Poverty Essays (972 words) - Poverty, Socioeconomics,

Poverty? How many people actually know the meaning of this word? However, I think is it possible to understand the meaning of poverty even if you have never suffered from it. Poverty is defined as the state of being poor or having the lack of providing material needs or comforts. Living in the United States, many of us do not think about poverty too much. Most people in the United States are above poverty level. They do not think about the less fortunate of America. On the other hand, ?more U.S. children live in poverty than in any other developed country (Parrillo 155). I think poverty is blamed either on the individual or the system. Several aspects such as intelligence, family life, and the system of capitalism are the author?s examples as to why poverty exists in the U.S. In addition, he explains methods the government is using to eliminate poverty in the United States. First, intelligence is marked as one of the factors of poverty because people tend to blame the actual person for their poor quality. For example, 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 (Parrillo 157).? The fact is poverty does seem to be an inherited trait and that?s why people tend to think of the poor as lacking the knowledge to qualify and obtain a well paying job. For this reason, people of poor financial conditions receive fewer opportunities in the work force. In addition, families with parents that have a lack of education will impact the children?s education. For example, they are ?given little academic encouragement or assistance at home, and encountering the low expectations from their teachers that intensify their own low achievement (Parrillo 169)?. This results in the youth becoming unqualified for most decent paying jobs and just repeating the cycle of poverty. Next, family life, like intelligence, places blame of poverty on the individual. It has been consistently found that family instability is more common among the poor than in any other economic class. For example, ?marriages and pregnancies occur at an earlier age, divorces and desertions happen at a higher rate; and incidents of family disputes and violence are more frequent (Parrillo 168)?. In addition, family structure is important for developing stability for a child. It is also a factor in the way a child will themselves feel about the institution of marriage. Likewise, children from poor households are more likely to develop bad attitudes towards family life. Because there is a lack of support in poor families, individuals raised in these families are prone to failure. In addition, the system of capitalism is one of the aspects that place the blame on society for the continuation of poverty. For example, ?socialist, Michael Harrington argued the inadequate programs and misdirected priorities hampered efforts to solve this far from intractable problem (Parrillo 182).? Because the poor have no positive influence in society and lack political support, they have no way to break the ongoing cycle of poverty. As a final point, the United States government has many plans to help end poverty. The key program is through welfare. The welfare program is where money is given to applicable recipients whose household resources are below the mandated limits. This is to help them get back on the right path. The Food Stamp program is where stamps are presented to be used on food goods only. This can help ease cash flow troubles and allow people to save their money. The program Temporary Assistance for Needy Families was created in 1996 by the Welfare Reform Law. They provide assistance to needy families and also help with job opportunities. Another program is Supplemental Security Income, affiliated with the Social Security Program. The program is for the elderly, blind, or disabled people with little or no income. They offer money for food, clothes, and shelter to those that qualify. I agree with the functionalist perspective because it views society as a system. First, regarding the technology gap facing the poor and minorities, a functionalist perspective covers this issue based on the society?s agreement due to