Jeremy and the American Dream

What are some of the founding beliefs of the United States? Or at least the current ideas that we purport as the foundations of this nation?

The two most prevalent words in the "American" language would most assuredly be freedom and equality, concepts built upon a foundation of the Puritan work ethic¹. If we are free we can work, if we are equal we all have the same opportunity to work, and stemming from the Puritan work ethic we seek to work to assure ourselves we are one of the "blessed." The maturation of these two concepts throughout our history and culture along with the Puritan work ethic birthed the "American Dream."

What is the American Dream? Here at Xavier we have an entire center, The Center for the Study of the American Dream, dedicated to studying and understanding this cultural phenomenon. Although the various forms and methods to achieve the American Dream have changed over the years, astoundingly, it does not seem to have ideologically changed much at all.

Today, most people would describe a picture of a husband, wife, 2.5 children, and dog named Spot standing next to a medium sized house with a white picket fence to encapsulate the ideology behind the American Dream. What does that picture represent? Does it represent the better life that countless immigrants are searching for as they walk, climb, and swim toward the United States? Is it the idea that some US citizens hold in their minds to push them through another day of an excruciatingly meaningless job? Is it the picture of what the poor and poverty-stricken have failed to achieve in their lives? Is it even what the majority of Americans really want?

 John Steinbeck

One of the most influential and ingrained beliefs within this nation is that each citizen will move up the socioeconomic ladder proportionally to his or her own volition. This belief facilitates the existence and encouragement of the American Dream. In fact John Steinbeck brought attention to this idea when he said,

“Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.”

He explains that the poor within this country are taught and told that it is solely their fault that they did not achieve the American Dream. It was the poor who put themselves in poverty and it is up to them to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. When they fail to do this, it is their burden to bear and their failure to endure. The poor are poor by choice - past choices, current choices, and nothing else.

Is this true? Whether it is true or not can be debated on another day, what is important is that Jeremy (see posts 1, 2, and 3) is living within this belief system and living his life by the bible of the American Dream. This is specifically relevant on several fronts within his occupational performance.

On several occasions Jeremy has expressed severe self-deprecation by making statements such as, "I am not worth anythin' anyway, I am just here rotting on the side o' this big ol' city" or "I belong out here. I am a screw up, that's pretty obvious don't you think." Jeremy describes his experience of panhandling in Cincinnati,

"I keep my head down and they do the same. They walk by without paying much attention to the bum sittin' on the side of the street. If I have a good sign or something then maybe one will throw a couple coins my way, but most the time I think that is more for them than it is for me. Feels good to give a lil' charity to the less blessed you know."

 Here in the US, homeless people are beaten, taunted, and left to die on the side of the street.  A homeless person is first homeless, then a person, dehumanized and forgotten as a failure within our society. We tell our children not to make eye contact, as we ourselves avert our glance. We try to ignore as long as possible as a homeless individual approaches us on the streets asking for money. We are afraid of the possible "crazies" out there, because only a crazy person would allow themselves to remain on the streets for years, months, or even days.
But interestingly, the first sort of community service most often suggested is "serving at a soup kitchen". What is it about this activity that is so appealing to those who have privilege? How is it that a society that casts out its poverty-stricken will so readily pass food across the counter to a homeless person for a night? The answer to this question, personally, comes from my own experiences in soup kitchens and visiting the people on the streets of Cincinnati: fear.

The fear within us towards the homeless is planted from the very first time our parents hold our hand a bit tighter as we walk past a man stooped on the corner of a city square. Fear germinates as we watch cartoons and television shows that depict homeless people as dangerous and psychologically unstable. Fear branches into indignation as we watch homeless men and women walk into rehabilitation programs and human service agencies while we work jobs and go to college to earn our dreams. Fear blossoms into hatred and sometimes violence as we pull ourselves far away from the idea that those people could possibly be the same as us. Finally, the fruit of fear is plucked as we stand behind the protective barrier of a soup counter and hesitantly pass a plate of food to the homeless. We neither have to speak nor touch, both of which will remind us of their humanity. If they are not human, a person just like me, then there is no chance that I, who have worked so hard, could lose my precious American Dream. This is why we, or at least I, glanced away from our brothers and sisters on the streets but scurried to a soup kitchen to provide them with food. Standing behind a plentiful counter of food, serving those who had less without actually interacting with them solidified my belief that they need not be treated like humans.

Non-human. This is what the culture Jeremy is surrounded by tells him that he is: anything but success and anything but human. He feels he is not capable nor worth being anything but homeless. He fought for a country that now is afraid of him.

______ ______

It is this culture and these factors that you, as an occupational therapist, must take into account when working with Jeremy. You must understand that although your goal for him may be to adequately provide a roof and living for himself, there are more obstacles than simply motivation to overcome.  Is there a place for him to go in Cincinnati? Will his mental condition allow him to work in any setting, let alone a traditional one? Can he overcome the culture that surrounds him on a national level without the support of a community that rejects that culture? These are the questions occupational therapists must discover through analyzing the context and specific situation of their clients. We are a holistic profession which means we not only look at the whole person, rather it means we also look at the whole picture.

¹ Cullen, Jim. The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea That Shaped a Nation. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print. 

Final two photos are from Robin Cheers's Everyday People Series