The few, the proud, the social workers.

[judecorp]

Before I went to graduate school for social work, I had a preexisting idea about what social workers were like. After all, I'd read about people like Jane Addams, people who got down and dirty in their communities to make the world a better place. Perhaps the idea of Hull House sat inside my cranium and stewed until it grew in its idealism and glory, or perhaps my impassioned heart pumped life into my own visions of these privileged women giving their all for the common good. All I know is that if I expected anything at all, it's that social workers were two things: compassionate and liberal.

And then I went to a College of Social Work in the Midwest. Wow, what a life experience!

Let's forget about the woman in my first Public Policy class who stated that she did not agree with welfare. Let's go back to the first time I gasped out loud in the program: in my Women's Issues in Social Work class. My professor tried diligently to bring Women's Studies to the Midwestern social workers-to-be, but met with resistence in every class period. We spoke about marriage one day, a fairly straightforward topic. Women became infuriated and leapt out of their desks. "Marriage is not a patriarchal institution," they bellowed. "My husband and I have an egalitarian relationship!" (At this point I had to let them know that when my husband and I transferred our bank accounts to our new Midwestern bank, the lovely bank officials put all of OUR money in HIS name. And didn't send me an ATM card until he authorized it.)

But then I realized that people come to social work for a lot of different reasons, and only a minority of them because of my idealized notions of championing the disenfranchised and being a social change agent. One woman wanted to be a social worker out of feelings of helplessness due to her son's chronic mental illness. Many wanted to be therapists without a PhD in psychology. Still others had desires of administration and creation of public policy. And I learned that what I considered "moderate" in Southern New England was labeled "bleeding heart" in my program.

I guess I never understood, and still don't understand, why some "social workers" are so hung up on rooting out those people who "cheat the system." I can't fathom being a social worker and choosing to believe the Reagan-made myth of the "welfare mother who drives a Cadillac" any more than I can comprehend a social worker who forces her middle class ideals onto those of lower social status without any respect for the climate and culture in which they've lived and become socialized. It's as baffling as berating someone for spending $20 of her SSI check on getting her nails manicured while at the same time keeping thousands of dollars in credit card debt for larger unnecessary purchases.

I suppose in my mind social workers exist to reduce harm in the world, and sometimes harm reduction requires that some problems get overlooked in favor of more immediate needs. Should a person be denied warmth because he uses drugs? Should a person be denied food because she has a mental illness and chooses to be unmedicated? Any person who answers 'yes' to these or similar questions should never call himself or herself a social worker. And also stay the hell out of my way when I'm out saving the world.

Comments

[cappucinogrrl.livejournal.com]

I'll kickbox them out of the way!

Seriously, more power to you. You're my hero.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

We will kick ass and take names together! ROWR!

[dyketit.livejournal.com]

not to be the midwestern social work student or anything, but...

as a student of socialwork born and raised in ohio, i have encountered some things within the program, (things, people, mindsets etc) that have amazed me, (bigotry etc, --"if you dont like people maybe this wasnt the field for you" has run through my mind in several classes...) and i can on a certain level understand what you are talking about, but i do have to say that the comment about believing in the "welfare mom" kinda red flagged me...
in my women and welfare class (women's study class, with social work emphasis) i encountered this alot,,, not the belief, but the fact that that was my instructor...

