2 weeks ago I bi-accidentally posted a video instead of an article, so instead of posting a video this week I am posting an article. I read an article on the Causes of Poverty. Most people wonder if people are poor because of their own fault. Are people poor because of their own bad decisions? Or maybe they are poor because they are lazy.... The list could go on forever, but the question is never really answered. The article says that in country's who do not really have a good government to lead them in the right direction most of the people are poor when only a few become wealthy. So is the government to blame? Yes, partially the government to blame. When you are poor you don't have the money for health, education, and other things. Not being able to really part of the community by taking part in the things that wealthier people are able to do lower's the voice of the poor. It is harder to voice your opinion in political debates, making it even harder to get out of the poverty that you are stuck in. Surprisingly, Even though economic and political policies are made to help the poor, they end up benefiting the wealthier in the end. This just leaves the poor in the same situation and it makes it harder and harder for them to get out. Reading this article, and the other articles linked on this website made me realize, that it is mostly the government making poverty stay the way it is and not the people who are in poverty.

When I saw this picture I almost cried. Look at the way people are living daily. Look at their surroundings. It's astonishing to me that people can see other people like this and can care less. Poverty really causes the families to stick close together and help each other because they really have nothing else. I can't imagine what living like this would be like... can you? Even being around this surrounding for more then a minute would make a traumatic affect on my life. Next week we will see what organizations do to help people in need and fix these situations.

For my first post, I want to start off simple. I want to address my topic by visually showing you what poverty is like today in the world, so that when I start posting articles you will be able to fully understand the point I am trying to get across. As I keep posting I will go deeper and deeper into my topic, but I'd thought I'd start off easy. If you have read to this point in the paragraph and haven't watched the video above WATCH IT NOW, until you read on further. 
This video just astonishes me. Look how the people who need the help and need  guidance (the homeless) are being turned away by people just based on there appearance. I mean seriously, this people don't even know this man, but just because he looks home less people look at him as if he has a gun to their face. WHERE IS THE SYMPATHY? AREN'T THE PEOPLE WHO ARE STRUGGLING THE ONES WE SHOULD FEEL BAD FOR?! The people struggling with poverty should be the people who get the help or get the attention so that they can turn their life around and make it better. I mean really, why do people look at poverty and walk away from it, when they should be trying to do something about it? 
The craziest part of the video is when the guy puts on the nice jacket. When the home less man puts on the nice jacket, he doesn't seem to be  home less, and that is when people care to talk to him. Since the homeless man is not selfish he helps the other home less woman he sees  because he knows better. He realizes that she is the one who needs the help and is cold so he gives up something for her.... and that is coming from a guy who has NOTHING. But most of us have SOMETHING.... actually we have A LOT of things... and we are the ones who won't even say one word to a home less person. 
So not only are people that are poor are struggling, but on top of that, they are being judged by everyone around them. IS THE REASON WHY PEOPLE ARE IN SUCH POVERTY NOW A DAYS  IS BECAUSE OTHER PEOPLE ARE CARELESS? The reason why poverty is increasing more and more is because WE aren't doing something about it. SO WHAT DO WE DO? .....think about it.... 

Introduction to my blog

Hello. My name is Francesca D'Angelo. For this semester in sociology i decided to blog about poverty. Why? Because poverty has been a problem all around the world as long as we can remember!! This summer, my eyes were opened to what a big deal poverty is. I read the book The Glass Castle, which is about a young girl who lives in poverty her entire life. I also went to New York City for a couple of days and was confronted by the homeless on the street begging for money because they had no food. But the real question that has always left me wondering is "How did they become so poor?" "What did they go through to make them live a life in poverty?" Well, hopefully my research on this topic will bring me and all of my fellow readers to a better understanding of why poverty is happening, and how we can change it.