Recently, I received this question from a client in New Zealand: Do families in generational poverty expect law enforcement protection for family members who are violent or prone to spousal abuse?
My response was:
Barry Oshry, in his landmark study, Seeing Systems, did a very interesting research study that he repeated for over 20 years. He would take a group of college-educated professionals, put them on a college campus for a week, and hand them a piece of paper as they entered that said one of three things: high, middle, low. If you got “low,” you shared a college dorm room with four people, shared bathrooms, had very basic food. If you got “middle,” you shared a dorm room and bathroom with one other person and ate salads, vegetables, meat, etc. If you got “high,” you had your own suite and bathroom and gourmet food. Then he gave each group tasks to do.
By the second day, the “low” group complained bitterly about the “middle” and “high” group and developed an “us vs. them” mentality. The “middle” group was stressed between the demands of the “high” group and the “low” group and was overwhelmed with tasks. The “high” group developed areas of specialization so they could keep track of the tasks and was upset that the “middle” group gave them inferior information.
The hidden rule of “the world owes me a living” relates to this concept of injustice. Because the reality is that you can work very hard and still be in poverty. Poor health and death are huge factors in poverty.
To answer the original question, no, there is not a sense that the court/legal/law enforcement system owes me protection. As a matter of fact, one of the last people you call in generational poverty is the law. The law is viewed as being corrupt and inept. The law will not get there on time and will not be beneficial. Furthermore, they might arrest you for something else: drugs, older arrest warrant, driving violation, unpaid ticket, etc. Furthermore, in generational poverty, if you call the law on someone, you can bet that there will be revenge of some kind toward you personally. It is much better to have a physically strong person who will protect you.
One of the things that is generally not understood is how protected middle-class women are. In generational poverty, if a woman is not protected, neither are her children. The prevailing attitude is that it is often, not always, better to have the protection of a man, even if he is periodically violent, then to have no protection. The predators in poor neighborhoods are many, and they are potentially harmful to both adults and children. Is this idea distasteful and abhorrent in middle class? Yes. But is it a reality in generational poverty? Yes.
Please remember that there is a world of difference in thinking between generational and situational poverty. Generational poverty has a lot less social bridging capital and exposure to those who live differently because of limited resources.
To learn more about how to work more effectively as a first responder with people and communities of all economic classes, pick up the book or on-demand workshop, Tactical Communication: Effective Interaction Tools for First Responses.
