As we all know, a society deemed as a haven for all mankind does not
exist due to human error. We live in a country which relies on its impoverished
citizens and exploits them for the “greater” benefit of everyone else. There
can be no subdivisions of people and classifications without what is considered
to be the lowest of the low.
The classification of people according to their annual income bears
more weight to how people are perceived. There are cultural differences which people
assume based on income and an image which they try to maintain or abandon at
all costs. The initial image people recall upon hearing anything which
resembles the word “poor” is that of a person or family dressed in rags, homeless,
and begging on the streets like a victim of the Great Depression. In this day,
this is not an accurate representation of everyone’s
circumstances in such a situation. In fact, a poor American is far from that.
The standards of poor have kept up with society’s new gadgets and aids.
No longer are tattered rags the standard, as they have been replaced with 21st
century necessities that some like to label as “luxuries,” such as air
conditioning and cars. People in America forget that even as an impoverished
citizen, they have more financial wealth than a lot of middle class citizens in
other countries. A poor American has a
life which many dream and hope to receive one day.
No one likes to be labeled as poor, unless being so gives them benefits
from the government. Poverty is a choice for those well off from benefits and a
trapped lifestyle for those desperately trying to thrust themselves out of it.
Only those who wish to work the system and are comfortable living within their
means choose such a lifestyle. There are people who are not given government
benefits and aid and find themselves a way into comfort, by working themselves
harder than their bodies can handle. There are people sacrificing themselves
because no bones were thrown their way as they were excluded by belonging to
such an inclusive class. There are millions of people that would trade in their
lifestyle just to be considered and part of the lower class in America.
You don’t know true poverty without understanding true sacrifice.
Here are some links to statistics about poverty
