Poverty has remained a persistent
problem throughout the course of history in America but has only been addressed
recently in the past few decades. In the 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson enacted
many different policies to combat poverty, which has been only somewhat successful
since it has only dropped the percentage of people in poverty by about a half
in the span of four decades. Despite the initial success of “the war on poverty”,
statistics show that the overall poverty rate has remained stagnant around 15%
in the last recent years, which is about 46.5 million Americans.
The reason why poverty is such a
pressing issue is because there is still a vast majority of Americans who are
still poverty-stricken but do not receive the attention they deserve from our
society. The United States consistently has higher poverty rates than any other
developed nation in the world, yet it is hardly addressed at an institutional
level and does not grab hold of the attention of policy makers. Many Americans
and politicians believe that people in poverty have brought their own
misfortunes upon them because of their poor qualities and ethics of working
towards success. What this fails to take in mind is that the nature of people’s
socioeconomic status can be a product of their circumstances.
There is an NPR article of a Mother’s
essay that challenges the misconceptions of poverty in our modern society and a
great example of unfortunate circumstances that befalls a family. The mother drives
around a luxury car which was bought before her family hit a rough patch and
fell into poverty because of the turn in the economy after the market crash.
The family’s income dropped down to the poverty time as they were temporary
unemployed. They had to rely on the same basic safety nets as many of the other
Americans that were permanently poor and stuck in poverty. Unlike the mother’s
family that was able to bounce back and recover from their economic distress,
many Americans still struggle to move up on the socioeconomic ladder because of
the huge, growing income inequality gap. Governments should work more
diligently to alleviate the income equality and eradicate poverty overall.
http://www.npr.org/2014/07/12/330680161/expectations-of-poverty
Mohammed,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post because it provided a strong emphasis on why Poverty is such an important problem. Despite various attempts throughout history to eradicate/minimize poverty, it is a problem which is still prevalent today. Poverty is a persistent problem which affects all Americans, regardless of their socioeconomic status.
I found it interesting how you mentioned that although Poverty is affecting 46.5 million citizens, it is still not at the forefront of many policy makers minds. One question this raises is that although Poverty is such an evident problem in America, why is it hardly addressed at an institutional level. If poverty is one of the top five problems America is facing, then it seems strange that most Americans aren't doing anything to face it?
A great point you highlight in your post is the prevalence of the stereotype, or misconception most Americans have of those who live under the poverty line. Many consider those who are qualified as "poor" as being so as a result of their work ethic. There is a high percentage of people who believe poverty is a result of one's own laziness. These people perceive the "poor" as merely relying on social benefits without engaging in any work, or making any attempt to escape their economic situation. The fallacy in this lies in people's own ignorance and stereotypes about those who live in poverty. Many of those considered impoverished are "working poor", or people attempting to escape the restrictions of their economic status through honest work. This is an attempt to not only better their own lives, but also to better the future of their children.
An evident problem with poverty is, as you stated, "The nature of people's socioeconomic status can be a product of their circumstances". Being born into a family of a low socioeconomic background presents challenges in climbing the socioeconomic ladder. It is ironic that although America is a highly developed nation, for some living under the poverty line social mobility is so rigid a comparison can be made to that of the feudal system. While this may sound like an extreme comparison, one must analyze the extent of difficulty it is to escape one's low socioeconomic background.
As we learned through our discussions in class, many people who live just above the "poverty line" still struggle to meet their basic needs. These people still require assistance and benefits, even though they do not meet the qualifications for identifying as "poor". The article you provided lends a perfect example of this. Perhaps this notion can lead question more, and perhaps even reconsider what is considered "poor". Through this, perhaps we can raise even more question, which in turn can hopefully provide profound answers. What is truly considered poor? Is the poverty line too low? What is considered a "basic need" in today's society, and how does that differ from 10 years ago? How can we help this people reach these basic needs? How can we provide aid and empower people to escape thee constraints of poverty?
Mohammed,
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with your last line that says, "Governments should work more diligently to alleviate the income equality and eradicate poverty overall." The only problem is eradicating poverty overall. It is almost impossible in a capitalist economy for there to be nobody who is suffering.
