The Compassion Gap, By Nicholas Kristof And Arthur C. Brooks

Some believe that Americans have a tendency to base financial status on effort or lack thereof. America is known as a place where if you work hard, you can be successful. With this said, other countries are more prone to be envious of the rich and they believe status is achieved through connections. Do our views on how poverty is attained effect the income gap or our generosity toward those who are facing it? Nicholas Kristof and Arthur C. Brooks suggest that whether or not poverty stems from direct endeavors, we must work towards helping our neighbors and contributing to our countries’ well-being. In his article, â€Å"The Compassion Gap,† Kristof examines Johnny Weethee and his mother Truffle’s situation. Johnny is a three year old with a hearing impairment that lead him to suffer speech and development problems. His mother is judged based on her appearance. Many assume that it is her fault for her children having health issues because of her tattoos and weigh t. The author says that many people blame individuals in poverty for being â€Å"lazy and irresponsible† (Kristof 2). We should be less concerned with whose fault and focus on finding ways to spread opportunity. Purisima 2 Kristof is explaining that the first instinct of a wealthier person is to avoid a needy person or one that is struggling. An experiment showed that â€Å"affluence may erode compassion† (Kristof 1). A professor from Princeton found out that sometimes our brains don’t see the homeless as people. We