Page 24 - Sociology and You
P. 24
Practicing the Skill
Read this paragraph, and then answer the questions below:
Many people in America believe that people at the bottom of the economic scale belong there because they don’t have the motivation to succeed in a competitive marketplace. In a series of surveys, Americans were asked to account for poverty in the U.S. The most popular reasons blamed the poverty on the poor themselves. However, in studies of the poor and those receiving welfare, researchers have consistently found that a majority want to work, to support themselves, and to get off the welfare rolls.
1. Based on the preceding paragraph, what generalizations are made about the poor?
2. Is the generalization about the poor based on facts?
3. Is the generalization accurate? If so, how does that influence our policies
regarding the poor? If not, why does the generalization persist?
Applying the Skill
Read the editorials in your local or a national newspaper for one week. Then write a list of generalizations about the newspaper’s position on issues such as political ideology, economic policy, or the environment.
HB-10 Sociology Handbook
