The Buckeye Book Community welcomed Barbara Ehrenreich to Ohio State Monday to discuss her book, “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.”
The book addresses topics such as minimum wage and the job market, but the lecture conveyed a more advocate approach to the country’s economic system, Ehrenreich said.
“The point of the book is to make people aware of all the low-wage workers,” she said. “The lecture is about getting people to think of what they can do and how to make a change. Students have become extremely passive in their own interests as well as anybody else’s. I wanted to encourage them to become activists, to get people to vote on college campuses and in the surrounding communities, and to become involved.”
There were many Ehrenreich supporters in the audience, but there were also those who found her lecture controversial.
“I thought her disapproval of the American governmental system was extremely biased and incoherent to the issue at hand,” said Shannon McDermott, a freshman in political science. “I was under the impression that her lecture was a book talk, not a personal political forum.”
While many may have disapproved of the statements made at the lecture, they have every right to their own opinions, Ehrenreich said.
“There should be controversy,” she said. “I was pleased that the people who disagreed with me felt so free to say it.”
The points enforced throughout the lecture are intended to fuel the students in their activism and involvement both politically and socially, Ehrenreich said.
“America is giving tax cuts for the wealthy while cutting the services for the poor and working class. The problems are getting worse as we sit here. There’s tuition increases with a diminishing number of courses and services on campuses and students are doing nothing about it,” she said. “In France, the students would shut down Paris and not stand for such a thing. I encourage people to get involved with political campaigns for candidates who would give attention to these issues and become as activist on campus as well as in their communities.”
Despite the conflicts of opinion, there were also those who approved of Ehrenreich.
“I think she’s extremely inspiring,” said Ryan Fournier, a freshman in pre-medicine. “She really made me want to work harder to get good grades and continue my education. She also talked about how students need to be politically active and to stand for something, and it’s important that people do this as well.”
Along with 16 other universities, OSU chose “Nickel and Dimed” as part of the summer reading program last year, but targeting students wasn’t the initial intention.
“The truth is that it isn’t easy for me to write if I’m thinking of a particular audience,” Ehrenreich said. “It’s too constrained. With whatever words or forms of language it takes, I’m going to get close to the reality as concretely, as vividly, and as accurately as I can.”
The lecture wasn’t solely for students; it was also attended by several faculty and staff members.
“I thought the lecture was very powerful and engaging,” said Don Stenta, associate director for the John Glenn Institute. “Ehrenreich really challenged the students in the auditorium with the references that she made to politics.
She raised the consciousness of the students with her speech and also by using strong statistics. I think everyone was surprised by her outspoken criticism of President Bush, but maybe it put a new perspective on what people think.”
Other professors said the author made a bold statement with both the lecture and the book as well.
“Ehrenreich helped illuminate for me what life looks like for those who experience the concerns of the working poor on a daily basis,” said Susan Jones, assistant professor of education.
“As a result, I now ask myself different questions when I see the individuals on High Street asking for money, or the homeless man who routinely sleeps outside the Wexner Center. Even when I accept food from servers in the campus dining halls, or when I encounter the young man who comes to my office to empty my trash.”
