Despite being considered one of the most prosperous countries in the world, the United States are not exempted from the common social issue: poverty. According to the Income and Poverty in the United States: 2013, a report made by the U.S. Census Bureau, the official poverty rate was 14.5 percent, down from 15.0 percent in 2012 (12). However, the poverty rate declining this little is no success since a large amount of people still has to live under the poverty line nevertheless the United States has underestimated how poverty has spread.
According to Merriam-Webster, poverty is defined as the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions (“Poverty”). However, poverty is more than that and is …show more content…
Herbert Gans takes an explanation that poverty is a social phenomenon that is functional for the society. Marger explains “it is beneficial to some elements of the society, namely, the non-poor, and thus it endures so long as it serves those purposes” (170). Gan defines the undeserving poor as “able bodied but who are unemployed and who are receiving welfare benefits” (Marger 170). He views the poor that he considers undeserving to provide positive functions for the non-poor individuals. He explains further that the undeserving poor can be used as scapegoats for politicians or institutions. For example, Gans states that educational experts could decide that the children of the poor cannot be taught, or that they are ‘learning disabled,’ or genetically inferior in intelligence, attempts to improve the schools can be put off or watered down (91). Another function he notes that benefit the non-poor is the supply of illegal drugs from the undeserving poor. Herbert Gans states an economic function that the presence of the undeserving poor is good for the economy because it creates a large number of jobs for other classes. He says “since, the undeserving poor are thought to be dangerous or improperly socialized, their behavior has to be modified so that they will learn to act in socially approved ways” (88). Jobs are created to control, and modify them such as police officers, judges, lawyers, court probation officers, guards and any other staff members of the criminal courts and prisons. He adds more by including social workers, psychiatrists, doctors, and others – and their support staffs – in ‘special’ schools, drug treatment centers, homeless shelters, mental hospitals, and the like ending with the inclusion of teachers and trainers who try to retrain the undeserving (88). Overall, Gans views the undeserving poor as way to create occupations for
According to Merriam-Webster, poverty is defined as the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions (“Poverty”). However, poverty is more than that and is …show more content…
Herbert Gans takes an explanation that poverty is a social phenomenon that is functional for the society. Marger explains “it is beneficial to some elements of the society, namely, the non-poor, and thus it endures so long as it serves those purposes” (170). Gan defines the undeserving poor as “able bodied but who are unemployed and who are receiving welfare benefits” (Marger 170). He views the poor that he considers undeserving to provide positive functions for the non-poor individuals. He explains further that the undeserving poor can be used as scapegoats for politicians or institutions. For example, Gans states that educational experts could decide that the children of the poor cannot be taught, or that they are ‘learning disabled,’ or genetically inferior in intelligence, attempts to improve the schools can be put off or watered down (91). Another function he notes that benefit the non-poor is the supply of illegal drugs from the undeserving poor. Herbert Gans states an economic function that the presence of the undeserving poor is good for the economy because it creates a large number of jobs for other classes. He says “since, the undeserving poor are thought to be dangerous or improperly socialized, their behavior has to be modified so that they will learn to act in socially approved ways” (88). Jobs are created to control, and modify them such as police officers, judges, lawyers, court probation officers, guards and any other staff members of the criminal courts and prisons. He adds more by including social workers, psychiatrists, doctors, and others – and their support staffs – in ‘special’ schools, drug treatment centers, homeless shelters, mental hospitals, and the like ending with the inclusion of teachers and trainers who try to retrain the undeserving (88). Overall, Gans views the undeserving poor as way to create occupations for