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RantIs poverty an excuse for male violence?
I came across this post in my feed and it made me feel very uncomfortable. https://www.facebook.com/nzgreenparty/posts/393374286164982
I'm not going to deny that there is a link between poverty and crime, but I think it's simplistic to say that reducing poverty reduces crime, and that poverty is "the root of the cause." There's also the assumption that violent crime is committed out of some kind of necessity which is obviously is not. There may be some tiny minority of starving people stealing food to survive but it's completely naïve to think this is the case the vast majority of the time. You really think Harvey Weinstein and Johnny Depp are innocent little boys who abuse and rape women due to being poor? Money does not prevent men from committing crime.
It also comes across as blackmail. "Give me money or I will assault people." It doesn't address the root of the problem. I'll admit that it's complicated and that a bad upbringing can result in someone committing more crime, but I hate this idea that if an impoverished man rapes or assaults someone, it's not his fault because he's poor and all he needs is money.
For the record, I'm in favour of having more financial support for those who need it. But the phrasing here has very problematic implications.