Describe your reaction to what you saw in the movie “Children of the Mountain.” Do these people have an equal opportunity to succeed? Explain. What can/should be done to help these people pull themselves out of this cycle of poverty?
These people do not have an equal opportunity to succeed. This is not to say that they are incapable of success, merely that they do not have equal opportunity to one in a situation such as that of an Arapahoe High School student. People living in impoverished areas such as the Appalachian Mountain Range encounter many hindrances that are not as prominent in higher income societies. These include the high presence of alcohol and drug abuse, the lack of healthcare and general hygiene, and the pressing issue of job opportunities. If these issues could be resolved then citizens of areas such as Eastern Kentucky, then living standards there would greatly increase. One of the best things that could be done here would be to create more job opportunities. This would lend the society there to afford healthcare and in turn increase their chances of one day exiting the mountains on a capitalist venture. Additionally, there needs to be more police and government regulation on prescription drugs. They ought not to be prescribed unless utterly necessary and the doctors and policing party must keep better watch on these substances.
I also agree that these people don’t have an equal opportunity to succeed in life; they pretty much have to fight to have a half decent life. I think that the people that were involved in the making of the news story, “Children of the Mountain”, should have done something to help the children. They just sat back, did their job, and got out of there, sure it raises awareness but… will it help them? At the end of the show they said there were links to charities on the web-sight, but I don’t think that pouring money into a charity will help them because it doesn’t affect those children directly. I think that the amount of drug abuse there is appalling and there need to be a dramatic change in the way the government works, cracking down hard on drug addicts and showing the people that they care.
Before seeing this movie, I thought that people had an equal chance at success. I was wrong because these people are all consumed by poverty. It is unfortunate that these people are either drunk, high,or too poor to do any thing about it. I found this movie to be a lesson to the fortunate. Be thankful for what you jave and don't take things for granted.It will only hurt you in the long run.
When our class first watched “Children of the Mountain” I was amazed. I never really understood how bad some of those kids have it. For example, one girl was looking after her own mother and some of the parents would actually give their two year olds pop to drink. I don’t think many of these kids have an equal opportunity to succeed. For many of them their parents gave them a bad start for life, and the kids have to worry more about food then an education. Also, in the community that they live in people label them and say that they will work at a fast food place any way so why try. I think to help these people we should give them a fighting chance, by donating money for scholarships or to help them in school and also give them healthy food instead of junk food.
Before watching this movie, I thought that everyone had an equal chance at success, if they wanted to make a change. I think these people do have a chance to succeed however they have a lot to overcome like drug addictions, alcohol abuse, etc... I am glad that some of them have hope and have a relationship with God. To break this cycle of poverty I think these people have to want to change, but they need a helping hand. People need to come in, like the dentist, and help these people. Not to make money or be rewarded but because they want to help these people get out of poverty and they are willing to sacrifice things in their own life to do so.
While viewing this movie I found it hard to watch what these people’s lifestyles were like. I think all of them were very strong people because they were pushing through all of their struggles and trying to make the best out of it. I do not think that these people have an equal opportunity to succeed because it is much harder for them to get a good quality education and find a well-paying job. Students living in poverty have to deal with addictions, lack of hygiene, family issues and living expenses on top of maintaining a good GPA. In order to pull them out of this cycle of poverty, I think there should be a program that gets the addicts away from the drugs and alcohol so they can spend their money on essentials like food and shelter. This program could help the aspiring children continue with their education besides just becoming a high-school dropout. This would break the cycle because once their schooling is completed; they are able to obtain a higher-paying job that will help them support their families. There cannot be an end to poverty, but these steps could make a change in the people’s lives.
During this movie I found my self thinking how hard it would be for these people to climb out of what they were born into. Towards the end of the movie I decided that it would be pretty much impossible for these people to get out. People have tried, such as the football player, but find the outside world of college and jobs to hard and over whelming. People how ever outside of this have the ability to grow up in a less stressful world and be better prepared for what comes next in life. I honestly don't know what to do for these poor people. It seems to be that the coal mines tend to control everything and that in the end it seems that one or more family members work for it. Maybe they could tax the coal mines even more to help pay for and sustain a suitable school and living environment. We know they have the money, you can tell by the owners house and it seems he wants to help the community so why not?
This was very surprising to me. I don't usually think of rural areas as being the most impoverished places in the United States. I don't think that the kids in the mountains o Kentucky have an equal chance to someone from a place like Centennial, Co. They don't have the same resources we do to succeed. There are few things that can be done to help these people. The first thing is making the rest of the nation aware of their situation. Prescription drugs should be made less accessible. One other problem I noticed is people don't have money to live in good living conditions and yet they spend hundreds of dollars a year on Mountain Dew. These people need to be helped in learning how to manage their budget a little better.
Before watching, "Children of the Mountain", I was completely unaware of this poverty. My previous thought that everyone has an equal chance has now changed to that of not everyone has an equal chance in life. This does not mean that those who have less of a chance will not succeed but in order to succeed they need to overcome bigger obstacles. For most of those people, their parents screwed up and it was not the kids fault that they ended up where they ended up. These parents need to be helped with their drug and/or alcohol addiction so that they can put their money for a better cause.
