Courtesy of an article at Come And Make It, I came across this video. I found it interesting and informative; and, based on many years working in "the projects" from time to time, and volunteering at a homeless shelter, and working with prison inmates who pleaded poverty as an excuse for their crimes, I think it does a reasonable job at exposing why inner-city or "ghetto" poverty is a real issue.
Recommended viewing.
There's a lot more to poverty, of course, and much more that can be said. However, this video does a pretty good job of examining poverty in the context of the United States, and in particular of our cities. It doesn't give enough attention, IMHO, to the "poverty industry" of NGO's, consultants, therapists and others who make a good living out of "managing" or "addressing" the causes, effects and reality of poverty, without ever doing anything to resolve the issues they identify - because that would cut off their income, and nobody (at least, from their perspective) wants that.
How far can one go in helping the poor without making them so dependent on that help that they lose all incentive, all desire, to get out of poverty? How much can one give people without them coming to expect that everything in life is a "gimme", and nothing is "I've got to work to earn this"?
*Sigh*
Peter
4 comments:
Poverty is the natural state of man, and it takes work to make things otherwise. Unfortunately, it also takes a lot less effort to destroy someone's work, or steal the fruits of their labor, than it does to do the necessary work to either create or maintain wealth.
Jesus said the poor will always be with us. Every race, ethnicity, nation, community, school has its bottom 10% - people without the ability, focus, drive to manage life for themselves. The question is just how much do 'we' supposedly 'owe' them? And at whose cost? How much does society 'owe' the child who unfortunately suffers from a debilitating genetic disease or inherets food allergies? How much does society owe to keep a 90 year old alive until 91, or a massively preterm baby? The successes are all 'feel good' stories, but at what cost - and on what moral grounds must everyone fund them?
There are a lot of people that will be on the short, steep slope to poverty now that Uncle Sugar is putting his checkbook away.
Those that have been running programs helping the homeless, mentally ill and chronically unemployed while making 6- or 7-figure salaries should have a leg up on their peers.
The dangerous ones are those living off the monthly-regenerating debit card that doesn't regenerate this month.
Cargo cult........
Post a Comment