Poverty Causes Teen Sex Problems

Today, I just started reading the book Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children from Sex by Judith Levine. Not being specifically about poverty, Levine argues in the book that sex is not necessarily harmful to minors, and that trying to keep children ignorant about sex and puritanically abstinent often backfires. So far, I […]

80 Percent of Poor Americans Work

I just read a good article by Wendi C. Thomas in which she says that 80 percent of poor Americans have jobs. The article contains some personal anecdotes about a few poor people. And it aims to help dispel the myth that poor people are lazy and do not want better for themselves. Wendi C. […]

Alleviating Poverty Makes Us Happy

I wrote a short article on the philosophy forums explaining why I think what is often called ‘selfishness’ is actually compatible with kindness. Check it out: Is Selfishness Compatible with Kindness? I think we can more effectively organize to alleviate poverty if we realize the various ways that kindness and humanitarianism are actually in our […]

Working Poor Most Generous

In a recent article, Arthur C. Brooks, author of Gross National Happiness, pointed out an interesting fact about charity: Most studies have shown that the working poor tend to give away between four and five percent of their incomes, on average, while the rich give away between three and four percent. So-called “middle class” people […]