Poverty

Poverty in America: Who is to Blame?

You see them on the street corners. The poor, the seemingly hopeless, holding up their cardboard signs, and asking for help. Their eyes meet yours and you cannot help but look away in disgust. You work hard for your money. Why should you give it away to a stranger who looks perfectly capable of earning a living? If this is true, why do you feel a sense of shame when you pass them by? Who is to blame for poverty in America?

The poor in America are seen as being less than human because of their economic status. In the article Poverty and Class: Discussing the Undiscussible, John Korsomo PhD., of Human Resources and Rehabilitation, Western Washington University talks about the transformation of his own ill-conceived views about the poor in America. Dr. Korsomo believes that his views were biased about the poor until he became a service provider working with individuals who are considered to be living below our nation’s poverty level (Source 1). There is a tendency to treat poor people negatively based upon their economic status rather than looking at them as a valued human being (Source 1). Further evidence (Source 2) found that individuals who are poor have become a social class that is seen as being lazy, uneducated, minority groups who are highly dependent upon government programs and subsidies to make a living within our country. America’s lack of knowledge about the poor population can be attributed to our tendency to segregate less desirable individuals and an attitude of out-of-site-out-of-mind philosophy (Source 1 no page). If we marginalize the poor and rely on government agencies to take care of this so called “problem population” there is almost an “ignorance is bliss” mentality when it comes to the reality of why there are increasing numbers of individuals who would qualify as living below the national poverty level (source 2 p55,56). The reality is that the majority of Americans are out of touch...