I recently read a New York Times article about poverty. (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/09/magazine/poverty-by-america-matthew-desmond.html#commentsContainer) It’s interesting and obviously well informed, but focuses, as our society generally does, on economic policy behind poverty. It avoids and ignores as is normal in a Capitalist society, humans and such factors of life such as love and hate. To view any of our problems and ignore the role these emotions in everything, is just engaging in never ending searches and never changing realities.
I wrote a comment on the article and it got me thinking. I’ve included my comment here (in italics) and expanded upon it. The answer may seem simplistic to some but life is simple, humanity is simple. It’s sustaining or creating what is wrong and hateful, and the convolution required to do, that makes it complex and appear so.
I think poverty persists because of two things: greed and racism and other forms of hate. The resultant policies, and societal respect and support for greed and hate in our society sustains it.
People will vote for poverty because of systemic hate for the poor and as a way of keeping communities of colour down. They vote for poverty because the thought of “owning Liberals” matters more than Liberal policies that actually could help all voters especially poor ones. Disability, a major factor in poverty is rarely mentioned and hate towards the disabled and helping them moves policies and keep benefits grossly inadequate and low. This social discord, injustice makes the field of life easy pickings for the greedy and unscrupulous. I think with poverty, like many things, base human truths are what creates and sustains it.
Another aspect of intrenched poverty, held by mainly white and privileged and their middle income supporters is the nobility of not being poor. They follow the “not poor” program: go to college, don’t have children, find a good job, then achieve a saintly nobility by not being poor, dependant. This view requires a complete blindness to why people are poor, the affects of systemic hate, racism, mental and physical disibility and inherited poverty and also their own priviledge.
In truth, many of those born into poverty rise themselves up, but to what in our greed and austerity age? Working three jobs to provide basic food and housing for families? Working essential work for insanely low wages? Not having a safety net of inherited and systemic priviledge creates a separate world for the poor and it keeps many poor despite hard work, and poverty firmly intrenched in our system.
Personally, as someone who has lived in both extremes of priviledge and poverty, I can tell you they are different worlds, and often, no matter how hard a person tries, or works, or how good and strong is their charactor, the net roots of poverty remain and there is little hope to rise above them. A person living in poverty can do little except survive, all while living with open social stigma and disgust, hate because of your poverty.
We really can’t overlook the factor of hate on why poverty persists. To those who hate and have enough, the thrill of shutting the gates on the poor, is more than enough incentive to vote and fight to sustain poverty. Emotional satisfaction is important to all souls and keeping down those you hate is a big factor in poverty. It is true that love creates many policy, progress and peace. We can’t then ignore hate is an equal force. We traditionally deal with poverty by studying and or blaming the poor. What we need to do is study and blame our society, our attitudes and those among us who live and vote in favour of greed and hate.
Ending poverty is easy, simple and way more affordable that sustaining it. There are many policies that can and would. A global Universal Basic Income of $1200 a month that would end poverty. Raising wealth and corporate taxes. Raising welfare and disibility benefit rates. Repatriate black, indigenous, low income communities so they can create environments where poverty doesn’t exist. Prioritize sustaining green spaces, gracious living, what the non poor communities have for every community. Create free, affordable smart tracks to all levels of employment, raise the minimum wage so it provides an actual living wage. Create a socialized medical system that most developed nations already have in one form or another.
These are the solutions but can you imagine any of these happening soon in capitalist, race divided and stuck on its own hate, ignorance, America? No, and that’s why poverty exists. It’s not an economic system problem, a policy problems. It’s a people problem, a purely and sociological human phenomenon.
It is hate and greed, historically that of royalty and a small nobility, today of vast members of the “have” and even “have not” west, that creates and sustains poverty. Hate in the form of racism, hatred of Liberals and all they are and stand for (peace, progress, justice and fairness, plenty for all), and hate of the poor, and disabled. We can’t end poverty without acknowledging hate and greed and taking battle, winning against them.
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