Poverty in America is not poverty

The article of “ Poverty in America Isn’t Poverty” aims to claim that many Americans misunderstand the definition of poverty or even some of them may abuse using the word – poverty to gain others’ sympathesis. The speaker points out that those Americans living in “poverty” could have electrical appliances at home, for instance, computers, cell phones, TVs, dishwashers, air-condition and even the dryers. Having those abundant electrical appliances at home, should those people still be clarified as living in poverty? Should the US government still give the financial aid to those people, who claimed in “poverty”?

From the global poverty statistics, it shows that nearly three billion people in the world are defined as poor; most of them can be found in Africa. This group of people earn less than $1 usd per day. They suffer from chronically hungry, diseases with lack of health care, and poor living standard without rudimentary shelter.

Compared with the people mentioned above, the poverty in America is not real poverty as measured around the world. For me, I consider that it is essential for us to learn how to treasure all the things we had but not blaming or counting what we do not have. Living in the USA, such a modern and developed country, we can be defined as “rich” and “fortunate”.