The holidays are a really good time to think about those less fortunate than us. In "30 days", we saw how intense and difficult it gets when you're not sure if you'll have food, or water, or heat, or medicine. It's pretty scary, moreso for us middle-class kids because the majority of us have never experienced that. And in all likelihood, the majority of us never will. It's easy for us to succeed. It's extremely difficult for people living on minimum wage, from paycheck to paycheck, to succeed. How can you account for emergencies? How can you upgrade your stuff or get nice things? What if your kid wants something? Any extra expensive is a terrifying strain, and we tend to have lots of extra expenses...no wonder families get torn apart.
On a related note, this is why Stevenson does Give-a-thon. To make it easier for those famliies that can't handle the added expense of Christmas presents. I wish I could say that we're all doing what we can, but it's not true. High school students, yes, can provide cash and go shopping. But the presents end up being a short-term, feel-good solution to a problem of poverty or low-income, paycheck to paycheck living. The relief is temporary. What happens in six months, when the three kids outgrow the new shoes, when the food pantry is once again completely out? We are only in highschool, we do what we can. Eventually, though, we need to tackle the root of the problem (which is what today's adults/yesterday's highschoolers) should be doing. We saw from the movie that it's a cyclical thing. It's extremely difficult to get out, to move up. And also, we have one of the worst wealth gaps here in the USA. People are horrifyingly rich, horrifyingly poor, and living just blocks from one another. We are soo not doing what we can.
