Poverty Is Poison - Krugman

[groovedaddy]

“Poverty in early childhood poisons the brain.” That was the opening of an article in Saturday’s Financial Times, summarizing research presented last week at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

As the article explained, neuroscientists have found that “many children growing up in very poor families with low social status experience unhealthy levels of stress hormones, which impair their neural development.” The effect is to impair language development and memory — and hence the ability to escape poverty — for the rest of the child’s life.

So now we have another, even more compelling reason to be ashamed about America’s record of failing to fight poverty.

L. B. J. declared his “War on Poverty” 44 years ago. Contrary to cynical legend, there actually was a large reduction in poverty over the next few years, especially among children, who saw their poverty rate fall from 23 percent in 1963 to 14 percent in 1969.

But progress stalled thereafter: American politics shifted to the right, attention shifted from the suffering of the poor to the alleged abuses of welfare queens driving Cadillacs, and the fight against poverty was largely abandoned.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/opinion/18krugman.html?th&emc=th

[fascisthunter]

1. Poverty is Good!!!!! How Else Will the Greedy Get Rich!!!!

:crazy:

[demigoddess]

2. This could explain something

A couple of my friends and myself have often wondered why our mothers were 'crazy' and very non-mothering types. Our mothers all told us they hated us and wanted to get rid of us, even when we were small children. That and a lot of other irrational behavior about money. All of our mothers grew up during the depression, and I often thought it was a vitamin deficiency or something like that but now I think it may have been what Krugman was talking about.

[FirstLight]

7. ...that is really scary...

I live on the edge of destitution every day, and I have actually gone there and said those things to my kids when in a freak out about how we are going to survive... It didn't come from "me" - I am educated, and was raised in a middle class home with love, respect etc...but when that fear comes in, I end up reverting to the caged animal mentality and things come out of my mouth that I hate myslf for saying.. yes, the feeling of wanting to bolt and run is part of that poverty angst... Like if I just didn't have kids it would make it better? which is stupid because they are my LIFE and I love them fiercely...

but when I am feeling alone and scared, I become a different person. unfortunately, I have been feeling like I've spent more time trapped in that corner than not lately.

(...And if the government can watch us and know what we are doing...why can't they get my ex husband to pay child suport? ya, that's another thread entirely)

[Two Americas]

27. great insights

Those who are not poor live in constant fear of being poor, and it drives all of us and corrupts and distorts our lives.

Thank you for this post. We need more people with the courage to be honest about this and we need to break through the facade of denial and avoidance.

[bobbolink]

17. Wow.... that describes MY mother, too...

I must print out this article!

Thank you for your very astute insight!

:hi: :hug: :hi:

[Systematic Chaos]

29. My mom was born in 1929, and she fucked my shit up good.

It's a long story, but in my case I spent most of my time from when I was about 9 until I got the hell away at 19 feeling like I was nothing but a source of income in the form of extra SS checks.

She was the 9th and final child in a poor, rural West Virginia family. I remember at least a couple of her sisters being nut cases too. Don't know about the brothers so much.

[Faux pas]

3. Fascinating. Having lived below the poverty level before I

know it stressed me out. Never had a clue that the stress could/would be passed on to kids, makes sense though. Very sad and leave it to the conservatives to spin the welfare queen drives a caddy myth. gag

[TygrBright]

4. Interesting findings. It would explain a lot of anomalous trends...

...anecdotal evidence, and folk-wisdom assumptions about poverty vs. opportunity, etc. Kids who grow up in poverty among other people in poverty, in an environment where there is little contact with those NOT in poverty, might bypass the "outcast, don't belong" stress and thus be better-positioned to take advantage of opportunity when it is presented.

Unfortunately, that situation does not obtain in contemporary western cultures where mass communications and ubiquitous corporate huckstering constantly expose the have-nots to the assumptions that they "should" be haves.

thoughtfully,
Bright

[checks-n-balances]

13. Welfare queen type myths/memes perpetuate the cruelty

They end up blaming the victims, then victimizing them again by reinforcing & perpetuating society's prejudicial practices against them. Much of the prejudice can also be blamed on the horrible theological notion that rich people have been blessed by God and that, conversely, those in poverty must have done something against God or must be morally deficient. I cannot tell you how pervasive this twisted belief is within our culture.

[Two Americas]

25. attitudes are critical

The attitudes people have, and it is liberals as well as conservatives, are critical and must be challenged. This is an important and specific action that people can take, and opportunities happen all of the time in everyday life.

While conservatives do have a "God blesses the righteous with material abundance" attitude, there also is a pernicious liberal variant of this that we see expressed very often - the universe rewards those who make the "right choices," or those who are mentally "healthy" - in other words adjusted to the insanity of modern American life - or those who are more educated, or those who put out the right vibes, or those who are enlightened.

