Poor Kids Of America Analysis

When I think of poverty in America, I typically think of minorities, single mother households, and the “bad” neighborhoods in big cities. The film “Poor Kids of America” shows a different aspect of poverty in America that I did not expect. Two out of the three families were white, and only one had a single mother heading the household. These were also families that used to be middle class until hard economic times hit. The kids commented on that fact over and over. Before the recession, they had good paying jobs, houses big enough for their families, enough food to eat, and even a little extra to satisfy some of their wants. One boy talked about all the big TVs they used to own. He still had a small TV and a gaming station. It was pointed out …show more content…
These families do not live in nearly as brutal conditions as those in poverty in Africa or India. I think the biggest difference that I noticed was availability food. In many impoverished countries, people are actually starving. There just isn’t food for them to eat. The majority of American families have access to and can afford to buy food. However, it is the quality of the food that is concerning. Cheap food is often not healthy food. You can get a burger of the dollar menu at McDonalds; that’s roughly the same price as a single green pepper at the grocery store. One girl talked about body image and how kids in her class made fun of her for being fat. How can her family not be able to afford food, yet she is heavier than she should be for her age? A lot of the kids also mentioned being hungry. Some of the probably do not get enough food, but the other issue is, they are empty calories that don’t have the nutrients to sustain the body or promote growth. Many of the cheap boxed or processed foods at the grocery store are full of processed carbs, sugars, and unhealthy fats. These kids aren’t necessarily starving, but they are malnourished. It is especially sad because availability of food is not something that these kids can control, yet the food habits they create now will likely impact their health for the rest of their lives. One of the families received a free bag of food from the school each week. I think that is a great step in the right direction because nutrition is also important for brain development and for these children to do well in