PBS Frontline: Growing Up Poor (1986)
![FRONTLINE PBS I Non-Official Archive [CC]](http://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AIdro_kXJgUEcmQehWuKZ7XuNZH6HJR0zbubMMMj24LAcCnWHQ=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 9 апр 2021
- The children of Chester, Pennsylvania are plagued by poor health, malnutrition, drugs, and family problems. Half of them live below the poverty line. Frontline follows them through the maze of social service programs available to them and discovers what it is like growing up poor.
Original recording provided by Ratterfat McWhiskers | Archive.org
Tommie Lee jones in this video is my Grandmom, she died in 1999, This is the first time I’ve heard voice or seen her face as a grown man now 44, I was overcome with emotions not only from seeing and hearing her, but now understanding why she was so hard on us, she saw what was coming in the future for kids in our neighborhood and it was prophetic.
Ike she was an amazing woman!
Wow! I am glad you got to see her here! This is so special. Keep this memory! She has touched us all even today.
Your grandmother was wonderful .she is an angel in heaven
I'm a current teacher in a city in Pennsylvania. These conversations, like the ones from your grandmother and the teacher in this video, are ones we still have today in education. I hope to honor her legacy and her commitment to truth. transparency, and love for these children.
She's a hero in my eye may her soul rest in peace
I’m grateful that all these old school docs are up. Frontline used to have their whole catalog up on the website.
“You have to work with what you have.” It hasn’t gotten much better through the years.
I grew up poor. Growing up in actual poverty is a whole 'nother level. I was about the same age as some of these kids in 1986. Most of them had it a lot worse than me. It really does eat at me that children have to experience these conditions, even today. They deserve better and to have a real chance at realizing some type of life. It takes so much more for them to achieve anything than those who grow up with more. I struggled a lot more than most of my current peers, but kids growing up in poverty struggle so much more and the odds are against them.
You are 100% correct. Sadly, there are still many people ignorant to this unfortunate circumstance, and they’ll blindly accuse the poor of being lazy. They don’t realize the monumental effort it would take to get out of the situation they’re living in.
@@applesomething Yes! I was poor, but not impoverished by any means and still had it harder than most others I currently work with at the same level, but I did at least have the means to apply myself and succeed. For those in true poverty, it's hard to apply for student loans when you don't have parents with previous years' 1040s. Tell someone to just get a job... well that's hard when you don't have a physical address because you can't afford one or the phone and internet access necessary these days for most any official employment. For them, just getting an application in would take an order of magnitude more effort than it would for the rest of us, it's a series of near impassable barriers without some help just to even be able to get in the running. And then, you often need some documentable skills/experience, even to work a drive-through. Working odd jobs off the books is generally not going to get you ahead and more likely to get you taken advantage of with little legal recourse. These government programs and sometimes charity are what enable people who want a better life to actually be able to achieve one through hard work. Without, they have little hope. And it may seem counter-intuitive, but this is why I'm no fan of large, blanket minimum wage increases; making entry level jobs more expensive for employers incentivizes them to reduce their number and be more risk averse in hiring decisions. It then gets even harder for people not on the economic ladder to get on and start climbing when the bottom rungs are knocked away.
People growing up poor and single headed households appreciate things in life more than those who grew up with everything.
Minimum Wage rates and actually increases them, does decrease poverty. Look at the south and then look at the rest of the country. Mississippi still got $7.25 but ranks last in almost everything, but look at colorado, they have a cost of living based wage and they're doing spectacular. At the very end of the day, if jobs aren't going to pay a sustainable wage, then people will always be on welfare, you can't have both. @@missingnola3823
My father was a paranoid schizophrenic. He would be institutionalized 3 times when was young. He eventually became healthy enough to stay at home but was never really right. He had a trade from East New York Vocational High School and earned good money. During his away times we would be on "relief", the 1950's term for Welfare. There were 7 children born over the years and relief just wasn't enough. My mother stretched about as far as she could but many meals were starches. We ate a lot soups and stews, meals with little meat and a lot of rice or macaroni. We all needed clothing especially me. I am the oldest. My mother had just turned 16 and my father 17 when I was born. I was in foster care for my first two years. They ran away to Maryland when they were legally able to marry there. She was pregnant again.
My mother depended on me a lot while he was away. I did the grocery shopping and ran errands. I lived in the laundromat. The washing machine had died and she wasn't allowed to buy one on time payments so we spent a fortune doing laundry for our large family.
I entered puberty at 10 years old. Over the next two years grew 7 inches with the same weight. I was a really skinny kid. I wore old sewn up clothes with the pants legs above my ankles. I got free lunch at school. I was a bright child and in a special educational program. I played the violin well enough to be in the school system's orchestra in 7th grade. Gradually my school work deteriorated as my chore load increased. I just didn't have enough time to myself. When was 13 we moved to Florida on a week's notice. The educational curriculum was terrible and I slipped backwards. I picked up new friends who were the town trouble makers. We did drugs, hung around with The Outlaws and all of us eventually ended up in the Dade County Children's Home or the Florida School For Boys in Okeechobee.
