March 10 | Friday in the Second Week of Lent

“Such is life. Life Is like a kitchen. It is often a mess. Cluttered. Nothing is messier than a kitchen; if you intend to cook a dinner, you must realize that cooking creates a mess, you must expect to soil your hands.” 

-Honore de Balzac 19 c

Americans understand poverty in very different ways. There are in fact two competing understandings of poverty. Conservatives are right leaning and Progressive are left leaning. 71% of Conservatives attribute the accumulation of wealth to hard work and personal effort. 

But half of America (52%) see poverty as attributable to circumstances beyond one’s control. 

31% attribute poverty to lack of effort. 48% of Conservative Americans are convinced that dependence on welfare and nutritional assistance is because recipients are lazy.

So called blue collar whites view poverty as a trap and a permanent condition. Blacks and people of color are more apt to view poverty as a temporary condition. 

January 18, 2023: The Microsoft Corporation has announced that it will release 10,000 workers from employment this year as the company turns its attention to the development of Artificial Intelligence. Google has immediately followed with the harsh news that 12,000 will soon follow. 

Loss of a job is a primary cause of both shame and humiliation. Both shame and humiliation are endemic in poverty due to the low social status assigned to low incomes; and a judgemental rhetoric that blames poor people for their own needs. 

Children are made aware that they are personally poor by the age of five. Poorer children are bullied frequently. At five years of age, a child has already perceived societal messages that are personally disparaging.

May our heroes always face dangers and may our fears always have names.