Hi group! I first went to soc.culture.usa with this question but that group seems to discuss world politics rather than US culture so I'll post this here, since the question stems from a Simpsons episode. Well, I saw the episode "Lisa's Sax" in which Homer is reluctant to admit Lisa in a private school because he only has $200 and wants to save it for an a/c. What I found intriguing is that the family only has that much money. The Simpsons are certainly not poor - they're middle class like most of us. I was curious how close this is to reality. I'm not from the US, and whatever knowledge I have about american culture comes from their tv shows :) and in general I have this idea that americans live on the edge - between paycheques. Comments? amit
Living on the edge....moneywise
I would say most one income blue-collar families with three children live paycheck to paycheck. That's why there is so much credit card debt in this country, because when an emergency comes along (car repair, house repairs, etc.) they often have to use credit because they don't have enough cash on hand to pay for it. Though lots of families, when they do have some extra money, spend it on luxury and entertainment (not that everyone doesn't deserve such things) rather than saving it in case of an emergency. There are lots of families in this country with one or more full time incomes that still cannot make ends meet and rely upon food stamps and other subsidies to get by because if you are only making minimum wage you can barely support yourself, much less a family. Though conservative politicians would have you believe that everyone on welfare or food stamps are no good lazy bums, that's hardly the case.
Kevin
There's also the fact that their house is huge, compared to much of the housing that middle-class Americans own. There are two floors with high ceilings (I'm judging this from the staircase), an attic with a reinforced floor, a big basement, a garage, and two cars. And Marge doesn't have a job (well, in most of the episodes, anyway). That signals that they are more or less well off, but when they want something big, they have to plan ahead and save for it:
* a big vacation (the money has to be spent when Bart breaks the washer and dryer)
* the Christmas presents in Simpsons Roasting Over an Open Fire (the money has to be spent to remove Bart's tattoo)
- the dog's surgery
So they are fairly well-off when it comes to everyday expenses like food and bills, but when it comes to extravagances, like the air-conditioner, which is more or less a luxury item, they have to budget for it.
I never got the impression that they were well off, more that their house is a little unrealistic for the amount of money Homer makes. In fact with a house that big and three kids and only one income I would expect a real family in that situation to not actually be able to afford all the things they need. I don't know where Marge and Homer get their extra money because Homer doesn't make enought to support all of that.
Just a personal note: Whether or not air conditioning is a luxury item depends entirely on where you live. I just went two weeks without it and the indoor thermometer on the thermostat was maxed out during the day (it goes up to 95). It would drop down to a cool 90 at night. If choosing to live in a comfortable, climate controlled home rather than a nearly 100 degree oven is extravagent, then call me extravagent.
Kevin
"Kevin Madden" wrote in message news:[email]...
Don't forget, the only reason they were able to afford that house is because Abe sold his and gave them the money. And then they turned around and stuck him in the old folks' home "about three weeks" later.
Hey, if the "Friends" can afford that palace in NYC, then I think it's OK for the Simpsons to have a decent house. The property values in Springfield must be much lower.
Good catch. I didn't remember that.
There's an explanation for that too. The apartment is a rent control apartment they illegaly sublease from Monica's grandmother. Apparently she's had it long enough that the rent is pretty cheap. But I don't know exactly how rent control works.
Kevin
I'm not saying it's extravagant, I'm saying it's a luxury. Things that you get that make life easier, but that not everybody necessarily gets to have.
I love living in a temperature-controlled home. I love being an ice pop at night. (I'm also not being sarcastic.) But air-conditioning is expensive, and there are certainly a lot of people who have to make do without- either they buy a fan, or leave their windows open, or they suffer through the heat (sometimes dying in the process).
In fact, so many people didn't have ways to control the temperature in their homes in Chicago during the early 90s that there were a wave of heat-related deaths, which led to the founding of city-run cooling centers where people could go for an hour or so just to escape the heat. So, basically, what I'm saying in my long-winded way is that I like having air-conditioning (and I bet you do too), but not everybody who wants it gets it.
I knew what you were saying, I just had to whine about my horrible two weeks. Also, if people are dying without them than I would call that a necessity. Not a necessity for me, I survived the 95 degree heat I had to live with even with every window open, two ceiling fans, four exhaust fans and three portable fans, but many less healthy or older people wouldn't have. I say anything that keeps you from dying is a necessity.
But, again, I knew what you were getting at.
Kevin
*Points to sign on the wall* No complaining.
Kevin Madden wrote in message news:[email]...
to
since the
admit Lisa
a/c.
I was
in
paycheques.
"Conservative" politicians are talking about life-long welfare recipients.
In New York City, we were able to cut the welfare rolls by about half, putting an end to thirty years of "liberal" spending that allowed one million people to go on the dole.
- Bob
In in the process, wiping out child poverty in New York City!
Oh, no, wait, it's just as bad as ever: http://www.kfny.org/facts.html
Not that it was much better before the welfare reforms... but if they were going to reform welfare programs, it would have been super to deal with some of the problems. It's hard to be too proud of the welfare reforms when half the children in NYC are born into poverty.
fishy wrote in message news:[email]...
There is a pragmatic solution to this, but it would involve common sense, not bleeding heart liberalism.
I don't know why I'm posting a response, since it will do nothing to resolve anything.
Oh, well....just raging against the machine, I guess!
-Bob
Also, keep in mind that this is a cartoon. Writers make up situations in order to create comedy.
-Bob
Amit wrote in message news:5_EW8.292269$[email]...
since the
Lisa
a/c.
was
in
paycheques.