I'd always worked. I was delivering groceries at 10. I worked in my mother's stepfather's pizzeria after school and at night. I worked 7AM to 1AM on Friday and Saturday. Later I worked as a helper in a tool and die shop and later in sheet metal, my father's trade. At 18 I went to work for Ma Bell. They hired me without a high school diploma because I'd passed every test I was given. It was work I liked. I transferred to New York City to work on the World Trade Center project.
At 19 I was drafted. I decided that the Navy was better for me because of all the technical jobs. At 21 I married. She saw something in me I didn't see. She was in her last year of college gaining a degree in Physical Therapy. We were overseas and we didn't earn much but we paid off her school loans in one year. She had worked her tail off making beds at the Jersey Shore in Summers. At school in Virginia she cleaned animal cages in the labs and bussed tables in the cafeteria. After 5 years we had my son. We'd saved some money and bought an old house on a dirt road. Four years later we left for North Carolina. She had three friends from college in Charlotte and my best friend was there two. He was the person who talked me into working for the telephone company.
We've done well over the last 51 years. My son has two degrees in Civil Engineering and graduated with honors. He's married 15 years and I have two great grandchildren. I was self employed for 32 years and we were able to acquire some wealth. We're two people who were motivated by poverty while growing up to succeed. We're both first born children.
My siblings haven't done as well. Unwed pregnancies, bad marriages and divorce made their lives shipwreck. With few exceptions their children are following the same routes. We've provided quite a few "loans" over the years. They're living our parent's lives only worse. My father has passed but mother is still the same narcissist. She helped ruin her children's lives. She's a liar and a thief and takes no responsibility for what her kids have become. She just abandoned them. Except for me. We haven't spoken in years. She saw my son once and has never communicated with him. She's always disliked my wife and I haven't the faintest idea why.
Poverty is a bitch. Mentally it still bothers me although I've moved past it. It helped wreck any chance of our being a family.
I identify with you so much because my Mother has the same condition, she's living in a State hospital now, but at 12 I was on my own literally, my own family was so wrapped up in their own lives that no one considered any of us the grandchildren. I am an only child and so was my cousin until he was age 14-15 however both him and I had to break the cycle of dysfunction and poverty, etc.. I am married and both my children have bachelor's and I done fairly well for myself but at times I struggle with letting go of the past even at 48 today.. I'm fortunate that God protected me and directed my path but I struggled for all I have today and I'm so appreciative because it could have been worse. I don't have a relationship with my Mother and it's ok, it hurts at times but I had to let her go in order to live. Many may not understand but unless your in that environment you'll never understand the impact it has on ones life and mental. God bless you for sharing your story at least I don't feel so embarrassed about my life as a child for we all have our buried secrets and pain some worse than others and some better than others. However if you have a dream and desire don't give up on you, keep fighting, keep looking forward and do the work necessary to get you to where you would like to be, where you desire to be. Only you can stop you after the storm has passed but a person has to believe and want better. Blessings to you and your family.
Wow. Hard times. Hope you’re alright now
That was a mouth full, Just pray for your mom n forgive her I know you'll never forget but keep living life to the fullest, and no I never experienced a bad mother even tho we were on the poverty line she made sure we never felt it. Keep thriving
@@IvyLeaguhow are you
How are you
I was 6 yrs old in 1986 and my dad worked very hard to keep me and my 5 brothers and sisters out of poverty, every hour of overtime he could get , that's what being a man is all about....
I was 6 to wow looks soo old. Im ancient😂
Yes my mom was on drugs and my dad raised me and was great. It was when my aunt watched me, who had 4 kids. She would send us to steal, and very little food there. So believe me I'm happy things have changed.❤❤❤
I had to relearn many things growing up. Also there were a lot of se🎉xual behaviors back then. They weren't speaking on. I mean look how many kids everyone has... ❤ Within a small environment. That's my thoughts. ❤
I remember as a kid going to bed and being so hungry. Me and my siblings would entertain each other to try and take our minds off of it. The mornings were no better. I remember thick molasses on toast and maybe oatmeal if we were lucky. My Grandmother felt bad for me and I lived with her until I went to university. I knew the only way out of poverty was to educate myself so I could get a decent job and not have to worry if there was going to be enough to eat. My Grandmother had very little but always made sure we ate. No child or adult should have to suffer through this ✌
@@DONNELLOit is so. Easy. To say this. People like you love to act like you have all the answers. This is literally eugenics btw but you probably don't even understand why that's wrong. Also you're ignoring the fact that someone can become financially unstable at any time for whatever reason. Do they kill their kids cause they're poor or something?
@@DONNELLO absolutely agree! Some people just shouldn't have kids.
Food stamps was put in place to remedy the situation. What did parents do with the food stamps every month?
@@OanhSchlesinger this was in the UK. If there were food stamps /or a British equivalent they were never used on food. Sadly there was never a time when my parents went without cigarettes or cider. Nowadays Universal Credit is deposited directly into the recipients account allowing them to spend it on whatever they want.
@@DONNELLODr. Homie 🎉
Being poor as a kid is embarrassing and scaring! As an adult now it has an everlasting effect. You're afraid of going back to that place!it keeps you running.
It's the reason why I work harder than most of my coworkers, and chose to never have kids just because of the chance that they would experience growing up poor.
correct
That’s exactly right. My father went to work every day to a low paying job. Having four kids we weren’t any better off than a family on aid. The only difference we is that we weren’t eligible for programs..
