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.

life in clarendon heights

I really think that MacLeod's book is a great account of how hard life can be for those people who live in inner city and work in low income jobs. Many of the types of hardships that the residents of clarendon heights suffered from can be seen in our own city. Most of the housing areas in the slu midtown area are populated mostly by underclass residents. What can we do to change this type of squaller that these residents are forced to live in?

It is incredibly hard with how our society is set up for those from the lower class or those around the poverty line to have the ability and motivation to work hard to reach a higher economic status. Not only is it hard for them to get there, but if they manage to reach a new class, it can be hard for them to adjust. Many things that are normal or obvious about social life for those in the middle class can be foreign or unknown to those from lower classes, so they may feel alienated when they encounter such situations, such as was the case with Della Mae Justice. All we can do is try to help those who have reached higher classes than they were born in or fell into and assist them in a new type of social world.

It seems that society will assume poor people all too often got to the point that they are at by their own means. Many people think that you are what you make of yourself and if someone is poor then it is because of their own accord. Whether they are lazy, not ambitious or smart enough, or just unlucky, it is assumed they have the power to turn things around. However, the structure of our society makes it so there will always be people on the bottom rungs of the economical ladder. If we could design it some other way where everyone would prosper, I am not sure that we would change our ways because we are so ingrained in our current methods that we would most likely highly resist any changes that are attempted.

Today's movie

It seems a bit ridiculous that there are those types of people in the world, who's chief goal is to become the king or queen of the mardi gras parade and ball. There are so many other things that they could do with their money or power, but they spend so much time and money planning this one party to show off for everyone else. And also, they say that their Krewes are just for their families and not racist, but they forget that they were founded in a time of racism which made it impossible to have anyone they didn't want in their Krewes for any reason, such as race. It is good that they "officially" opened up their Krewes to the public, but whether or not they invite in other races remains to be seen.

first blog

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