The future of America is in crisis. With all of the budget cuts and trillions of dollars spent, it’s easy to see that what was once considered a great nation is now a nation that is headed down a perilous path. Is America’s current state worrisome, or is a lot of what’s going on fabricated? Whether Americans choose to believe it or not, there is an arising epidemic throughout the nation, and that plague is poverty. Although it is a subject that Americans tend to shy away from, it is very much real AND a big deal. The formation of poverty isn’t something that came about accidentally, but by the greed of a nation that preaches equality and unity. Many Americans fail to realize the reality of what’s really going on within America which is disheartening. Instead of opening their mind and hearts to the issues going on around them, they remain blind and narrow minded.
In the YouTube video, "Bill O'Reilly Gets Owned by Cornel West & Tavis Smiley", the debate on poverty gets pretty heated. It's obvious that both Smiley and West are passionate about their stance on poverty but at the same time, it's clear that O'Reilly is sticking to his guns when it comes to protecting the government and wealthy Americans. When it comes to the issue of poverty, there is more than one factor. Not only do these factor make it hard for Americans to come to a consensus, it creates distorted perceptions about the poor.
The causes of poverty are simple: Not enough jobs, job cuts, the whole “haves and the have nots” and the “99% and 1 %” ideologies. The affects are just as simple: Poverty, homelessness, people relying heavily on government assistance. Complaining about these people who “take advantage” of the government isn’t going to solve anything. It’ll only create more separation among people. What people need are better job opportunities and if there are no job opportunities, some should be created.
As a nation we spend so much time, energy and money on third world countries instead of realizing that our country is too headed down that very path. It’s easy to say that the cause of what’s going on has a lot to do with people being “lazy” or too dependent on the government, but what people don’t want to do is blame is America for people being out of jobs. People are quick to judge and slow to analyze, thus leaving those who are unemployed or who are on government assistance dehumanized, and those who “well off” narrow minded and heartless. As stated in The Rich & the Rest of Us by Tavis Smiley and Cornel West, “Empathizing with the psychological toll is impossible if we pretend it’s not in our midst.” (Smiley, West, 74). Most people don’t weigh the causes and affects of most situations, even situations regarding poverty, or even stop to think of what it does to the person who’s living in poverty’s psyche. The truth of the matter is, people should take themselves outside of their comfort zone, look past all of their riches and luxuries, and be more compassionate towards those who aren't necessarily living on a high horse. By doing that, it will allow some space to view people as people and not as anything less than.
