We refuse to talk about obvious contributors to poverty like out-of-wedlock births, and then we wonder why we have so much difficulty understanding the problem.
A healthy culture fosters those attitudes and outlooks that enable people to take care of themselves. Simple stuff like "don't have sex until married", "take care of your kids", "go to school", "work hard", "mind your money" are for many people bedrock values that serve them well. Instead we have subcultures that celebrate promiscuity, materialism and sexism, encourage drug use and dealing, and actively discourage positive behaviors. And we wonder why those in those subcultures do poorly? But we cannot criticize them because that would be insensitive or judgmental or -- worst -- racist.
When someone is making a mistake it is no help to overlook the mistake.
Abandoning helpful mindsets because they are hard to build is no solution. Of course being poor wears down positivity and agency, we've always known this. That shouldn't mean we give up on trying to help people adopt the approaches that will help them.
I don't have the solution to poverty, it is a very complicated and self-sustaining problem whose solutions are going to involve changes in many areas. But we're never going to solve it until we have a better conversation about what causes it.
Another factor I'd want to add is the impressive destruction of multi-generational households and even relationships. It has cemented loneliness in the old and lack of family values and destructive behavior in the young especially when both parents are working.
You mistake the cause for the effect. The "cultural issues" you mention are the effect of generational poverty, not the cause. If you want healthy culture, ensure that everyone gets good schools, housing and healthcare. As long as people get completely different education depending on their class, the situation can't improve.
The causes have been extremely clear for the past century at least. It's relatively simple to identify them if you don't approach the issue ideologically.
A healthy culture fosters those attitudes and outlooks that enable people to take care of themselves. Simple stuff like "don't have sex until married", "take care of your kids", "go to school", "work hard", "mind your money" are for many people bedrock values that serve them well. Instead we have subcultures that celebrate promiscuity, materialism and sexism, encourage drug use and dealing, and actively discourage positive behaviors. And we wonder why those in those subcultures do poorly? But we cannot criticize them because that would be insensitive or judgmental or -- worst -- racist.
When someone is making a mistake it is no help to overlook the mistake.
Abandoning helpful mindsets because they are hard to build is no solution. Of course being poor wears down positivity and agency, we've always known this. That shouldn't mean we give up on trying to help people adopt the approaches that will help them.
I don't have the solution to poverty, it is a very complicated and self-sustaining problem whose solutions are going to involve changes in many areas. But we're never going to solve it until we have a better conversation about what causes it.