Particular Concepts, Theories and/or Content

¶ … particular concepts, theories and/or content addressed in a Domestic Violence class would apply to this case. In addition, evaluate how accurately and thoughtfully the article presents the subject matter.

Locate a recent popular media report on domestic or family violence that you find of interest. Popular media reports can include an article from your local newspaper or an article from newspapers such as the New York Times, the Washington Post or USA Today (to name just a few). Examples of appropriate magazines include, but are not limited to, Cosmo, U.S., People, Newsweek, Time or Essence. Online articles can be used as well as paper copies. Do not use scholarly journal articles or any type of "guide" that provides information on domestic or family violence.

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Step

The paper must answer the following when you are composing your evaluations:

Does the article serve to dispel myths about your interest area or promote them?

If there is an intersection of intimate partner violence and child abuse, does the article appropriately address this?

Does the article present the case as an isolated "family" problem or as a "societal" problem?

Does the article leave the reader with a sense of hopelessness or provide information that can help the reader to empower her/himself?

Step 3: Domestic Violence Representation in the Popular Media

Summary of article

As the United States continues to recover from the lingering effects of the Great Recession of 2008, the plight of America's most vulnerable populations, unwed mothers and their children, has become worse than ever. In her timely article, "Brave New Welfare," Stephanie Mencimer describes the economic and relationship predicaments of a typical young, unwed and soon-mother-to-be Letorrea Clark of rural southern Georgia. Out of work and abandoned by her abusive boyfriend, Clark found herself on the streets of Homerville, 8 months pregnant. Following a visit to her local Division of Family and Children Services office to obtain Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a caseworker told her, erroneously, that she could not apply for assistance until after she had her baby. Although Clark was free from the abusive relationship with her former boyfriend, she was also penniless, lacking the skills set needed in the 21st century workplace, and dependent on churches for her veritable sustenance. Unfortunately, Mencimer emphasizes that Clark's situation is certainly not unique, but is rather shared by millions of people who have little or no other resources than the "welfare office" for financial assistance when all other alternatives have been exhausted. Although Clark ultimately succeeded in securing the assistance she and her infant desperately needed, the bureaucratic rigmarole and delays created a "perfect storm" of conditions that made her situation untenable at a time when she was not in a position to take care of herself or her child.

Evaluation regarding how accurately and thoughtfully the article presents the subject matter

While everyone has choices, of course, some people have far more than others. In this article, Mencimer made the connection between helplessness and domestic violence clear by pointing out the inordinately adverse impact that the economic downturn has had on many young unwed mothers. Moreover, the author takes special pains to graphically illustrate how this connection can become inextricable over time, with the exigencies of day-to-day living with a newborn and perhaps several other children, making escape from this pattern particularly challenging. Rather than being so many "baby machines" churning out one dependent after another to pad the welfare checks, Mencimer emphasizes that Clark's situation is more complicated because of her mental health issues (she suffers from ADHD and bipolar disorder), but it is mirrored time and again across the country, and her baby, "Gabby," differing only in minor details, with domestic violence being a commonplace outcomes for many of these vulnerable women and their children.

Assessment concerning whether the article serves to dispel myths about your interest area or promote them

An interesting issue to quickly emerge from this article concerned the desire of many unwed mothers to improve their condition rather than simply have more babies to make more money from welfare. According to Mencimer, "Clark was worried. She needed to get a job so she could keep food in the house; she was haunted by the possibility of losing Gabby if she didn't. But there were serious obstacles. She's been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD" (2009, p. 41). This condition even affected Clark's ability to use public transportation to seek and maintain gainful employment, even assuming she could secure a job with her childcare needs and mental health issues.