Turning A Blind Eye

Submitted by: Tyniasha Womack

Poverty has always been a touchy subject for me, because as I sit at this computer and type this blog, I still have neighbors and relatives who have no idea where their next meal will come from.  I still have neighbors and friends who won't turn in their homework tomorrow. Not because they're lazy, but because electricity is a luxury they can't afford right now and free libraries in our neighborhoods have either closed down or cut back hours drastically. In this blog, I will define poverty and explain why welfare is an inadequate solution to the problem.  I will give statistics on poverty in my hometown of Philadelphia.  I will attempt to challenge assumptions about why poverty still exists in what many consider to be the greatest country in the world.  Last but definitely not least, I will post a video where Marian Wright Edelman will elaborate on what poverty means for the large amount of people struggling for America's attention and how if we show a little humanity, it can be eradicated.

Businessdictionary.com defines poverty as a condition where people's basic need for food, clothing, and shelter are not being met.  It is mind boggling to me that this country can find the time, energy, money, and resources to put a man on the moon, but can't find the time, energy, money, and resources to house and feed its own citizens.  We can focus on which is more difficult, but we SHOULD focus on which is more important.  According to an article by Alfred Lubrano, "The Portrait of Hunger", many choose not to apply for government subsidies (public housing, food stamps) because they are either treated like criminals or attacked for taking advantage of the government's help. Many others are simply uninformed about the programs.  Furthermore, welfare guidelines are strict and unfair, leaving many employed Americans who can afford a place to live in this recession in dire need of other things, like food and clothing.

 Poverty in Philadelphia: 1 out of 4 Philadelphians lived below the poverty line in 2009,  according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a rate far higher than the national average of 1 in 7.  Even more upsetting, 1 in 3 children in Philadelphia are poor, compared to 1 in 5 children nationally.  That's 44,000 children under the age of 6, which is enough to fill Citizen's Bank Park to capacity. 

I've heard them all and I know you have too; the common misconceptions and generalizations that the poor and poverty ridden are lazy.  What amazes me is that the same groups of people who are considered to be lazy are the same group of people with the highest rate of incarceration.  Are the police knocking down the doors of people who never get out of bed?? Or are these people out there trying to make a living to support themselves and their families and are given a hard time about it??  Just recently on my way home from school, I witnessed a man selling waters by the side of the road being harassed by a police officer.  The officer wanted to see his peddlers license, but the man didn't have one.  The only real crime the man committed was making money and not giving the government a cut.  When the police officer left, the man packed up his belongings and headed to the opposite corner, in hopes of avoiding harassment, and having a supplemental income to make ends meet as legally as possible.  People in these situations have the same intestinal fortitude as the millionaire, but we don't judge people by how much heart they have, only by how heavy their pockets are.

"I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself" -D.H. Lawrence.