The Little Engine That Could is a favorite children’s story that teaches the value of determination, hard work, and an optimistic attitude. Fueled by the mantra, “I think I can, I think I can,” the tiny train surmounts incredible obstacles. Cue the ecstatic acclaim.
I’ve thought about this quintessentially American fable ever since James Robertson came to national attention earlier this year. When his car died 10 years ago, Robertson, a 56-year-old Detroit resident, walked 21 miles a day to and from work for a decade. There was no reliable public transportation, and Robertson could not afford a new car on his factory wage of $10.55 an hour. So he kept on going through all kinds of weather and unsafe areas, never missing a day of work, and never complaining.
Robertson’s been lauded as an American hero. As one letter writer in my local paper enthused,
Mr. Robertson is what America is supposed to be all about; he reflects the values that made this country great. . . . America loves those who are willing to work hard and fend for themselves . . .
We sure do. We’re a can-do country, born and bred on The Little Engine that Could. People so loved Mr. Robertson’s story that through crowd-funding, they raised enough to give him $360,000 in cash and a new car.
Those who overcome adversity certainly deserve our admiration. But there is a dark side to our adulation of such against-all-odds triumphs. Just look at what else the aforementioned letter writer has to say (I repeat his admiration of Mr. Robertson as a springboard to his further point):
America loves those who are willing to work hard and fend for themselves rather than trying to game the system and depend on government assistance when it is not really needed.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were more people like James Robertson willing to do what it takes to get and keep a job and be productive members of our society, and fewer individuals who are able to work but choose to take advantage of the government’s willingness to give away our tax dollars?
I have no quarrel with Mr. Robertson, but there’s plenty wrong with a society that idealizes high levels of adversity as an acceptable test of character. Should it take 21 miles of walking through all kinds of weather to keep a job? If this is the expectation, then we don’t have to look at a system of wages in which a full-time worker can’t afford a new car. We can ignore the lack of public transportation, childcare, decent wages. It’s an implicit acceptance that society owes nothing to the individual.
Such thinking lets us off the hook. It allows us to believe that those who cannot make it are to blame. The letter writer may have been inartful in his words, but his sentiment is not unique—in fact, it’s what fuels our most monumental political debates and is arguably a fair summary of the Republican Party’s platform.
It also substitutes favored-cause crowd-funding for sensible and humane public policy.
This swap, not surprisingly, doesn’t turn out so well—not only for those whose inspring stories are not trumpeted in the national media, but even for Mr. Robertson: His ex-girlfriend went after his money, and he had to move out of his neighborhood because he felt threatened by those have-nots who remained .
Sure, there would still be jerks even in a more equitable society that embraced collective good and not just individual triumph. But I can’t help but wonder how things might be if more people could be deemed worthy of support without having to be stand-alone (or walk-alone) heroes.
Because, after all: What if the Little Engine can’t?
We pay an awful lot in taxes in the US for people to have to walk 21 miles to work or children to go hungry or the working poor not to have adequate health coverage. My husband was laid off from his executive-level job and for 9 months, we were on the government “dole.” Not sure we will ever recover financially from that (sorry, kids!). I think very few people choose to take that way of life.
A really good point, Dyanne. Thanks.
Again you score. I have this weird feeling that you and I are twins separated at birth. (I also have an artist daughter, by the way.)
Thanks! I always wanted a sister!
Good post. I think it’s hard to get the balance right. Especially somewhere as huge and diverse as the USA. Here in the UK things are far from perfect. Yes we need to look after those who can’t look after themselves and support those who are in areas where unemployment is high and prospects low but sometimes we do make it too easy for people to get used to being on benefits and make it hard for them to transition back into employment. Walking 21 miles a day for a job shouldn’t be the expectation but total support from the state when things go wrong shouldn’t be to the point where the desire to get back on your feet even if that means walking on them for a bit is outweighed by the ease of just letting the state take the strain.
You are so right–it’s a very tricky balance. It’s interesting to hear the perspective from someone in Europe. Thanks for writing, Wendy.
It was great that so many people came to admire and then help Mr Robertson, but this is not a sustainable model for how the haves help the have-nots. Mr Robertson’s work ethic is admirable, but there is also nothing wrong with also asking for help. None of us exists alone; most of us are where we are due to the help we have had along the way. Why do we value the stoic loner over someone who asks for and uses a hand up?
Yes, it’s a complex balance. Individualism is deeply ingrained in America’s narrative about itself. Thanks for writing, Heidi.
Hi Lorrie – living in a European country, my attitude towards taxes is different to the sentiment of your letter writer. I pay taxes in the expectation I would never have to walk 21 miles to work. I expect a decent public transport system, or at least bicycle routes and a living wage which would allow me to pay for a bus ticket. If a tax system isn’t providing these services, then what is it doing?
I often hum the little engine to myself when I’m walking up a hill – it does help, but I’m fit and healthy.
Rae
It’s interesting to get the perspective of people living in Europe. It’s always astonishing to compare the tax systems of Europe and the U.S. We have a long way to go here. I think–too much tax support of the military, not enough for the social good of ordinary people in everyday life. But I guess “The Little Engine that Could” is universal–and a good motivator for climbing steep hills, literal and metaphorical. Thanks for writing.