Interviewing People Quote by Studs Terkel
““In the meantime, I would work in the relief office and I began interviewing people . . . and found out how everybody, in order to be eligible for relief, had to have reached absolute bottom. You didn’t have to have a lot of brains to realize that once they reached that stage and you put them on an allowance of a dollar a day for food—how could they ever pull out of it?””
About This Quote
Source Book: Working, by Studs Terkel, 1974
The poor are trapped in a cycle where aid is insufficient to motivate them to improve their situation.
In simple terms: Aid can keep people stuck if it’s too low.
Key Takeaway
Design support that encourages self‑sufficiency.
Themes
poverty
welfare
dependency
social policy
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
sociological
policy analysis
When to use this quote
- government assistance programs
- non‑profit outreach
- community development
- employment training
Key Concepts
economic incentives
behavioral economics
social safety nets
Questions to Reflect On
- How can aid be structured to empower rather than trap?
- What alternatives exist to break the poverty cycle?
A Different Perspective
If aid is too low, it may reduce motivation to seek better opportunities.
