People all around the world think of the less fortunate as “weak.” Some of the most successful people started out with almost nothing and make millions. The way poor or homeless people grow up motivates them to do better in life. Others, who have more money, tend to think these “poor” people are dirty, unknowledgeable, and have no future. Through research and readings, I have learned this theory is completely wrong and selfish. I have never been “poor,” but I have been looked at as being poor knowledge wise. Several individuals have made rude comments that I could hear. This person thought I was not “smart enough,” based on how I looked and my race. They made comments like, “she’s not that smart,” or “that’s a first.” This could have affected me in several ways. Being the person I am, immediately got angry. Instead of bullying them back, I showed them how smart I am. I am capable of doing anything I put my mind to. This motivated me to be a better student and show people how much potential I have. I look at myself as being rich in knowledge. This experience has led me to read how …show more content…
However, she was born into poverty in a small town called Kosciusko, Mississippi. Oprah grew up with her single mother and her grandmother. She had a very tough childhood growing up. Oprah moved to Baltimore, Maryland in 1776. She hosted the TV chat show “People are talking,” for eight years. The show was a hit which she loved and so did millions of people. Her success in her show grew her fame and a role in the movie “The color purple.” She was nominated for an academy award for Best Supporting Actress. Throughout her career she improved her show and then launched the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1986 as a “nationally syndicated program” (bio.com/1). Oprah grew up in rags and has become one of the most successful women today. This has also brought me to read how Richard Wright was successful with his book “Black
Hooks pointed out that many of his professors insinuated that there were negative stereotypes of being poor. Moreover, that self-esteem is linked to financial wealth; women he met with were on government assistance, but chose to get further in debt to appear to have money, never wanting to be labeled poor. Hooks was raised to believe that morals and values made one rich; that one could have all the money in the world but still be poor because of their attitude. Who’s accountable for why people in our society are poor? It’s seems a vicious circle that is hard for poor kids to escape. Many people with low incomes are “intelligent, critical thinkers struggling to transform their circumstances” (Hooks, p. 488) There are many resources, such as theaters that are empty all day, to pay it forward and help the less fortunate gain skills from college students and professors sharing their knowledge. Barbara Ehrenreich’s “How I Discovered the Truth About Poverty” questions why negative stereotypes of untrustworthiness in poor people. Because of this mistrust, the introduction of drug testing for government aid was passed. Why are those negative connotations associated with poverty? “Poverty is not, after all, a cultural aberration or a character flaw. Poverty is a shortage of money.”
On the other hand, if you are surrounded by an environment which revolves around drugs and bad influences, you have a bigger chance of falling into those same paths. I wasn’t poor but I wasn’t rich either, I was surrounded by an environment in which many people were in need of shelter and food because their families could not afford both. Just like poverty played a major role in my life, so did an ambitious and hardworking environment. Because those people I would see every day on the streets without food or a home, were the ones that had a bigger passion than anyone else, to one day be able to have a stable job and home for their family.
...amily members may cling to the idea that people experiencing poverty deserve to because admitting that individuals affected by poverty may not be responsible for their own challenges would cause too much discomfort. Questioning the concept of the undeserving poor, would affect those who adhere to it by causing them to question other cultural ideals. For instance, if my friend were to admit that poverty is not linked to deservingness, then my friend’s success is not linked to deservingness; this in turn, may challenge my friend’s own feelings of being exceptional and may make him question the reasons behind his own success. In addition, people may choose to believe the poverty myths about deservingness because it is safer for their self-perceptions than admitting that they are okay with and prospering in a social, political, and economic systems that harm others.
Oprah Winfrey, born January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, MS: is recognized a very popular talk show host and proprietor of HARPO Industries and actress. She stared in a key role in “The Color Purple” written by Alice Walker. This movie also depicted the life and times of people in the South and won many awards for the performances. Oprah retired her show after over ten years to return with the OWN TV (O...
The idea that people of poor communities conform to a living standard and behavior is a concept described by Oscar Lewis as the culture of poverty. It is the belief that poor people consists of their own beliefs and values and behaviors. And more than 45 years later after the term, the culture of poverty paradigm remains the same: there is a consistent and observable culture that is shared by people in poverty. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as the culture of poverty. differences in behaviors and values among those that are poor are just as significant as those between wealthy and poor. The culture of poverty is a construct of smaller stereotypes which seem to have implanted themselves into the collective conscience of mainstream thought as undeniable fact. However, as we will see, nothing could be further from the truth. Based on 6 most common myths of what defines poor from wealthy, I will provide evidence to the contrary.
Oprah’s childhood was not the greatest. Her unmarried parents split up, and she grew up on a farm with her grandmother. She developed rapidly and could read before she was three. Also, she was tested out of kindergarten and second grade, thus only taking first grade and skipping to third grade. When she turned six, she started to live with her mother and was very lonely. However, she began her speaking profession around that time. “She was invited to recite poetry at black social clubs and church teas, where she became known as ‘the little speaker.’ At 12, during a visit to her father in Nashville, she earned $500 for a speech she delivered at a church” (“Winfrey, Oprah”). As you can tell, Oprah started young in her profession and was determined to make a living off of this since her prior experiences.
