Great post, Hillstreetblues. I agree that poverty is fetishized. I also observe that those in poverty are elevated to "innocent lamb" status. This status helps those who are gaming the system, and does nothing substantial to help people in dire straits.
The real "innocents" are children living in poverty, who are obviously completely dependent on adults for their well-being and whose outcomes later in life are being compromised today. Child poverty in Hamilton is rampant.
The poverty industry "stakeholders" have many reasons to maintain the status-quo, even when their efforts are sincere. As you wrote: "It's hard to discuss with them, but they seem to have an idea of poverty as almost noble. If you think it's something that we should be fighting against, instead of serving, that's wrong."
It's hard to fight poverty when it's not seen as a fight.
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