I didn’t quite realize how poor my family was growing up, but I knew we weren’t well off. Alcoholic step father, family of 4 living in a one bedroom apartment… I always knew I wanted more out of life, so I worked my ass off and refuse to adopt the bad habits and cycles that poor people have.
Goes to show how vital Nurses are in communities.
This is above and beyond for a nurse. It's amazing. 💖
rightly said
When nurses used to care. Now they are all in it for the cash. Most of nurses rather take online positions, bedside nursing is not preferred
@@teekolinski491you can thank the mindset Covid produced. It’s the same in every place of employment.
@@teekolinski491yep
I would love to see how these kids grew up and how their lives turned out.
If they’re women maybe they’ll be driving by 20… if they’re men add 10 to 20 years to that.😂😂😂
if they're bla k they'll be criminals
@@jayjohn9680no one loved you as a child.
@@puddincup9879wow, rude much?
many of the adults around you may have experienced the same upbringing. i always said no kids so they'd not get the same treatment but what was the plans for myself in all of this...i didnt ever make plans to deal with myself as a grown-up, as an adult
My Uncle Donald Boone is in this documentary..He died today..R.I.P. ❤❤❤
r.i.p to him
Condolences
🙏
Sorry for your loss
So sorry for your loss
shame on the fathers of these children
Shame on the mothers for chosing to sleep with and make babies with the neighborhood losers. .
The MOMS are always the problem...
@@boogaloobobby7246FOUND THE INCEL 😂😂😂😂😂
@@boogaloobobby7246That doesn’t make sense. Moms don’t create children by themselves. Take the gender war to therapy and then look at the facts.
@@boogaloobobby7246Naw that doesn’t make any sense for it to not be both people at fault. It’s ok for you to not like women but don’t abandon common sense.
@@boogaloobobby7246 it's not a choice to be raped
Frontline is probably the greatest docu show ever
Frontline is definitely my window to the world around me. I rarely miss an episode of this wonderful news documentary program!
They’ve done scientific studies.. people who get their news and information from PBS are the most informed news consumers in the country.
I concur. Watched PBS since I was a kid. The familiar tune in the beginning leads me to believe something great is about to happen!
I'm overcome with joy and sadness at the same time. Uncle Donald Boone passed away on June 3rd, 2023. One thing for sure, he was passionate about children's well-being. He will truly be missed, but I know God's plan is not our plan. He truly made a difference while here on earth and completed his assignment. Rest easy, Don Juan, until we meet again in God's realm.
A good man. Sorry for your loss. R.I.P to him.
So sorry for your loss
I'm glad we took care of this issue and everything is fine now.
Lol
"We"? What was your contribution?
Modern women are fully entrenched in single motherhood today. They prefer it.
@@EMMMDs they was being sarcastic
depressive mothers on wellfare with Small kids is a viscious cicle for all involved
Yes it is! And being depressed and poor can be a chicken and egg cycle
Some of these comments are bias, mean, heartless, and disgusting. Being poor is not a disease, but a circumstance. Kids aren't responsible for being born into poverty.
Those of you who claimed to have lived a "good life" should put yourself I. Someone else's shoes. You judgmental hypocrites make me sick.i didn't have growing up but I never saw a hungry or cold day. My mama did the best she could. I thank God for her and my big mama who never, ever let us down.
Even though my daddy didn't live with me, he always gave me what I asked for.
I pray that theses children grew up to live good lives, and didn't forget those who are still struggling. 🙏
Ok I agree, but they still don't need to have multiple, too many kids. I don't think that's heartless
And people still have the audacity to try and push others to have kids. I was born 5yrs after this was recorded and my mom was 17. Life isnt any easier and i def. Dont want kids ..i hardly even want a partner 😂
Exactly. U don’t know what people go through. Society tells us it’s not normal not to have kids but we have all this kids with mental & emotional issues! 😢
I dont want a partner, dont want children...
Frontline need to do documentaries like this again instead of the non stop political docs they’ve done lately
Its because mass media can keep you preoccupied with abortion, LGBT, ect.
In stead of real issues like this, if your ignorant youll just keep going with the flow an these issues will continue to be brought up over an over again😢
They did one about the Astros
This doc is political. Welfare and child poverty are 100% politically charged topics. Social issues are political issues, full stop.
Abortion and LGBT aren't real issues? What's that supposed to mean? Of course they're real issues. You really don't think that abortion and LGBT overlap with child-rearing and family dynamics? Dismissing these topics isn't very "family values" of you.
I hope no one ever has to grow up poor like so many of us did.
It seems to be getting worse instead of better. The housing crisis has so many people living homeless. Inflation has skyrocketed the cost of living increased, most people are scraping by.
I did especially after 06 when my mom lost her job. But she pushed me through college and now I'm doing pretty well.
Growing up poor is good. People who grow up with too much material wealth are often useless awkward adults.
@JJacobs803 Glad you're doing better now. God Bless You.
@@voiceofreason2674Weirdly true as fuck
Very sad still almost 40 years later its not getting any better 😢
its gotten worse, and it's not by accident. This was the neoliberal agenda all along. If they could they would eliminate all of the safety net. On the other hand, it's hard to fathom why someone with five kids would be pregnant again at 27:20.
