Author Question: Individual explanations of poverty are easier to accept than structural explanations? (Read 1289 times)

Hawke

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 679
My sociology homework says that it's easier for the Average American to accept individual explanations of poverty than structural explanations. What does that even mean and why is that?



Sandstorm

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 268
It will help if you have some understanding of the distinction between an individual and a structural explanation.  We're dealing with causes... What causes poverty?  Individual explanations could include traits of individuals who are poor.  Can you think of some?.. Hint:  Being lazy.  Structural explanations involve aspects of the society that can cause someone to be poor.  Hint:  Segregated housing & neighborhood schools..  Some parts of town are composed of cheap housing which causes poor and minority people to get concentrated there.  The kids who live in those neighborhoods all go to neighborhood schools which, because real estate taxes are low, don't have a lot of money to hire good teachers or to buy computers and other materials.  The kids end up with a lousy education which means they can't get good jobs and become the next generation of poor people.  Can you see why the two explanations aren't equally easy to understand?  Plus we get to blame poor people for their poverty with the individual explanation.  It takes us off the hook about trying to do something about it.  Regards.
« Last Edit: Jul 16, 2013 by Celeste »



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
 

Did you know?

Earwax has antimicrobial properties that reduce the viability of bacteria and fungus in the human ear.

Did you know?

Children of people with alcoholism are more inclined to drink alcohol or use hard drugs. In fact, they are 400 times more likely to use hard drugs than those who do not have a family history of alcohol addiction.

Did you know?

When Gabriel Fahrenheit invented the first mercury thermometer, he called "zero degrees" the lowest temperature he was able to attain with a mixture of ice and salt. For the upper point of his scale, he used 96°, which he measured as normal human body temperature (we know it to be 98.6° today because of more accurate thermometers).

Did you know?

The shortest mature adult human of whom there is independent evidence was Gul Mohammed in India. In 1990, he was measured in New Delhi and stood 22.5 inches tall.

Did you know?

The Babylonians wrote numbers in a system that used 60 as the base value rather than the number 10. They did not have a symbol for "zero."

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library