The Poverty Cycle

Almost every time I drive away from Madison’s West Towne Mall I see someone holding a sign saying something along the lines of, “No job, No food, No home, No money, please help.” And every time I witness this it makes me feel uncomfortable and almost angry. I think to myself, instead of wasting your time standing out there embarrassing yourself, why don’t you go look for a job?

After learning about the culture of poverty argument however, I can begin to look at poverty with a different mindset. The culture of poverty argument suggests that the poor do not share the same value system as the “middle class.” People are provided with different levels of resources to climb out of poverty but this does not necessarily correspond with making a certain amount of money or income. There are many other dimensions involved with getting out of poverty such as upbringing, support system, emotional and spiritual resources and so forth. Those people holding those signs in front of the mall may have never been even encouraged to find a job or an education. The culture in which a person is raised has a huge impact on their available resources, which can result in being trapped in their poverty.

The term “street family” refers to a type of family that struggles with money, does not partake in mainstream values, and where the parents are not typically involved in their children’s lives. Therefore, children who are brought up in this culture/environment do not have financial support from their parents nor do they have the discipline needed to make something of themselves or the encouragement to succeed in beating poverty. In the recent movie “Precious,” Clarice is a child who is stuck in a “street family” with little hope for the future. She is entrenched in an extremely unsupportive family situation without money and poor education. This story is very inspirational because she is able to rise above poverty but only because she gets support from people other than her family, such as teachers. It is this lack of resources, usually pass on through families that leads the poor to focus on the present and not their future.

The culture of poverty becomes a culture of survival in which decisions must be based on the present moment. This population becomes so accustomed to their culture and living environment, they believe there is no way to get ahead so money should be enjoyed and spent when available. The reason many people become homeless may be because they have never saved any of their money in the past and were able to get by so why should they now. This however leaves them trapped, standing at a street corner asking strangers for money until they spend that and need to find another way to attain it. In contrast, middle class families tend to focus on the future and try to plan their expenditures.. For example, I know that I only make around $100.00 a week at my job , so I try not to spend more than $50.00 a week in order to save my money. I learn these values from the culture in which I was raised and seeing my parents save their money. These two opposite mindsets about money which evolve from one’s culture, drastically contribute to one’s position in the poverty level.

When I see someone holding a sign asking for a handout I know not to judge them for their actions because they did not have the same up-bringing as me and were not provided with the same financial resources, but is there really no way out for them? It is crazy to think that this cycle of poverty just keeps repeating itself from generation to generation while only a few lucky people manage to escape. If this is the case, it will be extremely difficult to change this culture system. Personal awareness of these cultural differences may be the best way to begin to implement a change.