"Poverty Is A Behavioral Disorder"
Wow, there's a phrase that is sure to make some people see red.
"Poverty is a behavioral disorder."
It's a concise way of saying that there is a particular behavior pattern (or, perhaps, a set of behavior patterns) that, if eliminated, would have the effect of eliminating poverty.
Some people will immediately start screaming, "Elitism! Class warfare!"
The phrase would sound odious coming from some fat cat sitting in his inherited mansion, smoking a fifty dollar cigar, nodding smugly as his chins dribble pastry crumbs down the vest of his thousand dollar suit.
But how does it sound coming from a man who was born in Black Harlem, and who worked hard to build his own business, managing to sock away several million dollars in assets before the age of thirty?
Which man would we listen to?
People thinking politically will listen to whichever man is supporting the political stance that they have bought into.
And poverty has become accepted as a political issue.
It is not.
It is a personal issue.
When a poor family can't afford shoes for their kids, that's personal.
But they can afford a sixpack of beer. Don't you dare get into their personal business and tell them not to buy the sixpack, to save that money for shoes.
Don't even suggest that they cut back on cigarettes.
"Poverty is a behavioral disorder."
I don't know where that phrase originated, but I think I first read it on a blog, of sorts, at boortz.com, though maybe Boortz was quoting someone else. If he wants to take credit for it, he can have it.
But I do think the phrase should become a prominent debating point in our culture.
Because there is too much truth in it to ignore.
Because, in the vast majority of instances, poverty isn't something that just happens to you.
Because, even though a child can inherit it, it's an inheritance that the child can eventually give away, and choose not to pass on to his or her own children.
Yes, choose.
Ask anyone who has done it.
Anyone who has broken the chain.
They will tell you that poverty is a matter of choice.
Ask anyone who has chosen to remain in poverty and they will most likely tell you that it is a matter of bad luck.
Or racism.
Or being born under a bad sign.
Or the "unfairness" of capitalism.
Or a thousand other things, all of which have been overcome by someone else who chose not to be poor any longer.
"Poverty is a behavioral disorder."
It's a concise way of saying that there is a particular behavior pattern (or, perhaps, a set of behavior patterns) that, if eliminated, would have the effect of eliminating poverty.
Some people will immediately start screaming, "Elitism! Class warfare!"
The phrase would sound odious coming from some fat cat sitting in his inherited mansion, smoking a fifty dollar cigar, nodding smugly as his chins dribble pastry crumbs down the vest of his thousand dollar suit.
But how does it sound coming from a man who was born in Black Harlem, and who worked hard to build his own business, managing to sock away several million dollars in assets before the age of thirty?
Which man would we listen to?
People thinking politically will listen to whichever man is supporting the political stance that they have bought into.
And poverty has become accepted as a political issue.
It is not.
It is a personal issue.
When a poor family can't afford shoes for their kids, that's personal.
But they can afford a sixpack of beer. Don't you dare get into their personal business and tell them not to buy the sixpack, to save that money for shoes.
Don't even suggest that they cut back on cigarettes.
"Poverty is a behavioral disorder."
I don't know where that phrase originated, but I think I first read it on a blog, of sorts, at boortz.com, though maybe Boortz was quoting someone else. If he wants to take credit for it, he can have it.
But I do think the phrase should become a prominent debating point in our culture.
Because there is too much truth in it to ignore.
Because, in the vast majority of instances, poverty isn't something that just happens to you.
Because, even though a child can inherit it, it's an inheritance that the child can eventually give away, and choose not to pass on to his or her own children.
Yes, choose.
Ask anyone who has done it.
Anyone who has broken the chain.
They will tell you that poverty is a matter of choice.
Ask anyone who has chosen to remain in poverty and they will most likely tell you that it is a matter of bad luck.
Or racism.
Or being born under a bad sign.
Or the "unfairness" of capitalism.
Or a thousand other things, all of which have been overcome by someone else who chose not to be poor any longer.
posted by Arbitrary Polarities at 11:27 PM
1 Comments:
At first, I was a little miffed that someone called a "blog administrator" took it upon itself to remove a comment made by someone in response to one of my posts.
After a little detective work, however, the picture began to emerge that the comment was one of those "advertisements-disguised-as-genuine-response" comments.
Nice work, "blog administrator."
But you could have let me know what was going on!
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