WHAT DOES POVERTY IN AMERICA REALLY LOOK LIKE?

Elizabeth Alcaraz SOCIO XL 10 SUMMER 2013

The topic of government assistance is always a highly debated and often polarizing issue in American politics. In fact it seems that entire political parties are based on the support or non support of social aid programs. Naturally, public opinion is just as passionately divided when it comes to the topic. Whether it be food stamps or Medicaid, it seems that almost everyone has their own idea as to what is needed and required or what is wasted and abused of when it comes to government spending on social programs. Yet I think the if question the average American could not accurately state the who, what, and whys of social assistance programs. I other words, do we as a society, really know who receives the aid we so eagerly debate, and what qualies those recepients to do so? (I know that I personally had no real knowledge as to what the poverty line was for todays citizens, nor did I know the statistics of those who fall below that line prior to this project.) The purpose of my artifact therefore is to use technology to present a more clear and hopefully engaging picture of poverty in America that will question the current dominant ideology on poverty and government aid programs. I hope this artifact serves to encourage all individuals and communities to base their opinion(s) and thought(s) and ultimately their vote(s) on real knowledge versus historically reiterated stereotypes. WHAT IS POOR? Schaeffer describes Absolute Poverty as the minimum level of substance that no family should be expected to live below (Schaeffer 2013, p192). So what is the actual monetary gure for this cutoff line (for lack of a better term). Data from 2010 shows that a family of four was required to make $22,113 or less in order to qualify for government benets (Schaeffer 2013,p 192). To put things into perspective thats around $15 US dollars a day per person. As of 2013 the amount has increased to $16 per day per person. Anyone that has to a grocery store or gas station lately knows that $16 dollars does not go very far. A family would have a combined income of $1900 a month, a studio apartment alone can cost $1000 in Los Angeles, and its important to point out that poverty measure does not consider a households location (Schaeffer 2013, p193). Given these numbers I think its safe to say that most people would agree that this amount of income would make it extreamely difcult for anyone to survive much less thrive given the current cost living. WHO IS POOR? Statistics presented by Schaeffer show that 17 percent of Americans are considered to be living in poverty. Of that 17 percent Whites make up 43 percent and Hispanics 28 percent while Blacks constitute 23 percent (Schaeffer 2013, p194) I think these numbers are really important to look at as they demonstrate a reality that deviates from mainstream perception of poverty. Typically the media depicts Latinos and Blacks as impoverished recipients of aid programs such as welfare and food stamps, but clearly these groups are not the only ones who benet from government aid. In addition, 40 percent of the poor work full time (Schaeffer 2013,p193).. In fact a recent article by the

WHAT DOES POVERTY IN AMERICA REALLY LOOK LIKE? Elizabeth Alcaraz SOCIO XL 10 SUMMER 2013

U.S. News states that by absolute numbers the predominate face of the poor is white and that since the year 2000 the poverty rate for working class whites has risen at a much higher rate than that of working class non-whites. (Associate Press, July 27th 2013 4 in 5 Americans live in danger of falling into poverty, joblessness. U.S. News on NBCNEWS.COM http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/28/19738595-ap-4-in-5americans-live-in-danger-of-falling-into-poverty-joblessness. Clearly the stereotypes of the poor being ethnic minorities that are lazy and conscientiously choose unemployment are unwarranted. Would those that vote against aid programs, or support budget cuts to these programs be so eager to do so if they knew that those receiving assistance had much more in common with them then they really knew? Marx viewed economic stratication as a result of lack of class consciousness, or an awareness of common vested interest and the need for collective political action to bring about social change(Schaeffer 2013,p184). Clearly this lack of class consciousness continues to exist; if one were to review the statistics and data it is clear to see that poverty affects all ethnicities and communities. As income inequality continues to grow the threat of poverty and the importance of social aid programs become more and more important to all of us. In closing I hope my artifact motivates people to reect on whatever social issues they have taken a stand on and to verify whether or not they truly know who and what they stand for.