Line up, line up — do you have a choice?

In one part of town, crowds were lining up to buy some must-have sportswear. The line stretched round the entire second floor of the mall. Waiting customers read books, sipped coffee, played with estimates of how long it would be before their turn came. Some were patient. Others tapped their feet in impatience.

About a 10 minute walk away, another line was forming. Also stretching around the block. Also where guests passed the time by reading, sipping a drink, playing with estimates of how long it would be before their turn came. Also with some patience and impatience. But these guests were not waiting for the hottest trends, they were waiting for a hot meal. Many carried their life’s belongings with them. Others just a small bag with Tupperware to pack leftovers for dinner.

These are the lines of advantage and disadvantage that form every day in major cities around America. Seeing them got me thinking about how we make decisions: out of choice or need?

The average customer in the mall queue chose to line up. They didn’t need to buy anything but they wanted to. It was a choice. And they should be free to exercise that right. It was a great day for that sports team and they wanted to celebrate.

The average guest in the dining hall queue had to line up. They might not have wanted to but they needed to. They didn’t have a choice. Because they couldn’t cook at home (12,000 families and individuals live in rooms without kitchens in San Francisco alone). Because their monthly income didn’t stretch far enough once they had paid their other bills. Because the alternative would be to buy cheaper fast food.

And if they have fewer choices, are the poorest in our society less free than everyone else? Are they more constrained in what they can actually do, not just because of money, but because of time (think how much probably went in waiting for the dining hall to open) or opportunity? Are they more reliant on the choices other people make for them (the meal they eat, the clothes they wear, the jobs available to them, the quality of education on offer)? And is any of this taken into account when making decisions about how to intervene to offer a sustained path out of poverty?

Having watched these two lines form, I had more questions than answers. But I had a strong feeling that if they had the choice, those in the dining hall line wouldn’t be there.

What do you think?

Originally published at tellingtimes.me on July 1, 2015.