Matt Taibbi's The Divide

In his novel, The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap, Matt Taibbi juxtaposes the wealthy and the poor in order to illustrate the disparity between the treatment of high-class criminals and lower-class citizens. The novel also notes the growth of the inequality and the schism between the classes. He uses illuminating narratives from both of the classes to demonstrate the huge difference between the rich and the poor in terms of how they are treated by the American justice system. Taibbi’s book opened my eyes to the extent of this injustice and from that I have learned a great deal, most which I can apply to my position as a Resident Advisor.
From his novel, I have become significantly more aware of this inequality between
the classes. While I was already vaguely conscious of the fact that often times people with little to no money to defend themselves are arrested for seemingly inconsequential actions while big companies are not arrested for explicitly consequential crimes, I was unaware of how polarized and extreme those crimes actually are. For example, from this novel, I learned that police can simply round people up, in a “dragnet,” in order to meet quotas. I had previously believed this to be very uncommon, if used at all. I learned that most of the people arrested through this system do not have the time nor money to fight erroneous allegations, a large part of the reason the police arrest them specifically. Taibbi’s novel showed me that through the arrest of poorer people who cannot afford to spend time in court or money on a lawyer, the police ensure that their arrests are unquestioned, even when the crime is blocking pedestrian traffic on an empty sidewalk. I also learned that big banks deemed “too big to fail” are often let off with a minor fine that does not even remotely compare to the amount of laundering they have done. Yet, at the same time, in order to make the appearance of cracking down on banks’ corruption, little banks are prosecuted publicly. To me, this illustrates the idea that the justice system is aware that big banks are committing fraud, but refuse to make a tangible progress in preventing it for the same reason lower-class people are more often arrested; big banks have the time and money to fight the cases and the courts do not want that. In essence, I learned that the wealth gap truly causes disparity in the justice system and that the gap is growing.
In order to bring more awareness to my community about the issue of wealth inequality, I could hold various programs that demonstrate the ideas behind the wage gap. For example, the American Dream activity we participated in during the diversity in-service would be an excellent way to actively exhibit the effects of class on how accessible success is. However, I would adjust it to better fit for a smaller group. Perhaps instead of all the stores, I would simply issue out specific housing, nutrition, and similar items as I issued out classes. In a way that would demonstrate the difficulty in overcoming what is expected when you are born into a specific class. Then I would allow them to run through the simulation, in which they would have to survive and hopefully prosper. During the program, various things would affect their ability to succeed, such as the “public safety officer” and the pay for each job. In the end, we would discuss their experiences in the exercise and how it related to the world on a larger scale. Another idea for a program would be to take some of my residents to Taibbi’s presentation at the Mondavi Center in February. Beforehand, we could have a quick get together in which we talk about the novel and its implications. Additionally, I could look into inviting a presenter to our floor to give a presentation on an aspect of the book, such as the effects of the wealth gap and its growth or the treatment of lower-class citizens all over the nation. Essentially, bringing awareness to the topic of the wealth gap is the most important aspect of any of these events I could put on.
In knowing what I’ve learned from this book, I can better understand the struggle that many people go through as a part of the disadvantaged classes.
With this awareness, I can avoid making assumptions about the struggles someone has faced. As an RA it is important to be aware of how my words may be interpreted and may affect my community. This book has shown me more of the worlds that some of my residents may be coming from. In a way, it has better prepared me to be able to discuss these problems, should a resident approach me. After reading this novel, I can better picture what people mean when they criticize how stringent the welfare system is, while big banks commit fraud seemingly quite often. Additionally, I can spread this awareness to my residents to help them to understand the forces working against lower-class people and for high-class people. A part of my job is to foster an inclusive community and exposing my residents to the various aspects of wealth is a part of that. Through programs I implement or just my everyday interactions with them, I can guide residents to expand their knowledge through exploration of this book. In doing so, I also help the to discover new information for themselves by providing them the tools to learn.
Matt Taibbi’s novel, The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap, provides an in-depth look into the inequality of the justice system. By reading his book, I feel I have learned much more about the struggles lower class people face and the privilege given to those in higher classes. With this newfound knowledge, I can convey these issues to my residents, as well, in order to allow them to be further conscious of their actions and mindful of the different challenges associated with
class.