“By the Reagan era, the 'culture of poverty' had become a cornerstone of conservative ideology: poverty was caused not by low wages or a lack of jobs but by bad attitudes and faulty lifestyles. The poor were dissolute, promiscuous, prone to addiction and crime, unable to 'defer gratification' or possibly even set an alarm clock. The last thing they could be trusted with was money.” JobsLastsCulturePoorAttitudePovertyCrimeLowsAddictionConservativeLifestyleIdeologyErasClockTrustedWagesGratificationAlarmsCornerstonesBad AttitudePromiscuousAlarm Clocks Author:Barbara Ehrenreich
“Middle-class-led reform movements, from the Progressive Era to the War on Poverty, have been marred by an elitist distance from the would-be beneficiaries of reform.” Has BeensWarWould BeClassPovertyMiddleMovementDistanceReformErasMiddle ClassProgressiveElitistBeneficiariesWar On PovertyReform Movements Book:FEAR OF FALLING Source: FEAR OF FALLING
“In this country we're unprecedentedly safe, comfortable, and well fed, with more and better venues for stimulation. And yet if you were asked, 'Is this a happy or unhappy country?' you'd check the 'unhappy' box. We're living in an era of emotional poverty, which is something that serious drug addicts feel most keenly.” IfsFeelsWellsCountryPovertyEmotionalSeriousDrugSafeComfortableBoxesUnhappyChecksErasFedsAddictDrug AddictVenuesStimulation Author:David Foster Wallace
“The death of American liberalism as a significant moral force can be traced to the point in when President Bill Clinton signed legislation that effectively ended the main federal anti-poverty program and turned the fate of welfare recipients, 70 percent of whom were children, over to the tender mercies of the states. With a stroke of the pen, Clinton eliminated what remained of New Deal-era compassion for the poor and codified into law the "tough love" callousness that his Republican allies in the Congress, led by Newt Gingrich, had long embraced.” ChildrenLongStatesLawForcePresidentPoorDealsCompassionMoralPovertyFateRepublicanPercentToughProgramMercyBillsClintonCongressSignificantErasWelfareLiberalismPensAlliesLegislationStrokesNewtsNew DealTough LoveCallousnessPresident Bill ClintonTender MerciesWelfare Recipients Author:Robert Scheer
“It is important to remember when reading Adam Smith or even when just thinking about Smith that the era that he lived in, we're not talking about poverty in a day when it meant not enough bedrooms for the kids, an old car, a black and white television. We're talking about a whole world where poverty meant not enough to eat.” ThinkingWorldImportantEnoughWholeKidsRememberReadingBlackWhiteTalkingPovertyCarTelevisionWhole WorldErasAdamBlack And WhiteBedroomRemember WhenNot TalkingOld Car Author:P. J. O'Rourke
“For children, the era of mass incarceration has meant a tremendous amount of family separation, broken homes, poverty, and a far, far greater level of hopelessness as they see so many of their loved ones cycling in and out of prison. Children who have incarcerated parents are far more likely themselves to be incarcerated.” ChildrenHomeParentLevelsPovertyGreaterBrokenAmountMassPrisonSeparationErasLoved OnesHopelessnessCyclingIncarcerationMass IncarcerationBroken Homes Author:Michelle Alexander
“Even in the era of the first black president, racism is still the most intractable issue in USA. Regarding poverty, half of all Americans are either in or near poverty. Poverty is certainly worse for African-Americans now than it was during King's lifetime.” FirstsStillsBlackPresidentHalfPovertyIssuesKingsRacismLifetimeAfrican AmericanErasUsa Author:Tavis Smiley
“...I have so many dreams of my own, and I remember things from my childhood, from when I was a girl and a young woman, and I haven't forgotten a thing. So why did we think of Mom as a mom from the very beginning? She didn't have the opportunity to pursue her dreams, and all by herself, faced everything the era dealt her, poverty and sadness, and she couldn't do anything about her very bad lot in life other than suffer through it and get beyond it and live her life to the very best of her ability, giving her body and her heart to it completely. Why did I never give a thought to Mom's dreams?” ThinkingGivingHeartDreamBodyRememberYoungSufferingGirlOpportunityMy OwnAbilityPovertySadnessChildhoodHavensMomForgottenPursueErasYoung Women Author:Shin Kyung-sook