Not everyone has an equal opportunity and of this I'm sure. "Life's hard" is a cliché for a reason. These kids have grown up in bad situations--ones that we can't even begin to comprehend. Situations such as this have made succeeding in life all the more challenging. Through this movie we witnessed kids who face drug and alcohol abuse, child abuse, poor diet, and low to no income that would inevitably hold anyone back from reaching their full potential; even the bravest and strongest of hearts. To prevent this is an impossible task. But ways we can help do exist. It starts with education: learning how to read and write well, helping kids to understand lessons every step of the way, and providing serious aid to disabled kids. Also, put an end to giving a kid barely passing grades so that they get passed on to the next teacher. This sets the kid up for failure because it is a vicious circle. Attention to detail is just as important educationally as it is in planning to pull a bank job. Lastly, free programs to help people get jobs and keep jobs (whether they are disabled, impoverished, felons or just regular human beings) is key to helping to end poverty.
I don't think that people have an equal chance to be successful in our world because a lot of the things you do are based on your pedigree. If you grow up homeless with no money, as we saw in the movie, it is hard to get an education even if you are successful at one thing. I also thought it was interesting that the people said that they are not a stereotype even though they fit the exact stereotype of hillbillies as being poor people with an accent who are cousin lovin'.
I personally never knew that such poverty existed in the United States of America. After watching the film :Children of the Mountain" i think that the people that live there don't have the same equal chance that everybody else in the United States has. Most of these people don't have jobs, live in poor houses, little money, and their parents are often druggies or sell illegal drugs on the street. But the most important thing that they don't have is that they have lost their will to survive in the world. They do not strive to rid themselves of their poverty, they have lost hope and they need to gain some back. One thing that made me upset was the football player that got a scholarship to college but ended up dropping out because he didn't think he could make it. I think that he should have found a way to stay in college to inspire his own life to thrive and then perhaps those of his family members could follow his footsteps, preparing them for life as well. Im not really sure how these people can be pulled out of their cycle of poverty. I think though that we should establish a better education system among them so they can try to learn as much as possible and better themselves for making a better life for themselves.By this maybe we can inspire hope to these people so that they can end their cycle of poverty.
In my opinion not everyone has a far chance. This is because not everyone has the same opportunities. For example not everyone has the same resources such as money. Therefore they can’t buy things like book and computers. Yes, they do have community’s centers but we are all humans and I wouldn’t walk 8 miles to go learn. If you think about the image that these people have in their head, they don’t know of anything other than mining or working at a fast food restaurant. So one question to ask is why else would they try to exceed? One thing we could do to help these people is set examples such as what the owner of the mines did. Also give these "mountain people" a chance to get there head on the right direction. Last the people of the mountain need to stop so much drug using. This will take a lot of work and motivation but it will change everything for the good.
Before watching "Children of the Mountain" I had the mindset that everyone has an equal opporunity to succeed in life. This movie radically changed my view on poverty. It showed me not everyone has an equal chance in life. Growing up in poverty would be a true struggle, especialy if other factors were included like drug and alcohol issues. Being poor severly limits the paths you can choose in life. Without money you can't buy your education or afford accesories to make everyday life easier like a car or even food. Additionally, with drugs and alcohol as a problem in your family, that sharply affects your relationships with family members and can ultimatley stunt social skills for life and cause personal trauma issues making motivation very hard to come by. All the kids and adults in the movie suffered from at least one of these factors in one way or another. With any of these problems it makes it so hard to succeed in the world. Social, mental, and even sometimes physical instibility occur, further increasing the hardships to the path of success. To pull these people from their paths to destruction, we as a whole, can start by doing basic things to help the povershed people. We already do some of the neccessities such as shelters and food clinics, but more needs to be done to motivate them to acheive the American dream. We can start by educating these idividuals so they learn morals and basic skills for life and jobs. Also, we could somehow show them how great life is when money and drugs are not an issue. A possible way would be to have a partner day like how kids go to their parents work. Volunteer workers can take a homeles or povershed person out for the day and show them the great things in life when money is not a factor. And if drugs are an issue we can offer more drug rehabilitaion centers for very cheap.
