Paulo Freire: Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Last night I had Congressman Joseph Crowley explain to our community board that Social Security was going away forever. According to him it will be reduced by 2.5% until it is completely gone. When I told him that my husband, who is a disabled US Navy veteran, and I are raising four children on social security his answer was there will be scales of course and we are teaching people how to eat better to avoid illness. Funny how he doesn't know that poor people are over weight because they can't afford to eat more expensive healthy food but I guess not experiencing poverty would make one offer such high handed resolution to telling an entire populous who have been paying for social security all their lives that money is gone. Deal with it! He also went on to explain that Social Security was never meant to be used to live off of. I'm so glad he clarified that little misconception. Now, I wonder what he is going to do when the Baby Boomers start dieing of starvation. Oh wait, he doesn't care because he won't be one of them.  

How doe this relate to Paulo Freire?

Freire posits, "True generosity consists precisely in fighting to destroy the causes which nourish false charity". What Freire is saying here is that we should not sit back and accept what the one percent dish out as excuses as to why the poor are being given consistently the short end of the stick. Apparently, CC also believes that cutting social security will resolve our economic challenges as that was stated as part of his defense. I guess ALEC, who can and have overturned congress, are not at all responsible for the disastrous state of our economics because we should never expect those with money and power to behave in the interest of the majority. It's all that waiters fault or that housekeepers fault for only working double shifts. If they expect to eat when they get older they better add a third job. Don't we have evidence proving that heart disease stems from lack of sleep? Well, it doesn't matter anyway because now we are expected to die of starvation because Social Security is silly and getting rid of it is going to fix our economy. We are going to teach you to eat better so you don't get sick="false charity". More people need to come together to speak at this table especially those who are not expected to eat. It is considered "generosity" to engage in "fighting" this because we become victims of those in power.