perpetuation of poverty

~art beals~ in 'beyond hunger: a biblical mandate for social resonsibility'

'injustice springs from powerlessness, peoiple living wihtout the power to control their lives. justice is empowering the poor, granting the means whereby they can gain control over their own destinies. with no power to control their lives, the poor will perpetuate the impoverishment and oppression of those social structures into which they were born. once a culture of poverty comes into existence, it tends to perpetuate itself from one generation to the next because of its devastateing impact upon the children of that culture.

'the book la vida: a puerto rican family in the culture of pverty -- san juan and new york underlines this point: 'by the time slum children are age six or seven they have usually absorbed the basic values and attitudes of their subculture and are not psychologically geared to take full advantage of changing conditions or increased opportunities which may occur in their lifetime.' cultural impoverishment renders them powerless over their environment.'