Okay, the article kind of annoys me because it's talking about poverty, but showing a homeless person sleeping on the street. Homelessness and poverty do not go hand in hand. Canada has tons of social programs to ensure that poor people do not need to sleep on the street. People end up sleeping on the street for many reasons, few of which are directly related to poverty, and more related to mental illness and addiction.
And even in poverty, I see most Canadian 'poor' as being luxury poor. You're poor if you can't afford to put your kids in hockey or buy name brand clothes. You're poor if cigarette money ate all your grocery money. You're poor if your booze fund came before your electricity. We have a bad habit as a society of looking at the luxuries first, both when judging someone's financial situation, and when budgeting our own finances. It creates a mess of financial troubles for families. And no, when I point out to my friend on welfare, who complains about being too broke to afford rent, that maybe she should cancel her internet and Blackberry, I'm not apologetic, nor do I feel I'm waging some class war. I'm simply pointing out that the luxuries in life have to wait sometimes. I grew up in a household where my mom had to scrimp for groceries, but dad's cigarette and beer supply was always well stocked. Do I think the poor bring it upon themselves sometimes? hell yes. Do I think 'the poor' are any different than me? Hell no.