this woman was recieving aid.. she had been laid off from her high paying job. she has a masters degree, had job offers but wasnt going to take them because "they werent fun". she recieved unemployment, foodstamps, her pay from teaching at the university etc. her income for her family of three was more than triple my households at the time... she drove a brand new fully loaded suv (she bought it prior to being laid off and "would NOT GIVE UP" her 'dream car'" her children were going to daycare and parochial school at little cost to her (but oh was she mad that lebron james -the basketball star got a full ride to the same school her daughter went to-- mind you this school cost more in tuition than many state colleges), she was a converted muslim (she had converted within the last six months from catholicism to islam) and told us about how she went to the gourmet grocer to get her grape leaves etc. she had a cell phone, multiple computers, and lived in a far nicer area than i ever would. yet she, due to having two children, was receiving aid (the oldest she gave up for adoption and then took back when the girl was 15-- she changed her mind)
this woman was the epitemy of what is wrong with the system.. at a time when, due to a car accident and injury, i was unable to work and was being supported by my g/f who was working at pizza hut (she made 700 a month, rent was 500, we had no car, rarely any food, and didnt qualify for assistance) she made me so angry and bitter and showed me that it isnt always a myth. people do use and abuse the system, and no we cant look for them as a primary purpose, but we do need to be aware that these situations occur...

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Oh honey, I know there are people who choose to take advantage of the system. There are users in every walk of life and every social caste - unfortunately there are bad apples all over the grocery cart. I just don't think that service delivery people should punish ALL users for the few that may go around the system. For example, almost every person gets denied for Social Security benefits the first time around. This is supposed to "discourage" those people who aren't "the most deserving." All it does, though, is keep deserving people from getting their benefits in a timely manner.

I'd rather err on the side of a few extras getting services that on the side of people who need things being kept from them. But I guess that's what makes me a "bleeding heart."

I don't mean to stereotype all social workers in the Midwest, although I can see how it looks like I do just that. I just don't have anything else to compare my experience to, since I have cultivated my entire social work career in Ohio and have recently taken it back home. I was just surprised at the number of conservatives in my program, since I grew up believing that all social workers were liberals or at least Democrats. Then again, I grew up in Southern New England where /everyone/ is a Democrat. ;)

just goes to show.... it's all relative

[dyketit.livejournal.com]

lol, well i am a student here who has worked in the system and has family members in various social work fields and then i moved to texas... um yeah....
ohio is LIBERAL! (by comparison) i actually had a guy look at my ohio ID and see that my address was listed as UNIONtown...and make some comment about yankee's and what they believe in.... also had a coworker at starbucks tell me everyeone who cant work/hold a job (people with mental illnes/physical/mental disabilties etc) should be euthanised... the highschool biology teacher of my g/f's cousin played gospel/christiam rock in class and refused to turn it off, making comments about anyone who asked- (no punishment was given to him when this was reported) etc etc... so i was so impressed with the open minded liberalness of the merry ole land of OH.

Re: just goes to show.... it's all relative

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

You're right - it's all about perspective. That's crazy!!

(Further proof why I should never ever EVER live in Texas.)

[mayna.livejournal.com]

How do you take back a child you gave up for adoption 15 years later?!?!

[dyketit.livejournal.com]

i guess it must not have been a closed adoption... she had gotten her back before our class started but she told other semester classes all about her battle to get her back....and that is how i heard all about it. all i know was the girl was in highschool and was going to same catholic and lived with (we called the teacher- moochie the professor) her mother. but had been given up for adoption and moochie had only had custody of her back for about a year. the daughter also didnt work which irritated me because if money was really that tight, which it wasnt obviously, but...) you'd have thought she would work..

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

If custody was changing hands, it wasn't adoption. Your professor could have temporarily lost legal custody of her child, but if the child had been adopted it would have meant that your professor's parental rights would have been terminated. Once TPR happens, it's irreversible.

[lemur68.livejournal.com]

How did she get away with that? It's always been my understanding (first-hand, from growing up on welfare in the 80's) that assets and income count against you--like my mom was allowed to make an additional $150 a month or something before benefits were taken away.

And we sure as FUCK didn't have nice cars or go to private schools.

[dyketit.livejournal.com]

well she was teaching a class on it so i guess she knew the ropes pretty well.. we wondered about the legality of all she was doing she told an antire class about it so i guess she just found loopholes?

[volumeat11.livejournal.com]

Why is it that social workers, teachers, and mortgage loan processors are some of the most underpaid, under-appreciated, but ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY PEOPLE on the planet?!?