The government doesn't want it to get better. A poor, obedient, disposable underclass is what it wants.
sadly, your right 😓😓 @@briskettacos
Worse in the cities, with all the free stuff. Enables it.
Very little change in so much time
I wonder how Danny is doing? He was absolutely adorable.
I had one child for this reason
I couldn’t afford more.
I had one child only and that was the result of a SA by a complete stranger. I was homeless at the time so I gave him up for adoption. I couldn’t even afford one child. Even now I couldn’t.
@@AKayfabedo you think about that child
@@AKayfabewow
How did our grandparents average 3-8 kids then with less ? Are ppl more selfish today and rightfully so or jus selfish
@@heat5701 A majority of families back then had a man in the home that worked. There was also a different work ethic. People were actually embarrassed to have to rely on public assistance. These days some people are actually proud of the fact that they’ve figured out how to live comfortably off the government.
I would love to know what became of all the people on this video so many years later.
Me too. Some of these people would be my age now (55).
Danny does not need to explain to his classmates what medication he is taking. It is none of their business.
Absoutely, just like covid vaccination status, none of anyone's business. Great point.
Don't think they had the HIPPA laws back then...
@@aqua6613HIPAA only applies to medical personnel.
The mother snickering as the teacher asked if her son could read is disgraceful. What’s funny about that question? I don’t understand why people have kids without having their ISH together! The kids are the ones who suffer. The parents benefit from it FINANCIALLY (welfare).
She doesn’t know any better. You should know better than to judge.
@@VoltairesRevenge oh shut up! We can judge people. Don’t start that “don’t judge” shit. Stop excusing ridiculous behavior.
@@VoltairesRevenge being honest and stating facts is not being judgmental…
My father laughed at me because I wasn’t good at math. Instead of helping me he made me feel stupid and useless. My father was completely in the wrong.
@@VoltairesRevenge people know better, Frida. Come on now.
Welfare is not beneficial for anyone, living in poverty benefits no one. She probably laughed as some do in awkward and uncomfortable situations.
I grew up poor with my mom and step-dad. The step-dad would not work but rather stay home and do drugs. Mom received welfare, and we ate mostly beans and tortillas. Sometimes, it was a real struggle. This kind of life wasn't for me, and I grew up working my ass off so I wouldn't have to keep living that way. People need to grow up and do better for their kids. Quit the alcohol and drugs. Show up and work hard.
Yes, You are so right. Parents need to show up and work hard for their children as well as they do for dead relationships and drugs
@@hawathajackson9121
Easy to comment
How bout people not have children and dont become parents? problem solved. tuh-dahh
I will never understand how this country has these problems. Just recently I was reading about some governors are turning down increased food benefits because they don't believe in handouts. Reading these things is always a perfect summary/reminder of why poverty is a thing in this country. We need to break the chains of generational poverty/trauma so people can see that there is a future. But, while I have hope, am not confident I will see this happen in my lifetime.
Oh please, you people act as if poverty is a new problem. 🙄
When she opened the fridge and cabinets, my heart broke :(. Reminded me of my childhood until my parents learned about food pantries.
Now a days that would be considered illegal. I just totally found it beyond rude. How they can even talk about poor people like they have a choose.Would like to know if they were alive now what they would say!
Sad only 50 thousand people have seen this so important for the future to learn from,but make a video say a glitter bomb and 40 million will watch.
I had my son in 1986 and I was 18. He is now 37 I think and has his own family. I was at single mom of 3 and I did good with the help from the Lord 😊❤🙏
If you did so good as a single mom, How do you not even know if your own son has a family or not?
@@smartanajones4u she thinks he's 37 not that he has his own family. Lol when you have 3 kids and the years go by it sometimes gets a bit confusing remembering everyone's age.
My parents both grew up poor and they made sure that didnt happen to me, they both graduated high school and worked and put themselves through college. They got married and waited to have children, they wanted to make sure they could financially support having children. I wasnt quite 2 years old when they bought the house that they still own today. My parents and grandparents are very loving people and even though they were poor my grandparents always made sure they had a roof over their heads and food to eat, fortunately my Father's stepdad was a wealthy man and when he married my grandmother they finally got out of poverty. I was very fortunate growing up and i can only imagine what my parents went through growing up poor.
Flash forward : No dads, same problem.
People of 2023 wish it was 1986 again.
Dads are the problem lol
@@Michadoo womans are the big problem
My mom had 4 kids by the time she was my age. I have 0, we are not repeating this bulls-hit
@@BlackandProud350traveling and corny holidays are so fulfilling lmao
My son (first child) was born in 1985. I was on welfare for a short time then but wanted more for my children. I think that most of these nurses are altruistic but want to put labels on the mothers and children. They wanted to put my son on Ritalin at four and that is when I said no more. You are not going to put my child on drugs. Thank God I broke the cycle of poverty for my children. They never went hungry or without.
Good job Melody!
I worked in the mid-1980’s with a church run food program in northern New York State. A woman was referred to us for a home visit. We found a lady of about 35 who had mild Down Syndrome, three children, ages 5, 7, and 11. It was October and they were not registered in any school. There was a man who was the father of the two younger children but he hadn’t been around for at least a month. There was NO food in the apartment, just a box of baking soda from which the mother had made salt water for the kids to drink! The 7 year old was clearly malnourished and sickly. By the end of the day, social services had taken them into a battered women’s shelter and the sick child was hospitalized. I have no idea what became of them.
