undeserving poor
Morally judged needy
The undeserving poor is a category in social and political discourse for people seen as poor through their own fault—laziness, vice, or bad choices—as opposed to the "deserving poor" who suffer through no fault of their own.
The distinction dates to Victorian-era welfare debates and persists in arguments about who merits public assistance: Politicians love to invoke the undeserving poor when cutting benefits.
Critics consider the concept a way to justify withholding help from those who need it.
- welfareComfort and prosperity
- social welfareGovernment help for citizens
- public assistanceGovernment help for poor
- safety netProtection against failure
- means testedRequiring proof of poverty
lazy · handout · beggar · scrounger · freeloader · vagrant · indigent · pauper · charity · workhouse · destitute · idle · hard working · pull yourself up · sloth · moocher · dole · shameful
undeserving poorwealthy
Having abundant financial resources
affluent · privileged · landed gentry · trust fund babies · plutocrats
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