This blog is inspired by watching the documentary (available on youtube) by the same title as well as my own childhood.
People often dismiss the idea of poverty in America because poor families here are doing better than poor families in some much worse off third-world countries but this doesn't change the fact that over 14 million families are living below the poverty line. It hasn't been this bad since the great depression. I am not saying it is that bad yet just that it is worse than any time after we recovered than that and that many families and children are struggling and going hungry.
Many people blame the families for their poverty.
So many of the comment on this documentary are disheartening. They seem to want everything stripped from the people. No television, no phone, no birthday presents!? You can get birthday presents for very cheap or free first of all. My mom got donations from shelters for my birthdays. It certainly wasn't my birthday presents that made it so we were in terrible poverty. The fact is many of the home have single mothers and many of the families lost careers and houses during the recession.
Some of these families are making about $600 - $1,200 a month and I see comments saying how $1,200 a month for a family of four should be fine and questioning what these families are spending their money on to be struggling. Are you kidding me? In what world can a family of 4 survive on these wages? I think many people take their financial stability and comfort for granted and don't quite realize how much they spend just to survive.
"So many people have it worse."
I saw so many comments saying how these people could be homeless. Some of them were in a shelter so I guess they mean on the street? We can't focus on poverty that is just slightly above homelessness now? Our ideal in America is not literally living on the street? One comment mentioned how some people live in crack houses? This type of diversion saddens and baffles me. Of course homeless is an issue but so is a family living off of $600 a month. So is 14 million people living below the poverty line. These are not mutually exclusive issues and seem to be a way to simple not face the real and growing issue of poverty being on the rise in America.
According to NCCP 21% of America's children live below the poverty line and it is estimated to be comfortable a family actually needs about double that amount of income.
The many ways poverty affects children.
Not only can it cause actual hunger and starvation but the instability can lead to constant moving and homelessness that results in switching schools. I went to so many schools as a kid I can't count. I barely had an education. Homeless children are 4 times more likely to be held back in school. These kids usually can't form long-term friendships and many of them will develop emotional issues due to lifestyle such as anxiety and depression. A child who constantly worries about losing their home, friends, and potentially not eating is not going to live a happy, healthy life. This is heart-breaking for the parents and children.
When I was growing up food was scarce, bills were turned off, I didn't always have clothes, I had a cupboard in one place instead of a room and never had my own room, I slept in one room with my mom and brother many times. There were so many issues we faced being poor in America.
How can we help?
On an individual basis we can obviously volunteer and donate time and resources but I feel the issue goes much deeper than what we can solve without some major changes with our government, politicians, and general education as well as consumerism on a whole. I don't know of the solution. I just know that something needs to change. I know that regardless of if some people are suffering worse that this level of poverty should not be accepted. What do we do? I am living well below poverty level myself and am disabled but luckily I don't have a sweet child to worry about. It would absolutely break my heart to have to watch my child suffer and I know it breaks the heart of so many struggling parents to hear their children ask for food when they have no food.
It breaks my heart whenever I read about these issues, especially when it comes to kids. I feel so compelled to want to help! I live in Canada and although poverty is everywhere our Inuit communities in the arctic are suffering terribly. People don't understand why I put so much time and energy into sending packages up to them. My thoughts are that if I simply can let them know someone cares, I feel better. I can only imagine a world where we ALL help one another. ❤️ Upvoted and resteemed because O genuinely believe in your post.
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I'm ex middle management at a charity that did lots of work in our local town. Also a volunteer!
The world is angry. It's much easier to shit on people much worse than themselves from a great height than to actually face reality, or the demons inside themselves.
We're angry because we barely survive ourselves and there are people doing nothing and getting free money. We should get that too. We bust our asses off.
We're angry because they get free everything and we have to pay for everything through the nose, or give up our house, or worse.
People rarely understand the hardship these people go through, the scrutiny, the feelings of worthlessness. It's SO much easier to judge others than to judge oneself, or better yet lend a hand.
The world is hurting, that's what's wrong!
One step at a time, hopefully, we can effect change :)
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poverty is increasing day by day because we spend more money on war(invading other countries) than spending on poverty
In the United States, 1.2 million high schools students drop out before graduating.
That’s a student dropping out of school every 26 seconds.
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I know. It saddens me how much we spend on war, it just goes up and up and up and people want to help the poor with basic necessities less and less. :(
I had to drop out because of my life. I wrote about it in a past blog. I lived in ghettos and was being jumped constantly and got no education. So yeah, in a lot of scenarios it is no use staying in these schools that are violent and offer no education.
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I am a engineering student from Pakistan. I am not that rich but what i do i give teaching lessons to the poor kids for free
we can do anything to help it is not just about the money
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I agree. I am very limited atm because of my disability but I try to blog about issues and could do something like you are saying, teach people for free. I don't have many useful skills though and could only help online. I hope to be healthier soon to help.
