Poverty Case

"Poverty is defined as a condition of deprivation due to economic circumstances; this deprivation may be absolute or relative but is generally thought to be severe enough that the individual in this condition cannot live with dignity in his or her society." (Conley,D.) In society there are two very different theories as to what causes poverty. Some say that the impoverished are to blame while others say the blame lies with society. Both of these theories have valid points that would lead you to believe one way or the other.

Oscar Lewis published the article "The Culture of Poverty" that argues poverty is a cycle perpetuated by a unique value system. "In the us context, these practices might include illegal work, multigenerational living arrangements, multifamily households, serial relationships instead of marriage, and the pooling of community resources as a form of informal social insurance."(Conely,D.) The poor would exchange favors with other families in the community when in need to help fill in holes in society's safety net. When the people were impoverished this system worked well for them, but as time went on they could become entangled in a web of favors. These favors could make a family not want to better themselves because they may have to support even more people in need.

Some people believe that the poor are poor because they lack the motivation to raise themselves out of poverty. That the cycle continues because the parents do not instill certain values into their children. These are usually values that were not instilled in them so the cycle continues. Others believe that genes play a part in poverty. This theory states that successful people have traits that not only make them successful, but also make them better parents. Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray outlined this theory in "The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life". "They also claim that as the United States has become more meritocratic over the last half century, fewer people with bad genes rise to the top, and fewer with good genes get stuck at the bottom."(Conely,D.)

The culture of poverty theory was expanded on in the 80's by Ken Auletta. He thought that the poor were not only unable to take advantage of the American dream, but they were also increasingly deviant.

William Julius Wilson argued that other factors that the poor had no control over were the reason for poverty. "Deindustrialization, globalization, suburbanization, discrimination, gentrification, and other factors were the real culprits, according to Wilson and his supporters, and the lack of jobs created by these factors lead to a dearth of employed men for women to marry." (Conely,D.)

There are many other reasons that can be blamed on society instead of the poor. In areas of poverty there are far less opportunities for people to find a way out. The educational system lacks substance, and there are fewer resources for the children. This starts a cycle in itself where children in poor areas start out at a disadvantage. With less educational opportunities people are left with substandard