I believe that you cannot have a society for people where no one has an advantage over each other, so i think that all of these families have a worse chance then most other people. However I feel that while they are behind most people they can still pull ahead in life. I agree that we can do something to help them and should do something. I think that all it would take is putting money aside for books in our schools were gambling away all of our money in the deficit anyway? why not put it into something solid. That way children like these can learn and get to college. They would not have to drop out of school. Also i think that whild these videos are insightful and important, i think that they are also verry cruel. I mean think about it do you think any of these people recieved aid after this movie? If they saw it do you think they would be proud that they are getting there story out or embarrased? They brought special intrest to the girls trading sex for drugs to there siblings. Do you think that they would want that to be shown across the nation, do you think they would want that to be shown in a high school class? These people have potential all that i think would be needed to break the cycle is education. once one generation is sucessful, then there children will not be born into poverty, they will have more of an advantage then there parents
This documentary is very upsetting in regards to how oblivious us well off Americans are to the fact that our fellow citizens are in poverty and are going through such hard times just to survive. I believe these people try very hard to turn their life around, and they understand what they must give up, but where they fail is they lose their hope early on. I don't blame them, if this situation were reversed onto me I would lose hope just years after understanding what was going on around me. These people are so easily discouraged by their entire society and I know that they grow up learning to be what those around them are. Any individual is lucky if they can find the strength to carry on and pursue education after living in their 'slacker' environment after so long. In most situations I would agree that everyone has equal opportunity because it is their choice if they want to be successful in life or not. I feel like this situation differs from the rest. In most cases I think that people are able to make their own life choices which can drive them forward in life and they will be successful, or at least well off in life. On the contrary, they could also make the choice to follow the crowd in their society and just get by in life, not reaching any life goals or dreams. The people this film centers around are not supplied with the materials to be successful even if they strived to reach their educational and life goals. Lots of homeless Americans have the opportunity to get where they want in life but are too lazy, and instead bum around asking for money from others. One man in this film, Shawn, continuously fights to break free from his severely dysfunctional family and is given a once in a lifetime opportunity to make something of his life. Due to his pervious life, he simply cannot keep up with the school budget at his college and soon after arriving is forced to drop out because he his not supplied with the materials to survive his classes and to play football. Another young girl focused on, Courtney, is forced to grow up and mature past her age in order to help her mom who battles a drug abuse problem. Although Courtney is mature past her years, she struggles in school due to her always having to take care of her mother. If more children of this era had the attitudes that kids like Courtney and Shawn had, wanting to strive and succeed, I think that there would be more successful people in the world. Although these Appalachian children do not have the nurturing environments needed for ideal success, many other poverty stricken people around the world do, and could easily turn their lives around. If school and home environments were improved, and more drug abuse clinics were available to struggling people, I believe they would be able to break free of this cycle of poverty.
I was surprised with the conditions that the people from the movie "Children of the Mountain," live in. It is much better than I imagined. I thought that it would be similar to the poverty conditions in Africa. And that is why I couldn't imagine how that could be going on in our own country. I believe that the parents have an equal chance but the children do not. They are robbed of their childhoods and have to grow up so much earlier than the rest of us. They definitely have to deal with more than the average kid. Our parents are role models to most of us and they set the expectations. A child with a mother as a drug addict or a father that is an alcoholic does not have a solid life. And a solid life is what most people look for. There is too much to do to get rid of poverty. I would say that we should just get rid of drugs, but one thing leads to the next. We cannot get rid of drugs because certain people need them for pain. It's complicated and I think that is the reason that we still deal with poverty in our country. There is one thing that I would change though. I think we should make things such as homeless shelters or soup kitchens more available and accessible to people that need it. One small change like that can change a person’s life whether it’s getting food at a stable place or having a safe place to stay the night and not be cold.
The people portrayed in this film do not have an equal opportunity to succeed in life. They are weighed down by the system and an attitude that shoves them into a hole, making sure they are incapable of overcoming the odds stacked against them. Things are not fair; the people are not given the same advantages that we as suburbia inhabitants are given.
The only thing that can be done is for money, help and jobs that give them a greater amount of income. This is not guaranteed to work; poverty isn't curable. It's a norm of the world just as the rich, upper class are apart of it. We cannot have one without the other. It is a simple balance that has to be maintained. We can only hope that the money and help we offer people like the ones in the video will actually help them in the end.
I do not believe that they have an equal chance because so many times kids in the upper middle class can just half ass it and still be fine with graduating high school and getting through college, and then in the movie that kid worked hard was a star football player yet he still dropped out of college and I don’t think that would’ve happened if he grew up in a household with more money. Some ways we could fix this is by giving them counselors to help them through their financial situation and guide them. Also help them with their academics until they get the hang of college.
What I have learned from watching the movie "Children of the Mountain" is that though I believed everyone has an equal chance if given an education, the fact of the matter is that not everyone is even given an education. People do not all have a fair shot out of the gate. Some people will have to work hard for what others are given as a "birth right". The circle seems to vicious to really pull anyone out of it.
What can be done is that people can be given the resources, not only money, but resources to succeed. Also drugs should be regulated to the extreme because part of the cycle is drug addiction. It is unbelievable how the poor can even afford drugs nor how they realize the disastrous effects. Poverty will be an issue until it isn't, we should all just hope that the world is more fair to those who have less.
The movie, "Children of the Mountain" is a deep surprise to me. I did not know that this type of poverty could be present in the United States. The fact that a football player grows up in an extremely poor part of United States, but still showed dedication and determination in his quest to play football, shows that everyone has an equal chance. On the other hand, once he got to college, he didn’t have the dedication or determination to excel in his school work. On top of that, he did not have the money to pay for books, food, etc. Seeing this movie showed me that not everyone has an equal chance, even if you have the determination to get where you want to go.
To resolve these problems through out the world will never be possible; but we can help. Donating money, food, clothes, and other necessities to charity foundations could indeed help people in need. The drug problem is a whole other situation. The people that are so addicted to drugs that they sacrifice money for drugs instead of food, have a serious problem. After thinking about it I can not think of anything that could be done to help this problem; but I do believe there is a solution.
