가난한 아이들은 어떻게 어른이 되는가 ㅣ 강지나 고등학교 영어 교사, 작가 | Ji-Na Kang | TEDxSeoul

Key Concepts

• Poverty as a Social Problem: The speaker emphasizes that poverty is not just an individual failing but a systemic issue that erodes individuals' spirits and can become a pervasive group culture.
• Intergenerational Poverty (빈곤 대물림): The concept of poverty being passed down through generations due to a lack of educational opportunities and social exclusion.
• Non-Traditional Families: The speaker highlights the increasing diversity of family structures beyond the "traditional" nuclear family and the societal pressure on families to conform.
• Capability Approach to Poverty: Advocating for a shift from purely economic measures of poverty to a broader understanding based on an individual's capabilities and freedoms to live a life they value.
• Youth Perception: The speaker critiques the societal tendency to view youth as future-oriented beings who should sacrifice present happiness for future preparation, leading to negative perceptions of their present actions.
• Demographic Cliff (인구 절벽): The severe impact of declining birth rates on schools and society, emphasizing the preciousness of every child.

Summary

The Teacher's Perspective on Youth and Poverty

The speaker, a teacher, begins by noting the presence of distinguished individuals in the audience and positions herself as an ordinary person. She initiates a quiz, asking what word best fits "Youth ____" or "Student ____." She observes that 20 years ago, search terms related to youth were predominantly negative, such as "youth delinquency," "student problems," and "school violence." Today, the landscape has shifted to terms like "youth policy" and "student discounts," though "youth happiness" remains elusive. The speaker argues that the very term "youth" carries a strong negative connotation in Korean society.

Personal Experiences with Poverty

The speaker recounts her early teaching experience in a poor rural village in 2000. Her understanding of poverty was superficial compared to the harsh realities she encountered. She shares two poignant examples:

• A grandmother using her children to pressure their father to repay debts, preventing them from attending school.
• A child who repeatedly avoided cleaning duties, later revealed to be a victim of frequent domestic violence by his father.

These experiences led her to believe that poverty is a societal issue that not only depletes individual desires and aspirations but also corrodes the spirit. When poverty becomes a collective culture, it hinders the development of public spirit, making it difficult for children to engage in communal activities like cleaning or adhering to rules. Instead, they might adopt a passive stance, questioning why they should comply when others don't. This period was a time of significant disillusionment for the speaker, despite her initial idealistic aspirations as a teacher. This led her to study youth welfare and, subsequently, to write a book based on 10 years of interviews with eight young people.

Case Studies from the Book

The speaker then delves into specific case studies from her book:

Young-sung (영성): The Dream of a Good Father

Young-sung's dream is to become a good father, a stark contrast to typical aspirations like becoming a CEO or traveling. His father was not a positive role model. Young-sung's family was on the brink of dissolution: his father's business failed, his mother became deeply religious and left home, and his father traveled the country searching for her while Young-sung and his younger sibling lived in an unpermitted house. Although the family eventually reunited, Young-sung's deep trauma from this near-dissolution fueled his strong desire for a stable, happy family. The speaker points out that children from impoverished backgrounds often feel immense pressure and shame regarding their families not fitting the "traditional" model (defined as parents and children living together). She notes that in Korea, non-traditional families are prevalent, with single-person households exceeding 30%. The societal expectation that the traditional family unit should bear the sole responsibility for care, living, childcare, education, and economics places an undue burden on families, exacerbating the gap for impoverished families.

Su-jeong (수정): The Struggle for Labor Market Entry

Su-jeong, despite facing significant childhood hardships, overcame them, graduated from university, and secured a job at a reputable company. However, her initial low-wage position offered little room for advancement. She requested an additional year from her family to study for exams to enter a more stable public sector job or obtain further certifications. Her request was denied. After the age of 20, social welfare benefits are often cut off, leading impoverished families to pressure their children to work and support the household. This makes it difficult for young people from low-income backgrounds to enter the labor market with favorable conditions, hindering their escape from poverty. The speaker contrasts this with middle-class families, who are more likely to support their children's further education or career preparation. This illustrates the inequality faced by impoverished youth even after entering the labor market.

