Romanticising poverty

Radley Balko over at reason does a fine job skewering the idea that poverty somehow brings people together.

Let's put this idea -- rooted in a Jesus-at-the-temple ethos against material wealth, and often embraced by people who have never been poor -- to a common-sense test.

The poorest parts of this country, or your city: how do they rate in terms of violence and social discord? How does that compare to the wealthiest parts?

How about the stability of family in those areas? In fact, marriage and income remain closely correlated.

When the return on investment for crime rises, such as in situations of economic frustration and hoplessness, do we expect it to rise or to fall?

I put this is the same bucket as those who seek to "protect" native cultures from the ravages of economic progress. As if people choose to live in mud huts when they have other options.

Comments

[ann]

cheap UGG bootsOur company will take the fastest shippment UGG boots UKof the world, including EMS, DHL,clearance UGG boots UPS, TNT and FEDEX, they areUK UGG outlet really the world's UGG Bailey Button Triplet Boots
fastest shippment, what's more, cheap UGG bootsour company have free shippingclearance UGG boots fee service to worldwide address, so that make you save more money from our store, we are glad we can do business with you.Our company supply free shipping fee service to all over the world, and you can save a lot of shippingUK UGG outlet fee if you purchase UGG Boots from our company here.

[cheap north face]

The poorest parts of this country, or your city: how do they rate in terms of violence and social discord? How does that compare to the wealthiest parts

[moncler outlet]

Government spending is poverty. It is the destruction of wealth. Imagine a world of hungry people.