Invisible Poverty
The central idea of Cohen's article is the debate within researchers and policymakers about the relationship between poverty and culture. Several different views about the roots of poverty are presented in the article. The idea with more weight, supported by several types of research, is that poverty is a consequence of culture.
Poor people are not poor because they are lazy but because they are victims of the culture (4). Within the culture, community values and morality or ethics play a significant role. According to what people within a community interpret, or accept as their cultural norms and value, that is how they will act. Ultimately the article emphasises that poverty is sustained by a culture that promotes division, lack of values, and that rules are made to be broken. Policy makers do not have on their agenda an objective to improve culture, and thus, poverty is silently sustained by them.
It is hard not to agree with Cohen. Research is very clear. People live as part of a community, not in isolation, and the way people perceive their neighbourhood will have a significant effect on cultural norms and thus the way they act, maintaining poverty or not (2). The way they act is not according to income levels, but cultural rules and moral cynicism (2).
In my opinion, the more perceived racism and the difference that is preserved by communities, the more destructive attitudes and behaviour they will have. It ends in communities isolating in ghettos, or gangs, etc. which ultimately are attitudes and perceptions that lead to a "poverty trap" as Sampson defines it (2). It is not until policymaker address and accept this reality, and bring back to the table an agenda that focuses on culture, values, and perception of communities, that poverty will not decrease. What they have created so far is a culture of poverty, and it was very successful as poverty has been rising nonstop. It is time to work on culture, neighbourhood norms, and values.
Cohen, Patricia. 'Culture of Poverty' Makes a Comeback. 2010.
