America is a wealthy nation and people tend to assume so are all of its occupants ,however in actuality, a large population of Americans are poor or live in poverty. Out of all of the developed nations, America has the largest gap between the rich and the poor.
Americans failure to notice the prevalence of poverty in the United states may be a result of media putting a greater emphasis on foreign countries that are burden with more severe hunger, disease or poverty. When I searched “homeless people in America,” “homeless people,” “poor people,” and “people living in poverty in the U.S” the majority of the results were images of disadvantaged foreigners who were helped by U.S. citizens, or poor foreign children/beggars (most likely filmed by Americans). This was a frustrating result for myself, since that obviously was not what I was looking for (hence the, “Poor people in the U.S. ). Traveling to Minneapolis to get my own footage would have been a less time consuming task than my long, unsuccessful search. I had expected photos of poor Americans to be plenty--especially during/coming out of a recession. In my last attempt to find authentic photos of poor Americans, I searched “homeless”. Just one word. And then, surprisingly, images of Americas in poverty piled in.
I found it strange that people living in foreign countries had accumulate the title of “homeless people” yet homeless people in American had only accumulate the title of “homeless”. According to the Internet, Americans are only homeless, not people. Interesting.
My research experience showed some truth to my video’s argument: people are so preoccupied with the underprivileged in foreign countries that they often overlook the poverty that exists in America. Although people are aware that poverty exists, they underestimate it--me being one of them. This is especially true if you are from wealthier areas, such as Wayzata, where poverty is not so apparent. Unfortunately for the citizens of America living in poverty, they are practically hidden by the promise of prosperity that the United States claims to offer. Nationalistic beliefs about American superiority may also contribute to the neglect of poor Americans.
Image Choice:
In general, I looked for images that displayed a variety of homeless/poor people. A variety or races, genders, ages, ect. There is not just one type of homeless/poor person. They do not all fit under one classification: not all homeless/poor people are old, creepy, dirty, smelly and carry all of their belonging on their back. Some homeless people are well educated, others not. Some used to be homeowners and some have families they need to provide for.
Images used in chronological order:
1. A Homeless woman brings food down to the place where she is staying
2. A Homeless woman cooks her dinner on a open fire.
3. A Homeless woman eats her dinner in the dark, where she lives.
**These three shots together portray probably the worst conditions faced by Americans in poverty. This woman literally lives outside under a tunnel or something.
4. A Homeless child begs people who are walking by for spare change.
**This video clip represents the population of children in poverty. An estimated 22 percent of children under the age of eighteen were considered poor in 2010 (http://www.npc.umich.edu/poverty/#5). This video clip is effective because most people cannot help but feel emotional about helpless young children who do not have the power to help themselves.
5. A man walks though a tent town. A place where people without a home stay for food and shelter.
6. Occupants of the tent town wait in line outside a utilities center offered at the tent town.
7. A man sits in front of his tent as he answers questions asked by an interviewer.
**These tent towns are comparable to shanty towns. In a small town in Florida, food shelves without a place to stay are said to be a contributing factor to these towns. Most of the tent town occupants are previous construction workers who have lost their jobs after the housing bubble collapsed. These video clips are effective because it brings some hidden elements about America to surface.
8. A disabled homeless man sits out on a side walk with all of his things surrounding him. (I believe he is trying to sell things?)
9. A homeless young adult sleeps on the sidewalk using a filled garbage-bag as his pillow.
10. A homeless man slouches in a rest under some type of pole, his dog on his chest and belongings in a shopping cart behind him.
**These photos (8,9,10) cause an emotional reaction because it cause the audience to imagine themselves in the homeless mans situation. They are not comfortable situations and definitely not something someone would put on their bucket list. The men look unshaven and disheartened.
11. The bed of homeless shelter are filled with people attempting to get some rest.
12. A homeless woman, hidden under her hood, sit on her things as she tries to open something.
**This woman is literally sitting on her home. All of her belongings are in her suitcases, she has nowhere else to put them.
13. A homeless man in Minneapolis, stands outside a department store on Nicolette Avenue begging for some spare change.
**This photo is effective because it shows that contrast between wealthy society (the department store) and poor society (the homeless man). The two contrasts live side by side in America.
14. A line of hungry, poor people wait in line to get food from a food shelf.
**In some communities the homeless population is so large that poor Americans have to wait for hours to be served food. This photo shows, again, the extent of poverty. It is not only a few people.
15. Homeless teens dig for a meal in the trash.
**Going back to the under 18 statistic. Children make up ⅓ of the homeless community. For children being brought up homeless, finding food and shelter is to be fulfilled before all else and education is put on hold. You cannot expect these children to be preoccupied with school and finishing their education when they are preoccupied with accumulating the necessities to life. Their brains will not be stimulated as much as other children who spend their free time reading, exploring and learning other things and consequently it will not develop as fully. Without having sufficient brain stimulation and a proper education, finding a job for these children will be difficult when they are older and they will have a higher likelihood of staying homeless into adulthood, continuing the homeless cycle.
16. A homeless man tries to keep his pooch warm with his sweater.
**This photo shows that homeless people are not monsters. They are people, who have emotions. It gives the homeless man and the audience a connection.