In Marx's and Engles' Communist Manifesto, they argue that the rapid evolution of the means of production are a huge cause of this. In an essay I read recently by Thomas Pogge, "Real World Justice," he argues that everybody is an active participant in the largest, gravest crime in human history by not helping the poor. He says how by not doing anything we are harming them. He also argues that the better-off can give to the poor without being worse-off themselves. In addition to that he says that living our daily lives by working in the capitalist system is harming the poor. Is it possible that the capitalist system is based upon some being worse off so some can be better off?
This is NOT just an American problem. Although we have many poor people in the US, there are poor people all over the world that are not being helped. I love the idea of a future with no poverty. I just do not see how it's possible unless we can figure out a way where the richest people in the world, or even top 1%, will become accepting of giving up some of their money in order to help the poorest people. Unfortunately people in this world are greedy and do not see the reason of giving to the poor who they wrongly consider to be lazy and unmotivated
I really like how you addressed the issue of why people at the poverty line end up there. You said that "Many Americans and politicians believe that people in poverty have brought their own misfortunes upon them because of their poor qualities and ethics of working towards success. What this fails to take in mind is that the nature of people’s socioeconomic status can be a product of their circumstances." Another thing to consider is the system itself and making it nearly impossible for people in poverty to make it out.
ReplyDeleteIn class this past Tuesday we were asked a clicker question of what we thought was the reason/cause of poverty. A great majority of our class answered that it was both the failing of the government and the 'failing' of the people. After answering the question we were also asked to reflect on why we knew or felt the way we felt. An issue that seemed to come up a lot were people who fell into a life of drugs and alcohol. Most people associated addicts with being the ‘failing’ of the person. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to share with the class of why I feel the way that I feel because I have a very personal story. This past week, somebody very close to me declared themselves as homeless to the government. They are in this situation because of some personal choices to steal and to abuse drugs. I also believe that they are in this situation because the government hasn’t done much to help him get out of this cycle. This cycle has been going on for about 8 years now. The problem with drugs is that the first time that somebody uses the drug they consent to it, but once they become addicted they are not consenting anymore. The government needs to do more to prevent situations like these and to help the people who are in these situations with more resources and a better recovery plan than just throwing people in jail for something they aren’t consenting to.
This person didn't get here overnight. They grew up in the suburbs in an upper middle class family, graduated high school, and started college. It may have started with a personal choice, but it has also been the failing of the government.
46.5 million Americans are effective by poverty. This issue for the
ReplyDeletegovernment should be one of the biggest concerns. Why is poverty not
issue that the government is dealing with? In the 1960’s when the war
on poverty started Martin Luther King was a big advocate for the
cause. Which person today is advocating what King stood for 50 years
ago? Maybe the problem is not the government but it’s us. We just
had an election where under 40 percent of the eligible population
voted. If more than half the population did not vote. How is the
government supposed to know what the people want. I think it is time
we stop blaming others for our problems and we take action. Tell
people about that 46.5 million Americans are effected with poverty.
Tell people that they should go vote. Politicians always favor senior
citizens because they are highest percentage of voters. They tend to
care less about the young voters, since we are smallest percentage of
voters. If you vote and advocate for a cause politician will hear
you. They want to stay in office and help the people’s needs as best
as they can.
Mohammed, I agree with you in that the issue of poverty is often misinterpreted. Society often believes that poverty lies within the streets of a busy city with a cardboard sign thanking God and asking for money, but this is often not the case. As in the example you shared with us in the NPR article, poverty arises in ways you wouldn't think of. Unemployment for not just minimum wage workers, but unemployment for people who have worked in the same place for decades is affected families across the country. Another aspect of poverty that society tends to forget is the idea that poverty doesn't just mean homeless, it means that you cannot fund necessities. This includes sustainable food, healthcare, heating, and many other aspects of life you need to live. Even if it may seem that a family has a roof over their head, that may mean that they don't have food on the table because all of their money went to the mortgage. These are real issues that face the everyday American that often go unseen in the portrayal on the issue of poverty.
