Stop Blaming Poor People for Their Poverty

Poverty and Wealth, William Powell Firth, 1888.
"Why do so many scholars blame the poor for their poverty? In 'Why the Poor Don’t Vote to Soak the Rich,' UCLA political scientist Daniel Treisman writes, 'In a democracy, income inequality should in theory correct itself. The poor majority should vote to tax the rich and divide the proceeds among themselves. But that’s not happening in the United States.' While Treisman notes that a number of factors might explain this apparent puzzle, he focuses on poor people’s political ignorance, their misperceptions about economic inequality, and 'the desire of millions to see themselves as more or less average.' Many other scholars make similar arguments, attributing economic inequality to the voting behavior and attitudes of the poor. Yale political scientist Ian Shapiro, for instance, claims that most poor people do not want the wealthy to have a higher tax bill because they compare themselves not to the rich but to those closer to themselves in the social order. ..."
Jacobin