This is my life! But my parents always stressed education. Graduated high school and went to college. Never want to be poor again!
Glad they knew that education is the key out of poverty
the audio quality for something of this era/age is fantastic
Yes❤ someone else said it... No wonder I always had headaches ❤
Kitty wright and her boyfriend scared the crap out of me. Can’t imagine those 2 with a child, especially with their parents alcoholism. The smartest person in this doc was Daniel Boone. He told the truth.
Did they touch on why kitty dropped out of school? That was such a shame
Living thru this era made me now want to be a child trauma specialist ❤
I was one of those kids,I ended out working jobs after job, paycheck to paycheck,until I met a man I married it wasn't until 10 years later he swallowed his pride and accepted VA benefits for our kids,if we didn't have that money I will still be poor and die poor,like everyone I grew up with sure some got out of it but most are STILL struggling with substance abuse severe mental illness and still poor.
If u don't mind me asking why wouldn't he accept his VA stuff initially?
Just the terrible verbal communication with these kids paints the whole picture. They will have no future
Well, they do have a slim chance...I worked my way out if it. Those are Gen Z kids...tough as nails survivors. Whoever survived to this age seriously earned it 👏
@@aqua6613These children would be millennials or Gen X
And then Crack was dumped in these communities...smh
It had already happened by this time. Thats why the kid was making good money on the streets and didnt want to go to school. Kids were driving luxury cars back then.
No,mpeople choose crack. If they don’t choose it, it wont be sold. Why is everyone inAmerica always a victim.
@@smalltownhomesteadAC doofus, if it was never available then how could choose? But I guess you feel that the opioid/heroin/fentanyl crisis isn’t a problem for you in your small town
@Donnell Okafor here in NYC there were. This city turned out a record number of drug kingpins during the 80s. A lot were killed before the mid-90s or incarcerated
@@teekolinski491and I lived on a $20 a week allowance. I got gypped!
I would like to see where these kids are at today, the parents too
Things have gotten worse instead of better, the middle class continues to disappear.
Wow what a documentry i was born in 1984 i remember my mother saying how hard it was back then she had no furniture and sat only on card board boxes 😭😢 and there was 3 of us i grew up in england
I grew up poor can remember eating sugar sandwiches for dinner, I’m doing well now, but like to keep my pantry, fridge and deep freezer full of food, food insecurity is hard to shake
What a dame shame. Nothing has changed except the year
No offence but I feel pretty blessed. They don’t have the best shoes or the best clothes. But my kids have shelter and food and love. That’s all I can give you
Geez
@@KingyHiatuses ????
"Jeffrey came along accidently"....lol.
I guess the stork brought him prematurely.
Nah...his daddy didn't pull out. That's the 'accident.'
But y'all not ready to look at men & their roles in these 'accidents.'
@@tiadeese and she left her legs way open to receive the accident from a boy with no job that dropped out of high school.
At 16 years old I was worried about PSAT's, getting my junior license, & making sure my college boyfriend sent cash to my bank account so I can go to the mall & buy shoes because I spent all of my allowance in 2 days, and playing The Sims or chatting on AOL with friends.
I told my parents I never wanted kids because they were too much work & I liked freedom. Like most teens, we want to enjoy our lives first before we sign up for stress & problems. My mom took me to the GYN for birth control at 14 & God Forbid, if there was ever a scare- we would be going for an abortion. I would never embarrass myself or my family like that.
Childhood should be care-free & something is seriously wrong if a young girl is thinking about having a baby while that young.
You do realize there is also a FEMALE Condom. @@tiadeese
@@teekolinski491well said! I couldn’t have said it better.
38yrs later and it's still the same story.... 🤔 Tell me what is wrong here? I think we all know.
the juice
Culture and behavior?
Government and bankers
Judy, nothing has truly changed. Now the billionaires are just going into space while the middle class & poor suffer.
Telling it like it is.. All da Best 2 Ya..
"The middle class" concept is a big BS, it doesn`t exist.
More like going in the ocean for 250k in a death trap
@@Lizz9902
That’s karma for flaunting to space voyages in our face.
Billionaires have money who cares what they do with it?
I grew up poor and bullied. I worked out . Took up boxing. I got a good job when I got older and now all the bullies are broke ,on drugs . Karma. Teach your kids to fight to be a better person and never give up. Become a better you and don't listen to all the negativity. Those who suffer become a stronger person
The nurse talking IS THE LIGHT that helps.
i remember when i was 4 years old in west covina ca my mom had my brother pluck oranges from someones backyard so we could have something to eat back in 1981 , now i make good mpney in construction and my brother is a lieutenant San Diego PD t
Its not a crime to be poor. They are treating these people like shit. I feel so sorry for that single deaf Mum.
I felt the same after seeing this.. They were not empowering these people at all. They are so judgemental and actually get an attitude with them.. shocking that they could get away with talking to the people they are supposed to be helping like this. It's so sad. The story about the cat and what the mom saw as a child really broke my heart.
Not a crime but how about instead of making babies try to better yourself. Neither of my parents went to college but worked their way up in the world. It’s possible.
