The Effect Of Media On Classism

In Diana Georges “Changing the Face of Poverty”, she uses various examples of ads, brands, and organizations  to show that the way poverty is portrayed has corrupted the understanding Americans have on poverty and what it really is. I agree with Diana George’s statement that the impression of poverty through visual imagery is distorted. Her essay examines many aspects of the misrepresentation of poverty. Society believes that they are doing more than what is actually being accomplished. The effect of her explanation allows for the audience to alter their opinion on the true image of poverty. Her use of real organizations within the community strengthens her approach.

I agree with the notion that the media makes people desensitized to poverty because the poor are faceless. I believe a lot of people around America do not understand what it means to be poor. Mantsios' article it brought out a interesting point that society likes to blame the poor and criminalize them as lazy or bad people. The media barely talks factors that cause people to be poor and the reason why there are a lot of people that are homeless. From what you said about Rich's article women are still underpaid compare to men even if they hold same position. I believe reason why women are still underpaid is because it relates to male dominance. Men in our society are taught they should receive more and that they are better then women

As a main point of her argument, she argues that poverty is generally stereotyped into the poverty that would only be seen in Africa, or another third world country. To support this, she establishes a sense of ethos for her readers by citing other individuals that have also noticed the poverty representation gap. Seeing that poverty is a complex issue to begin with, George addresses this complexity by simply suggesting that it should be represented as such in the media. Nonprofit charities may now have to reconsider their

When we discuss Poverty in the United States

With all of the media 's hatred of poor people, it must affect their self-confidence and how they view the American Dream. Through her experience, Jennifer Mayer has noticed that very problem. While working in the soup kitchen, she noticed that most of the people who came in lived in "survival mode" and only lived "day-to-day" with no real goals. They had no dreams of success because they believed it to be impossible (Mayer). One reason for this self-esteem issue is their lack of education. Since poor people rarely have a college education, they feel like they have no future. This can often cause them to give up on their dreams and resort to crime (Reef 225-226). Also, because poor people are below America 's social and economic system, they will often give up on their dreams.

In Seeing and Making Culture: Representing the Poor, author Gloria Watkins under the pen-name Bell Hooks discusses the problem with the way poverty is depicted in the media in America. From her own personal experiences growing up poor, she has observed what the stigma surrounding poverty does to the underclass. Hooks points out how the media generates the idea that being poor means that one can’t live a meaningful life, and that one should feel ashamed for not having lots of money or things. To further her argument, Hooks uses examples from encounters she has had where people are conditioned to believe the poor are lazy, dishonest, and unworthy. Bell Hooks

Most of Americans view people in poverty as being lazy or unmotivated and there can be a universal solution to fix poverty. As a child that did not have to deal with the problems of poverty personally I also believed that there could be an easy or quick solution to fix all of these problems. Now that my family has experienced poverty first hand, I know that is not the case. The solutions that are in place currently are more of a band aid fix. What I mean by this is you deal with problems quickly but you have not fully resolved the root of the problem. This view of poverty also has been the belief historically. Tratner discuses that in the early 1800’s people who were poor were separated into two different groups the worthy and the unworthy. The worthy poor were mainly widowed women and orphans. The unworthy were deemed as drinkers, and people who were too lazy to work.

In the article, “What’s So Bad about Being Poor” by Charles Murray, Murray states that “One of the great barriers to a discussion of poverty and social policy in the 1980s is that so few people who talk about poverty have ever been poor”. He discusses how, contrary to present day, in America up until the 1950s those in positions of influence and power included a sizable amount of people who had been raised “dirt-poor”. Murray states that, because of this, many Americans with their lack of exposure to such people, they develop a skewed perspective of what poverty is. On account of this, Murray challenges the reader with several thought experiments which he uses to help the reader come to certain conclusions that convey his message.

