This document discusses how cultural systems shape common perceptions of poverty through popular beliefs and ideologies. It outlines how individualistic explanations of poverty have dominated public discourse since the 1970s, reinforced by terms like "personal responsibility" and the Horatio Alger myth. While some acknowledge structural factors, they still qualify the individualistic perspective. The media also influences perceptions by framing stories episodically and perpetuating stereotypes. Conservative groups further push the individualistic view through extensive lobbying and media campaigns.

1. Sociology of Poverty
MOD 7: Structural Perspectives (Cultural)

2. Cultural System Overview
 A battle of ideology exists
 “This war of ideas—the expression of conflicting values, interests, and visions
of society—is a dynamic force” (Royce, 2015, p. 145)
 The cultural system looks at how popular beliefs about poverty are formed,
reinforced, and whose interests are to benefit from these beliefs

3. Common Perceptions
 Since the 1970s the dominant ideology has shifted toward individualistic
explanations of poverty
 Reinforced by our common language: “Personal responsibility,” “illegitimacy,”
“underclass,” and “welfare dependency”
 The Horatio Alger myth is a common storyline many ascribe to
 “Conservatives recommend improving poor people through tough love and
moral uplift, while liberals call for more training and education” (p. 148)

4. Individualistic vs. Structural Perspective
 “Individualism…is the preferred ideology of the powerful, legitimating an
economic and political system that perpetuates their privileged status” (p. 149)
 Suggests non-controversial solutions: education, hard work, family values
 “Women, low-income individuals, and people who are non-white, younger, more
educated, and less religious are more likely to cite structural factors as causes
of poverty” (p. 150)
 Structuralists tend to be on the political margins
 Structuralists favor broad welfare policies and redistributive programs (p. 154)
“When Americans express support for a structural explanation, this does not
necessarily imply that they see poor people in a positive light or categorically
reject an individualistic perspective on poverty” (p. 151)

5. Many Causes of Poverty
 “People often agree with structural explanations, but this by no means
precludes them from having a more general and deeply rooted adherence to
the dominant individualistic ideology” (pp. 152-153)
 Weak structuralist viewpoints are consistent with the human capital theory
and they encourage approaches to help the poor help themselves (e.g., skills
training and education programs)
 Weak structuralists qualify the individualistic perspective, rather than oppose
or reject it

6. The News Media
 The news media has a significant opportunity to shape public opinion, hence
common perceptions about poverty
 “The media are a significant part of the poverty problem” (p. 155)
 New organizations are funded and operated by corporate conglomerates with
their own economic and political interests
 “Journalism is as much as business as it is a profession, and as with any other
business, its purpose is to make money” (p. 155)

7. Media Influences (continued)
 Journalists depict poverty in ways that reinforce individualistic explanations
 “It consistently represents poverty as an individual problem rather than a social
problem, a “personal trouble” rather than a “public issue” (p. 157)
 Episodic (focus on personal experiences) vs. thematic (focus on broad policy
issues) framing of poverty
 Use of story format to portray poverty distorts the broader reality of the
problem… it keeps the focus on the individual
 Stereotypes of the “welfare queen” are reinforced (p. 159)

8. News Coverage Effects
 Since the 2007 recession (The Great Recession), the media has focused on a
division between the new poor (working class; victims of the crash) and the
old poor (underclass; there by choice and personal character)
 Media racializes poverty through unrepresentative portrayal of African
Americans in movies and news stories. Three dangerous results:
 Blame the victim mentality is perpetuated
 Public enthusiasm for social programs is dampened
 White support for political and economic reforms is made more difficult

9. Media Characteristics & Pressures
 News organizations rely on “official sources of information and analysis,”
which are often owned/directed by the corporate conglomerates trying to
protect their interests (p. 161)
 Media is lead to ignore multiple perspectives due to:
 Pressure to be the “first to the story”
 Limited to short sound and video bites that others can easily digest
 Desire to avoid blame of being politically biased
 “Though often unwittingly so, the mainstream media serve as an ally of the
dominant ideology: they obscure the structural causes of poverty and bolster
the prevailing individualistic view” (p. 164)

10. The Right-Wing Ideology Machine
 Comprised of an “imposing network of corporate sponsors, business groups,
think tanks, media watchdog organizations, radio and television talk shows,
Internet sites, conservative intellectuals, and right-wing politicians” (p. 165)
 The declining economy since the 1970s caused corporate business to fight to
protect their interests
 Funded primarily through corporate contributions and conservative family
foundations: the Bradley Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation, the Scaife
Family Foundations, the Castle Rock Foundation, the Koch family foundations, etc.
 In 2012, the Heritage Foundation alone spent $82 million to advance the
Republican cause and party

11. The Right-Wing Effect on Media
 Activist groups established to fight against “liberal bias”
 These media watch dog groups are funded by the same corporate conglomerates
(Accuracy in Media, Media Institute, Center for Media and Public Affairs)
 Attempt to transform the media from within
 Increase and popularity of conservative talk show personalities on radio and
television (Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, etc.)
 The dominant ideology is fueled by this “Republican propaganda mill” (p. 167)

12. Four Mainstream Poverty Issues
 Since the 1970s, these areas of focus have worked to “obscure the structural
nature of poverty” (p. 168):
 The Underclass
 Shifted focus to problems that the poor cause (crime, violence, drugs)
 Government Dependency
 Liberal government programs incentivize poverty
 Illegitimacy
 Declining family values
 Welfare Perversity
 Two-fold effect: shifts focus from the market to the government and fuels skepticism
about the role of government to fix the problem