John Kenneth Galbraith

Poverty in the United States of America is simply one of the most tragic, and surprising traits in our dominant, wealthy country. In “The Position of Poverty,” John Kenneth Galbraith made it apparent that this little known, increasingly devastating problem needs to rise to the forefront of important American social issues. In his work, Galbraith writes about the differences between insular and case poverty, and also explains the change in modern poverty from that of a century ago. Insular poverty, or high levels of poverty in specific areas, is becoming increasingly apparent in our modern society. Looking specifically at the city of Detroit, where about thirty-eight percent of the city’s children are living in poverty, it is not remotely surprising to see that insular poverty is continually developing at a high rate. In “The Position of Poverty” Galbraith tries to help the readers understand more about solving this large issue in our society, by simply educating readers through very strong, direct text. Understanding more about living in insufficient economic conditions and simply, allowing innocent children to directly suffer was heavily emphasized in Galbraith’s work. I found “The Position of Poverty” to be a very interesting read, because of personal strong feelings about the amount of government aid given to the less fortunate members of our American society. Galbraith knew that a sudden increase in overall income could not sufficiently change the status of poverty in the United States, the process to achieving better and more fair economic conditions for all could slowly and eventually lead to more opportunities for future generations.