How the other half live (How The Other Half Live)

Member Name: lyndsey1989

Product:	How The Other Half Live
Date:	13/08/09 (72 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Idea of the series

Disadvantages: When people spend the money on the wrong things

This series is currently showing on channel 4 at 9pm on Thursdays. It is also available to watch on 4O.D and I imagine it is repeated on the various channels from 4.

Each episode introduces us to two new families. One rich and one poor. The idea is to highlight the difference which is actually occuring in our society rather than assuming that poverty is only happening in third world countries. Throughout the episode, the richer family support the poorer family financially and then get to meet each other. The main idea is so that a) the richer family get to give something back and b) the children get to see how different life can be to their own.

The episode begins introducing us to the families through the perspectives of the children. You first meet the wealthy family who show us around their home and then in turn we meet the poorer family. Firstly, the richer family will write to the poorer and offer them a gift which is often a sum of around £2000. This can be spent however the poorer family please and often they use it to pay debts or to improve the childrens standard of living. For example in the first episode of the series the mother bought her daughter a new bed because hers was broken. However, sometimes the family does not put money to a good cause, for example in one episode the mother decided to spend over £500 on a laptop for herself meaning her 2 children had to go without. I found this rather upsetting and understood completely when the wealthier family showed annoyance.

After the initial gift the families will communicate via letter for a short time until they meet up. This is usually done by the wealthy family and in some episodes the poorer family will visit their home or once they even met up in Spain, which was a fantastic treat for the children. Another gift will be given, whether it is cash or something specific eg. in one episode they gave a sewing machine to the mother in order to start her own buisness. The wealthy family will then visit the poor family and this is often hardhitting for the children as they had no idea what life could be like.

I really enjoy this series, primarilly because it is nice to see something being done in our own country for those in poverty. It is also very interesting to see the vast differences between the children and it is amazing to see how well they get on and how easily they come to accept each other despite their differences-something that adults would often find a lot more difficult. The programme is often very emotional, especially when the poorer family are so grateful for the gifts they receive. However, there have been a few moments in the show where I have been extremely annoyed with people for example the laptop incident that occured in the second show.

I think that the programme really hits home that there are actually a vast number of families in this country who are in poverty themselves so maybe we should start focussing on them aswell as those in third world countries. It is really interesting to see the variety of people on the programme and they are often not your nuclear family. One of my favourite episodes involved a young wealthy family who I believe could be an inspiration to us all.

I really enjoy this programme and would recommend anyone to have a look as it is so interesting and really helps to highlight the differences in our country. I would not recommend allowing children under the age of 12 to watch this due to the fact that strong language is sometimes used.

Summary: Educational watch