ReplyDeleteMohammad,
ReplyDeleteAs with many of the other problems facing the world that have a seemingly easy fix, including lack of access to fresh water, starvation, etc., it astonishes me that a more evident impact has not been made to alleviate poverty in our society, particularly within the United States.
Coincidentally, I had actually read the article that you posted on this blog a couple of weeks ago and also found it rather interesting. I believe that people are much quicker to jump to conclusions about poverty than they are to actually sit down and talk with people who are poverty-stricken to try to understand the problem from their perspective, and I believe that this is a mentality that people need to start reevaluating. Poverty strikes people in different ways, and is not synonymous with “homelessness,” the way that I believe most people assume it is. It is hard for me to blame people’s economic standing on their own “failings” or on ineffective or lack of government policy alone. I think that people are a product of their environments, and that conditions that people are born into, the loss of a job, a natural disaster, or any other situation that can leave someone and their family at a financial loss, are circumstances that are easy to find out of our control. With that in mind, I also strongly believe that people are capable of working to overcome these conditions and make good for themselves.
Despite the widespread prevalence of poverty in our society and throughout the world, it remains unresolved. I do not believe that there is any straightforward answer to this issue, but I do believe that more needs to be done to help “empower people to escape the constraints of poverty,” as Brandon put so well.
Mohammed,
ReplyDeleteI am pleased to see that you have made an effort to bring to light the causes of poverty, and the misconceptions that the public has about poverty. It seems that many citizens and many people in government have this idea that one can "pull himself or herself up by the bootstraps", but they fail to understand that not everyone has bootstraps to pull themselves up by. If you don't have opportunities around you or the money to get opportunities, them you en up stuck in a perpetual cycle of poverty.
I think it's important for the government to see this and work to make policy changes that help people by giving them more opportunities to succeed and get them out of the cycle of poverty. Things like increasing the minimum wage and giving more money to programs like SNAP, Medicare, and Medicaid could be the start of recovery for many individuals and families across the country.
I found the NPR article to be extremely interesting. I feel like I hear my dad say often "they have an Iphone but nowhere to live?" as if these individuals are putting themselves in the situations they are in because they are not prioritizing their possessions properly. The article goes to show that this widely help attitude only goes to further stratify socio-economic classes. I know for sure that after reading this article and blog post I am going to hesitate before judging homeless and impoverished individuals based on what material possessions they do or don't have, because what we can see does not at all tell the entire story. And the only way to help is by understanding that whole story.
ReplyDeleteMohammed,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed what you had to say a bunch. I think it's terrible that poverty is still such an issue in this day and age. I think you brought to light a large example and that is that those who do not suffer from poverty often can not understand why some people do. This post made me think about an article I read the other day.The article I read on another website was about a game a teacher did in his classroom to demonstrate how fortunate his students were. It involved them all getting a paper ball and shooting it into a garbage can from their seat. Of course it was fair for the ones sitting in the front, but those sitting in the back of the class complained it was unfair. Naturally those who are in front of the problem can not see what is behind them, and that is why I think it is an issue that often gets put to the side.
Steven, I really like your comment about privilege; as much as I think that word can be overused, it can be very hard for people who have never known anything except relative ease and wealth to empathize with those whose situation is so different from their own. We live in a society founded upon the belief that anyone who is willing and able should be able to advance in society, and while that certainly happens, it's not the reality most people in poverty face. Unfortunately, this leads to the stereotype that poor people are lazy or somehow deserve their circumstances, as Mohammed himself mentioned, and obviously, that's not true as a broad statement. I think fixing poverty goes beyond money - we have to change people's mindsets and make them aware of what life is really like for so many people in poverty who lack the education and resources to better their situation.
ReplyDeleteEliza,
DeleteYour comment made me think about a Buzzfeed article that highlighted privilege. It was about a teacher who did an activity with his students where they all had to throw a paper ball into a basket at the front of the room. The only people who complained about how unfair the game was were the people who were in the back, and this was because they had a very small chance of making the ball into the wastebasket in comparison to the people who were in front of them. Meanwhile, the people closest to the wastebasket didn't complain about how easy it was for them to make the shot into the wastebasket. When the activity began many of the people in the front made their paper balls into the bin while barely any of the people in the back made their paper balls into the bin.
