Backward and upside down
German philosopher Georg Hegel once wrote that we have stood everything on its head, understood the world and our place in it upside down. When it comes to poverty — and our approach to it — his words ring especially true.
We have sought solutions from people who may not understand the problems.
It is rare to find individuals with lived experience at the meeting tables where poverty programs are designed and funding decisions made. Those with first-hand experience should comprise nearly every seat at those tables, sharing what works, what does not work, and what is needed.
Poverty is not intractable. It is our approach to it that has been intractable.
We have believed poverty to be a natural part of society, a result of our economic system, and therefore not something we can eradicate but only manage. Capitalism is not, however, a zero-sum system. It is about opportunity, and in its practice does not require anyone to live in poverty.
We have blamed people in poverty for the conditions in which they live, though for many, poverty is all they have known since birth. To blame them is akin to crediting a four-year-old living in a large home for the financial success of their family.
We have also blamed wealthy people and successful corporations for poverty in this country, when many have not only built generational wealth through effort and innovation, they often provide the support on which nonprofits rely to serve communities. Instead of blaming them, we should further engage them in creating solutions.
We rely heavily on government to solve problems that can be more effectively and efficiently solved by each of us in our own communities.
Many of us believe that poverty is “over there,” happening to someone else but not a part of our lives. The historical evidence is that the extent to which we allow poverty to endure, nationally and internationally, is the extent to which we destabilize our country and our world.
For ideas and actions you can take, check out our Action Guide.
Is poverty an urban or a rural problem?
As of 2022, suburban poverty is the most prevalent, though the number of people living below the federal poverty guidelines in urban and rural areas is just as inhumane.
Keep in mind
As we describe here, the U.S. utilizes a measure of poverty that grossly underestimates the number of your neighbors who are living in need of economic assistance.
The data you see in your newspapers and on your screens does not tell the story it purports to tell. A better understanding of poverty in our country can be found here.