@@DONNELLOABSOLUTELY 💯!!!!
@@DONNELLOThen what are they supposed to do? The kids can’t just leave. 🤦🏾♀️
@@DONNELLO That doesn’t make any sense. Your fallacy is not a rebuttal. My point is that once kids are born, they’re here and they need help. Telling them they shouldn’t have had kids doesn’t help them now.
Anybody can have hard times - one bad health problem/ fire / death can put a once healthy, happy family on the dole !!!
Yes, "THAT" road is a moment away. But those who deliberately choose the road by taking drugs are just selfish.
Truth in this, every single day..
And shipping jobs overseas hasn't helped either.
@redfoot69 you must mean in Alaska. Yeah, we get those all the time ⏲️ SMH
I was in a family of 11 we ate commodities and was glad for it Christmas came from salvation army we are white no matter what race we all came out and got a job 👍 I don't regret it we were close family ❣️❣️
We definitely know that a lot of white people were and are still poor. That's why welfare was created. They are still to this day the majority of the recipients on the system.
Their all grown now broken people from broken people having other broken people.
This was so interesting and somewhat of a journey back in time! Do we know how any of these young people are doing today?
I looked up the young lady they interviewed at the High School and according to her Facebook account, she did very well in life..became a nurse and travels ❤
Depending on if they are still around somewhere and you hope they would be in their 40s. Lets hope for the best for them all. ❤❤
"They need more help than the government can give" incorrect statement, should be "They need more help than anyone in government cares to give."
The government was a big part of the problem
i cant even finish listening to this. too much like real life
It was real life. IT is real life.
Nothing has really changed but things have got a lot worse since 1986 the past 38 years.
I grew up about 15 minutes away from Chester, PA and I remember that area as always being run-down & crime-ridden. It made no sense to me when they built that casino there; why build a casino when the residents are impoverished? And now I'm hearing that the hospital, Crozier-Chester is now up for sale? Casino, but no hospital?
I hope these people are doing well or at least better 🙏.
Something actually worth watching. I appreciate anything with proper sentence speech. Like this documentary.
Our children are living in poverty because of decisions made by their parents. Dropping out of school, having children early, no skill development, and no commitment to education will continue to equate to more poverty. I think people can avoid poverty by focusing on the four items listed above.
Focus on developing families where the husband is the head of the family.
Thank feminism and welfare for all this mess
I agree but it's still a little deeper. Jobs were taking out of urban cores. And new jobs weren't replaced. Schools were overcrowded with uncertified teachers using teaching methods that weren't evidence based. Opportunities in school was highly skewed due to zip codes. Systemic racism is a basis for a lot of this BUT poor decision making definitely is a BIG part of this.
What if the husband's an idiot?
@@iWorshipnHeelsBusinesses close because of CRIME, not racism.They knew what color their employees were going to be before they opened in the first place.
If better schools mean better opportunities, why do people protest against bad schools closing and their kids' " forced integration" into those better schools?
@@3namechangezalowdevry90day7 That's not all the way true. A lot of business pulled out to outsource work. It was not strictly because of crime. Furthermore, if I'm confined to a school by my zip code, have no transportation to get to a "better school" or other districts don't offer school choice for outside residents, you will ask for schools to stay open. What alternative were brought to these areas at the time?
As a single teen mom in 1986 w 2 boys & on welfare. I went on to earn my degree in Business Administration. My son's are now 38 & 39. Both are extremely successful. One is a Retired Marine Sgt., has a Master's degree & works for the FAA . My oldest is a mechanical engineer and a partner at his firm and is working on a patent.
I grew up in poverty. Both of my parents had two jobs, no welfare. We were POOR. I made damn sure my children would NOT be.
See you don’t have kids not married
A medical professional in 1986 was insinuating that someone was sick because they were out in the rain from movie house to car weeks ago? And yet she’s insinuating her clients are stupid?
Movie theaters are cold and packed with people who may have respiratory illnesses. She's paraplegic so she's at higher risk of respiratory illness than a non-disabled person.
NO ONE SEES THE LITTLE BOY TURNING THE KNOBS ON THE STOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!
That was my lil brother
@LynnRedwine800, HELL ya,
I saw him!!! I noticed the black on the yellow wallpaper first, then I saw that little one...and thought,,,thats how the black got there!!! 🙃
It's sad,just because your poor,doesn't mean you NEGLECT your child/children!!! Seems the moms didn't neglect any random guy knocking on the door 🤔!!!
Keep dancing, beautiful 💙🧡💙
I was looking for this comment 😮, I was yelling as if anyone could hear me .... That was definitely alarming..
@@myrnaiglesias4806Was, where is he now? Hope you're all doing better ❤
@myrna hope you are all doing well ❤
Minute 32. NOT TRUE!! I grew up in rural area where the nearest clinic was 15 miles away. no license, no job. How was I supposed to get that birth control? There wasn't a clinic on wheels that delivered baskets of condoms to the neighborhood.
