Family and Poverty

The decision question is class the other day was if someone said to you “It’s too bad when families are poor but if they get off their butts they wouldn’t be in that situation. They got themselves into it they can get themselves out of it!” What would you say to this person?

After discussing it with the class we came up with many ideas of what we could say to that person. We said it depends on the situation, don’t make assumptions about the family, it can depend on the economy that the family is in poverty, you shouldn’t stereotype, some people have different priorities and people may have a lack of education on how to handle their finances.   

I think there are many reasons why people are in poverty, so it is not right to judge them. I think public housing is a great thing in Canada because it helps families that are trying to get out of poverty a chance. Like in the film “Farewell Oak Street” these families were working hard, but they just didn`t have the resources to get out of that situation, so public housing helps them so they can get out of that situation. I think it all depends on the situation that the family is in poverty. Someone could be born into that situation and it is very hard to get out of that situation and transition into middle class. The economy also has to do with people being in poverty, which also is a situational circumstance. If the economy is bad than it is not necessarily that person`s fault that they are not doing well financially. People also have different priorities some people don`t think it is very important that their house, car and other items are not paid for. This could also be from a lack of education. They may not know the value of money and waste their money. My parents taught me the value of money but some people do not get taught that valuable skill. My parents also taught me that if you want something you should save up for it, not just get a loan, as you may not be able to pay back the loans. It is important to not make assumptions and not to stereotype, because you never know what their situational circunstance is. Some people may think public housing is not a good thing, as tax payers in Canada would have to pay for some of it, but I think that it is better than having young families on the street and living in poor conditions.