Poverty in Modern Day America

In considering that capitalism and the pursuit of success, whether that is in the form of finances or personally attributed goals, are the pillars of the modern American economy, therein is the facet from which millions of American citizens suffer through endless trials of lifelong difficulty. Though many can argue that financial stability is for those who prioritize both frugality and materialism, it is with strongly noted evidence in post-9/11 America that the widening gap between the wealthy and the middle class is vastly contributing to nationwide poverty levels. As America still flaunts its upward social mobility in the fleeting American dream that had been borne from the post-war, idealistic baby boomer generation, the reality of poverty exists in that many pursue financial success their entire lives without reaping what rewards they had always hoped for. Poverty, as doubly noted with the onset of social welfare during the 1960’s, serves as a means to keep the social tiers in place and solid; considering that all those who strive for excess and prosperity only displaces the established institutions of the bourgeoisie, it is undoubtedly an economic feat that keeps poverty rampant and rippling through generations despite advances in technology, medicine, and overall social efficiency.

When approached in a certain slant, poverty only exists within the comparison of those who lead differing lifestyles. As those who are financially privileged gain exclusive access to markets targeted directly towards wealth, the remaining population adapts to second-rate products and services, and therefore, either slump under the shadow of the mega-rich or yearn to someday arrive into that fortuitous circumstance. However, the fact remains that those with money possess the ability to control what goods are distributed—in this way, jobs and entire markets are created to keep the lesser of the financially endowed in their niche. Poverty, then, serves foremost as a function to keep social leverage and power within the bourgeoisie class. Subsequently, as a means to insure long-term financial stability on the nationwide scale, the wealthy continue to aggregate poverty and make it increasingly more difficult to evade. As generations of inclusive bankers and economists generate a radically exclusive economy geared towards the wealthy, lines between the middle class and poverty begin to diminish.

In spite of the countless ways that can be noted as a strife towards lessening the financial gap within the country and even the discernible shift towards a nationwide middle class in 20th century America, poverty still holds a tight rein on millions of American citizens. Social security and welfare reform programs are facets that have been put into place to lessen the immobility poverty inflicts and to offer an alternative route towards financial stability to those who have dealt with lower-class markets their entire lives. However, as the economy leans towards giant corporations over the smaller, family owned businesses, even attempts to gain economic traction quickly become harder to retain, as welfare and social security become the new standard for financial means. Individuals who have hoped for a lighter financial burden with these programs are met with a glass ceiling that prevents them from climbing up the economic ladder, as, although unstated, they are reserved for the elite.

Many can then imagine that the American dream is only compounding poverty, in that more people are willing to compromise the immediate discomfort of financial instability in the supposed promise that something greater will appear if only patiently and tirelessly worked for. The lower to middle class in 1960’s America, seemingly a precursor to 2010’s American economy, jested towards economic equality and social mobility as protests were held in favor for eliminating the unjust distribution of wealth within classes. Such protests “offered hope to those who believed in the promise of the federal War on Poverty, which President Johnson and his advisors had instigated in 1964” (Kornbluh, 2007, p. 16). However, as current conditions on the economy would evident, the War on Poverty had less to do with eradicating poverty than with establishing a greater middle class that is still prone to conditions not unknown by those who have suffered with poverty. Mere two years after the fact, “representatives from welfare rights groups across the country met in Detroit to form the National Welfare Rights Organization (NWRO). Over the next several years, they opened access to welfare for hundreds of thousands of eligible families, and influenced national debate over government responsibility for citizens’ economic well-being” (Chappell, 2011, p. 29). The fervid pursuits for equality and social mobility were met with federal intervention that, in many ways, acted as a temporary liaison from appeasing the mass.

Ghettos, which were created to become a cheap housing unit community for those who struggled with poverty, as generations have passed, have stagnated in their social progress and, ironically, furthered the notion to which the wealthy have distanced themselves from the poor. Likewise, the 1% protests held in 2012, which were directed towards a nationwide awareness for the uneven distribution of wealth and the expanding middle class, created little to no ripples in the bourgeoisie community as the markets and economy were dependent on those with finances than those without. In this way, it is discernible that poverty and the elite class are dependent on each other for their established states.

Furthering this notion of inter-class dependence, the conflict-theory approach argues how financial well-being and stability for all classes is not only dysfunctional and detrimental towards society as a whole, but that it maintains its economic status quo because the upper class thrives as a result. The bourgeoisie, in this light, keep the lower classes working without a chance of upward mobility while entertaining the fantasy that hard work and dedication will eventually make way for prosperity. Economic advantage favors the wealthy regardless of poverty states and any effort to quell the differences between the two classes are then noted as transient and fleeting. Poverty, then, continues to exist as a way of life for millions of American citizens and proves that it will not cease to be a social problem.

References

Chappell, M. (2011). The war on welfare: family, poverty, and politics in modern America. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Kornbluh, F.A. (2007). The battle for welfare rights: politics and poverty in modern America. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.