Dr. Seuss and Deservedness

Google, 2018

Who remembers Dr. Seuss' The Sneetches and Other Stories?  

Published in 1953, it tells the story of creatures called Sneetches, some of whom are born with the image of a star on their bellies while others are not.  In this clever poem, the Sneetches born with "stars upon thars" enjoy privilege because of their marks.  They purposefully exclude the unmarked Sneetches from social activities, consider themselves superior for having been born this way, and thus the two groups (who are much more alike than they are different) are kept separate from each other.  

I couldn't help but read Ingram & Schneider's (2005) introduction about the social construction of deservedness and think about Dr. Seuss' witty way of commenting on society's perspective of difference.  

My work with the homeless population through my internship at Preble Street has provided me with a fantastic lens through which to view social policy's designations for the "haves" and the "have nots".  Watching a group of homeless women verbally tear each other apart for differences like sexual orientation, race or physical ability has been a truly eye-opening experience.  It seems intuitive that the women's shared experiences should act as a uniting force, but as an outsider, I accept that my views on this are incomplete.  And yet, when the emergency shelter's lottery system check-in is done and the clients discover which one of them received a bed for the night and which ones did not, they rarely (if ever) point the blame for their circumstances on a funding situation which does not allow for a larger facility, or on a political climate where legislators treat their lives as expendable.  Their focus often reflects the focus of society at large; that is, that a person's individual responsibility is paramount.  Many of us believe that we have total control over the course our lives take, and therefore people who find themselves without have only themselves to blame.  

Ingram & Schneider (2005) take a different stance, however, by examining many of the ways in which public policy provides a vehicle for "...legitimating, extending, and even creating distinctive populations - some of whom are extolled as deserving and entitled and others who are demonized as undeserving and ineligible." (p. 2).  For me, each work shift provides fuel for a kind of internal, ever-present fury at the consistent injustices the women at the Florence House experience on a daily basis, and it is this kind of anger that fuels movements.  Macro-level action is a necessary response to oppression, and the title of "unworthy" or "undeserving" based on housing status, race, sexual orientation, ability, immigrant status, gender identity, or any other such qualifying identifier is cause for political action.  

       

It would be nice to live in a world where the Sneetches with stars and the Sneetches without stars were all treated according to their character, rather than a paltry trait like their physical appearance.  However, until such a world exists, it is our responsibility as social workers to engage in policy change as it affects the marginalized populations we serve, and to view every individual we encounter as "worthy" and "deserving" regardless of their social status.    

References:

Ingram, H.M., & Schneider, A.L. (2005).  Deserving and entitled: social constructions and public                     
              policy.  Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.