Do you think your definition of poverty is truthful or suitable?

Question

I have found that what people or organizations(like the government) consider to be poverty is what is suitable for themselves to feel righteous or courteous, not based on the reality of being poor.
Here the discussion continues
poverty jobs
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-N7vq9dkhaalNRe.9U_C9GjfUok4lmaW5mQ--?cq=1&bid=164&yy=2006&mm=4&l=51&u=55&mx=86&lmt=5&p=278
a good topic of poverty
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-N7vq9dkhaalNRe.9U_C9GjfUok4lmaW5mQ--?cq=1&bid=164&yy=2006&mm=4&l=41&u=45&mx=86&lmt=5&p=369

Answer 1

The short answer: No.

There is no such thing as a "truthful" definition of poverty because poverty is intrinsically relative to wealth or income in a particular society that changes over time. One person may think that 90% of average income is poverty and another may say that anything over 25% of average is not poverty, and there are no objective criteria that we can all agee on to choose between these assertions.

So poverty is a political concept.

And you may have heard of an ancient cynic on this subject called Jesus Christ who said "the poor you will always have with you".

Answer 2

yes, i think there is a lot of sweeping under the carpet going on in govt statistics

the poverty level is placed at the TOP of the poverty - it tends to reassure that all poor people are getting that rate - that is the rate that is always mentioned - no indication is ever given of how far below this top level the bottom level goes

somehow the bottom poverty rate is never mentioned - surely the bottom poverty rate is of concern to govts?

it is by such subtle means that we can propangandize ourselves without knowing it

and similarly aid and support is given to the enemy in giving the low figure for the rich, no the high figure

someone is trying to soften the blow, hide the error

and averages are always given - which greatly softens the effect of wealth and poverty contrasts

it is perhaps entirely because of this averaging, that figures giving the extremes simply do not compute with people - they just think: surely there must be some error in those figures, that cant be right, i have never heard figures anything like those, i dont know if i can trust this person's facts

i prefer to state the highest and lowest hourly rates - and they would surprise anyone - from $1 to $1,000,000,000 a fortnight's work

one need look no further for the cause of world violence, the escalation accelerating to nuclear winter, death of everything

justice is equal pay for equal work, justice is the purpose of govt [james madison], justice is essential for peace, happiness and survival of states ['the state built on injustice cannot stand'], and yet we have pay of a billion times as much for the same length of time of work

[and i show elsewhere that none of the arguments for higher than average hourly pay [if you pay students for studying] is sound]

but even if some of them were, or if people would refuse to admit that they were unsound, a pay range of one billion for pay per time unit HAS to be very very very unjust -

an injustice factor of one billion is insane - really truly insane - considering that injustice means theft and translates to anger and violence, war and crime, the fall of empires - all empires have fallen because of galloping injustice, an unsurvivable range of pays per time unit

just think what theft of your valuables does to your feelings towards the thief - and 90% of people get 90-99.9% of earnings stolen!

neglect of measurement of injustice in states, when their survival depends on justice, is by definition traitorous

and as you say, the poverty level can be set at some 'nice' level - at the lowest level which the middle clases can read without being disturbed or guiltridden

i would have the lowest hourly payrate widely recognised and advertised by the state - admit our failings as well as our successes

i prefer to think that pursuit of happiness is an unalienable DUTY - which makes pursuit of justice the essential of a patriot, and of a non-selfdestructive human

it seems we have no patriots, only traitors - wreckers of the state, not its friends and helpers - destroyers, not creators, of states - the founding fathers [the good among them] may have been the last patriots of america

justice is essential to states, we have extreme injustice - and no one is raising this vital issue - so how can we say there is patriotism?

see my other answers if you are on the side of humanity - survival and happiness

Answer 3

quote from the bible should answer this question




Wealth is good when there is no sin; but poverty is evil by the standards of the proud. (Sirach 13:23 NAB)

Answer 4

No,the real definition of poverty is having IGNORANT MIND!

Answer 5

truthful, b/c have experienced and had friends who experienced this