What are the most common stereotypes about the poor?

Question

And what comes to mind when your confronted by panhandlers/beggars?

Answer 1

The assumption that they are poor because it's their fault/they're lazy.

Who likes not having enough, feeling stuck in a no-win situation, being stressed out about tomorrow's rent/food/gas money/medical bills/etc.? Nobody. There was no level playing field we were all born into. We work with what we are given.

It's also unfortunate that we assign "good" characteristics to those who have and "bad" ones to those who don't, regardless of how they got what they have.

Answer 2

Stereotypes: lazy, greedy, sneaky, vicious, unintelligent, non-white (sometimes this is a better description of the rich)

When I get panhandled, it depends totally on my mood. One day I'll think the beggar really hates me and would rather roll my dead body for cash and will just go spend it on booze. Another day I'm like, "there but for the grace of god, go I," and I'll empty my pockets. It's weird. I think it reflects my middle class ambivalence about the poor, where part of me is so afraid of poverty that I buy the stereotype, and the other part is truly compassionate and wants to change the world so nobody has to be poor.

Answer 3

It's nothing short of immoral that while shamelessly blocking attempts to raise the minimum wage for low-wage workers, the Republican Congress gave itself nine(9) pay raises since 1997- a total $35.000 >THIRTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS MORE THAN IN 1997!!!!!! THE ONLY TRUE REASON WE HAVE THE POOR AND BEGGARS AND PANHANDLERS IN THIS COUNTRY IS BECAUSE THEY DON"T PAY A LIVING WAGE TO (8) EIGHT MILLION WORKERS!!!!!!