Discussion: Distribution of wealth and poverty

Discussion: Distribution of wealth and poverty

What creates “the disproportionate distribution of wealth and poverty“? Can this distribution be better equalized?

The Discussion for this week will focus on the discrepancy of wealth and poverty in the United States. Please respond to the following questions:

What impact does the discrepancy between wealth and poverty in the United States have on society?

What are some of the emotional and physical consequences of poverty on individuals?

Discussion responses should be on topic, original, and contribute to the quality of the Discussion by making frequent informed references to course materials. Remember to respond to at least two classmates with comments that forward the Discussion

Kathleen’s Post

The discrepancy between wealth and poverty in the United States has a big impact on society. Henslin (2013, pg. 198) states, “You can see that more than one-third of the nation’s wealth is in the hands of just 1 percent of U.S. families.” This gap can be seen in housing, education, healthcare, jobs, and the criminal justice system. There is a saying “the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor”. It is sad, but I have always seen this statement to be true when looking at our society in America. I believe that because of the discrepancy between wealthy and poverty, it is hard for those who are at or below the poverty line to rise above that line. Ultimately, this means that those in poverty are struggling their whole life and more than likely living paycheck to paycheck.

Living in poverty can lead to both physical and emotional consequences. A lot of times, living in poverty leads individuals to become stressed and depressed as a lot of individuals are living paycheck to paycheck, and having to budget carefully. Both depression and stress take an emotional toll on a person. Not only that, but stress especially, can begin to take physical tolls as well. Many people stop eating and lose weight when they are stressed or depressed. This is bad for overall health. It is also common for people living in poverty to be involved in gang activity, prostitution, and drugs which bring on emotional and physical consequences of their own like injuries, diseases, and even death. Individuals who live in poverty have multiple emotional and physical consequences to deal with, that I feel are often over looked or not thought about. (Henslin, 2013).

Reference

Henslin, J. M. (08/2013). Social Problems: A Down to Earth Approach, 8th Edition. [Kaplan]. Retrieved from https://kaplan.vitalsource.com/#/books/97813232453…

Jessi’s Post

Hello Everyone,

There are several discrepancies that divide wealth and poverty in the United States. These divisions create a astigmatism that labels individuals and can be condescending at times. People in poverty are looked at as lower class men and less likely to achieve anything in life. Where as people in wealth appear to have grown up with everything given to them which makes it easier for them to continue their wealth and achieve better things.

I don’t find this to be entirely true, however I do agree that it is more difficult for someone that comes from a poverty level to achieve higher things and make that switch into wealth later in life. I think these divisions can cause a great deal of emotional strain and even physical at times. It can cause people to often become depressed, anxious, lose a feeling of self worth. When you are stressed you tend to compromise your immune system which allows you to become sick easier. These things can also cause weight loss or gain, hair loss from stress, acne, and so on.

It can become tough to get out of the cycle once you are in it. It can lead to less motivated workers, and individuals to want to strive for anything else. Even those of wealth struggle with depression, or anxiety from the expectations of others. Often those individuals feel a lot of pressure to not disappoint or let others down.

Respond to each both post with a minimum of 150 words.

Discussion: Distribution of wealth and poverty