Two adorable little boys with chronic lung diseases and coughs and head colds constantly coming to our ER with fevers. Mom is pregnant. I have repeatedly educated these young parents that they and the grandparents need to stop smoking in the house. That four smoking adults in one small house is causing the boys to be sick all the time. They look at me and smile. They won’t change.

What is your solution to this. Dripping water or buy them an ox. Or slap the hell out of them, which is what I want to do. This is American poverty. What should we do?

As people with privilege it is not our place to become angry with those who are less fortunate. Instead we should do our best to be compassionate and culturally competent and educated about barriers that these people face. It is hard to put yourself in another’s shoes but those with low SES do not have the tools to better themselves. We cannot really know what someone goes through if we have not truly experienced it. So it is easy to get frustrated but we need to REALLY try understanding without prejudice.

Many in poverty are so down and out they have a defeatist attitude. This makes complacency easy. There are many barriers to getting out of poverty (too many to list) but I believe the most important barrier is lack of education – Both education of those less fortunate and maybe more importantly the education of those fortunate enough to help. We need to be educated about poverty and the people in poverty and ways we can start to act.

The educated/more fortunate should become less focused on the materials (fancy clothes, an expensive car, etc) and more focused on becoming an advocate for the less fortunate- helping to fight for equal education, equal healthcare, an equal chance. We need to take our education and put it into action, into REALLY trying to make a difference.

I truly believe in equal education, equal healthcare and rewarding people who figure a way to make their own way. Some people just aren’t smart, but they become successful anyway through perseverence and love and not feeding off of society. Others may be educated or not, but they drain society, they drain the system.

Whatever system we come up with next, it needs to stop rewarding corruption and drains

In my other post I focused on those with low SES status. This means being at a low income level and having low social status (usually due to race). Race plays a big part of being oppressed and feeling like there is not way out. I think there is definitely a prejudice against those with low SES and that there are less opportunities for those of color- because it’s true.

I am not attacking you personally, and it is great that you could overcome whatever you faced. I am just trying to address your question of what to do about poverty in America and I gave my opinion.

I am sorry that you may have some frustration or anger when it comes to people that come into your ER, I just wanted to defend those who try to get out of poverty but circumstances do not allow.

Facts about poverty

*By number (2006), of those that are poor in America 43% are White, 25% are Black, 25% are caucasian, the rest are Asian and Other.

*By number (2006), more whites than any other race received government aid.

*Poverty is a cycle. Based on patterns in previous years, 50% of those in poverty this year will be out of poverty in 2010.

*In a study done by Price, et al. :

-36% of Nurses perceived that the poor are in their situation becuase they are lazy.

-1 in 10 nurses think assisting the poor to become well was a waste of medical care.

And My last comment as I will not be writing on this topic again to stop argument is that….

I recently graduated with a Master’s degree and was not happy when I had to start work either…..so I don’t think it is fair to judge this instance of your classmates. It is not a crime to be unhappy to go to work. In fact most people are unhappy with their jobs and do not want to work.

Thanks for the conversation!

Companies who collect data can skew it to reveal whatever information they want it to reveal. Solutions are what is needed. Solutions might start with free dental care for the working poor and the self employed, bring the troops home and have them find and destroy meth labs, and build industry in poor areas.

Industries like making lumber from recycled plastic milk jugs, making jars from recycled glass, making photovoltaic charging stations for the EV’s that are coming. Can’t we take all that tobacco and make ethanol or something?

I am not aiming my comments at you. Please don’t take this as argument. I don’t hate the poor, or people who aren’t of my color or religion. I am angry at four adults smoking cigerettes in a small house with two little kids despite repeated education as to the harm caused.

You are right though, nothing is being solved here. I’ll move on.

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