Perspectives

Current issues

David Joy’s essay, “Digging in the Trash”, was published in 2017 and explores a current issue: living in poverty in the US and its consequences. Statistics show that, in 2016, over 40 million people were living in poverty in the US. The highest percentage of people living in poverty was found among minority groups like Native Americans and African Americans. White people had a comparatively low poverty rate. Interestingly, children and woman also had notably higher poverty ratings than men. 

A 2018 article in The New York Times also explores this topic, arguing that there are more people living in extreme poverty in the US than in European countries and urges authorities to deal with the issue. Consequently, we can say David Joy’s essay reflects the very real and serious problems and frustrations of a part of America...