This really resonated with me because it reminded me of how many people try and make an effort to raise awareness about poverty, but are only pushed aside being told that they are, as you stated, "lazy". The people who are at the top of the socioeconomic ladder and even many middle and upper middle class americans don't stop to realize that all the people behind them can't get to the goal as well as they all can.
So in a nutshell, yes, I agree with you completely that it definitely takes more than just money to fix this problem. Because we can throw money at people for years, but if we don't work to change the perception of poverty, we can't ever hope to fix it.
This is a link to the article I was talking about: http://www.buzzfeed.com/nathanwpyle/this-teacher-taught-his-class-a-powerful-lesson-about-privil
Mohammed,
ReplyDeleteI think the article you linked was incredibly eye opening, and is extremely relevant especially because in the U.S. the poverty rate is so high especially in comparison to other developed nations. Due to the fact that we view ourselves as world leaders and see the U.S. as such a devolved nation, it’s hard for Americans to really understand how bad poverty is in our own country. Because of the income gap and the fact that we have a certain clichéd image in our minds of what we think of when we think of poverty. We don’t take poverty and hunger as seriously as we should in our nation. The article really made me stop and think of all the surface judgments I had personally made when viewing those who are disadvantaged, and how I looked at myself and my family’s financial status in comparison. Another important thing I took away was the article addressing in passing that the family was able to get out of poverty, but for a lot of families living in poverty getting out of poverty is not possible. I think a major issue is that while there are government programs designed to be able help families stay afloat, it’s more important to help people get out of the seemingly inescapable hole of poverty. We as a nation should focus more on coming together to create a system that does more than the bare minimum to help families in poverty not only survive but recover
Mohammed,
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up many good points about the issue area of poverty. Even though this issue has been attempted to be eradicated in the past with "the war on poverty" it still remains a large issue today. I think this may be attributed because our society now is greedier than ever and is more focused on helping themselves more than others. There is still a distrust in the economy so people are less willing to help those less fortunate just in case something happens again and they need to tap into their funds. Also government is corrupt. Government officials get funded by big businesses and they have control over the government in a sense, so officials aren't going to be focused on poverty, they are going to be focused on what big businesses want. Politicians will focus on an issue if the majority of his or hers voters care about the issue. I believe that if enough people care about a topic and voice it, some politicians may take notice and act on it.
Also a great point you bring up is the stereotype that people are in poverty because of their bad work ethics or they spend all their money on drugs and alcohol. While there may be a small percentage of that actually being true, for the most case, it's not. It's the circumstances of society and how rigid it is to move up in economic class. Government subsidies alone aren't enough to sustain a functional lifestyle, meaning being able to afford food, healthcare, being able to pay for living situations, clothes, etc. Many people below the poverty line are in fact "working poor", trying their hardest to break out of the lower class. It is extremely hard to break out of this cycle because of peoples socioeconomic circumstances. It is easier for the rich to get richer, but almost impossible for the poor to become rich. Hopefully one day poverty will be a thing of the past, but peoples attitude on it has to change and the government has to take action.
Mohammmed,
ReplyDeleteyour post is very interesting and it brings up a problem that is really prevalent around the world. You say that it is shocking that poverty in America persists due to the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. It is true in other first world nations, places such as china, although it is a country rich in culture and wealth, it is also a place that is full of corruption. There is the rich aspect of China where the buildings and skyscrapers are newly built and there is the poor area in which people farm and children stay behind to tend the farms instead of going to school. In this perspective, the rich continue ego build their networks and get richer while the poor isolate themselves from the rest of the world and live a more simplistic lifestyle.
My parents were immigrants from china, and one of the many things that attracted them to ultimately move to America is the greater chance for mobility. coming to america, my parents took four job and they worked really hard to make ends meet. Although my parent’s condition did not improve a whole lot, they are currently able to support the family working one job each.
Poverty is a really hard problem to eradicate. there are so many contributing factors that change and shape the way poverty affects people. i think that to tackle poverty we need to first understand both sides of the issue and learn how a compromise could be made to change it.