This movie shocked me, I never seen that type of poverty before. I think that these people show a lot of love and kindness, but they also have a several different types of addictions and poor choices they make. As seen in the football player there IS a lot of determination, but on the flip side the people sadly give up quite a bit as well. Personally I believe that these people have an equal opportunity to succeed but only if they truly try to succeed. If they have the want and show that they want it then they will eventually succeed. But sometimes when something such as drugs or alcohol or any kind of addiction gets in the way they can have a setback in trying to be successful. They in a way get distracted from doing the right thing, especially when it comes to taking care of their children and families. I do not think that a change is very possible because this is the way these people were raised. This is what they learned and this is just their lifestyle of living. You can’t change an entire community to save a lost cause. Or to say that you helped a lost cause, cause that messes up how they were taught to raise a family or their work choice even. They don’t NEED a college degree. They already have a mining job waiting for them to take over generation after generation.
I don't think that these children have the same opportunities as we do. The one kid who went to collage even said that it was harder than his school and his old high school never gave him that kind of work load. The other childes mother was a drug addict that would leave for weeks at a time. So how was she expected to go to school and look froward to it. I dont think these jids even had a chance.
I don’t think these kids have equal opportunity because they don’t have the same resources that we have to aid us in success. It blew my mind when I saw that amount of drugs (pills) that went through these small towns. It was interesting to hear what the kid that went to college had to say about how it was so hard and such a different work load. TO be honest I’m not sure anything would help these people unless they changed themselves. You can dump a ton of money or whatever you think they might need but unless the people in these towns begin to change themselves they won’t change their world.
I dont believe they have an even chance because to have a good education and to be happy in college you need days off and time to go out with friends so you need money. also i dont believe that they have a good enough school to prepare for a college education. they need stricter drug task force to prevent abuse of perscription drugs. also charities need to help out with food and warmth, the things you need in life because if these people keep just getting money they will keep buying drugs and mountain dew.
Life is what your make it, but only to a certain extent though. People in the Appalachian Mountains are really trying to break out of this evil cycle of poverty, but it is hard because of all the factors that have an impact on our lives; factors that we cannot control, such as sickness and lack of resources. Therefore, I do believe that people do not have an equal chance to succeed. Every day these people are fighting for survival.
It is hard to help the people living in Appalachian Mountain, because they have gotten into this evil cycle of poverty, and they are facing many difficulties that people in higher income household don't even think about, such as lack of health care, addictions, hygiene, resources and job opportunities. It will be a difficulty and a challenge to make the life better for all these people. I don't think charity would help them as much, because of all the money that goes to the administration instead of the suffering people. Therefore, I think the best way to help these people would be to give them help directly, such as creating job opportunities, so they can help themselves out this black hole, and build up a higher standard – but it is pretty obvious that these people need a helping hand. And the people living in the Appalachian Mountains are really trying, just look at the football player, he is trying and giving everything he got, but it is hard to break out in today’s highly competitive society and the current economic crisis.
after watching the movie, I have a new perspective on poverty on America. I didn't know that poverty was that bad in the US. the football player should that you can do anything, no matter what your backround is. he played with determination and was the first in his family to graduate from high school. once he got to college, he still had determination, he just didn't have enoughmoney to pay for his education. the football player should that everyone has an equal chance , but not everybody takes that chance.
I think that if social services stepped in and helped the kids have a better life, maybe the parents good get back on their feet without having to worry about what happens to the kids. if all the people in the mountains stopped drinking mountain dew, then they would have one less thing to worry about. if charities helped then the families would have a better chance of having a normal life.
what i have learned from this movie was that its not just in big cities that have money and drug problem. because up in those hill alote of those kids have been living by there selves and several of them have to grow up fast so they could take care of other younger family members. I really learned that several of these kids have nothing at all like the football player that was going to be the first of his family to ever got off to college and have a degree from high school let alone. That just showed how much he had to work and how he said that he dost even remember having a book in his home. so it really shocked me on what they have to go threw just to get through what we call normal life.
The movie was a complete shock to me, because I was unaware of how much certain people are separated from the country. I could not believe that they are so poor, especially in an unexpected place, not your typical city or projects. Their way of life is interesting, yet sad, due to the fact that it seems to be decades behind some parts of the city, and the coal mining industry is still a big contribution. I believe that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed, although their path way is a little rockier. Each of them has a future, because where there is a will, there is a way. Hard work and determination are the key concepts to success, so they must separate themselves from selling drugs and work hard in school or get a job, to start a way of life they want. This is America and all its citizens are given the chance to be as great as they can be, it has been proven many times. There are several things that can and should be done to help these people pull themselves out of this cycle of poverty. Organizations or groups can be set up in these specific areas, from the city, to promote well-being and help the adults to find a job, and quit drugs. After school sessions can be put within the area, to help the children in a loving and fun way. They have to be shown the way to success, especially since most of them live in a house that, does the opposite.
