Blog #7

The 1990’s and today's socio-economic is very similar in many ways. When the economy is at its best we respond accordingly but we must remember that it goes the same for when the economy is downhill. As Ms. Malveaux stated “the riveting rhythm of the raps is a reflection, from where I sit, of the awful economic oscillations we are experiencing today. High unemployment rates lead to alienation, to people who are angry and hostile and who express that in their art.” (pg 200) As of today the economy continues to influence our society. Unfortunately when you turn on the news it is in a negative way. When there are financial cuts made in schools, police stations, post offices and many other institutions, unemployment increases. We know the result of unemployment leads to people losing their homes to foreclosures and not being able to support their families. Now that middle and lower class across the country is left in despair, theft, homicide, suicide increases at the same rate with unemployment. In summary, a domino effect will occur during any economic condition.
There are two major points that were addressed: the citizens involved and the cause of the poor economic conditions. Although we hear about the country’s deficit, it seems as the elite is not quite affected. When there is a downward spiral in the economy, who does the government turns their focus on first? There is immediate bailout for Wall Street but not for those who are truly traumatized by the deficit. Paraphrasing what Cornell West stated, “The millions that bailed out Wall Street could have helped the middle and lower class”. Instead the solution for the working class is to continue to cut funds so the money can be dispersed evenly. This is not a new issue as this surfaced in the 1990’s as well, “The federal government has cut in half the money it sends to cities, and they want to cut it more……some of that cut affects not only arts and culture or health and HIV research and care but also institutions at a time when our country is becoming deinstitutionalized.” (p 206) We know conservatives are against government assistance for the poor as they believe the money you make should stay in your pocket. Despite that we have a democratic President; we currently have a predominately conservative government. While they may not want things forced upon them, as Maria Bartiromo stated, the lack of resources provided for the urban community are remaining consistent.