Name ______
In preparation for a Socratic Seminar, write a response to each question. Your response should be at least 2-3 thoughtful sentences in length.
HOW SHOULD WE LIVE?
Can an individual “live on” a minimum wage job? What factors did you consider when answering this question?Define “poverty.”
Respond to this quote: “To be a member of the working poor is to be an anonymous donor, a nameless benefactor, to everyone else.”
Have you ever had to take a personality test as part of the hiring process? If so, what do you think this type of test tells future employers about a person? Is this a valid predictor of one’s ability to perform a job? Should these type of tests be banned?
Should the minimum wage be raised? Why? If it is raised, how might this impact the economy?
How does the cost of housing, food, health insurance, gas, etc. impact one’s life?
Are low-wage jobs unskilled jobs? Does one’s salary/wage equate to one’s skill and ability level? Discuss how wages and skills are related and/or not related.
In the wake of recent welfare reform measures, millions of women entering the workforce can expect to face struggles like the ones Ehrenreich confronted in Nickel and Dimed. Should the government be held responsible for these people?
Housing costs pose the greatest obstacle for low-wage workers. Why does our society seem to resist rectifying this situation? Do you believe that there are realistic solutions to the lack of affordable housing?
Many low wage workers receive almost no benefits -- no overtime pay, no retirement funds, and no health insurance. Is this fair? Do you think an increase in salary would redress the lack of benefits, or is this a completely separate problem?
Ehrenreich is white and middle class. She asserts that her experience would have been radically different had she been a person of color or a single parent. Do you think discrimination will shape Ehrenreich's story? How? Do you agree or disagree that this discrimination is still prevalent today?
Many minimum wage workers rely heavily on family—for housing and help with child-care, by sharing appliances and dividing up the cooking, shopping, and cleaning. Do you think Americans make excessive demands on the family unit rather than calling for the government to help those in need?