What Does It Mean To Be Poor In America?

A report by the conservative Heritage Foundation notes that when most Americans hear the word, they think of people who routinely can’t afford the basic staples of life: nutritious food, shelter and clothing. In reality, data from other federal surveys suggests that’s not the case for most poor people. And thanks to steadily increasing living standards, many or most poor Americans have things such as internet service, cable TV and dishwashers–not luxuries, to be sure, but not the picture of destitution that the word poverty often brings to mind.
As the report’s authors, Robert Rector and Rachel Sheffield put it: “[T]he actual standard of living of America’s poor—in terms of amenities in the home, housing, food consumption, and nutrition—is far higher than expected.”

This is something I struggle with a lot. I don’t mean to trivialize living in poverty, but our expectations are pretty high.

When I hear people saying they’re ‘hurting’ because they didn’t feel comfortable taking a vacation this year, I know our priorities are out of whack.

If you have cable TV and internet service, you’re not poor. You may be living at a lower standard than those around you based on the curve, but you’re not poor. Being poor or impoverished to me is the inability to meet basic life necessities. Beyond that, everything else is gravy.

If you have gravy, you ain’t poor, brutha.