Twelve The moral condemnation of the poor
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Paul Spicker
Abstract
Accepting that poverty is serious is only the first step towards accepting responsibility. The second step is to accept that something ought to be done. One of the most common strategies for denying that responsibility is the claim that poverty is the responsibility of the poor themselves. But the moral principles which lead people to accept responsibility are not, for the most part, affected or negated by the actions or behaviour of poor people. If poor people are suffering, they are not suffering less if it is their own fault. If we owe a charitable duty to God, it applies whether or not poor people are deserving. If poor people have rights, they have rights whether or not they have behaved badly. The only principle that is clearly affected by the conduct of poor people is the duty of solidarity. Solidarity changes according to the situation of each person. Blaming the poor changes the nature of the moral obligation between the people involved; it also turns poor people into something different from ourselves, and puts them at a distance.
By contrast with arguments about the seriousness of the issue, the moral condemnation of the poor gets much less academic attention. Here are some examples. The first is from Edward Banfield’s book, The unheavenly city:
The lower class individual lives in a slum and sees little or no reason to complain. He does not care how dirty and dilapidated his housing is either inside or out, nor does he mind the inadequacy of such public facilities as schools, parks and libraries; indeed, where such things exist he destroys them by acts of vandalism if he can.
Abstract
Accepting that poverty is serious is only the first step towards accepting responsibility. The second step is to accept that something ought to be done. One of the most common strategies for denying that responsibility is the claim that poverty is the responsibility of the poor themselves. But the moral principles which lead people to accept responsibility are not, for the most part, affected or negated by the actions or behaviour of poor people. If poor people are suffering, they are not suffering less if it is their own fault. If we owe a charitable duty to God, it applies whether or not poor people are deserving. If poor people have rights, they have rights whether or not they have behaved badly. The only principle that is clearly affected by the conduct of poor people is the duty of solidarity. Solidarity changes according to the situation of each person. Blaming the poor changes the nature of the moral obligation between the people involved; it also turns poor people into something different from ourselves, and puts them at a distance.
By contrast with arguments about the seriousness of the issue, the moral condemnation of the poor gets much less academic attention. Here are some examples. The first is from Edward Banfield’s book, The unheavenly city:
The lower class individual lives in a slum and sees little or no reason to complain. He does not care how dirty and dilapidated his housing is either inside or out, nor does he mind the inadequacy of such public facilities as schools, parks and libraries; indeed, where such things exist he destroys them by acts of vandalism if he can.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Preface iv
- Acknowledgements vii
- About the author viii
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Understanding poverty
- Defining poverty 3
- Poverty in different societies 11
- Understanding the figures 19
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Poverty as material need
- Concepts of need 29
- Area deprivation 37
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Poverty as economic position
- Economic resources 45
- Class 53
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Poverty and social relationships
- Social exclusion 65
- Dependency 73
- Poverty and politics 83
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Poverty as a moral concept
- The moral dimensions of poverty 93
- The moral condemnation of the poor 101
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Explanations for poverty
- Why people are poor 111
- Why poor countries stay poor 121
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Responses to poverty
- Responding to poverty 135
- Policies for poverty 143
- Notes 153
- Index 173
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Preface iv
- Acknowledgements vii
- About the author viii
-
Understanding poverty
- Defining poverty 3
- Poverty in different societies 11
- Understanding the figures 19
-
Poverty as material need
- Concepts of need 29
- Area deprivation 37
-
Poverty as economic position
- Economic resources 45
- Class 53
-
Poverty and social relationships
- Social exclusion 65
- Dependency 73
- Poverty and politics 83
-
Poverty as a moral concept
- The moral dimensions of poverty 93
- The moral condemnation of the poor 101
-
Explanations for poverty
- Why people are poor 111
- Why poor countries stay poor 121
-
Responses to poverty
- Responding to poverty 135
- Policies for poverty 143
- Notes 153
- Index 173
