The Culture of Poverty

 

Although I am calling this lecture the Culture of Poverty it can be applied to any socioeconomic group.

 

We have learned that culture defines a group's expectations,norms and values.  We have alsoexamined that there are groups such as families, peers, work groups and othersthat can have a specific culture.

 

Consider that there is a "culture" for each of theSocioeconomic levels in our society. Each culture socializes its members to understand the skills andknowledge that they need to "remain part of the group".

 

What skills and knowledge must an individual have in orderto stay rich?  What skills andknowledge must a person have to remain poor?

 

I have been a social worker for many years in many differentcapacities.  As a researcher I havenoticed patters of behavior among all groups that are important to consider interms of the socialization of economic status.

 

We select our groups.

 

Our groups, all of those we belong to, formulate asignificant part of our identity. Most of us are very reluctant to give up aspects of our identity (forexample:  how many people wouldchange their first name?  Some do,but not many.  It is an importantpart of who we are.)

 

The individuals we hang around with, the expectations andvalues (particularly about others who are members of other groups) is part ofwhat binds us together and gives us a social identity.

 

We don't like people who leave the group.

 

When members of our peer group begin to perform outside theexpectations that we have of them we are often not pleased.  We can lose friends this way.  Consider that the deviant who isbeginning to act outside the group's expectationsÉhe or she stands to lose thegroup as well.

 

Consider this in terms of wealth and power.  Do people who have power advise otherswho have power on how to get more power? Do individuals who have successfully navigated the Social Securitysystem and Food Stamps give advice on how to do it to others?  Of course they doÉ

 

We hold values about other groups.

 

I find this one the most interestingÉbecause we get somehelp with it.

 

Consider what you may often hear from individuals without alot of money:  "Money does notmake you happy."

 

This may be true, however, being poor doesn't necessarilymake you happy either.  As educatedindividuals we may come to the conclusion that money and happiness may affectone another, but are not dependent on one another.

 

The individual who says that the rich are spoiled and don'tunderstand what an honest day's work isÉbut that person would not send thecheck back to the Maine Lottery Commission would he?

 

Now on the other side of the coin, the rich may also holdbiases and expectations about the poor and others.  When I was living in Southampton NY I had the opportunity tomeet many individuals who came from money.  One of the interesting aspects of their culture wastraveling.  Many of the individualsI met had done some extensive traveling to Europe and Asia.  From their point of view, nearlyeveryone they knew had been there and discussions would arise about differentlocations and where the best beer was and so forth.

 

Not having grown up in this sort of environment they weresurprised to learn that I had not been to Europe.

 

None of this was done in any sort of snob sort of way at allÉitwas simply a cultural expectation.

 

(My total experience working with and getting to know therich and poorÉis that there are plenty of snobs on both sides!)

 

Now what skills and knowledge are passed from generation togeneration among the rich?  Investingones funds, don't work for other people (work for yourself), education isimportant, work hard to advance up the ladder, play golfÉwhateverÉ

 

Important skills to have if one is to stay wealthy.

 

The Culture of Poverty

 

Finally, I want to discuss in more detail, these concepts inregard to the Culture of Poverty. 

 

One of the fascinating aspects of our culture is that thereare organizations designed to assist individuals in staying poor.  It is not that staying poor and playingthe "game" is what people want to do, it is just very often rewardedmore than other options.

 

Social programs are available to help people to get ahead,but often times they come with limitations that keep the person from workingharder. 

 

I certainly favor the existence of these program as they arevery important for some individuals whose choices can be very limited, however,there are improvements that might be made to assist those willing to goalternative paths to reach their success.