In his book, Race Matters, Dr. Cornel West criticizes those such as Newt Gingrich who put the blame for poverty squarely on the shoulders of the individual. But West, an African-American scholar who teaches at Princeton University, also takes liberals to task. For example, he is critical of African-American leaders who find it convenient to blame government for the plight of the poor. Moreover, West takes issue with the position taken by some scholars such as Oscar Lewis and James McWhorter, author of Losing the Race. Lewis and McWhorter contend that the value system of the poor creates a never-ending cycle of poverty.
The problem with all of these explanations, according to Dr. West, is that they are all stereotypes. In effect, they are all simplistic responses to a complex problem. Each explanation is incomplete and inaccurate. Individuals’ susceptibility to poverty cannot be analyzed apart from their work ethic, value system, or their immediate culture. Nor can the larger society and social forces throughout the world be ignored. All of these influences may be relevant, and all are interconnected.
Why are stereotypical statements, such as those made by Gingrich and others, so important? Because their effects can be profound and long-lasting. By talking with broad brushstrokes, politicians create a new social reality that degrades the quality of life of those people being targeted. Stereotypes create fixed, rigid images of people that give rise to prejudice, discrimination, and feelings of superiority and vulnerability. When someone in power reinforces a stereotype, it has a ring of truth. Hence, it is more likely to be ingrained in the minds of the public.
Gingrich knows this, and so do Santorum and Romney. All have made grossly inaccurate remarks about America’s poor in recent weeks. Candidates for the highest public office in the U.S. have a responsibility to know the facts when it comes to poverty, and then stick to them, even when it might not be politically expedient to do so.