So-hee (소희): The Cycle of Intergenerational Poverty

So-hee is presented as a case study for intergenerational poverty, a concept the speaker researched for her thesis. Sociologically, intergenerational poverty is explained as a cycle where poverty in the grandparent generation leads to inadequate education for parents, resulting in their low social status and limited educational opportunities for their children, perpetuating the cycle. However, the speaker argues that the reality is more complex. Families trapped in this cycle often experience prolonged social exclusion for generations, characterized by issues like alcoholism, violence, and a lack of hope or motivation. This can lead to chronic depression, lethargy, addiction, violence, and mental health issues. So-hee, despite her intelligence and efforts to overcome her circumstances (passing the GED, attending university, and working in social welfare), still struggles with alcoholism and forming healthy relationships. The speaker posits that this situation reflects society's neglect of these marginalized individuals. She also notes that children in intergenerationally poor households are more susceptible to dropping out of school, engaging in crime, or becoming homeless. Society often blames these youth for their perceived laziness or inability to follow rules, but the speaker argues that such behavior is a natural consequence of their upbringing and environment.

Current Discussions on Poverty in Korea

The speaker outlines the current discourse on poverty in Korea:

• Poverty Line Measurement: Poverty is defined by an economic threshold (e.g., 2.2 million won for a two-person household). Once individuals receive support, the system often loses interest in their well-being. The speaker questions who sets these arbitrary lines and emphasizes that overcoming poverty below this line is seen as an individual responsibility.
• Beyond Economic Poverty: Modern poverty extends beyond mere economic hardship. While affordable goods are available, and even impoverished youth may own smartphones, the true challenges lie in long working hours that prevent personal development and the struggle for affordable housing, leading to long commutes and "housing poverty."
• Stigma and Shaming: The speaker laments the emergence of "poverty shaming," citing the term "개근 거지" (gaenggeun geoji - literally "attendance beggar"), used to describe children who can only attend school daily because their families cannot afford to take them on trips or vacations. This contrasts with the past, where perfect attendance was celebrated. This shaming, she believes, stems from the fear of falling into poverty due to the difficulty of escaping it and the societal tendency to blame individuals.

The Interconnectedness of Inequality

The speaker connects the individual stories of Young-sung, Su-jeong, and So-hee to the broader issue of inequality in Korean society. Young-sung's case highlights the inequality stemming from family background, Su-jeong's from labor market entry, and So-hee's from the erosion of human dignity and safety due to intergenerational poverty.

A New Framework for Understanding Poverty: The Capability Approach

To address these issues, the speaker advocates for a paradigm shift from an economic definition of poverty to Amartya Sen's Capability Approach. This approach defines poverty as the deprivation of opportunities to exercise basic capabilities, where "capability" refers to the real freedoms an individual has to live a life they value. This concept is expanded beyond mere economic status to include:

• Artistic Capabilities: The freedom to appreciate art and culture, regardless of wealth.
• Empathy and Dialogue: The ability to connect with and understand diverse perspectives.
• Ecological Capabilities: The capacity to live in harmony with the environment, especially in the face of climate change.
• Solidarity Capabilities: The ability to form alliances and work with others.

This broader understanding of capabilities, moving beyond a narrow focus on financial gain, can lead to richer discussions about happiness, value, and coexistence.

Re-evaluating the Perception of Youth

The speaker returns to her initial question about the negative perception of youth. She argues that society views students and youth as beings who must prepare for the future, deferring enjoyment and personal expression until later. This restrictive view leads to the labeling of any deviation as negative.

The Preciousness of Children in an Era of Demographic Cliff

The speaker highlights the severe impact of the "demographic cliff" (인구 절벽), noting that 157 elementary schools nationwide failed to enroll any first-graders this year, representing 2.5% of schools. She emphasizes that children are precious not for their future economic contributions but for their inherent value. While not advocating for increased birth rates, she stresses the importance of caring for the children who are born. She urges the audience to embrace these children, who have endured a warming planet and a pandemic, and to prevent them from being trapped in cycles of poverty and deprivation.

Conclusion: Towards a More Equitable Society

As an economically developed nation, Korea should focus not on further production and acquisition but on equitable distribution and a thoughtful approach to life. Instead of viewing students as passive beings whose present must be sacrificed for the future, they should be nurtured as happy individuals capable of enjoying art, empathizing with others, and living ecologically in the present.