These people do not have an equal opportunity to succeed. This is not to say that they are incapable of success, merely that they do not have equal opportunity to one in a situation such as that of an Arapahoe High School student. People living in impoverished areas such as the Appalachian Mountain Range encounter many hindrances that are not as prominent in higher income societies. These include the high presence of alcohol and drug abuse, the lack of healthcare and general hygiene, and the pressing issue of job opportunities. If these issues could be resolved then citizens of areas such as Eastern Kentucky, then living standards there would greatly increase. One of the best things that could be done here would be to create more job opportunities. This would lend the society there to afford healthcare and in turn increase their chances of one day exiting the mountains on a capitalist venture. Additionally, there needs to be more police and government regulation on prescription drugs. They ought not to be prescribed unless utterly necessary and the doctors and policing party must keep better watch on these substances.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that these people don’t have an equal opportunity to succeed in life; they pretty much have to fight to have a half decent life.
ReplyDeleteI think that the people that were involved in the making of the news story, “Children of the Mountain”, should have done something to help the children. They just sat back, did their job, and got out of there, sure it raises awareness but… will it help them? At the end of the show they said there were links to charities on the web-sight, but I don’t think that pouring money into a charity will help them because it doesn’t affect those children directly. I think that the amount of drug abuse there is appalling and there need to be a dramatic change in the way the government works, cracking down hard on drug addicts and showing the people that they care.
Before seeing this movie, I thought that people had an equal chance at success. I was wrong because these people are all consumed by poverty. It is unfortunate that these people are either drunk, high,or too poor to do any thing about it. I found this movie to be a lesson to the fortunate. Be thankful for what you jave and don't take things for granted.It will only hurt you in the long run.
ReplyDeleteWhen our class first watched “Children of the Mountain” I was amazed. I never really understood how bad some of those kids have it. For example, one girl was looking after her own mother and some of the parents would actually give their two year olds pop to drink. I don’t think many of these kids have an equal opportunity to succeed. For many of them their parents gave them a bad start for life, and the kids have to worry more about food then an education. Also, in the community that they live in people label them and say that they will work at a fast food place any way so why try. I think to help these people we should give them a fighting chance, by donating money for scholarships or to help them in school and also give them healthy food instead of junk food.
ReplyDeleteBefore watching this movie, I thought that everyone had an equal chance at success, if they wanted to make a change. I think these people do have a chance to succeed however they have a lot to overcome like drug addictions, alcohol abuse, etc... I am glad that some of them have hope and have a relationship with God. To break this cycle of poverty I think these people have to want to change, but they need a helping hand. People need to come in, like the dentist, and help these people. Not to make money or be rewarded but because they want to help these people get out of poverty and they are willing to sacrifice things in their own life to do so.
ReplyDeleteWhile viewing this movie I found it hard to watch what these people’s lifestyles were like. I think all of them were very strong people because they were pushing through all of their struggles and trying to make the best out of it. I do not think that these people have an equal opportunity to succeed because it is much harder for them to get a good quality education and find a well-paying job. Students living in poverty have to deal with addictions, lack of hygiene, family issues and living expenses on top of maintaining a good GPA. In order to pull them out of this cycle of poverty, I think there should be a program that gets the addicts away from the drugs and alcohol so they can spend their money on essentials like food and shelter. This program could help the aspiring children continue with their education besides just becoming a high-school dropout. This would break the cycle because once their schooling is completed; they are able to obtain a higher-paying job that will help them support their families. There cannot be an end to poverty, but these steps could make a change in the people’s lives.
ReplyDeleteDuring this movie I found my self thinking how hard it would be for these people to climb out of what they were born into. Towards the end of the movie I decided that it would be pretty much impossible for these people to get out. People have tried, such as the football player, but find the outside world of college and jobs to hard and over whelming. People how ever outside of this have the ability to grow up in a less stressful world and be better prepared for what comes next in life. I honestly don't know what to do for these poor people. It seems to be that the coal mines tend to control everything and that in the end it seems that one or more family members work for it. Maybe they could tax the coal mines even more to help pay for and sustain a suitable school and living environment. We know they have the money, you can tell by the owners house and it seems he wants to help the community so why not?
ReplyDeleteThis was very surprising to me. I don't usually think of rural areas as being the most impoverished places in the United States. I don't think that the kids in the mountains o Kentucky have an equal chance to someone from a place like Centennial, Co. They don't have the same resources we do to succeed. There are few things that can be done to help these people. The first thing is making the rest of the nation aware of their situation. Prescription drugs should be made less accessible. One other problem I noticed is people don't have money to live in good living conditions and yet they spend hundreds of dollars a year on Mountain Dew. These people need to be helped in learning how to manage their budget a little better.
ReplyDeleteBefore watching, "Children of the Mountain", I was completely unaware of this poverty. My previous thought that everyone has an equal chance has now changed to that of not everyone has an equal chance in life. This does not mean that those who have less of a chance will not succeed but in order to succeed they need to overcome bigger obstacles. For most of those people, their parents screwed up and it was not the kids fault that they ended up where they ended up. These parents need to be helped with their drug and/or alcohol addiction so that they can put their money for a better cause.
