Concentrate on some of these suggestions for your discussion:
Some argue that there is a culture of poverty that grinds individuals down so that they can never climb out
of poverty. Discuss the implications of lack of income and its impact on all aspects of an individual’s
potential, particularly today. This topic will help sensitize you to the life of the poor. Compare the public
spending for anti poverty programs versus other programs. This gives you insight into the lack of support
these programs have relative to others. List the number of lobbying groups, which devote energy to the
needs of the poor. Has poverty changed? Is the immigrant poverty at the turn of the century different from
the life of poverty today? While immigrants should not be idealized, some scholars argue that inner city
poor lack the sense of community that helped immigrant poor endure. What are the sources of income and
wealth today? Is there any empirical support for the functional theory of inequality? “According to the
functional theory of inequality, society must first distribute its members into the various jobs or roles defined
by the society and then motivate them to perform their tasks efficiently” (Cochran and Malone, 1999: 191).
