Week 6 DQ2

Racial and Ethnic Groups defines the culture of poverty as “a way of life that involves no future planning, no enduring commitment to marriage, and no work ethic; this culture follows the poor even when they move out of slums or barrios.” Do you believe there is such a thing as a culture of poverty? Explain.

I do strongly believe there is a culture of poverty. However, most who agree with me on this also take this further and then categorize those who are in poverty as "victims", and I do not agree with that assessment. I was raised in a comfortable, upper-middle-class household on the good side of town, and we always had everything we needed. My friends always thought we were "rich", although I never felt that way, and I certainly would not have classified us as such. When we grew up, my siblings left home and began using drugs and living on welfare. Some of them got involved in prostitution. They began spawning a large number of children because they could get more welfare that way. They lived in the projects.

Meanwhile, I moved away from home. I did not even go to college at first, because I was not interested in it despite, or possibly because of, the fact that I was brought up in a very financially comfortable home with two intelligent parents. I became very successful professionally in a very demanding professional career, then got married and have been happily married ever since. I always plan for the future, and my wife and I have a very stable life.

My point is that while there is a culture of poverty, I believe people enter or remain in that culture by choice. If someone is part of the culture of poverty, I immediately question the drive or intelligence of that individual.