(I don't have an answer -- it's really just sort of a take off on what you said. I just wanted to feel important for a second.)

No, but, hey, you have a good point. The choices you make to be a social worker, I mean, I can't hold a candle to that. It's like when Mikey Symes was working with mentally retarded children his freshman and sophomore years of college. I was like, "WHAT? YOU?!?" But he loved it and the people there loved him and he was really, shockingly good at it. I don't have that kind of knack -- I used to have a tendency to bring work home with me, which is why I would not have done well as Mike, or as you, or as Jen P. (who you met while painting pottery -- WHICH STILL ISN'T READY). I don't know or understand how you can work in that setting and still be "normal," and I give you all the credit in the world for it, and then some. People like you really are making the world a better place. So thanks.

(Can you tell I finished my rough draft of my gigundo article and I now have free time to write again?!?)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

MORE MONEY FOR SOCIAL WORKERS AND MORTGAGE PROCESSORS! :)

I can see Mikey working with /anyone/. He was such a great people person, with such an infectious smile. I'd love to see him again - he was one of the nicest, most genuine people I ever met.

Personally, I think we're all out there making the world a better place, regardless of what we're doing in our day jobs. For example, you and Melis make the world a better place one person at a time, for every person the two of you bring together. You've got quite a great crew there. NOW WHERE'S THE FREAKING POTTERY??!?!

[iansha.livejournal.com]

*grabs her cape*
Right on sister! :)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I thought you might see things my way. :)

[indigodove.livejournal.com]

So true, Jude. So true. I'm glad you are out there SAVING THE WORLD!

You do, you know. One person at a time. No matter what social work job you have.

Great talking with you last night.

PS: You're also an awesome writer!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I had a great time chatting with you, too. I only regret that I didn't get to see more of you when I was in Ohio. :(

Best of luck with the teaching gig - I have faith in you!

[folkyboy.livejournal.com]

i just love your essays! :) this was awesome

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

You're always feeding my ego. :)

[folkyboy.livejournal.com]

but of course!

[serenity-coach7.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for putting it all out there the way that you do... *grabbing my cape and bullhorn too**

I too am amazed at the way some people in the field judge and even openly berate their families value systmes or the way they live their lives, such as living in a tenement but driving a new car... but I think alot of times cultures are different and there are various cultures in EVErything...
male/female roles
GBLT/straight relationships
financial strata (which we like to pretend doesn't really exist) **pounds fists**
family of origin
ways if interacting
parts of world/country we were raised in etc....
I personally believe most values and beliefs are shaped this way and by taking our own values and beliefs and judging another's way of life is simply not appropriate or fair... I completely agree that if someone is in danger or is being unsafe then there needs to be a shift... but when I hear social workers talk about how parents didn't raise kids right, or that who does she think she is having her nails done, or buying soda..etc.. it angers me to no end... and my judgement is that people with those attitudes should NOT be doing direct work ....

** I think that is enough of a rant for now huh??** ;)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I think you rock.

I went to this interesting workshop once called "Bridges Out Of Poverty" that went into great detail to show that individuals in the lower class, middle class, and upper class all have different cultural beliefs about money, where it comes from, how to get it, and what to do with it. And since society mainly operates on middle class principles, anything other than middle class ideas is seen as "wrong" or improper money management. It was fascinating.

I agree with you. I think there are times when people need to step in and suggest a change in what's going on (like when someone is getting hurt), but the bottom line is that "because it's not what I would do" is NOT an acceptible reason for an intervention.

Right on, sistah!

[lemur68.livejournal.com]

I hate Ohio.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Dude, I now have in-laws in Steubenville. I asked if they knew your family and they said, "Those bitches? I effing hate that Joe!" (Okay, I made that part up, they didn't know you guys.)

Ohio scares the crap out of me. Except Columbus. Columbus was this little pocket of pseudo-normalcy tucked away in a land of cornfields and Bible colleges.