Her statement that teenage girls WANT babies, ladyyyyyy these girls are just ignorant or even careless but how can you make such a general statement as a medical professional. She seems like she didn’t enjoy helping these people. Birth control does NOT work perfectly for everyone. There are many reasons why some girls can’t or won’t go on it. Don’t generalize, it just spreads hate
I grew up in a trailer park a lot as a kid and I never went hungry but I was around kids this poor and what I noticed was every family would keep alcohol and cigarettes and do some kind of drugs. They would sell their foodstamps for cash to do their drugs and the kids suffered. Welfare the way its set up isn't the answer. I thinks they should be drug tested because I've seen with my own eyes people selling the stamps for their habits and the kids suffer.
Hmm so based on what people you knew were doing 50 years ago we should limit access to food for children just cause they have addicts for parents? You’re a C.
People are such big fans of this but in reality, soooo many MORE kids would suffer if they put that system in place. Parents would avoid the welfare system all together and wouldn’t get healthcare, school lunches and the other benefits. It would be HORRIFIC what happens to these kids. ALLOWING fathers in jail to have ACTUAL jobs and send back money in the form of child support would be an ACTUAL help for soooo soooo many moms.
Father of the baby is responsible for being there for the child exactly, I hate it when they have the audacity to go after the aunties & uncles expecting them to take care of THEIR responsibility!!
You can tell that Gentleman HS teacher really tried so hard to make a difference!
I understand how hard it was to make good meals with the food you got from foodbanks back in the 1980's. There wasn't grow co-ops like now, or farmer collaborations with services to provide fresh produce any part of the year, let alone the growing part of the year!! I use a foodbank now, as an older adult in Toronto, Ontario, Canada: we are very fortunate to have Second Harvest here, getting donations of produce not sellable in stores, but still good to eat. Also, dairy, and meat available at the banks. Some food banks have their own vegetable gardens and we can get produce in good supply all year!! I am fed well from Toronto foodbanks in 2023. I used to use them every week a couple of years ago, now I use them twice a month.
It’s startling how much has progressed and much of which hasn’t since 86. Were stuck as a human race. God bless us and future generations.
The one woman last name Santiago has four children, she's unmarried and she's pregnant. And then these people wonder why they live in poverty?
The poor, r the same all over. They have kids young,mostly out of wedlock, unstable relationships, lack of education, no job, No bk acct, and no stable housing . Its often generational, with government dependency.
Damm these kids would now be about my age now 2022 late 40s
Kitty in her 50s. The baby in his 30s
Yea, I'm 42
@@aaronlashomb8174 yep 😉
everyone needs to watch this video.
What is sad is that almost 40 years later, things aren't really getting better. There is still an epidemic of poverty in this country. Until the government takes serious steps to remedy the problems and public opinion can be changed to stop viewing the poor as "lazy" and casting shame on them, we will not see any real improvement in the situation.
Well said... I see the same things up here in Canada... I don't know how you intercede and break the cycle shown in this program... a "positive feed back cycle" at that that gets worse generation by generation... I don't know man, this doc. kinda left me feeling like shit man.
I'd love... and likely loath... to see some of these parents and kids today 35 years on eh?
After you watch these following episodes, you might have already come to the conclusion:
Note: This very episode:
PBS Frontline: Growing Up Poor (1986)
was released in 1986. Take a look at the year of the issuance of each episode.
－－－－－－－－－－－－－
PBS Frontline: Pentagon, Inc. (1983), ruclips.net/video/pDcIWB7Ag8g/видео.html
PBS Frontline: Taxes Behind Closed Doors (1986), ruclips.net/video/dS6ciTHrTCc/видео.html
PBS Frontline: The Politics of Greed (1987), ruclips.net/video/Mu9Ca330xo0/видео.html
----------------------------
PBS Frontline: Bread Butter and Politics (1984), ruclips.net/video/MCVOu9sCL5I/видео.html
Growing Up Poor In America (full film) | FRONTLINE (Premiered Sep 9, 2020), ruclips.net/video/qAxQltlGodA/видео.html
--------------------------------
Britain: Poor Children, Rich Country I ARTE Documentary tv reportage news (ARTE Documentary, Jun 21, 2021), ruclips.net/video/VA0eY8k2IMk/видео.html
Don't rely on a government for anything.
Government can't fix everything
Oh it's much worse now. Wealth inequality (1% vs. 99%) is higher now than before the French Revolution *if you include slavery*. It's the worst it's ever been period. And all anybody can talk about is individual-level choices/responsibilities: no father, drug addiction, mental illness, etc. There would be something wrong with you if you didn't become mentally ill in an environment like this.
This is so sad. Especially the second case. I pray Danny is doing good & is a productive adult❣️🙏🏾
He seems to be acting
@@MDavis-zy6nz terrible thing to say😖
This was good to see. Nothing has really changed except maybe people aren’t having so many kids. I think that’s the one thing that has changed. Everything else pretty much the same…
A lot has change ,But crime is worse not the same
Women that are not working and only read a book once a day to thier kid?! What else are they doing if they can't sit 10 minutes to read with thier kid?
Doing everything else except taking care of their kids; I worked many years in this type of area and things haven’t changed much…. sad for the kids
@@devadii24MABE WELFARE SHOULDN'T BE HANDED OUT SO FREELY!
Their*
Some of the mothers can’t read.
Well it’s the responsibility of BOTH parents, not just the mothers to nurture and teach their children. This goes back generations and generations and generations. If their parents never gave them care and nurturing this is what happens. Stop blaming mothers for everything when they’re the only parent doing something..
