Posted by alexandra_k on October 25, 2013, at 16:35:48
In reply to Re: gov't shutdown.... :(, posted by Partlycloudy on October 25, 2013, at 9:07:26
I think what the media shows us of politics is a bit like a three ringed circus precisely because it is yet another form of entertainment. It needs to cater for the average person, or something like that. Something to persuade people (for the most part) to keep the status quo (keep order). Occasionally other messages. To spend. Whatever. Most people read magazines. Think of women's magazines with all the gossip etc. There is a reason why politics seems similar so very much of the time.
I feel... Fairly disillusioned about humanity. I have started to develop an interest in institutional policy, though. Seeing how much it really does have the power to affect significant numbers of people. How good policy can assist you / come down on your side for reasonable and legitimate concerns.
E.g., because one can cite maintenance of World Health Organization standards of habitable living environment (temperature, humidity) as 'fair use' of power etc when such costs are supposed to be included in rent (not my fault / problem the house isn't appropriately insulated). This can make a HUGE DIFFERENCE for many people's lives. I learned that 1/3 of people in NZ live sub- world health organization standards. Typically over-crowding is the issue. They do acknowledge (though they don't quite put it like this) that even if they were given bigger houses they would still all choose to huddle together with their litter mates in just the one room, however.
One third. Holy crap. This is why my continually saying 'my living environment is making me sick' to Work and Income was being ignored. Less than one third of people are on welfare. I guess that means that most people on welfare are living in such conditions.
Turns out mostly students are, too. Not the ones in student accommodation (that is where the rich people put their kids, you see). But the ones outside student accommodation.
They used to have the policy of selecting the best from school for student accommodation but pressure... Now they are supposed to select those who are disadvantaged. My eventually getting a place wasn't so much about my grades or motivation... As it was about my poverty. And then they wonder why they have such problems in the halls with drunkenness and 'parties' (litter mates congregating together and yelling all the time).
I suspect people do see this problem... But it is hard to know what to do about it.
There is this other institution across the bridge where they could be right at home...
Yesterday I knocked on the girls room across the hallway to ask her to turn her music down since it had awoken me at 8.30am and another of the girls went off at me about how I should f*ck off - that they are quiet 80% of the time and I need to stop moaning about that other 20%.
So the idea is that the people I'm living with have organized themselves into the position that it is fair use for them to be noisy 20% of the time.
I am currently in the process of pointing out that students do better when they have quiet space to study / sleep / work and to keep the end hallway as silent space is a lot less than 20% of the space of the whole property. People can be noisy 100% of the time up the other end of the house, in the other 2 houses, and in the rest of the world more generally. If you give us the opportunity for silent study space then it is of course a separate issue whether individuals choose to utilize it - but at least you can say you gave them that opportunity. They don't seem to appreciate that their blasting music at 8.30am would be like me blasting music at 3.30am. I have the consideration to wear headphones. They think that they keep 'normal people' hours. I pointed out that it would be nice to have the freedom to work, sleep, and study as one sees fit without having ones schedule dictated to by others. (I didn't say this but it goes without saying ESPECIALLY others who didn't manage to finish high school / others who can't do assignments without sitting in the communal space with puppy dog eyes till someone else does the assignment for one).
Holy crap.
At least I'm getting excited about policy, I suppose. It isn't really that we are poor... It is more that we can't organize our way out of a paper bag. We can't even 1) identify what is needed for success 2) institutionalise it in policy
crabs.
poster:alexandra_k
thread:1052214
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20120327/msgs/1053009.html