Business VS People
In Chapter 2, Shipler brings to light many large corporations and how they take advantage of poor people. The main legal way discussed is fees. Fees are charged by almost entirely every large corporation we can think of. The fees as Shipler states are often miniscule to the working class individually, but they compose large sum gains for corporations. As consumers we assume that this is acceptable because they are stated in legitimate ways, however the fees may not always be ethical. Another way companies take advantage of people is by utilizing vocabulary that is not at the educational attainment of the poor. These two startegies work hand in hand to ensure profitable income. Employees of such companies are trained to preform in such manner as well.They utilize business with the poor as a psychological scheme. Shipler utilizes H&R BLOCK and a prime example to depict this notion. The " Rapid Refund" loan was posed to consumers with verbiage they did not always understand and extremely high interest rates. Tax refunds were offered in ATM card form with withdraw charges. Temporary accounts were provided with fees as well. In essence the way these companies are legitimizing such actions is due to the lack of knowledge from the consumer. Lack of knowledge is due to lack of resources as well. For example Shipler discusses employee rights and how they are taken advantage of daily. Abuse and inaccurate payroll are the main ways employers perform this advantage. The homeless and or the poor are main victims of such abuse, for lack of education , lack of resources and for fear. Many are afraid to report such abuse because they rely on the employment for survival.
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Shipler, D. K. (2004). The working poor: Invisible in America. New York: Knopf.
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