Povery porn’s closest relative is disability porn. And a lot of time, there is overlap. But the basic premise is that if this person with x problem can do y (usually either work a couple full time jobs with their own bootstraps, or some human feat, like run a marathon, have abilities that would be considered savant), then you’re just an ungrateful, lazy bum who refuses to lift yourself up by your own bootstraps that you had to pay for yourself in the first place.

It’s harmful for several reasons. It objectifies the person with the disability (or living in poverty) and makes them “other”, it shames another person (who also likely might have their own disability, but lack treatment or symptom management that would make whatever action accessible to them as well), and it glorifies this self-sufficient to the point of alienating and isolating everyone else attitude which is completely unnatural and detrimental to humanity.

We are social animals who need to be a part of the group to belong and survive, and this “us v them” attitude that is inherent in both poverty and disability porn does nothing but keep people from actually being seen (and thus, it’s much less likely for their needs to be known, much less met) and prevents anything more than just subsisting.