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Originally Posted by Lightspeed
Skipping to the stereotypes indicates limited willingness to engage with complex reality.
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I respectfully disagree. Recognizing the stereotypes and recognizing the complexity of the problem are not mutually exclusive. If the statement had been more along the lines of "all poverty stricken families are dole bludgers who don't lift a finger to help themselves, and just get pissed and gamble their kids school money away", then I could understand your view.
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Originally Posted by Lightspeed
Personally I think families that spend every cent on things like alcohol, booze or gambling are still better for all of us than families without that option. Better that Mum steps outside for a ciggy than letting that stress out on junior.
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Again, I respectfully disagree. In a lot of those same homes, the booze and ciggies purchased with the money in question leads to health problems and drunken violence against those same kids. Mum's job for the last 18 or so years has involved dealing directly with some of the worst offenders in this example; infant deaths, kids with cigarette burns on arms and legs, broken bones, lice, no clothing of their own, no breakfasts or lunches most days, and dinners if they're lucky. These are the families that get direct paid allowances, but only a tiny percentage (if any) is spent on the kids. These are the places where I believe intervention is desperately needed to ensure that the adults in the families are taught firstly how to prioritize and budget their income (possibly by way of the community expertise you mentioned), and secondly that they and/or the kids are monitored to ensure they are getting adequate food, clothing, heath care.