Poverty
Poverty is defined as “the state of being poor; lack of the means of
providing material needs or comforts.(” More children live in poverty in the
United States than in any other developed country (p. 192, Parrillo). Generally,
poverty is blamed either on the individual or the system. Several dimensions
such as intelligence, poverty culture, family life and the system of capitalism
give explanation as to why poverty exists in the U.S.
Intelligence has
been labeled as one of the factors of poverty in the U.S. because of research
done by sociologist, Richard Herrnstein, who “argued that the poor have a lower
intellectual capability than the non-poor, and that they marry other people of
low intelligence, thus producing children of low intellectual capacity (p. 195,
Parrillo).” Although, there is plenty of evidence refuting this finding many
people tend to think of the poor as lacking the knowledge to attain and obtain a
well paying job. For this reason, people of poor economic background receive
fewer opportunities in the work force.
Poverty culture gives explanation
for the existence of poverty through “the continual reinforcement of the cycle
of poverty (p. 195, Parrillo)” adapted by children of poor families. Poverty
culture consists of unproductive actions such as a lack of education, teenage
pregnancy, drug use, a lack of trust in the authorities and a pessimistic
attitude. It has been argued that the “negative orientation toward life and work
makes them ill-equipped to enter the societal mainstream (p. 195,
Parrillo).”
Family life, like intelligence and poverty culture, places
blame of poverty on the individual. It has been consistently found that family
instability is most common among the poor than in any other economic class.
Because there is a lack of support in poor families, individuals raised in these
families are prone to failure.
Finally, the system of capitalism is one
of the few dimensions that places the blame on society for the existence of
poverty. “Socialist, Michael Harrington argued the inadequate programs and
misdirected priorities hampered efforts to solve this far from intractable
problem (p. 217, Parrillo).” Because the poor have no positive influence in
society and lack political support, they have no means of power to break the
ongoing cycle of poverty.
The United States tried to rectify the poverty
problem in several ways. Through social programs such as welfare and social
security, the poor are given a minimal amount of money in order to aid their
existence. The “Trickle Down” approach was installed by the Reagan-Bush
Republican administrators with the belief that in giving the upper-class a tax
cut, the rich would have more money to pump into the economy which would
eventually reach the lower classes. The Interventionist Approach was an action
taken on behalf of the federal government, which sought to educate and employ
the poor in order to help them attain a job career. Unfortunately, these social
programs have not been able to keep up with the inflation rates and the constant
want of material goods by the poor created by the need to fit in with the middle
and upper classes.
In reaction to the deregulation of the international
market, many other countries are simulating the American capitalistic system. By
“reducing social benefits towards the poor and unemployed and minimizing
government efforts to assure job security (p. 47, Heiner)”, poverty is being
given the opportunity to manifest globally. Without an international plan that
places emphasis on building “successful families, competent schools and positive
communities in which good jobs exist to meet the needs of families worldwide (p.
45, Heiner)”, the problem of poverty will continue to grow.
Due to the
individual and societal influence that is placed on poverty, the amount of poor
people in the world has grown consistently. A unified plan is mandatory,
otherwise, poverty will continue to grow and create a serious threat to our
general welfare. In realizing that the upper classes of the world has the power
to put an end to poverty almost immediately through a combination of educational
jump start programs and a guaranteed annual income, a system ought to be devised
to end poverty once and for all.
Bibliography
Works
Cited
Contemporary Social Problems, 4th Edition; Vincent N. Parrillo: pp.
193-219
Social Problems and Social Solutions; Robert Heiner: pp.
29-75
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third
Edition Copyright © 1996, 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by
Houghton Mifflin Company