ReplyDeleteNot everyone has an equal opportunity and of this I'm sure. "Life's hard" is a cliché for a reason. These kids have grown up in bad situations--ones that we can't even begin to comprehend. Situations such as this have made succeeding in life all the more challenging. Through this movie we witnessed kids who face drug and alcohol abuse, child abuse, poor diet, and low to no income that would inevitably hold anyone back from reaching their full potential; even the bravest and strongest of hearts. To prevent this is an impossible task. But ways we can help do exist. It starts with education: learning how to read and write well, helping kids to understand lessons every step of the way, and providing serious aid to disabled kids. Also, put an end to giving a kid barely passing grades so that they get passed on to the next teacher. This sets the kid up for failure because it is a vicious circle. Attention to detail is just as important educationally as it is in planning to pull a bank job. Lastly, free programs to help people get jobs and keep jobs (whether they are disabled, impoverished, felons or just regular human beings) is key to helping to end poverty.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that people have an equal chance to be successful in our world because a lot of the things you do are based on your pedigree. If you grow up homeless with no money, as we saw in the movie, it is hard to get an education even if you are successful at one thing. I also thought it was interesting that the people said that they are not a stereotype even though they fit the exact stereotype of hillbillies as being poor people with an accent who are cousin lovin'.
ReplyDeleteI personally never knew that such poverty existed in the United States of America. After watching the film :Children of the Mountain" i think that the people that live there don't have the same equal chance that everybody else in the United States has. Most of these people don't have jobs, live in poor houses, little money, and their parents are often druggies or sell illegal drugs on the street. But the most important thing that they don't have is that they have lost their will to survive in the world. They do not strive to rid themselves of their poverty, they have lost hope and they need to gain some back. One thing that made me upset was the football player that got a scholarship to college but ended up dropping out because he didn't think he could make it. I think that he should have found a way to stay in college to inspire his own life to thrive and then perhaps those of his family members could follow his footsteps, preparing them for life as well. Im not really sure how these people can be pulled out of their cycle of poverty. I think though that we should establish a better education system among them so they can try to learn as much as possible and better themselves for making a better life for themselves.By this maybe we can inspire hope to these people so that they can end their cycle of poverty.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion not everyone has a far chance. This is because not everyone has the same opportunities. For example not everyone has the same resources such as money. Therefore they can’t buy things like book and computers. Yes, they do have community’s centers but we are all humans and I wouldn’t walk 8 miles to go learn. If you think about the image that these people have in their head, they don’t know of anything other than mining or working at a fast food restaurant. So one question to ask is why else would they try to exceed? One thing we could do to help these people is set examples such as what the owner of the mines did. Also give these "mountain people" a chance to get there head on the right direction. Last the people of the mountain need to stop so much drug using. This will take a lot of work and motivation but it will change everything for the good.
ReplyDeleteBefore watching "Children of the Mountain" I had the mindset that everyone has an equal opporunity to succeed in life. This movie radically changed my view on poverty. It showed me not everyone has an equal chance in life. Growing up in poverty would be a true struggle, especialy if other factors were included like drug and alcohol issues. Being poor severly limits the paths you can choose in life. Without money you can't buy your education or afford accesories to make everyday life easier like a car or even food. Additionally, with drugs and alcohol as a problem in your family, that sharply affects your relationships with family members and can ultimatley stunt social skills for life and cause personal trauma issues making motivation very hard to come by. All the kids and adults in the movie suffered from at least one of these factors in one way or another. With any of these problems it makes it so hard to succeed in the world. Social, mental, and even sometimes physical instibility occur, further increasing the hardships to the path of success.
ReplyDeleteTo pull these people from their paths to destruction, we as a whole, can start by doing basic things to help the povershed people. We already do some of the neccessities such as shelters and food clinics, but more needs to be done to motivate them to acheive the American dream. We can start by educating these idividuals so they learn morals and basic skills for life and jobs. Also, we could somehow show them how great life is when money and drugs are not an issue. A possible way would be to have a partner day like how kids go to their parents work. Volunteer workers can take a homeles or povershed person out for the day and show them the great things in life when money is not a factor. And if drugs are an issue we can offer more drug rehabilitaion centers for very cheap.
I believe that you cannot have a society for people where no one has an advantage over each other, so i think that all of these families have a worse chance then most other people. However I feel that while they are behind most people they can still pull ahead in life. I agree that we can do something to help them and should do something. I think that all it would take is putting money aside for books in our schools were gambling away all of our money in the deficit anyway? why not put it into something solid. That way children like these can learn and get to college. They would not have to drop out of school. Also i think that whild these videos are insightful and important, i think that they are also verry cruel. I mean think about it do you think any of these people recieved aid after this movie? If they saw it do you think they would be proud that they are getting there story out or embarrased? They brought special intrest to the girls trading sex for drugs to there siblings. Do you think that they would want that to be shown across the nation, do you think they would want that to be shown in a high school class? These people have potential all that i think would be needed to break the cycle is education. once one generation is sucessful, then there children will not be born into poverty, they will have more of an advantage then there parents
ReplyDeleteThis documentary is very upsetting in regards to how oblivious us well off Americans are to the fact that our fellow citizens are in poverty and are going through such hard times just to survive.
