Identifying poverty

In many families there are rules of conduct that reinforce the traditional socio-economic class they belong to generation after generation.

There are linguistic expressions that have special relevance in our understanding.

The sayings (proverbs) are the most common and abundant. What appear to express advice, recommendations, truths from somewhere magical, reliable, final.

In families in which linked several generations (grandparents, grandchildren, children, parents, cousins, brothers), usually woven a web of truths, statements, slogans, whose veracity is not questioned.

The members of those families assume that to be accepted, they must repeat them as their own these "truths" and guide their actions for them.

The wealth and poverty are hereditary, but not necessarily for genetic reasons or economic reasons but also for cultural reasons.

The importance of these phrases seem inextricably linked to surnames.

A simple definition, powerful, unquestioned might say, for example: (The Perez Rodriguez are) "poor but honest."

If a family there this definition as identifying the lineage, it will almost certainly be proud to be poor because, be, will be understood that they are also honored.

What happens in a family with a "motto" identificatory like this?

- Probably a majority of members keep their income controlled to never stop being poor;

- If any of them had a major stroke of luck and received a large income, something would be done to remove the medium or the lucky would graduate from the family group;

- If a rich person would enter that family group would have a strong resistance from other members;

- If, after taking care to stop anyone from being poor, some of them committed an act that called into question the 'honesty of Rodriguez Perez, "very probably have to be expelled as a traitor.

Note: original in Spanish (without translation by Google): La pobreza identificatoria

 

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