Bloomington Pantagraph, USA
Aug 4, 2006

Poverty exercise inspires other role-playing ideas

Pantagraph Editorial

Like so-called reality TV programs that "simulate" being stranded on
an island or being thrown into a house full of strangers with "Big
Brother" watching, the poverty simulation exercises conducted by the
University of Illinois Extension and the McLean County Diversity
Project barely give people a taste of what real poverty is like.

It is one thing to run out of "money" in what amounts to a game. It
is another thing to go to bed hungry or wonder how to replace the
shoes your child has outgrown.

But if the simulations can change perspectives and increase
understanding, they are worth the effort.

And that appears to be the case with participants in the simulation
that took place recently at The Salvation Army Corps and Community
Center in Bloomington.

Even participants who have worked with people in poverty had their
eyes opened to circumstances they hadn’t considered, such as failing
to get a receipt to prove rent was paid or spending time dealing with
paperwork and bureaucracy.

In fact, the simulation seems to have done such a good job of
increasing awareness for participants, we would like to suggest other
simulations or role-playing activities

— Gov. Rod Blagojevich should play the role of a nursing home
administrator or pharmacy owner trying to pay employees, rent,
utility bills and other expenses while waiting months for the state
to reimburse him for Medicaid cases.

— Lawmakers should play the roles of teachers trying to teach
students the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic while also
finding time to teach state-mandated material on genocide in Armenia
and the Ukraine, "the vestiges of slavery in the country" and healthy
eating.

Bonus points will be awarded if they figure out how to teach these
topics while also taking time off for such holidays as Casimir
Pulaski Day.

— Supreme and appellate court justices should play the role of just
about anyone trying to make sense of and live within the boundaries
of their sometimes conflicting rulings.

Would such role-playing change their habits? Probably not.

But, like the poverty simulation exercises, it might give them a
greater understanding of what others go through and maybe — just
maybe — it could inspire them to make the things better for those
affected by their actions or, at least, not do anything that makes
the situation worse.