The Perception of Poverty

I found Galbraith’s “The Position of Poverty” to be interesting. I believe that his two definitions of poverty—case and insular--are very important. Case poverty, he says, is due to an individual or family problem such mental deficiency, inability to adapt to a new environment, or alcoholism. Insular poverty is when the majority of people in a certain area, or “island” are below the poverty line. It may seem obvious to us that people are poor for different reasons, but at that time, it is likely that no one else had made the distinction. Without this distinction, it would be easy to simply write off the poor instead of trying to understand the circumstances surrounding the situation. Understanding poverty and its causes is probably the most important step to actually solving the problem.

In general, the American people value individual responsibility. (Of course, the extent to which we value individual responsibility is different—just look at Republicans and Democrats.) Nevertheless, most of us believe that other’s circumstances are at least partly their own fault. I think this is what leads people to disapprove of welfare and say things like, “They should just get a job.” It’s true that those people need a job, but it’s not always that simple. In the case of insular poverty, for example, a person may live in a remote region where it is difficult to get a job anywhere nearby. If they can, it may not be enough to raise them above the poverty line.

Insular poverty, in my opinion, is much more difficult for our country to deal with. For one thing, it’s easier to understand the root of case poverty. That does not mean it will be easier to fix, but generally, we have programs for helping individuals or families. When entire areas are poor, it’s harder to find a solution. Insular poverty, though originally linked to the environment, can also lead people to develop problems associated with case poverty. One example I am would be the poverty of Native American reservations. Reservations are already remote, and often without electricity, adequate plumbing, or job opportunities. There are often higher rates of cancer, diabetes, alcoholism, and other problems. This seems to be a combination of case and insular poverty, and would be even more difficult to alleviate.

The question is, what should be done? As Galbraith recognized, poverty is not a problem that will simply go away. Galbraith did not provide an answer for how to solve the problem, and since then, we have not found one, either. Still, it’s important that as a country, we are able recognize that the position of poverty is complex. It’s important that people, like Galbraith, are perceptive enough to see this. That is what allows people to start developing plans for social and economic improvement.