Chapter 14

Social Benefits of Poverty

I grew up in a middle-upper class family. I went to school, played sports, and was surrounded by people within the same social class. The only exposure I ever had to poverty was when my family would volunteer at homeless shelters and soup kitchens. I grew up learning that we need to help people that are less privileged than us.  Around Christmas time every year my mom and dad had my brother and I do research and find a nonprofit organization that we wanted to donate to. We then had to explain to our parents why we wanted them to donate to that particular organization and why we thought that those people needed the most help. Growing up learning the importance of helping people get out of poverty made me believe poverty is bad. Nobody has ever questioned why I think poverty is bad because most people think it is. In chapter 10, the social benefits of poverty was discussed. Social benefits of poverty? How? This concept seemed absolutely outrageous to me. 

The concept that poverty is a necessity in society is devastating to me, but it is true. Society needs people to work for lower wages in order for business to succeed. If people weren't willing to work for lower wages society wouldn't function. 

• "If society fostered full equality, who would do the dirty work?" (Newman)

• Poverty supports occupations that serve the poor like social workers, pawnshop owners, and second-hand stores. 

• Poverty ensures that people will join the military. 

My question is.....

If society needs poverty, why are we trying to help impoverished communities?

Why would we try and fix something that would destroy us? 

Why as a community do we segregate these people because we want to make more money?

The social and economic benefits of poverty in society are valid points as to why we need poverty. How can we fix our necessity of needing people to live in poverty? As a nation, we need to find a way to fill society's need for poor people. We need to come up with a way to fill the "dirty jobs". Maybe people who are flipping burgers should get paid more than actors. Maybe we can come up with an incentive for people to do the dirty work. Maybe we can increase the military salaries. Maybe as a society we can find a way to encourage second-hand products to everyone, not just the poor. 

There has to be a solution to poverty. There has to be a way for society to function without people living in poverty. 

I think that if more people realized the need for poverty, a social movement could arise. Social movements are so powerful and can change social norms and expectations. As a nation we have proved time and time again that social movement can change society. Hell, we proved it today! 15 years ago, the thought of gay marriage being recognized at the federal level was outrageous. In the last five years, the social norms and beliefs regarding gay marriage and equality for every type of love has changed drastically. The incredible, social transformation that has occurred started with a social movement. If we organized ourselves in order to destroy the need for poverty in the United States, it  could happen.