Is 'culture' killing America's poor?

The richest one percent now live 14.6 years longer than the poorest one percent. Why?

Poverty forces people to get their calories where they can.
(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

In American politics, few words are more loaded than "culture."

For instance, in arguments over poverty and how to fix it, conservatives will often point to "culture" issues like the decline of family values and community. Many liberals argue that such "culture" arguments serve as semi-polite shorthand for "the poor did it to themselves."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jeff Spross

Jeff Spross was the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He was previously a reporter at ThinkProgress.