What is your perception of the poor and less fortunate in society? Would you say that you have a low perception of them or do you regard them in the highest? Would you do your social duty to reach out to the poor and impoverished to assist them, or help assist, in establishing programs that would aid in leading them to a brighter future? These are the questions that I ask of myself as I read, “Seeing and Making Culture: Representing the Poor,” by bell hooks. My paper examines the perception that pop culture, society, and media have of the poor, as well as, the expectations and responsibilities of society to ensure a response to

The U.S. is among the richest countries in the world today, yet millions of people in America still live below the poverty level. The number of Americans living in poverty is increasing day by day as well as the number of children. Poverty in America has become a great threat to children’s wellbeing as they are affected emotionally, socially, and even in their school performance (Wood 720). Poverty in America is mainly caused by lack of jobs. Many people who live in poverty in the United States is due to lack of jobs and getting jobs with minimum wage. Another cause of poverty is due to the rise in the cost of living. Poverty exists in America despite the fact that is among the richest nations in the world.

These images are constructed by what the media allows us to see and what people see on the television. Popular television shows, such as Law & Order, tend to use certain stereotypes like “welfare queens” and “crack-whore mothers” to portray the people living in poverty. The sympathy for people in poverty skyrockets downward when it is known that they are using welfare. The images that people have in their minds only get more stereotypical as they watch more television and don’t see anything else that would counteract these images. The media coverage plays a huge role in forming an image in each person’s head; therefore, the lack of coverage around Grand Forks only leads the public to form stereotypes from fictional television shows.

When considering poverty, most would focus on monetary values and claim that a way to fix poverty is to generate more money. Sarah Burd-Sharps and Kristen Lewis, co-directors of Measure of America, strive to get people talking about other factors of poverty rather than just income. If Burd-Sharps and Lewis are right that opportunity inequality is a big problem, as I think they are, then we need to reassess the popular assumption that money is the cause of poverty. . Inequalities in health, environment, education, and wealth are creating disadvantages for younger generations that can limit success.

As mentioned in Gitlin’s research, statistics show that, “ ‘watching TV is the dominant leisure activity of Americans, consuming 40 percent of the average person’s free time as a primary activity [when people give television there undivided attention]’ ” (Gitlin 560). Even the wealthier parts of poor worlds have access to some sort of media. It would take someone from a third world country to be stunned by the fact that our lives are constantly portrayed through television, radio, internet

This review is formulated with scholarly sources and references based off of poverty in America. This disclosure is approached with a value free sociological approach, and it will give insight on the social causes of poverty and the effects it has on America. Poverty is a very controversial topic. Many will assume that people living in poverty are lazy, made bad life decisions, or that they are solely the reason for their predicament however, people living in poverty would argue that their are deeper issues for it. Poverty will be deeply explained and researched from both perspectives

The pinpoint cause of poverty is challenging to find. People who live well off and are above the poverty line may be quick to assume that laziness, addiction, and the typical stereotypes are the causes of poverty. Barbara Ehrenreich, a well known writer on social issues, brings attention to the stereotypical ideology at her time, that “poverty was caused, not by low wages or a lack of jobs, but by bad attitudes and faulty lifestyles” (17). Ehrenreich is emphasizing the fact that statements like the one listed, often influence readers to paint inaccurate mental pictures of poverty that continue to shine light on the ideology of stereotypes being the pinpoint cause to poverty. However, there are many other causes that are often overshadowed, leaving some individuals to believe that poverty was wrongfully placed upon them. Examples would include: high rates of unemployment, low paying jobs, race, and health complications. Which are all out of one’s ability to control. There is no control over a lack of jobs and high rates of unemployment, nor the amount of inadequate wages the working poor receive. Greg Kaufmann, an advisor for the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and The Half in Ten campaign, complicates matters further when he writes, “Jobs in the U.S. [were] paying less than $34,000 a year: 50 percent. Jobs in the U.S. [were] paying below the poverty line for a family of four, less than $23,000 annually: 25 percent” (33). Acknowledging Kaufmann’s fact, the amount received for a family of four is fairly close to the yearly salary of a high school graduate, which means, receiving that kind of pay for one man may seem challenging, now imagine caring for the needs of four individuals. To make matters worse, certain families receive that amount of money and carry the burden of paying for