ReplyDeleteI believe these people try very hard to turn their life around, and they understand what they must give up, but where they fail is they lose their hope early on. I don't blame them, if this situation were reversed onto me I would lose hope just years after understanding what was going on around me. These people are so easily discouraged by their entire society and I know that they grow up learning to be what those around them are. Any individual is lucky if they can find the strength to carry on and pursue education after living in their 'slacker' environment after so long.
In most situations I would agree that everyone has equal opportunity because it is their choice if they want to be successful in life or not. I feel like this situation differs from the rest. In most cases I think that people are able to make their own life choices which can drive them forward in life and they will be successful, or at least well off in life. On the contrary, they could also make the choice to follow the crowd in their society and just get by in life, not reaching any life goals or dreams. The people this film centers around are not supplied with the materials to be successful even if they strived to reach their educational and life goals. Lots of homeless Americans have the opportunity to get where they want in life but are too lazy, and instead bum around asking for money from others.
One man in this film, Shawn, continuously fights to break free from his severely dysfunctional family and is given a once in a lifetime opportunity to make something of his life. Due to his pervious life, he simply cannot keep up with the school budget at his college and soon after arriving is forced to drop out because he his not supplied with the materials to survive his classes and to play football. Another young girl focused on, Courtney, is forced to grow up and mature past her age in order to help her mom who battles a drug abuse problem. Although Courtney is mature past her years, she struggles in school due to her always having to take care of her mother.
If more children of this era had the attitudes that kids like Courtney and Shawn had, wanting to strive and succeed, I think that there would be more successful people in the world.
Although these Appalachian children do not have the nurturing environments needed for ideal success, many other poverty stricken people around the world do, and could easily turn their lives around.
If school and home environments were improved, and more drug abuse clinics were available to struggling people, I believe they would be able to break free of this cycle of poverty.
I was surprised with the conditions that the people from the movie "Children of the Mountain," live in. It is much better than I imagined. I thought that it would be similar to the poverty conditions in Africa. And that is why I couldn't imagine how that could be going on in our own country. I believe that the parents have an equal chance but the children do not. They are robbed of their childhoods and have to grow up so much earlier than the rest of us. They definitely have to deal with more than the average kid. Our parents are role models to most of us and they set the expectations. A child with a mother as a drug addict or a father that is an alcoholic does not have a solid life. And a solid life is what most people look for. There is too much to do to get rid of poverty. I would say that we should just get rid of drugs, but one thing leads to the next. We cannot get rid of drugs because certain people need them for pain. It's complicated and I think that is the reason that we still deal with poverty in our country. There is one thing that I would change though. I think we should make things such as homeless shelters or soup kitchens more available and accessible to people that need it. One small change like that can change a person’s life whether it’s getting food at a stable place or having a safe place to stay the night and not be cold.
ReplyDeleteThe people portrayed in this film do not have an equal opportunity to succeed in life. They are weighed down by the system and an attitude that shoves them into a hole, making sure they are incapable of overcoming the odds stacked against them. Things are not fair; the people are not given the same advantages that we as suburbia inhabitants are given.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that can be done is for money, help and jobs that give them a greater amount of income. This is not guaranteed to work; poverty isn't curable. It's a norm of the world just as the rich, upper class are apart of it. We cannot have one without the other. It is a simple balance that has to be maintained. We can only hope that the money and help we offer people like the ones in the video will actually help them in the end.
I do not believe that they have an equal chance because so many times kids in the upper middle class can just half ass it and still be fine with graduating high school and getting through college, and then in the movie that kid worked hard was a star football player yet he still dropped out of college and I don’t think that would’ve happened if he grew up in a household with more money. Some ways we could fix this is by giving them counselors to help them through their financial situation and guide them. Also help them with their academics until they get the hang of college.
ReplyDeleteWhat I have learned from watching the movie "Children of the Mountain" is that though I believed everyone has an equal chance if given an education, the fact of the matter is that not everyone is even given an education. People do not all have a fair shot out of the gate. Some people will have to work hard for what others are given as a "birth right". The circle seems to vicious to really pull anyone out of it.
ReplyDeleteWhat can be done is that people can be given the resources, not only money, but resources to succeed. Also drugs should be regulated to the extreme because part of the cycle is drug addiction. It is unbelievable how the poor can even afford drugs nor how they realize the disastrous effects. Poverty will be an issue until it isn't, we should all just hope that the world is more fair to those who have less.
The movie, "Children of the Mountain" is a deep surprise to me. I did not know that this type of poverty could be present in the United States. The fact that a football player grows up in an extremely poor part of United States, but still showed dedication and determination in his quest to play football, shows that everyone has an equal chance. On the other hand, once he got to college, he didn’t have the dedication or determination to excel in his school work. On top of that, he did not have the money to pay for books, food, etc. Seeing this movie showed me that not everyone has an equal chance, even if you have the determination to get where you want to go.
ReplyDeleteTo resolve these problems through out the world will never be possible; but we can help. Donating money, food, clothes, and other necessities to charity foundations could indeed help people in need. The drug problem is a whole other situation. The people that are so addicted to drugs that they sacrifice money for drugs instead of food, have a serious problem. After thinking about it I can not think of anything that could be done to help this problem; but I do believe there is a solution.
