PARADIGMS OF POVERTY….Mike Tomasky’s working class cred aside, I was amused by this paragraph from George Will’s column today. He is contrasting the “old” paradigm of poverty ? that the poor need housing, transportation, training, etc. ? to the new paradigm:
The new paradigm is of behavior-driven poverty that results from individuals’ nonmaterial deficits. It results from a scarcity of certain habits and mores ? punctuality, hygiene, industriousness, deferral of gratification, etc. ? that are not developed in disorganized homes.
In other words, the poor are poor because they’re lazy, dirty, weak, and come from bad stock. Is Will seriously trying to pretend that this is a new view of the poor?