I didn't mean to imply you can only help financially though. What you are doing is amazing and so helpful in a really meaningful, life-changing way. :) Thanks for that.
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I am appreciate your hard work even in your conditioning and it is amazing
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Financial literacy is a big problem in communities where there is abject, people out on the streets-type poverty.
It can be incredibly difficult to make ends meet, but for a lot of the people in these situations, you can give a person so much more hope with a budget, and a meal; than just a meal.
Planning against poverty is important, too. Just because you're well off one moment, doesn't mean that it will stay that way!
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I agree. It is a greater issue than just teaching people finances but many people could use courses in how to save and budget. However many people start off in terrible poverty and struggle to get out and literally cannot save. There are so many different factors related to poverty. It would take a heck of a lot to solve such a complex issue but I agree that everyone should take financial courses and think of budgeting. I am starting to plan better myself and am saving.
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I budget down to the most obscure spending!
Once you do have the budget in place, it does make it so much harder to "downgrade" your lifestyle, especially, if something becomes habitual or the norm. I recently elected to cancel my gym membership, and buy a rowing machine in its place.
I will get my return on investment from the rower, but I do miss throwing weights around, or spending an hour on the boxing bag! That sounds like a privileged statement; and it is - all that poverty is, by definition, is the absence of privilege, I guess!
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Poverty is often the absence of food and a roof and I don't consider those privileges. I guess they are but they shouldn't be as they are necessities.
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Definitely not, they're both essentials.
Where do you stand on the controversial topic of nations providing foreign aid when so many of their own citizens are below, or on the same standing as where that foreign aid goes?
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I'd say I have bigger issues with my countries war budget and find the spending on foreign aid to be much less of an issue. If we were actively trying to help our own people and not spending most of our money on war then I would say maybe we should focus on our own people for now but that really isn't the case but it is also something I haven't heavily researched.
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Basically the same here in AU :) So much money put into the war-machine, when I think it should go to healthcare, education, and ensuring that we have a happy, healthy populace!
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sad to read
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Did you read it? Because you commented one minute after I posted it. XD
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not actually
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a important post as always @lauralemons poverty I believe in large part stems from addiction, and addictions stem from hopelessness, and a cycle that is rooted within the family network. I believe the addiction is a learned behavior. Just my thoughts. Thanks
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It goes way beyond just addiction. Implying that most poor parents are addicts is very wrong. Yes, many depressed poor people use but I wouldn't say that is a core issue with poverty or that poverty stems from the addiction itself.
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in many cases yes but not all. I agree with you on that. Addiction does not discriminate, the riches of people struggle with this as well. I was a social worker for 8 years working with the low income demographic. I found some of the poverty was due to lack of skill and available jobs, and some was from disability and the inability to work, but yes sadly some was from addictions.
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Yes some is from addiction. But as you pointed out there are many scenarios. So many factors contribute to the poverty which is what makes it such a complex issue to solve. The sad part is thinking of the children who have no choice in the matter. :(
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P.S. - I grew up in poverty and homelessness and SO MANY of those families were not using anything and just trying to get ahead. I suggest reading more on the issue and watching documentaries. Addiction is an issue but not the reason for poverty.
Thanks for the opinion though. :) I do agree that addiction can stem from hopelessness and children of addicts are more likely to use I am just saying that most poor people are not addicts so I think this is a separate issue.
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It makes my heart unhappy. There are so many in this world. I would love to do something for them.
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If you can volunteer do it! I can't currently leave my home due to a disease but if I get relief (have appts set up) I am definitely moved to the point that I would like to volunteer regularly. :) Soup kitchens, shelters. Plenty of ways to volunteer. You can also donate food to food banks. I may do that soon.
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it's life u know :'( ? we all dream about a world without war and poverty .....
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I believe the main problem that stands above all is money itself, how it gets created and distributed. It is designed to produce scarcity and distribute wealth from the already poor to the already rich.
This will hopefully change with cryptocurrencies and growing education on this.
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I think cryptocurrencies can definitely help. Heck, I was so poor I couldn't eat or buy food and steemit has helped me immensely to start getting on my feet in spite of being disabled and I agree with what you say. It definitely is a big issue.
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I wish you all the best! I'll follow and try to support you. :)
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Its really a sad thing when children are not able to get education,food or other things that are needed in life...#sad#
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Yes....it really is and it creates stunted, unequipped adults who often follow the same patterns as their parents. :(
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So true!
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And most times they end up being unable to care for themselfs and their families too due to lack of education...its really bad!
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I just can't understand how someone could think that this is enough to live on. Rent can take half or more of that income and a single person would have trouble surviving unless they had subsidized housing. There are long waiting lists here in Canada for this kind of housing and it is hard to get. I agree that volunteering helps so much to make our communities better.
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Hi I am Abhilash from India. Above piece of reading by you is very thoughtful :)
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