The Poor Elephant in the Room
I was going to format this in nice paragraphs, but I realized I would never say anything that formally or well-organized in class, so why not keep this accurate? Besides, I have a lot to say...
1. The "American Dream" is propaganda to shame poor people. If you think poor people are poor because they don't work hard, you are ignorant. If you think working two or more jobs is not working hard, I would like to know your definition of working hard. Moreover, working hard may get you to a better position, but that doesn't necessarily equate wealth. Not to mention, many people are born into poverty, and I find it hard to believe that American University students would be unaware of the cycle of poverty. If you're born into a poor family, grow up in a poor neighborhood, go to a low-income school where you lack opportunities, you end up not being able to get a high-paying job to move away from your poor neighborhood and low-income schools. This cycle also has a lot of racial implications.
2. Not being able to see yourself as wealthy denies the fact that you have privilege. If you think that somehow you are part of the oppressed middle class because you don't have a private jet (but you do have a big house, went to a good school, and can afford well beyond the basic necessities) then you're denying that you have privilege and have a responsibility to use that privilege to help others. Again, this also has racial implications as white people are often wealthier than minorities. If we find it problematic for white people to deny their white privilege, then why would this not apply to wealth privilege?
3. Going off of that, I got the impression that wealthy people have more knowledge (to be fair, they may have more education) than poor people. Leave the decision-making to wealthy people, because they obviously know how to work hard and benefit from the system. Poverty and low-income status is another form of "double-consciousness." Poor people know that there are rich people, and poor people that work hard know (and experience) that there is a system designed to keep them poor. The issue is that poor people are not included in decision-making, and their voices are rarely heard except in a cry for help.
4. Differing social norms of poorness inhibit progress. The Inayutullah reading brought up ideas of relative and absolute poverty. I feel that this also applies to our perceptions of what it means to be poor or what it means to be wealthy (relating back to point 2). People act differently in accordance to what social class they think they are. This also means that people might not recognize poverty as a problem. We often have this dramatic picture that poverty means being homeless, never showering, scavenging for food in dumpsters, and having the literacy level of a middle schooler. While this sometimes is the case, in developed nations it can also mean skipping a meal here and there, evading public transportation fares, showering at a local rec center if the power company cuts your electricity, or using as many coupons as humanly possible.
5. Wealth is security. Wealth is not just knowing that you will have food for dinner, but not even thinking about whether or not you will have food. Wealth is not worrying about if you can pay your bills, but just paying your bills when they're due. Wealth is being able to take risks because you have something to fall back on. Wealth is generally enjoying life without the anxiety of how much something costs.
These are just a few of my thoughts on wealth, and I recognize that my opinions can be somewhat problematic because they are biased and often fail to look at the macrolevel. Yet, I still feel compelled enough to share these ideas because I think they are crucial to any discussions on poverty and wealth going forward.
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