This movie shocked me, I never seen that type of poverty before. I think that these people show a lot of love and kindness, but they also have a several different types of addictions and poor choices they make. As seen in the football player there IS a lot of determination, but on the flip side the people sadly give up quite a bit as well. Personally I believe that these people have an equal opportunity to succeed but only if they truly try to succeed. If they have the want and show that they want it then they will eventually succeed. But sometimes when something such as drugs or alcohol or any kind of addiction gets in the way they can have a setback in trying to be successful. They in a way get distracted from doing the right thing, especially when it comes to taking care of their children and families.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that a change is very possible because this is the way these people were raised. This is what they learned and this is just their lifestyle of living. You can’t change an entire community to save a lost cause. Or to say that you helped a lost cause, cause that messes up how they were taught to raise a family or their work choice even. They don’t NEED a college degree. They already have a mining job waiting for them to take over generation after generation.
Nicole O,
ReplyDeleteI don't think that these children have the same opportunities as we do. The one kid who went to collage even said that it was harder than his school and his old high school never gave him that kind of work load. The other childes mother was a drug addict that would leave for weeks at a time. So how was she expected to go to school and look froward to it. I dont think these jids even had a chance.
I don’t think these kids have equal opportunity because they don’t have the same resources that we have to aid us in success. It blew my mind when I saw that amount of drugs (pills) that went through these small towns. It was interesting to hear what the kid that went to college had to say about how it was so hard and such a different work load. TO be honest I’m not sure anything would help these people unless they changed themselves. You can dump a ton of money or whatever you think they might need but unless the people in these towns begin to change themselves they won’t change their world.
ReplyDeleteI dont believe they have an even chance because to have a good education and to be happy in college you need days off and time to go out with friends so you need money. also i dont believe that they have a good enough school to prepare for a college education. they need stricter drug task force to prevent abuse of perscription drugs. also charities need to help out with food and warmth, the things you need in life because if these people keep just getting money they will keep buying drugs and mountain dew.
ReplyDeleteLife is what your make it, but only to a certain extent though. People in the Appalachian Mountains are really trying to break out of this evil cycle of poverty, but it is hard because of all the factors that have an impact on our lives; factors that we cannot control, such as sickness and lack of resources. Therefore, I do believe that people do not have an equal chance to succeed. Every day these people are fighting for survival.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to help the people living in Appalachian Mountain, because they have gotten into this evil cycle of poverty, and they are facing many difficulties that people in higher income household don't even think about, such as lack of health care, addictions, hygiene, resources and job opportunities. It will be a difficulty and a challenge to make the life better for all these people. I don't think charity would help them as much, because of all the money that goes to the administration instead of the suffering people. Therefore, I think the best way to help these people would be to give them help directly, such as creating job opportunities, so they can help themselves out this black hole, and build up a higher standard – but it is pretty obvious that these people need a helping hand. And the people living in the Appalachian Mountains are really trying, just look at the football player, he is trying and giving everything he got, but it is hard to break out in today’s highly competitive society and the current economic crisis.
after watching the movie, I have a new perspective on poverty on America. I didn't know that poverty was that bad in the US. the football player should that you can do anything, no matter what your backround is. he played with determination and was the first in his family to graduate from high school. once he got to college, he still had determination, he just didn't have enoughmoney to pay for his education. the football player should that everyone has an equal chance , but not everybody takes that chance.
ReplyDeleteI think that if social services stepped in and helped the kids have a better life, maybe the parents good get back on their feet without having to worry about what happens to the kids. if all the people in the mountains stopped drinking mountain dew, then they would have one less thing to worry about. if charities helped then the families would have a better chance of having a normal life.
what i have learned from this movie was that its not just in big cities that have money and drug problem. because up in those hill alote of those kids have been living by there selves and several of them have to grow up fast so they could take care of other younger family members. I really learned that several of these kids have nothing at all like the football player that was going to be the first of his family to ever got off to college and have a degree from high school let alone. That just showed how much he had to work and how he said that he dost even remember having a book in his home. so it really shocked me on what they have to go threw just to get through what we call normal life.
ReplyDeleteThe movie was a complete shock to me, because I was unaware of how much certain people are separated from the country. I could not believe that they are so poor, especially in an unexpected place, not your typical city or projects. Their way of life is interesting, yet sad, due to the fact that it seems to be decades behind some parts of the city, and the coal mining industry is still a big contribution. I believe that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed, although their path way is a little rockier. Each of them has a future, because where there is a will, there is a way. Hard work and determination are the key concepts to success, so they must separate themselves from selling drugs and work hard in school or get a job, to start a way of life they want. This is America and all its citizens are given the chance to be as great as they can be, it has been proven many times. There are several things that can and should be done to help these people pull themselves out of this cycle of poverty. Organizations or groups can be set up in these specific areas, from the city, to promote well-being and help the adults to find a job, and quit drugs. After school sessions can be put within the area, to help the children in a loving and fun way. They have to be shown the way to success, especially since most of them live in a house that, does the opposite.
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