I think it does lead to what you call "legitimate altruism", because the scope of poverty encompasses many things: hunger, increased illness, increased sufferin

I think it does lead to what you call "legitimate altruism", because the scope of poverty encompasses many things: hunger, increased illness, increased suffering, etc... Being poor means you experience all of these burdens, more so than those who are not poor, and so you can understand the plight of those who experience it. >> "more charitable toward problems they understand and people they empathize with?" Can you be charitable to problems that you don't understand? I don't think so. If you gave your money away to anyone who asked, that's not charity. >>> "Social programs to help the unemployed are, economically speaking, little different from something like TARP." I disagree with that statement. The TARP is a calculated move by the government to prevent economic collapse. The motivation for it was self-preservation, not altruism.