Monday, April 13, 2009
what can we do about poverty?
There are currently many people out there trying to solve the poverty problem that is hurting our country so much right now. There are so many people at, or below, the poverty line that the differences in living standards between those in middle class and those in the underclass is gaining more and more distance from each other. Our current economic system has it set up so that once someone becomes a part of the underclass, it is hard for them to rise in class unless they get lucky somehow or get help from those in the middle and upper classes. There must be some way we can change our system so that it is not so hard to get out once one has hit the bottom.
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This is an incredibly thorny issue, as you know! I guess if it were easy to solve, someone would have solved it by now. But the truth is that we live in a capitalist society, and inequality is necessary for capitalism to function. The question to that may be "how much inequality is necessary?" Does inequality have to hurt those at the bottom so much?
ReplyDeleteNice post, Kevin.
This is exactly what I was trying to get someone to understand a couple of weeks ago. The achievement ideology is so deeply rooted in the minds of Americans that we do not realize that most people who are poor need help to rise above their status. It's not just about individual motivation or will, it is about resources and opportunities that those who are well-off can offer the poor. They need support just like everyone else. I truly think we have dehumanized the poor and forget that their lives are wrought with struggle.
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