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Daily Discussion: What About Us?

Submitted by admin on April 5, 2009 – 5:29 pmComments

child-poverty Do you think enough attention is paid to the poverty in America? Is helping children in another country more glamorous? Is it more financially possible? Did you know that one in six children lives in poverty in the United States? One in six.

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nicoleisbetter says:

April 6, 2009 at 1:51 am

I've always hoped that someone like Angelina Jolie would adopt an American child. Because on one hand, children are children and anything we can do to help them (no matter where they live), is worth it. But on the other hand, it would be wonderful for someone with that kind of publicity to shine the powerful spotlight a little closer to home.

Doni says:

April 6, 2009 at 4:34 am

I completely agree. I think that helping where you can is crucial, but there's always a calling for citizens to work to better their own country, their homes. One in six, that is very very sad.

Erin says:

April 6, 2009 at 4:54 am

In Canada, they also say 1/6 children live in poverty. But when you look at different groups, it's even worse. 1/3 children who are a visible minority live in poverty, 1/2 children who are new immigrants live in poverty, and 1/2 of aboriginal children live in poverty.
I do think that these children in other countries need help too, because third world countries are less able to help their own citizens with social welfare programs. But I think a lot of the attention goes to the children in the third world countries… I mean how many commercials are there to convince you to save starving children in Africa? Have you ever heard of somebody sponsoring a Canadian or American child? It seems silly that we promote and glamorize helping people in other countries while basically ignoring the fact that our own countries share these same issues.
My stats: http://www.socialjustice.org/uploads/pubs/Poverty...

Lindsay McHugh says:

April 6, 2009 at 8:40 am

I've actually been discussing this recently with my roommate (thanks to the recent Madonna adoption drama). I don't understand the "fad" of celebrities adopting children from other countries – exclusively from other countries. I do understand that opportunity being given to those children coming from less developed places, but there are plenty of deserving, local kids that need the same amount of help. All Americans are not created equal, and it's foolish to think that a child in poverty in another nation needs more help than one in the US.

Lauren says:

April 6, 2009 at 8:33 pm

I definitely think it's important to focus on children near and far. However, one thing to point out in regards to celebrity adoption is that a lot of them DO adopt domestically. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Calista Flockheart, Rosie O'Donnell, and Sheryl Crow all have adopted domestically and I'm sure there are tons of others. Most of these adoptions just haven't been showcased in the media nearly as much…and probably for good reason. Adopting domestically can be lead to legal battles and I'm sure that some celebrities realize that they lessen this risk by choosing international adoption – especially considering that their children will be in the media so often. Just some things to think about in regard to celebrity adoption.

nicoleisbetter says:

April 6, 2009 at 9:31 pm

That's a really interesting point. I do know that the celebs you mentioned have adopted domestically, but it's not nearly as publicized and the legal reasons make sense. In addition to adoption though, it would be great for celebrities or public figures to really push the media to cover child poverty in the United States. Some of them have such large and immediate spheres of influence and a little notice could go a long way.

nicoleisbetter says:

April 6, 2009 at 9:32 pm

That's the first thing I thought about- the child sponsorship commercials! I wonder what the comparative costs would be to sponsor a North American child vs. a child in Africa.

Terra says:

April 7, 2009 at 2:40 pm

Poverty in America is so different from poverty in other places. Not to discredit the American poor at all, as I was one of those children growing up below the poverty line myself, I think some of it has to do with the fact that the poor in America are living well compared to the poor in third world countries. I spent a year deployed to Kosovo and poverty there looks totally different than it does there. They don't have electricity or access to clean water in many places. It's bad no matter where it is and I think people need to change they way they view people on welfare and food stamps in this country and stop assuming a mother on welfare is a liar and cheating the system. For whatever reason, views of the poor in this country are negative, at least in my experience. I can't even count how many times I've heard people say something like "well, there's no excuse for someone to be poor in America – they just aren't working hard enough." I think until we work on changing that mentality, the poor in America won't get the attention they deserve.

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