17. An American flag waves in the wind and then fades to black.
**The American flag is just to remind the viewers that these people are Americans. They are our fellow citizens. The people of this video are as American as you and I.
Music Choice:
The music makes this video ironic. America the Beautiful is about how great America is and all of its luxuries which contrasts the images of Americans who live in poverty. The target audience for this video is Americans who are in denial of the prevalence of the American poor population. The fact that this is a nationally recognized song in the U.S makes the video more relevant to the audience. The contrast of the images and music also causes the audience to think about their own perception of America.
1. A Homeless woman brings food down to the place where she is staying
2. A Homeless woman cooks her dinner on a open fire.
3. A Homeless woman eats her dinner in the dark, where she lives.
**These three shots together portray probably the worst conditions faced by Americans in poverty. This woman literally lives outside under a tunnel or something.
4. A Homeless child begs people who are walking by for spare change.
**This video clip represents the population of children in poverty. An estimated 22 percent of children under the age of eighteen were considered poor in 2010 (http://www.npc.umich.edu/poverty/#5). This video clip is effective because most people cannot help but feel emotional about helpless young children who do not have the power to help themselves.
5. A man walks though a tent town. A place where people without a home stay for food and shelter.
6. Occupants of the tent town wait in line outside a utilities center offered at the tent town.
7. A man sits in front of his tent as he answers questions asked by an interviewer.
**These tent towns are comparable to shanty towns. In a small town in Florida, food shelves without a place to stay are said to be a contributing factor to these towns. Most of the tent town occupants are previous construction workers who have lost their jobs after the housing bubble collapsed. These video clips are effective because it brings some hidden elements about America to surface.
8. A disabled homeless man sits out on a side walk with all of his things surrounding him. (I believe he is trying to sell things?)
9. A homeless young adult sleeps on the sidewalk using a filled garbage-bag as his pillow.
10. A homeless man slouches in a rest under some type of pole, his dog on his chest and belongings in a shopping cart behind him.
**These photos (8,9,10) cause an emotional reaction because it cause the audience to imagine themselves in the homeless mans situation. They are not comfortable situations and definitely not something someone would put on their bucket list. The men look unshaven and disheartened.
11. The bed of homeless shelter are filled with people attempting to get some rest.
12. A homeless woman, hidden under her hood, sit on her things as she tries to open something.
**This woman is literally sitting on her home. All of her belongings are in her suitcases, she has nowhere else to put them.
13. A homeless man in Minneapolis, stands outside a department store on Nicolette Avenue begging for some spare change.
**This photo is effective because it shows that contrast between wealthy society (the department store) and poor society (the homeless man). The two contrasts live side by side in America.
14. A line of hungry, poor people wait in line to get food from a food shelf.
**In some communities the homeless population is so large that poor Americans have to wait for hours to be served food. This photo shows, again, the extent of poverty. It is not only a few people.
15. Homeless teens dig for a meal in the trash.
**Going back to the under 18 statistic. Children make up ⅓ of the homeless community. For children being brought up homeless, finding food and shelter is to be fulfilled before all else and education is put on hold. You cannot expect these children to be preoccupied with school and finishing their education when they are preoccupied with accumulating the necessities to life. Their brains will not be stimulated as much as other children who spend their free time reading, exploring and learning other things and consequently it will not develop as fully. Without having sufficient brain stimulation and a proper education, finding a job for these children will be difficult when they are older and they will have a higher likelihood of staying homeless into adulthood, continuing the homeless cycle.
16. A homeless man tries to keep his pooch warm with his sweater.
**This photo shows that homeless people are not monsters. They are people, who have emotions. It gives the homeless man and the audience a connection.
17. An American flag waves in the wind and then fades to black.
**The American flag is just to remind the viewers that these people are Americans. They are our fellow citizens. The people of this video are as American as you and I.
Music Choice:
The music makes this video ironic. America the Beautiful is about how great America is and all of its luxuries which contrasts the images of Americans who live in poverty. The target audience for this video is Americans who are in denial of the prevalence of the American poor population. The fact that this is a nationally recognized song in the U.S makes the video more relevant to the audience. The contrast of the images and music also causes the audience to think about their own perception of America.
America the Beautiful Lyrics (contrasted with the image at the time):
O beautiful for spacious skies, -------- Video of the girl under a tunnel or something in the dark.
For amber waves of grain, -------------- Girl eats mediocre food in a dirty area. I do not see any amber waves of grain.
For purple mountain majesties --- A small girl begging for money is not to majestic.
Above the fruited plain! -- A long line of people unable to buy their own food standing outside in a dry, dirtied place tells a different story.
America! America! ------------------------ Poor people on the streets. How wealthy a country are we.
God shed his grace on thee--According to the part of America the photos of this video potrays, the writer of this song’s perception of “grace” is skewed.
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
Pacing:
The pacing is mainly set by the pace of the song. The images transition with the music to create unity among the video. The photos do hold for longer increments in the beginning, however, and then towards the very end are held for short amounts of time to emphasis the prevalence of homeless people in America.
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