America's Misconception of Poor

We live in an amazing country that provides us with multiple opportunities and freedoms. We have so much opportunity and freedom that we put ourselves in a bubble, ignoring the struggle of those living in countries less fortunate than ours. Americans have a misconception of what it means to be poor because of the media portrayal of the rich and famous.

            Our image of wealth and success comes mostly from the media. The media constantly bombards us with images and stories about the rich and famous. We start to idolize those people and desire to be like them. Once we realize how unlikely it is that we will reach their wealth, we feel insecure about own wealth and lifestyle, and consider ourselves poor and unsuccessful. The media also depict poor people very negatively. Television shows portray poor people as dirty, substance abusers, and harmful to themselves and others (Kendall 334). This image guides us to believe we are better than the poor and warns us never to be at that level of society.

            What some people fail to realize is that the poor in America are richer than in other countries. This country provides many shelters and programs to aid the poor and keep them from starving, something unseen in other countries. We consider someone poor based on how much money they make, while in other countries the poor have no money. In America we focus on what we don’t have compared to the rich people, when we should be focusing on how abundant our lives our compared to the truly poor in third world countries. As Americans we need to realize that we are much more fortunate than we give ourselves credit for.