The Poor Stay Poor
Why “Shameless” is a valuable commentary on America’s class system
By Emma Goshin, Culture Staff Writer
Warning: MAJOR Spoilers Ahead
The South Side of Chicago is known for its museums, beaches and professional sports teams. However, about 25% of the population in South Chicago, Pullman, West Pullman, East Side and South Deering PUMA, IL live below the poverty line, about double the national average of 12.3% (Data USA, n.d.). Chicago’s South Side has historically fallen victim to economic inequalities and gentrification that continue to prosper today.
“Shameless” is an 11-season show that follows the life of the Gallaghers, a family of Southsiders that lives with an alcoholic father and mostly absent mother in a poor neighborhood. Due to the parents’ neglect and substance abuse, Fiona, the oldest daughter, is left to raise her five siblings on her own.
The poverty cycle leaves children who are born into poor families trapped in an almost inevitable future of living within the same means as their parents (Dubay, 2021). This can cause many issues that continue through generations. The Gallagher family is one of many who seem to be forever stuck in a state of living paycheck to paycheck.
Another issue that the Gallaghers face is a cycle of substance abuse. Frank and Monica, the Gallagher parents, both suffer from addiction. Frank is an alcoholic, and although Monica is absent for almost all episodes, she continues to struggle with both addiction and bipolar disorder in the few instances where she does make an appearance. Frank’s addiction brings him to his death bed in the last season of the show due to alcoholic dementia.
Phillip “Lip,” the second oldest Gallagher, becomes a beacon of hope for his family when he realizes his academic potential in high school. He brings in money by taking SAT tests for other students. Lip’s intelligence eventually brings him to Chicago Polytechnic University, where he hopes to be the first Gallagher to graduate from college.
Unfortunately, in a depressing downward spiral, Lip finds himself caught up with both a romance with one professor and a very close friendly relationship with another. He eventually falls victim to alcohol abuse—this is where he starts to strongly resemble his father. Frank has always been a fraction of a dad to his kids. Lip becomes reckless, and is eventually expelled from school for damaging the car of his professor friend.
The rest of Lip’s story brings him almost exactly where he started. He goes from working as a mechanic to a food delivery driver, living paycheck to paycheck with his girlfriend and son. Lip is unable to break out of the cycle of poverty that his family experiences.
While holding onto elements of comedy and TV drama, “Shameless” opens up a discussion for how circumstances such as generational poverty and drug use can create a tight cycle that is nearly impossible to break out of. Lip’s story is a strong example of how America keeps the poor, poor.
In the later seasons of “Shameless,” gentrification comes to light. Gentrification occurs when land in typically inexpensive urban areas is bought up and changed to attract wealthier people and new businesses (Merriam-Webster). It can be damaging to the population that lives in the poor areas because they are essentially being pushed out due to the increasing cost of living in their hometowns.
One of the clearest examples of gentrification pushing the citizens of the South Side out of their homes is the story of Veronica “V” Fisher and Kevin Ball, a couple with two kids who have lived in the South Side for decades, and dear friends and neighbors of the Gallaghers. In Season 11, V’s mom announces that she will be moving to Louisville, Kentucky to be near more of her family. V travels south to help her mother move in and begins to imagine what her life could be like if she moves to Louisville. She and Kevin eventually decide to make the move.
V explains that Black people are being pushed out of Chicago, and it is hard for her family to fight gentrification when the cost of living keeps rising. Playing even more into the idea of this “catering to the wealthy” idea of gentrification, V and Kevin sell their bar to a developer who wants to turn the space into a tanning salon and sell their house that will be knocked down and turned into a luxury apartment building.
“Shameless” concludes with the sale of the iconic Gallagher house and the death of Frank. In the final few episodes, the characters recognize the change that is to come. "Yeah, this is our Chicago," Frank says in his final moments. "It's disappearing fast, but before it's gone, we're going to enjoy every fucking minute of it."
“Shameless” provides a valuable reflection of the reality of living in an area suffering from gentrification and a growing wealth gap. Although it can be vulgar and cinematic at times, this show is a representation of how the poor stay poor in America.
Sources:
Dubay, A. (2021, March 4). What is the cycle of poverty? World Vision Canada.
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Gentrification definition & meaning. Merriam-Webster.
South Chicago, Pullman, West Pullman, East Side & South Deering Puma, IL. Data USA. (n.d.).
Wells, J, (Executive Producer). (2011-2021). Shameless [TV series]. Showtime.