Poverty is a potential outcome for everyone. It’s sneaky and many people fall victim to it every year. No one believes that they have the potential to fall into debt, but it can happen through a string of bad luck, time running short, and other possibilities that can’t be controlled. People who are struggling with difficulty believe that there is no way out because no one will help them. However, there are ways for us, as a society, to help those who are short on income receive the help that they need. Many of the impoverished are thought to be slackers, addicts, or self-destructive to their lives. Society can help each other by dismembering the stereotypes given to people who are underneath the “Poverty Line” that they used as wedges between the classes. Labels given to those who’re poor have nothing to do with who they are as humans.
As a society, individuals often revert to the financial status of a person in order to judge their character and potential. However, looking solely at social class, the perception of the individual is primarily based on material possessions or lack thereof.
Oprah Winfrey is an inspiration to many all around the world. She did not have a very good home life up until the age of 14. She was abused as a child and did not see her mother very often because she was a housemaid who was gone almost every day all day. Vernon Winfrey, Oprah’s father, was a big service in her life when it came to keeping her in a nonviolent manner. Oprah also had her career going for her when she became Miss Black Tennessee at age 17. When Oprah became Miss Black Tennessee she was offered a radio broadcasting job and a full scholarship to Tennessee. Oprah had quite a few talk shows yet she made the most money off her own show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and now has her individual network called The Oprah Winfrey Network. Oprah Winfrey’s influential style greatly impacted those who came after her in the entertainment industry.
Why are poor people poor? Why do poor people seem to stay poor? Some scholars blame the preceding postulations on the the attitudes and behaviors of the culture. Others blame a culture of poverty on the specific individuals that form the culture. Hence, the controversy surrounding the culture of poverty is generated from assumptions that are placed upon the examined community. Assumptions that are placed on the culture lead to an unyielding cycle amongst the inhabitants of the culture. Under the unyielding cycle, the beliefs and actions of the culture are constructed not only on how the people value themselves, but also in part by how onlookers perceive and categorize these inhabitants. In essence, the culture of
Oprah Winfrey is as American entrepreneur and a popular talk show host. She was born on January 29 1954 in Kosciusko Mississippi. She was the result of a broken teenage relationship and teenage pregnancy so as you can imagine it had quite an impact on her development as she grew up. Against all odds she became a very successful woman and is currently worth 2.8 billion USD.
Oprah was born on a farm in 1954 to a poor family. Winfrey enjoyed reciting African American poetry, and became known as the "little speaker" in her town. When she was 12, Winfrey won $500 for a speech she gave at her father 's church. From then on she wanted to "be paid to talk." When Winfrey was a teenager, her dream was put on hold. Some of the trusted men of her family began to sexually abuse her. She lashed out in anger at the world by lying to her mother, running away from home, and stealing. Unaware of what Winfrey was going through, her mother sent her away to live with her father. If her mother never sent her away, Oprah 's life would have been much different. At age 17, Oprah Winfrey won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant and was offered an on-air job at WVOL, a radio station for the African American community in Nashville. Oprah continued to work at WVOL in her first years of college, but her broadcasting career was already taking off. She left school and signed on with a local television station as a reporter and anchor. In 1976, she moved to Baltimore to join WJZ-TV News as a co-anchor. There, she co-hosted her first talk show, People Are Talking, while continuing to serve as anchor and news reporter. In January 1984, she was invited to Chicago to host a half-hour morning program on WLS-TV. In less than a year, she turned AM Chicago into the hottest show in
J.K. Rowling once said “Poverty entails fear and stress and sometimes depression. It meets a thousand petty humiliations and hardships. Climbing out of poverty by your own efforts that is something on which to pride yourself, but poverty itself is romanticized by fools,” and this really resonates with me as my family has always struggled with money. It was this state of poverty that has stayed with me my whole life and defined who I am today.
For most people growing up is filled with memories of joy and happiness. A childhood should be filled with affection and care, but Oprah did not always feel those things. Oprah did not have such a great upbringing, but despite the odds she rose up and became who she had wanted to be. Oprah had dealt with many accounts of sexual abuse, the lack of attention from her mother, and moving from place-to-place for most of her early years (Fry, web). Not only was Oprah faced sexual abuse, but she also became pregnant from one of the instances (Fry, web). This made things even more difficult for the young Oprah.
One of the most powerful women in the world is Oprah Gail Winfrey. Oprah is one of the richest businesswomen in the world, but she wasn’t always rich and successful. She had a very tough life growing up and didn’t have much money. She has always been a hard worker, and she had a passion for hosting and acting. Oprah is very good at what she does and that’s how she raised to the top of being one of the most influential women in the media.