May 16, 2004
Thoughts on a Presentation on Generational Poverty
When relationships are so highly valued, the fact that attempts to leave generational poverty can be considered a rejection of family and community seems to me to be an oppressive weight. Along those same lines, the idea that savings become a liability as soon as a relative is in need helped me to understand why escaping poverty is not a simple matter of working hard, saving money for a home, and leaving. Community and family is the only thing that cannot be taken away or hocked.
I was also shocked to hear that relationships usually supersede what I considered to be the general concept of right and wrong. When a mother will see her child steal or cheat but refuse to admit to it, she shows that her relationship with that child is more important than the injustice or wrong viewed by society. On a larger scale, that leads to families hiding out criminals. In some cases, it results in a community refusing to take responsibility to correct the actions of its more delinquent members.
Unlike our other speakers, I spent most of this presentation soaking up new information. I found the general characteristics of each class to be the most interesting because I saw some of the habits in people I knew. It made me wonder what would happen if I pointed out to someone who considered himself to be middle class that a certain behavior was characteristic of the general poor. Would he correct it or argue that his behavior was different?
The only part of the presentation that I questioned was the impression I gathered that the community hurts the individual more than it helps. While there are some people who wish to escape poverty, I think it is a commonly held fallacy that all of them want to leave it completely. It seems sad to me that it takes challenging circumstances for a strong community to form; I wonder what it would take for that same concern for taking care of one�s own to be seen in the wealthy class, beyond family lines.
During some parts of the presentation, I was frustrated because I wanted there to be an easy solution. Why is there no strong sense of authority? Why is it so hard for people to respect the possessions and accomplishments of others instead of feeling entitled to them? Before this presentation I hated the sense of entitlement I have seen in so many classes, especially when it comes to lawsuits. Afterwards, I wondered if some people would ever have much of anything if they did not feel driven by this entitlement.
Many politicians give a misleading simple explanation of why there are so many people in generational poverty. Some blame the welfare state; others criticize this country�s inability to put together a universal health care program and other services. The issue of generational poverty is far more complex than most people care to admit.