Why do we blame the poor?
The way we frame issues can make all the difference. A woman is being evicted from her property. She is a single mother and has 5 young children. She lives in subsidized housing. She is facing imminent eviction because her son, who no longer lives with her, was caught engaging in drug-related activity near the property. By the letter of the law, she breached the terms of her lease, and the eviction is legal. The landlord’s attorneys argue that the government should not be providing housing to criminals, to those in the population who do not want to follow the rules. The court rules against the woman. The judgment against her means that she has lost all future ability to live in subsidized housing, and her family may soon be homeless. How do we justify stories like this? How do we accept the legitimacy of the law when it can have such perverse effects at an individual human level? One way is through framing. When we place blame on individuals we are more likely to suppo...