[KillCapitalism]

5. It certainly is poison. K&R

It is because it does kill. People in this country are losing their lives due to lack of affordable health care, and our homeless are freezing to death in alleyways this winter. Obama and Clinton need to pick up where Edwards left off on this issue.

[bobbolink]

18. Yes, it KILLS! In this very affluent community, where poverty isn't even recognized,

there have been two homeless people die that I'm aware of.

Who knows how many others..... :cry:

Yet, the backs are turned, and the Good Germans go on their way...

Thanks for this article!

:hug:

[Doctor_J]

6. This canard about "The War On Poverty Didn't Work" is one of the reasons

that Big Media needs to be dismantled before we'll ever restore the US to where is was during The Greatest Generation. Hate radio and cable "news" have spread so many lies about America in the 20th century that it will take at least 10 years of deprogramming just to cure the mental illness that is conservatism.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. I wonder if those unhealthy level of stress hormones are what's at

play, hence, the children of the rich that seem unable to be as accomplished as their parents?

[BridgeTheGap]

9. Imagine the impact on healthcare if the stress of poverty went away.

Ending poverty is one of those huge missions that could transform our entire society. This piece by Krugman proves how deep the impact of poverty is.

[Raster]

10. Yes the positive impact of ending poverty ON ALL SOCIETY would be enormous.

However the impact of ending poverty on the lives and fortunes of the oligarchy would be devasting.

[gaspee]

11. I grew up in poverty

And one of the absolute best programs the Federal Government has ever started kept me from the above fate.

It's called Head Start. Support it when and where you can. I was reading on my own at three years old thanks to Head Start and that is what gave me a lifelong love of reading and learning. I spent my childhood with my head in books - because the reality of growing up poor sucks. My mother and step father worked very hard but they are both uneducated and were limited in earning potential.

They are each the farthest thing from lazy one can imagine, yet the meme that's out there is that poor people are lazy.

Funny thing is that I didn't realize Head Start was an anti-poverty program until much later. When I was in school at Brown and told someone I had been to Head Start, I got funny looks - later on realizing why.

But hey, if you're born in poverty and never manage to make it out, you shoulda pulled yourself up by your damn baby booties! :sarcasm:

[bobbolink]

15. "you shoulda pulled yourself up by your damn baby booties!"

Eloquently stated!

Thank you for sharing your story! What you have said I will never forget...it's powerful.

Be very good to yourself, and thank you for your humility in recognizing that not everyone gets the "good breaks"!

:hug:

[Wilms]

12. Saturday’s Financial Times article

Poverty mars formation of infant brains

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/62c45126-dc1f-11dc-bc82-0000779fd2ac.html

[BridgeTheGap]

14. Is poverty necessary in a capitalistic society? Unemployment

certainly seems to be part of it, in order to keep wages low. But when wages are low, you can't afford to buy the stuff your making. As has been pointed out in this thread: it's the meme - poor people are lazy, etc. But try and find a decent paying job!

[bobbolink]

16. The library was closed yesterday, so I wasn't able to recommend this in time...sobble...

This is really a good article... maybe the Class Divide is *finally* making a dent in the consciousness...

Could you please post this in GD? It needs wider reading!

And, I'm appreciating many of the very kind replies!

:grouphug:

[groovedaddy]

20. Someone else posted it in GD - here's the link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2889910&mesg_id=2889910

[balantz]

19. Poverty is a crime in the wealthiest nation on the planet.

Our citizens and their good health are the top asset of our nation, and should be the number one priority. And I mean ALL of our citizens. If we are to stop pretending to be a Democracy, and instead actually be one by producing a vibrant, healthy and educated citizenry, this nation would begin to blossom and flourish as the land of the free as it was intended to. The elitism in this country is our demise. We must take back this nation for ALL Americans.

POVERTY IS A CRIME!!!!

[bobbolink]

22. "Where there is plenty, poverty is evil."

Bobby Kennedy.

:cry:

[Two Americas]

26. on many levels

Wealth disparity is a deadly weapon, fostered by domination and bullying and used for establishing social status and encouraging predatory and exploitative people. It is also a spiritual weapon, a form of moral depravity that excuses the evil, destructive and anti-social behavior of the well off, and makes the less fortunate into pariahs who are presumed deficient or defective. The worst behavior is rewarded, the best behavior is punished. It cripples and suffocates all of us. The only way to escape is to become morally compromised oneself, and to embrace all of the attitudes that rationalize and justify self-serving behavior and that estrange us from one another.

[pamela]

21. Great article. Thanks for posting it.

I wish I had seen it yesterday so I could have recommended it. I'll give it a kick though.

:kick:

[balantz]

23. You can recommend it in GD. See post 20 on this thread.

[pamela]

24. Thanks balantz.

Done!

:hi:

[Two Americas]

28. we are all being poisoned

Whether we are poor or not, we are all being poisoned by poverty. If not physically, then spiritually, intellectually, creatively, morally.