The Undeserving Poor and Our Obligations to Them
We attach a moral value to welfare payments, but why?
Yesterday, I read an article by Melissa Chu, titled Being Poor Doesn’t Mean Someone is Stupid, Weak, or Lazy, about the cycles that reinforce poverty and wealth, and inhibit social mobility. We like to think that we live in a meritocracy, where anyone can pull themselves up by the bootstraps and become as successful as the next person, as long as they put in the effort. Unfortunately, the reality is very different, and there are doors that open for some while slamming closed for others.
Perhaps we need to rethink the value of merit. Because we are fixated on the idea of work being the best route out of poverty, we think that those requiring financial assistance must prove that they ‘deserve’ it. The UK benefits system operates on the principle of forcing claimants to demonstrate that they have tried literally everything to find work, or that they are so ill they could keel over at any minute. But what about those that cannot demonstrate their merit or worthiness? They still need to eat.
It is a system designed to induce hardship and communicate the message that being on benefits is undesirable and precarious. But being in work does not guarantee a way out of poverty. In Britain, the majority of benefit claimants are in work, and yet they are still subject…