Great 👍🏾 documentary. I learned a lot of what happened about being poor.
We’re poor as F let’s have babies!👶 Today, we’re stable, let’s finally have a baby! Oh shit! We’re poor now!
Children are not being cultivated! That smart Lady knew exactly what was going on! She would be appalled these days!
This reminds me of my childhood 😢
"Not having a father contributes to poverty" *arrests black men for non-violent, non-sexual crimes*
I wish they would go knock on my ex husbands door and tell him he's responsible for feeding them. He still wouldn't pay a dime for anything they need. Morals have really continued to decline. Family courts still wont enforce child support or protect kids from abusive parents
I mean no harm when l say this..
1)Don't depend on your ex- husband for anything. Most likely he isn't going to help you with the children because he is mad at you.
2) Continuing working on your job and keep your insurance on your children because you can not depend on your ex- husband . He will dropped the insurance for spite.
3) Encourages your children to get a high school diploma and to go to college or trade school. Education is a way out of poverty.
4) Don't depend on the government for anything. That is a way to keep you in poverty. As long as you have a healthy body and can work provide for yourself and your children. Also prepare for retirement. I think welfare checks, food stamps, and low cost housing should be for the disabled people, and the Elderly people. Just my opinion. 🤷🏽♀️Have a wonderful ,blessed day! 🤗
My exhusband owes me in excess of $20k. The courts did suspend his driver's license. How long will it take to issue a felony warrant?! Ridiculous!
It's the principle of it at this point. My daughter is 20 & disabled.
@@traceyf4842 This is true. However, I have a 20 year old with profound disabilities. I had to quit working to take care of her. That child support would go a long way. Just saying. We don't qualify for food stamps because we are $10 over the poverty line. Still can't afford much in food, still poor, but make too much in Social security. SMH. So I use two food pantries.
@@traceyf4842 There is no excuse to not take care of your kids. There is no way I can work enough to not get govt assistance. My kids can't just stay home alone. Daycare costs $1000 a month per kid and I have 4 so that really adds up.
@@thebackrooms7511 I'm owed $85,000 for 4 kids
Wow it really looks like 2023 it really hasn't changed since.... Isn't that sad...
My great auntie(and her husband) raised my two cousins in Chester, first on 3rd St and ultimately on 9th street from 60s-80s. I spent many summers there from NC.
I was 6 growing up in Camden NJ; to a single mother, so this was like a Time Machine
Would love to see a Where Are They Now for anyone still around in 2022
Hi me an my siblings still alive but my mom Margaret pass away in 89 we are the fsecond family who they came in my mom house an open our freezerator
@@myrnaiglesias4806 did you go to a good foster family? Did all your siblings end up successful?
Wow she died very young. She wasn't even 40 years old yet. She died 4 years after this documentary was made? Are all of you kids doing well?
@@myrnaiglesias4806 how your mom pass
Kitty wright passed away
I grew up poor, in a few different situations things got a little better later and its sad. It wasn't easy for my family thanking i was little and u don't remember much when i got older i remember somethings. Its so sad to see how things haven't changed much since then. And heart breaking. 😢😢
48:03, Melle Mel, “The Message”, lol. If you know, you know lol😁
I grew up like this and I have disagree with the lady when she says the kids see their parents getting the welfare so they just say I'll do the same thing, no it made us strive harder and want to succeed, further our education and work back breaking jobs and leave the poverty behind so one day we could buy my Momma a house. and then later on she says the girls are having babies because they want to and every teenage girl knows where to get birth control, this is also not true, who the hell is this lady and what's with her assumptions and pushing them as fact?
The psychological effect it has on you is life long. I knew we were poor and my parents were always very stressed out. I was born in 1986 and my parents were 16 and 17 when they had me. How hard it must have been back then to be poor and have children with special needs. It’s so hard now I can only imagine back then 😢
Both of my parents were immigrants from war-torn countries... I didn't grow up poor but I grew up raised by parents who were used to being poor so I think it gave me a different set of values like I know the difference between what I want and what I need
Unbridled capitalism requires a permanent lower class. So many simply look down on the poor, it's easier than looking at the system.
Why is "the system" responsible of taking care of these children?
If it required dads things would be much better. If only we we could elect a black president.
@@Iworkwithnitwits Because the system is already spending a lot of money on war and corporate welfare yet publicizing things such as health care is scene as barbaric. The fire department use to be privately operated and the interstate highway system is a public utility that millions of Americans use to get from place to place.
@@kastaway2 You do know there are people on the left who don't like Obama right? Instead of hinting at the fact that you don't like liberals just say it. We're all getting screwed over by the two party system yet you want to engage in sports teams politics.
@@Iworkwithnitwits they sale out foster kids today as work and sex slaves as they did some back then too. Yes it happens just as much as in other countries.Lot of money to be made in that bussieness.
The doctor states, "The girls want to have babies" after giving a speech on how birth control can be accessed. Why not mention that the teenage boys must have wanted them as well...
when the narrator stated there are only 2 visiting nurses assigned for at home care in Chester with 14,000 kids that opened my eyes wide. How does that work, how could that possibly work.. a set up for failure. I wonder where this community, and many others like it, are today?? Hypothesis, probably not thriving communities