is also heading down the line of rising inequality too, in our case the thing that's doing the most damage is housing.
It is a horrifying statistic. And yet, our elected officials (at least most of them, with the exception of a few progressives), are determined to keep the for-profit insurance system in place. I think I read about the rising cost of housing in both Australia and New Zealand...Thanks for keeping us updated on that issue!
Thanks for your work, Joan. I don't know how much talk there is in the US of a Universal Basic Income (in the UK the Green Party is the only party to have it in their policy), but I found this interview with Darrick Hamilton on the Ezra Klein show interesting in terms of policy proposals https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ezra-klein-show/id1548604447?i=1000618073362 . Also, a good piece in the Guardian recently about cities and wealth gaps, focusing on policy solutions for housing, public transportation and schooling https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2023/jun/29/how-to-reduce-the-damage-done-by-gentrification
Thanks so much for this information...and with links provided, too! It really is all about policy choices, and I only picked the three that I thought illustrated the "crime of being poor" and the direct punishment one receives for that crime—there are so many more. I have written about UBI and in the U.S. there is a "Coalition of Mayors for Basic Income" https://www.mayorsforagi.org, that have conducted successful pilot projects. If UBI were implemented by the federal government, that alone would go a long way to alleviating poverty. I will review the info you provided—thank you, again!
The classic deprivation that ensures that you will always be poor is that which denies you the opportunity to own the roof over your head. To reverse that situation reform of the local planning system is required. It's not going to happen unless the state legislators act.
I most certainly agree. And it is getting increasingly more difficult for anyone to own their own home. I would be interested to learn more about how changes to local planning systems will improve home affordability and access. Zoning to allow multi-family units and affordable housing? I've written about how community land trusts play a part in expanding home ownership.
Joan, my understanding of the matter is outlined here: https://erlhapp.substack.com/p/the-impact-of-town-planning-in-the
Thank you.
As always, you're spot on, Joan. My sister declared bankruptcy decades ago due to medical bills. The cycle is vicious. And, politicians will always create their own myths to serve their own purposes.
Thanks, Jan. That "myth thing" about poverty is frustrating because so many people actually believe it...and it is so ingrained in our culture that I think I did, too! When I saw Reagan's words about that woman, I was flabbergasted, but I shouldn't have been. She was such a beautiful woman, too, and only 32 when that picture was taken. And she survived because of the New Deal and government food rations before that. I love what you said "politicians will always create their own myths to serve their own purposes." Unfortunately, so accurate.
That photo is one in a series of 6 that Dorothea Lange took of her. They were exhibited at Gilcrease Museum in 2019 and it was quite fascinating to see the progression, how she got to that shot. Next to her was a car w/out tires - they had been sold in need of money to eat. Lange was part of a government project to record the depression - she was actually on a government trip when she took that photo - the last of the trip. Iconic. Even archetypal. Yet there will always be those who interpret according to their own beliefs.
hey, don't know if you saw that I referenced your Substack in my last post "without shelter". keep up the good work!
No, I didn't see your post yet—thank you so much! I would love to see an exhibit of this work!
Pretty awesome to see them in person but in the meantime, look here: https://guides.loc.gov/migrant-mother/images
Thanks, Jan!