Blaming the Poor: The Long Shadow of the Moynihan Report on Cruel Images about Poverty

by Susan D. Greenbaum

In 1965, the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan—then a high-ranking official in the Department of Labor—sparked a firestorm when he released his report “The Negro Family,” which came to be regarded by both supporters and detractors as an indictment of African American culture. Blaming the Poor examines the regrettably durable impact of the Moynihan Report for race relations and social policy in America, challenging the humiliating image the report cast on poor black families and its misleading explanation of the causes of poverty. A leading authority on poverty and racism in the United States, Susan D. Greenbaum dismantles Moynihan’s main thesis—that the so called matriarchal structure of the African American family “feminized” black men, making them inadequate workers and absent fathers, and resulting in what he called a tangle of pathology that led to a host of ills, from teen pregnancy to adult crime. Drawing on extensive scholarship, Greenbaum highlights the flaws in Moynihan’s analysis. She reveals how his questionable ideas have been used to redirect blame for substandard schools, low wages, and the scarcity of jobs away from the societal forces that cause these problems, while simultaneously reinforcing stereotypes about African Americans. Greenbaum also critiques current policy issues that are directly affected by the tangle of pathology mindset—the demonization and destruction of public housing; the criminalization of black youth; and the continued humiliation of the poor by entrepreneurs who become rich consulting to teachers, non-profits, and social service personnel.   A half century later, Moynihan’s thesis remains for many a convenient justification for punitive measures and stingy indifference to the poor. Blaming the Poor debunks this infamous thesis, proposing instead more productive and humane policies to address the enormous problems facing us today. 

Genres: History, Race

190 pages, Hardcover

First published August 28, 2015

Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greenbaum looks back at the Moynihan report, a 1965 report called "The Negro Family" written by a high-ranking member of the Department of Labor. It linked poverty particularly among African-Americans to female led households that it claimed resulted in feminized men that then did not work or support their families. She debunks the theories presented in the report, but also shows how they have become ingrained in people's thinking and the policies created even up to present times. This book is another reminder of so many things that were put into effect decades ago that are continuing to have a last effect on the state of the poor and certain communities today.

[Redpoet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. There was nothing wrong with it. There was plenty of information, backed by numerous studies and reports. My problem was that there wasn't much that I found new here and little in the way of analysis. For me, it was too academic and maybe that is what it is supposed to be. It would make a good under graduate text, for sure. It would be excellent as a resource for a debater. Unfortunately, that is not what I was looking for. I have nothing against facts, studies, and research, but they need to be combined with passion, and some sort of analysis deeper than what I found here.

[Elizabeth Higginbotham · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of the book is strong in presenting the evidence of how powerful the Moynihan report is in the culture, even when the ideas are not supported empirically. The chapter about housing was very informative, since I did not realize that Hope VI wasn't supported by research and that moving people to end the concentration of poverty is problematic in the outcome. The end of the book dragged for me, but I am still glad that I read it.